Skiing and snowboarding are supposed to be all about relaxing and having a good time. But, it's hard to chill out when you know that you just spent between $30 and $80 for a ticket to ski or board at the mountain. With that kind of money you could buy food for a week or two, Rock Band 2 could be yours, or you could save for something bigger and better down the road. But don't get too stressed out yet. It is possible to enjoy great snow for less. Go at night!

Night skiing or snowboarding (let's just call it "night riding") is cheaper than its daytime counterpart. This is because the pressure is on the staff to attract you to the mountain during a non-peak time, achieved by lowering their rates to prices that they wouldn't usually offer during the day. The average lift ticket price in the U.S. was $64.17 in 2007, but at many mountains the price of a night ticket is near $25, and some are cheaper than that.

In addition to discounts, resorts try to entice you to ride at night by offering other specials. Often there are concert nights and other special festivities. At Crotched Mountain in New Hampshire, live bands play Saturday nights and they have on-slope bonfires and WildWackyWinter Volleyball Fridays and Saturdays.

Another benefit to night riding is that lift lines are much shorter at night. Most skiers and boarders have already gone home, so you share the mountain with fewer people. This maximizes your money--fewer people means shorter lines, which equals more runs for your cash.

• Leave in the early afternoon, because night riding often starts between 3 and 4 p.m. and ends between 9 and 10 p.m. Find a place to stay close to the mountain. Ideally, plan to stay with friends, otherwise look for a hostel at hiusa.org or search for cheap hotel rooms at hotels.com. If you can't find anything local or affordable, make sure you're awake enough to drive home. Take a group--you can share driving responsibilities and save on gas.
• Temperatures can be very cold at night, so wear layers of clothes to stay warm--that way you can peel off or add on as needed. Avoid cotton; if it gets wet, you get cold. Instead wear Lycra, fleece, or other fabrics that wick the moisture away from your body.
• Pack snacks. Energy bars, fruits and nuts are great because they supply protein and healthy carbs to keep you going. You're going to get hungry at dinnertime and nothing is worse than spending $8 to $10 at the mountain cafeteria for a plain burger with no fries.
• Hydrate yourself. Mountains are cold and often very dry. Drink water or sports drinks like Gatorade or Powerade instead of your favorite energy drink that is full of salt and sugar, which can dehydrate you further.

• Choose goggles with clear lenses. Shaded lenses don't work well at night, because they darken shadows further and obscure your vision. Check out sierratradingpost.com for affordable and on-sale ski and snowboard gear.

• Most mountains don't have the whole area open at night. Usually a good selection of runs are open, but it's not cost effective for them to put lights on every run. You may not get to ride your favorite chute.
• Night riding is often not available every night, so check with your local mountain to see what days they are open late.
• Mountain roads are often slick and icy at night, which could prevent you from getting there or home safely.
• You'll get tired because you're being active during a time when you're probably used to relaxing.

But there aren't many things that rival the sight of a nighttime mountaintop glowing from lights reflecting off the cloudbanks. And it always feels good to save some cash. Get stoked and hit the slopes at night.
 

Sources:

thenewstribune.com; onestore.snow.com; skibowl.com; skiing.about.com; rei.com; basspro.com; outdoorprogram.uoregon.edu; cnn.com; askmen.com; clemson.edu; hc-sc.gc.ca; allaboutvision.com; skihood.com