Most individuals wait to purchase their first pair of skis for many years.  There are many reasons for this, and it primarily boils down to cost and experience.  It’s most common for individuals to rent their skis from the mountain they are skiing at or at their local ski shop.  Let’s take a look at both of these places and examine the pros and cons respectively.  After, we will look at why buying skis outright is also a good decision.

Those who do not own skis typically opt to rent their skis from a mountain.  This method of acquiring skis is very easy and efficient.  There is no hassle of bringing skis to the mountain which frees up car space and make it so that a big car is not needed.  But there are many drawbacks of buying skis at the mountain.  Some of these drawbacks include cost and quality of ski.  Ski resorts have a monopoly on the price of the skis that they rent out.  Once people are at the mountain, people’s options are very limited so that they are forced to turn towards the resort for their ski needs.  Ski resorts often carry stock skis and boots.  This means that they are low quality ski gear, but this gear does get the job done.  The cost of these packages varies depending on how much gear is needed.  If you have no gear, no helmet, no skis, no poles, no boots packages can cost upwards of fifty dollars a day.

Now, it’s time to examine the alternative to renting at the mountain which is renting at a local shop.  There are a ton of pros and some downsides to renting at a local ski shop.  Ski shops often have much better-quality skis for rent.  But there is a reason for the difference in quality, the nicer the skis that are rented, the more expensive the price becomes.  Even so, the greater variation in type and quality is really beneficial as those who are more advanced at skiing can chose specific types of skis rather than being forced to just accept low quality skis.  Lastly, most local shops charge between one hundred dollars and two hundred dollars a season for skis.  If you ski more than a few times a year, renting skis for a year from a local ski shop definitely makes sense financially.

Now, it is finally time to discuss buying ski.  The majority of individuals wait many years before they buy their first pair because of how much money skis cost and to ensure that it is not a waste of an investment.  New skis can cost anywhere between four hundred dollars and a thousand dollars.  At first, these costs might seem daunting but over time and with multiple ski trips, what one finds out is that investing in skis can quickly become the most cost efficient.  You are no longer are forced to shell out fifty dollars each time you go skiing.  After skiing for about 30 times or more, you have already begun saving on expenditures.  Finding the right type of ski is also really important.  You need to know the type of mountains you are skiing on and how advanced of a skier you are.  You shouldn’t be buying powder skies if you are skiing on East Coast mountains.

Everyone has their own reasons for the method in which they acquire skies.  Each makes sense in their own way but if someone is looking to ski a lot and for many years, buying you own skies is the way to go.

One of the places I ski most often is Camelback Mountain Resort in Pennsylvania.  It is nestled in the Pocono Mountains only about a two-hour drive from New York.  I’m from New Jersey so it’s even closer to me and only takes about an hour and a half, maybe faster if I am driving over the speed limit (don’t do what I do).  The ride up is pretty serene and monotonous.  Like usual, when driving through Pennsylvania, you pass a lot of farms, a lot of trees, and a lot of untouched areas.  You also pass, not pass, drive around, the Delaware river for a portion of the trip.  Once you get closer to the mountain, you drive on tight, windy, and hilly roads.  At the end of these roads, you come out to a wide-open area with a mountain, hotel, and huge indoor water park.

I should preface why I am writing about Camelback in the first place.  After-all, its definitely the smallest mountain I have skied at, is usually busy, and almost always has bad conditions.  One of my close friends from home is a ski instructor at this mountain and he has a house in the Poconos which allows for me and my friends to go up all the time, ski for cheaper, and stay over at his house.  It makes the entire experience significantly better.  Instead of rushing to get to the mountain when it first opens to beat the usual waits, we go up the night before and stay over.  It makes the skiing experience just that much more enjoyable.  In addition, he knows how to get around the lift lines and navigate the mountain.  Now, I know everyone can’t be that lucky to just know people who work at ski mountains, but if you know someone who does, I would definitely suggest befriending them.  It will certainly enhance your ski experience.

