10 yesterday. (Day 40, skiing, 2010-2011 season)

10 runs, that is.  Skiing.  412 runs this season, so far.  40th ski day (33 days left in season), average 10.3 runs per day.  (A ski day for me is actually skiing hard for about 2 1/2 hours, plus a 30-40 minute lunch break many days.  OK, I’m a wimp for not skiing 6-8 hours per day.  My legs know I’ve skied.)

120 days skied the last 5 seasons including this one, so 1/3 of that total has been skied this season.

Average cost per run for 412 is $1.98 (pass + food + gas).  (Gas is less this year, and skier days are up, because of Summit County occupancy this winter.)

Gas cost this season is $165.68 to date, avg. $4.14 per day, with a per gallon range of $2.239 to $3.259 (including $.10 grocery discounts here and there) and a per mile range of $0.116 to $0.170 since November.

Gas last year was $274.50 for 23 days of skiing, avg. $11.93 per day, with a per gallon range of about $2.289 to $2.559 and a per mile range of $0.107 to $.0140 during the winter.  (This was driving from Denver every ski day, with about 8 or the 23 days at 0 gas cost due to a ski buddy driving.)

Starbucks cost total this year is $14.04 (avg. $.035 per day) compared to $58.51 (avg. last year, when a return cup was nearly obligatory (only missed 2 of the 23 days) for the drive back to Denver.

Lunch cost for 40 days this year is $235.23 (avg. $5.88 per day, 16 zero cost no lunch days, thus avg. $9.80 per day for 24 days) compared to $198.46 last year for 23 days, only 1 zero cost day, for a 22 day avg. of $9.02.

Gas, lunch, Starbucks.  That’s the fuel is takes for me to ski.

Season pass cost for the Rocky Mountain Super Pass for Copper Mountain/Winter Park  was $399 each season this year and last.  Per day cost at the end of 23 ski days last year was $17.35.  Per day cost at the end of 40 ski days so far this season is $9.98.

Total costs for 40 days for everything this year is less than for 23 days last year but that is only because of staying in Summit County, so it’s not a valid comparison.  Driving from Denver for 40 days would have hugely bumped the gas price.  Either way, skiing is not cheap, but I’m sure there are people who spend much more per year on cigarettes or other hobbies.  I never smoked, but I like to think I’m “smoking” when I’m flying down a ski run.  🙂

All that aside, this has been one of the best quality Colorado ski snow years in decades.  REALLY!