written by: Susan Lacke
Confession: I hate skiing. I admit, I’m in the minority. Here in the Greatest Snow on Earth, a lot of people enjoy hurling themselves down a mountain. But I am not one of them. This is a problem because I’m married to a voracious skier. On more than one occasion, I’ve woken up to a hastily-scribbled note on the kitchen counter: “Fresh pow! See you later.”
Though I struggle to understand my husband’s love for the slopes, I support it. Still, I was less-than-enthusiastic when he announced his plan to hit a different ski resort every weekend this winter. I did the math in my head: There are more weekends than there are resorts in the Salt Lake area. We’d be doing some traveling, and traveling means money.
“Do you know how expensive it is to get a hotel room during ski season?” I moaned.
“We don’t need a hotel room,” Neil replied. “We have the Winnebago.”
Though skiing itself has become increasingly pricey, ski bums remain thrifty. There’s a core group of skiers who eschew luxurious slope-side lodging in favor of modest digs. Check the parking lot of most ski resorts and you’ll likely see a handful of RVs, tiny homes on trailers and even car campers. Camping, typically seen as a warm-weather activity, is one way to subvert the costs of your favorite ski resort while still claiming dibs on the first tracks of the day.
“Winter camping is an adventure all its own,” says Dennis Decker, owner of Airstream of Utah. “We have many customers who travel the USA in their Airstream travel trailers and ski all winter. Everyone has their favorites.
I love Utah skiing and staying near the slopes is always my preference.”
Ready to hit the road (and the slopes)? Start with these five resorts within a day’s drive of the Salt Lake valley.
Be sure to read about the DOs and DON’Ts of Cold Weather Camping and find out where the best resorts are to set up your winter home.
—
See more inside our