Anyways, I should get back to my discussion about the Camelback.  Camelback is a multipurpose mountain.  Therefore, it is not solely for skiing.  In the summer there is an outdoor waterpark, during the winter there is an indoor waterpark, there is bike trails all over the mountain for mountain biking during the summer as well, there’s ropes courses, and lastly there is an alpine slide.  As you can see, the mountain’s infrastructure and network of things to do is immense.  During the winter, skiing at the mountain is very interesting because of all these other entertainment pieces.  It results in individuals skiing around waterslides and pools.  I have never seen this type of skiing anywhere else, and it makes the skiing experience just that much more unique.

Lastly, while the mountain is small and compact, it is really fun to ski because it is very navigable.  This allows for really quick runs on any slope you may want to ride.  In addition, when it’s not busy, usually night skiing during the week has the least people, you can get a ton of runs in which is not only fun but allows you to improve upon you skiing technique.

Camelback is a unique mountain and I suggest everyone visit it at least once to either check out the skiing, go to the waterpark, or enjoy another aspect of the entertainment they offer.

When I first look at a chairlift at a mountain you always see at least a singles line, a two-person line, and depending on the lift size a four- or six-person line.  I rarely use the singles line because I try my best to always ski with friends.  Whenever I look at the singles line, one thought crosses through my mind, why would someone willingly choose to ski alone.  This isn’t to say I haven’t skied alone before; I have.  I just enjoy skiing with my friends more and I think there are many reasons for it and I am going to explain why I think skiing with friends is better than skiing alone.

I might as well start of by describing the times I have skied alone to better justify myself.  I have skied alone multiple times.  I have gone to the mountain alone many times and it’s not just the skiing that I do not like to be alone during.  The cars ride up to the mountain are usually long and being alone on these rides make them feel exponentially longer.  I fell as though I am just riding in the car sitting in my own thoughts.  When I ride up to the mountain with friends however, I have a much more fun time because I am either talking to friends, listening to music, or doing both at the same time.  Doing the ride with friends makes the ride go by much quicker as well.  Once I am at the mountain alone, I have to go up the chairlifts in the singles line.  Prior to COVID-19, this forced me to ride the chairlifts with random people.  Sometimes meeting new skiers was really interesting as you could learn about all the mountains they skied at and different things about skiing you never knew.  But, if the other people on the chairlift are not talkative, your forced to sit in silence for the whole ride up.  When the mountain is windy or its snowing, it also makes these rides feel just that much longer.

Once I have reached the top of the mountain, I am able to go quickly down trails as I do not have to wait for my friends to all decide on a chairlift that I want to go down.  This allows me to get more runs in but also takes the fun out of getting to decide which trails to ride down.  The final thing I do not like about skiing alone is that I usually get tired quicker because I am doing more runs, so I do not always want to stay at the mountain for that long.  When I am with my friends however, we are doing less runs and are taking our time, enjoying each trail which results in me staying on the mountain longer.

As you can see by my analysis of skiing alone, I am not a big fan of it.  Therefore, I always try and do everything in my power to find friends who want to go skiing with me when I want to go.  I advise always brining people with you when You go skiing for the best possible experience.

Everyone has a different image in their head when someone says to them, “I am going skiing.”  Many people, when they think of skiing think of clear-cut, well-groomed trails.  When I think of skiing, I think of uncut trails with trees and lots of powder.  This is glade skiing.

Many become nervous when they think of skiing around obstacles such as trees, rocks, and roots.  I however enjoy these obstacles because they make the skiing more difficult and much more interesting.

One of the first times I ever skied the glades was when I was ten years old and was skiing with my family in Lake Placid, New York.  Lake Placid is one of the few mountains on the East Coast that has skiable glades.  A lot of glades, especially out West, require you to hike up to them.  Lake Placid’s Glades are no exception to this hike.  The hike typically consists of walking through tree lines and snow which at times can be very deep.  The deep snow makes it even more difficult to hike and gives one’s legs a big workout A lot of people would see this hike as too much effort to go skiing.  Even some of the people who decide that they are willing to do the hike end up complaining because of how tired they are when they get to the top.  I see this hike as enjoyable for many reasons.  For starters these hikes are a great way to get a workout in.  While skiing does burn a lot of calories, hiking up to the glades burns exponentially more calories.  In addition, during these hikes it is common to see a lot of wildlife roaming the woods.  I’ve seen animals as small as mice to as big as bears during these hikes and they always serve as a nice surprise and entertainment.

