Planning a Ski Trip the River Run Way

Over the years, we've learned that great ski trips don't just happen by accident. They are always the result of a lot of hard work and good decision-making, months beforehand.

At River Run Ski, we have developed a real-world tested planning process that we use for planning our trips, and we want to share it with you.

The Importance of a Strong Plan

Ski trips used to be easy. Sure, we were all younger and had few responsibilities — but the industry has evolved tremendously over the last 10-15 years. Destination ski trips now demand thoughtful,  intentional planning — otherwise you run the risk of a subpar experience or, even worse, arriving to find you've  been shut out of skiing entirely.

In winter 2006, I dropped everything to tag along with a friend on a business trip to Salt Lake City. Over the course of a week, I skied five different world-class ski resorts — choosing my destination over breakfast. On one of those days even I drove up Little Cottonwood Canyon at 8:30 AM after an overnight 10” dump of fresh champagne powder and never even came to a stop.

Those days are gone.

Transportation and lodging costs continue to rise, and ski resorts have become much better at getting our money early. Whether it's season passes, advance-purchase lift tickets, parking reservations, or lodging discounts, today's ski industry rewards people who plan ahead—and charges a premium to those who don't.

For most of us, the era of throwing together a last-minute, multi-mountain ski trip is over—especially if you're traveling with family or friends.

The good news is that planning a ski trip isn't nearly as complicated as it first appears. Once you understand the order in which the major decisions should be made, the rest of the trip tends to fall into place.

These are the seven major planning decisions we make before every destination ski trip. They build on one another, but you'll often revisit earlier decisions as costs, weather, flights, and availability change. That's normal—and it's exactly why planning works. This is the process we use every season.

The River Run Planning Framework

Planning Articles