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Isn't it time you saved more of your hard earned money when you go downhill skiing? You know the slopes, now you just have to learn the ropes. The key is to avoid the normal flow so you can save money and ski more often. Expert skiing requires an increase in mileage on the slopes, so if you want to ski every weekend or every other weekend, it's to your advantage to get the most out of your skiing dollar.

Buy Last Year's Skis

If at all possible, buy your ski equipment and clothes in the fall or spring. The best months in the autumn are October and November, while the best months in the spring are March and April. Never buy in mid-season!

Some of the gear that didn't sell in the winter or spring is returned to the shelves in the fall. Although you may not always get the best selection, you will definitely get a good discount. Perhaps even as low as the wholesale price. They need to clear this stock out to make room for the new equipment and clothes.

In terms of skis, most ski shops will have a few pair of high-end skis left over from the previous year, but you need to get to the ski shop in late October or early November before they're sold out. Forget the demos, go for last year's skis, which are brand new.

In addition, forget about sporting goods stores, since they only deal with middle of the road recreational skis. For expert skiing, you need an all-terrain ski or the closest thing to it. Remember, most ski shops only have a limited number of these skis on hand at any given time.

Select Neutral Colors and Good Quality Clothes

In terms of clothing, buy ski jackets and pants in neutral colors like red, black, and blue. These colors will stand the test of time. Although they are not the fanciest, you don't need to be fancy to ski in the expert zones.

Besides, colorful clothes are usually more expensive and tend to be trendy. You know, avant-garde one year, and pushed to the back of the closest the next year. You don't want to blow your ski budget on new jackets and pants every year, just to fit in.

In addition, buy good quality. This will ensure that you get a longer life out of your jacket, pants, and gloves. This means you save big time over the long haul.

Consider buying your clothes, like your skis and boots, in the spring or fall, not during the ski season when the prices are at their highest. If you have a ski show in your area, it will usually be in October or November. Attend the show on the last or second last day. You'll usually find great bargains on ski jackets and gloves.

Replace One Item Each Year

A rule of thumb that some expert skiers follow is to replace one item of clothing or equipment each year. If you purchased good quality gear in the first place, you may find that this simple rule will work for you as well. The idea is to get the longest life possible from your clothes and equipment and to wear everything out before you replace it. You also don't normally need to be two or three deep in anything.

As an aspiring expert skier, you want to free up as much of your hard earned dollar as possible to pay for lift tickets, which means more mileage on the slopes.

Ski During the Week

If you can get away, there is money to be saved by skiing during the week, Monday to Friday. The weekday rates for lift tickets are reduced at ski resorts, although not as much as we would like to see. However, you can also opt for a half-day ticket, which affords an additional savings. This may be the way to go if you are out just for the day, and want to practice a new technique or tactic from one of the ski lessons for a couple of hours.

In addition, during the week the crowds are down and lift lines are almost non-existent. This means a lot more runs and mileage for the price of your lift ticket, when compared to weekend skiing. Besides, when you are out skiing moguls, trees, and steeps, sometimes you don't want an audience, especially if you are experimenting with a new technique or maneuver.

Brown Bag It

Bring your own food and save on your eating expenses. You can spend upwards of $8 - $10 for a full lunch at most ski resorts. By brown bagging it, and supplementing with a bowl of soup or chowder, you can easily get away with spending just $4 for a complete meal, depending on what you bring in the bag. For a twenty-five day ski season, the savings can be appreciable.

Moreover, ski resorts serve cafeteria style food, which you are probably aware of, can be quite bad. A hamburger, fries, and a coke, just isn't going to cut it if you are going back into the expert zones in the afternoon. Keep the soup or chowder, but jettison the rest. By bringing your own lunch, you'll be saving money, getting the right nourishment, and supplying your body with the energy you need to ski until the lifts close.

Jim Safianuk

Jim Safianuk is an online writer who has written extensively about the sports of inline skating and downhill skiing. He draws his experience, ideas, and zest for both sports by being an avid, inline skater in the summer, and a certified ski instructor and racing coach in the winter.

In addition, Jim is currently the Inline Skating guide for the online magazine About.com where he's gained extensive experience as a writer and editor of inline skating articles, tips, how-tos, reviews, and quizzes.

He graduated from the Long Ridge Writers Group in 1999 with a Diploma in Article Writing and from George Brown College with a Certificate in Technical Communications in 2000. This provided the background he needed to write the prose contained in his articles, newsletters, and e-books, and the procedures found in his lessons, modules, and courses.

In 2002, Jim graduated from Centennial College with a Foundation Certificate in Web Programming, which set him up well for the development of his own web sites, feedback mechanisms such as forms, e-zines, and RSS feeds, and the delivery of information products.

Jim has recently published a new, web-based, training course for the 2004-2005 ski season entitled Skills of the Expert Skier. He decided to write the course because he wanted to fill a void that he feel exists in recreational skiing. There are coaches at the local, regional, and national levels who train adults to become slalom racers, mogul experts, and aerialists with an eye towards World Cup competitions. There are instructors at ski resorts, camps, and clubs who teach adults to be good parallel skiers on groomed trails. But what happens to the adult skiers who aspire to become experts on moguls, in trees, and down steeps? Who can they turn to for guidance?

He is convinced that the single, biggest factor is that these skiers know they need help, but can't find anyone to turn to for guidance, weekend to weekend, month to month, and year after year. But this is not there fault. A void exists. That's why he wrote Skills of the Expert Skier.