Once you have reached the summit of the glades, it is one of the best feelings because you know that you are about to ski down some great terrain and you feel accomplished from all the work that was just put in.  It is also thrilling to look down at all the ground that was just covered during the hike.  In Lake Placid at the top of their glades, there is a special lodge for anyone who took the time to hike it as well.

Once you begin your descent into the glades, it’s a rush of trying to avoid hitting trees and making sharp turns.  The sharp turns make the ride exhilarating and tough at the same time.  As you cut, your quads burn making the ride an endurance ride as well.  Every now and then you might get unlikely and fall or worse hit a tree.  This is what makes glade skiing dangerous at times.  Once or twice, I have seen people have to be heli-lifted out because they had injuries so bad.

When the bottom of the glades has been reached, it is a big mix of emotions as your both sad that you have to hike back up and happy that you just had a great run.  Glade skiing is definitely a unique experience that everyone should try.

Image of Snowbird:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowbird,_Utah#/media/File:Snowbird_Tram_at_Hidden_Peak.jpg

I have been born and raised on the East coast for my entire life.  If you have ever skied or possibly have even heard people talking about skiing, chances are you have heard the expression, “ski the East.”

Skiing on the East coast is known for two things, icy slopes and lack of natural snow.  At most mountains it’s probably true that the majority of snow is man-made because there is not enough snowfall.  This lack of snowfall also makes skiing conditions icy because people ski off any natural or man-made snow early in the day leaving only packed down and icy conditions.  These packed down and icy conditions make skiing difficult for even some of the best skiers and it’s not uncommon to see some nasty wipeouts.

All of this talk about skiing on the East coast was done just to demonstrate what usual skiing conditions were during my normal ski trips which normally took place in East coast states like Vermont, New York, Canada, and Pennsylvania.  Now I am going to switch gears and talk about skiing on the West coast.  Skiing on the West coast (it’s ironic cause most skiing on the West coast actually takes place on states that I would consider more middle America) is known for great conditions and always having fresh powder.  Such conditions are unheard of on the East coast and are sought after by every skier on the East Coast.  Therefore, when I was given the opportunity to ski out West for my 16^th birthday, I was elated at this opportunity.

Prior to my 16^th birthday, I never skied out West and had only heard stories about how amazing it was.  For my trip out West, I went to Utah and skied at Park City and at Snowbird.  Park City was the first mountain I skied at and it completely changed the way I viewed skiing.  I had to use special powder skies which were longer and wider, making them easier to glide over powder as opposed to skies back home which were smaller and narrower and did well with ice.  In addition, out West, the mountains are typically much larger and much higher resulting in the usage of gondolas as opposed to traditional lifts.  My runs at Park City were incredible.  They each lasted upwards of thirty minutes and each time I was graced with trails full of fresh powder.  When I skied at Snowbird, the conditions were even better.  There was even more fresh powder and the runs were even longer.  Snowbird is famous for getting the most snowfall in the entire country, and this was proven true when I was there.  At times, I was skiing through a half foot of powder, something that would be unheard of on the East coast mountains.

Skiing on these mountains made me appreciate skiing slow, taking my time, and enjoying each run.  While I am not often graced with such incredible conditions when skiing in the East, it makes me grateful for the times I do get to ski in more than an inch of fresh snow.

In changing my blog topic this semester, making a full 180-degree turn, moving from the speech to the slopes, I believe that it is important to first tell you, the reader, why I chose this topic.  I chose to talk about skiing for the same reason I wrote about the beach, I hold the activity and place, respectively, very close to me.  Skiing is something I have done since I was a little kid.  I honestly don’t know if I can think of a time or year in my life when I have not skied at least once.  For this I am very fortunate.

I’ve noticed over the years that most people who are taught to ski from a young age have parents who also learned to ski at a young age or at least skied during their youth.  It’s these youth years, I believe, that people get hooked on skiing.  With that, they want to pass it down to their kids and that’s what they do.  But, unlike many of my friends who ski and have parents are big skiers, I do not.

