While it poured all day at St. Mike's, precipitation got snowier and snowier the closer we got to the mountain. Once we got there, we were immersed in complete snow.
It was the best first day we could ask for: some fresh snow on the ground (nothing powdery whatsoever, but hey, it was the first day!), not too cold, not too crowded. We were even able to meet up with a few friends.
Before I get into the details of day one and how to get the best bargain out of your day trip, here are a couple of shots from my week.
I've started calling this "the moon buttons picture".
Dinner out Friday night! I'll never say no to Chipotle. Always good.
Sunny Sunday morning today. (Yes, Jared is wearing shorts.)
We've been planning our first ski day for weeks: no matter what kind of day it would be, we decided that we'd be going the first Saturday after Thanksgiving break. And what a picture perfect day it turned out to be!
The greatest photo-bomb of all the photo-bombs, if you ask me. This was right after I'd found the perfect overlook for a picture: the trail was actually closed, so it looked extra pretty and untouched, and there weren't any uninvited models tainting the shot.
Same overlook, same model: a little fun with the Reflection app, one of my new favorites.
I feel like this should be in some sort of outdoor gear catalog.
Now that I've shared some photos from the day, it's time to discuss the best way to save as much money as possible.
If you end up going every Saturday of the season like Jared and me, saving will be key. Thankfully, we've found little ways through the past year or so to cut all sorts of corners.
1.) Bring Lunch
Whether you're smuggling a grilled cheese out of Alliot after dinner on Friday night or buying a few Walmart brand cold cuts, it's always a big money-saver to bring your lunch instead of buying it at the mountain. While the chili bread bowl and deep fried goodies will always be tempting, we've always brought lunch, so we don't really know what we're missing. But, mountain food has always and will always be expensive, so it's best to bring. (Plus, you stand in enough lines all day long. Might as well ditch the food line!)
2.) Carpool
Since Jared has had a car ever since we started going up to Smugg's, I've always liked taking a car and being able to bring others along if they felt inclined. If you're lucky enough to make it on the St. Mike's shuttle sign-up sheet, that'll save even more gas, but just know that it's only available after Christmas break, and you'll have more freedom to get to the mountain and leave the mountain as you please if you happen to have a car, or a friend with one!
3.) Take Advantage of the Pass!!!
The St. Mike's Wilderness Program offers a $65 season pass to Smugg's for students every year!!! And yes, that will pay for itself in a single day of skiing, so even if you don't think you'll be making it to the mountain more than two or three times in the season, it's still very much worth it! Take advantage of it!
That's all my tips and tricks for the day, make sure to stay tuned next time for more skiing photos, and more everything!
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