The MFJS Reporter — Winter 2020 M-W

For college students, the heavy traffic and increase in prices is one thing that can deter even the most enthusiastic of skiers. DU sophomore Owen McKessy is an avid skier. Yet, the traffic and the prices have had him second guess the benefits of his favorite hobby. 

“I only ski at places on the Ikon pass because just a day lift ticket is too expensive to go anywhere not on the pass,” Mckessy said. “The traffic is really, really bad so I leave at 5:30 a.m. and on some days we even hit light traffic leaving that early.”

Since 2008, there has been an 18% increase in the number of vehicles driving on I-70 through the Eisenhower Tunnel heading to the popular ski resorts. Just last year, 28,151 cars passed westbound through the tunnel on the Friday of MLK weekend. The heaviest traffic reported on I-70 that weekend was recorded as 50 vehicles per minute. For college students, this means leaving Denver before 6 a.m., or spending more time in their cars than on the mountain. 

The heavy traffic increase means that DU students are planning their classes around skiing. Sophomore Alexa Lapin skis at Arapahoe Basin and the Epic Resorts every single weekend, and she purposely makes her schedule so she does not have classes on Fridays. 

“Having no class on Friday makes a difference because there is less traffic and people at the resorts. Parking is much easier and you don’t have a lot of trouble getting a good spot,” she said. 

However, weekends on I-70 are a whole different story. 

“This past Saturday, my friends and I left DU at 7 a.m. thinking we would be beating the traffic. We were so wrong,” says sophomore Amanda Hammond. 

Hammond and her friends drove to Copper Mountain and waited in traffic for four hours. As they pulled into the parking lot at 11am, Hammond felt ridiculous. 

“Considering I spent a lot of my own money on my pass, it was worth it to sit through traffic, but it was not fun. Unfortunately, it is definitely worth it to wake up earlier and not have to sit in hours of traffic,” she said. 

Money and time are two prized possessions for college students, and with the price increases and time wasted in traffic, skiing can seem like more of a hassle than for what it’s worth. Every year, the prices for Epic Season Passes have been increasing, which reflects the increase of Colorado residents as well. While daily lift tickets range from $120-200, the most popular Colorado season passes have college students dropping over $400. The Ikon Pass, with a student discount, ranges from $400-600, while the Epic Pass gives students a pass for $650-750.

These amounts are not light for most college students, especially when factoring in the cost of buying or renting gear as well. On average, a season gear rental is around $200, while daily rentals in the popular resorts can cost up to $100 a day. 

While skiing is a fun hobby, the total cost and time commitment required is not for everyone. And for many busy college students, skiing in Colorado is getting too expensive and too busy to make the hassle worth it. 

Sophomore Louisa Kelley views the hobby as a connection to nature and something that will always put a smile on her face. However, factors like traffic and money have taken a toll on her this season. 

“Saturday’s have started to take a toll on my energy as I have had to sit in traffic for an additional 2 hours that has forced me to skip Saturday ski days just because of the never ending traffic,” she said. “Overall though, skiing is a process, but it is always something I will wake up for at any time of the day as it is a place I can go to escape society.”