My parents during their childhood years skied very little.  My Mom recounts only skiing once while my Dad claims that he only skied a few times.  As a result of their lack of skiing experience, they were never super inclined to bring my siblings and I skiing.  When we did go skiing my Dad would come skiing with us for only a little while my Mom would wait and watch from the bottom of the mountain.

Now you’re probably wondering how I learned to ski or got into the sport so much.  The answer: my friends.  Even from a young age, during elementary school and middle school, my friends were very involved in skiing.  Their involvement in the sport made me want to get more involved in it because I wanted to go to different mountains skiing with them and whenever they talked about it, it sounded fun.  Therefore, I began to make an effort to go skiing with them more.  Anytime I was offered to go skiing with them I did.   This allowed me from a young age to learn the ins and outs of skiing along with skiing on many different mountains and traveling all over the East Coast to ski.

Fast-forward to present day where all summer my friends and I talk about is the upcoming ski season, how much snow we think (or hope!) we might get for the following winter, and everything skiing.  One of the best things that happened was when all of my friends and I got our licenses.  This allowed us the ability to drive ourselves to the mountains and made it much easier for us to go skiing.  Anytime we heard it was going to snow, you best believe that we had our ski bags packed and the car ready for a 4am trip to the mountain.

The slopes have provided me with some of the greatest and most unique experiences of my life and I want to share some of them with you.

There’s truly not much in New Jersey that is scary.  I mean the only scary things I think of when I think of NJ is the Italian mob, the story of the New Jersey Devil, and that’s pretty much it.  Yet, nothing compares to the complete fear one fears when pulling onto the Garden State Parkway.

The Garden State Parkway is infamous for absolute driving craziness.  Jersey people call this highway in specific the racetrack, not a highway and it’s for good reason.  While the speed limit on the highway varies between 55-65 mph, I don’t think I have ever seen someone driving below 75 mph.  Even the people going 75 mph are considered slow drivers and your likely to see them being tailed by others crazy NJ drivers.

Now you might be wondering how a discussion of a highway fits in with my usual blog posts about the beach.  The reason I am discussing the Garden State Parkway is because it’s the main way I get to the shore.  I take the Parkway almost directly from my house in Northern Jersey to South Jersey.  It’s about an hour ride to and from both houses and each time the ride is complete madness.

Now I don’t know if you have heard the reputation about Jersey drivers, but if you haven’t, I’ll explain.  Jersey drivers are notorious for being extremely aggressive drivers.  They swerve in and out of lanes and are constantly speeding.  If you’re not driving as fast as they are, you’re going to be tailed by them and they’ll probably flip you off along the way.  Oh, and they also despise Pennsylvania drivers because they think they drive too slowly.  Now imagine giving these hyper-aggressive drivers a four-lane highway that is mostly straight.  It’s havoc.

I have to drive on the Garden State Parkway a lot, mostly to go to the Jersey Shore and every time I drive on the Parkway I watch near-accidents and have even seen my fair share of accidents happen real-time right in front of me.  In fact, I have been hit on the Parkway by an out-of-control driver.  Entering onto the Parkway is also madness because no one is nice enough to let anyone merge.  People swerve in and out of lanes, with the belief that their near-accident or death experience was worth it for the extra ten seconds shaved off their trip.

The Parkway is defiantly a place I would recommend avoiding but at the same time, driving on it is truly an experience.  It’s up to you if you want to risk you bodily safety for the experience, just know I do without opportunity almost every day.

The summer climate and winter climate in New Jersey bring out two completely and uniquely different atmospheres.  The air, the people, the wildlife, and everything in between seems to shift between the months of August and December.

It’s as simple as it is; the winter at the Jersey Shore is not like Florida or California winters.  It doesn’t stay warm year-round and the water temperature drops a good thirty to forty degrees during the winter months.  To some, this shift may seem miserable and in extreme cases, some might cast the coast and coastal towns away during the winter months, seeing no value to them.  To me and many other locals however, the winter months are prime beach months.  The coast itself becomes somewhat of a playground for the locals as the hordes of day-trippers and renters who crowded the beaches, taking up valuable fishing spots and lookout points, are no longer there.  In addition, there are no lifeguards on duty so if you are confident in your swimming or surfing abilities, this becomes the best time to surf.  The winter also brings a change in swell to the Jersey Shore, creating bigger waves and brining fish closer to the coastline.  This is why wintertime fishing as well as surfing are so epitomized by the locals.  Anyone who is lucky enough to live at the Jersey shore is given the opportunity to surf bigger and better waves as well as catch more fish.

Yet, all the benefits the winter months bring for the locals also comes with the sadness of empty, desolate towns and closed businesses.  The majority of the communities that make up the Jersey shore are comprised of people who own second homes.  As a result, the once bustling homes during the months of May to August are left vacant and dark during the fall, winter, and spring.   This makes the towns feel somewhat like ghost towns with huge empty houses with an interspersed year-long Jersey shore resident.  Along with the vacated homes comes the vacated local businesses.  Most of the business that make up the shore economy only operate during the summer months as this is when they make enough money to operate and turn a profit.  For the majority of these businesses, the cost of staying open during the offseason is more than what they make.  This puts owners in the position to make the decision that saying closed during the winter months is more beneficial from a financial standpoint.  Therefore, the shore community only has a few businesses, mostly food stores and chains, open every couple of miles.

While the Jersey Shore seems to lose some of its personality during the winter months, its true beauty and uniqueness remain.

Every town or community has special elements that are unique just to them.  I’m not just talking about landmarks or historical facts, I’m talking about community defining restaurants These are the restaurants that people see as more than restaurants, it’s a gathering place that brings the family and friends together.  It’s the places that have become a weekly meal or a morning, afternoon, or late-night staple.

At the Jersey Shore, more specifically in the Point Pleasant region, these places are Surf Taco, Rook Coffee, and Wawa.  I’ll be the first to admit, I can’t actually consider these places 100% unique and one of a kind to the beach because they all have multiple locations and in the case of Wawa, can be found anywhere throughout the state.  Maybe it’s because of the salty air or the sound of seagulls, but every time I get food or coffee at these restaurants, I’m reminded of why I love the Jersey Shore.

I might as well start of talking about my personal favorite out of the three places I previously mentioned, Surf Taco.  The Surf Taco that I go in Point was the original Surf Taco and has the most beach-esque vibe.  The restaurant is adorned with surf boards, paintings of the beach, and beach music is always playing.  Whether it’s for lunch or dinner, Surf Taco hit’s different.  I enjoy everything from the Mahi taco’s or the typical burrito.  The food is always good and always tastes fresh.  Usually after going to the beach, I’ll take my beach bike and ride a few blocks down just to get my fix of Surf Taco.

I’ll move onto my next favorite which is Rook Coffee.  Rook Coffee is a cult favorite at the Jersey shore and the stickers of Rook Coffee with the black bird can be seen everywhere.  It can be found on street signs and on the backs of cars.  These stickers are just minor evidence of how pervasive the Rook Coffee cult is.  The coffee shop is very modern but the coffee itself is made in the old-fashioned way making it extremely good.  I can’t say I have ever had better coffee.  I’m not a big specialty coffee person so it’s hard to sway me on who has the best black coffee.  But when I say Rook has the best black coffee, the really do.  Everyone needs to try Rook.  I would be amazed if you thought it wasn’t the best coffee you ever had.

The last staple restaurant of the Jersey Shore is Wawa.  It’s really the Lavallette Wawa that I am talking about because it’s the only place to get food on the Island for many miles.  This Wawa had become famous for how many kids gather around it at night.  It’s become a sort of nightlife meeting spot.  The Wawa is open 24/7 and trust me when I say I have gone in at every hour of the day, I have.  Some of my discoveries about Wawa is that 2am hoagies taste better than mid-day hoagies and that 7am coffee is the best caffeine rush on Earth.  As a result of Wawa becoming the Lavallette nightlife meeting spot as well as being open 24/7, Wawa is a cultural staple at the Jersey Shore.

Try Surf Taco, Rook Coffee, and Wawa at the Jersey shore, and I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed, otherwise your foods on me.