Hermitage

It’s currently 20 motherfucking degrees out but with the windchill factor it’s down to -3. Jesus Frigidaire Christ, I hate this month. I was gonna say, “could be worse – I could be in Minneapolis” which is usually MUCH colder. It’s a balmy 30º there right now. I was hoping for MUCH worse for the barbarous ICEhole grotesques who are terrorizing the town. I’d love to see more of those vids of them running and falling on black ice.

One of the reasons I’ve never been keen on January and February is that these are rich people months. If you’ve got the bucks, you go on posh ski getaways or vacays to sunny tropical destinations.

Once everything's taken into consideration, a single day of skiing can easily run over $300, BARE MINIMUM! That's going on the cheap too.

Here in Massachusetts there’s a place called Berkshire East out near North Adams. It's in the northeast part of the state near the Vermont border along the Mohawk Trail. Midweek lift tickets there start at $44.79 if you book early. Night skiing is way less expensive – Wednesday through Saturday lift ticket prices start at $28.99.

Adult equipment rentals (skis/board, boots, poles) at Berkshire East are $60 per person.

There are three restaurants noted on their website but no menus or price ranges listed. Let’s say you ate breakfast before you left home, packed a sammy or two, a thermos of coffee, and a couple granola bars – you’re still gonna want a solid meal when you get off the slopes, right? Figure, that’ll cost you $30, at least.

As for transportation – let’s say you’re driving from Boston to North Adams and back (~440 round trip miles) in your Subaru Forester. That’s about 15-ish gallons of gas at a cost of, more or less, $46.

Now, after a day of skiing and the relatively long drive across Massachusetts, you’re probably NOT going to want to drive all the way home. You’ll get a room for the night. Berkshire East doesn’t have a lodge but there are plenty of hotels nearby. That’s another $100 minimum. By the time you get home, from one single day of econo-skiing, you’ve spent $281 and that doesn’t include the cost of the granola bars you packed, the coffee in your thermos or the sandwiches you made.

Also, what about ski clothing? You need moisture-wicking synthetics or wool. I have wool sweaters and socks. I doubt that’s enough though. A fleece jacket or a puffy coat for insulation is important. A puffy coat? Those things are fucking hideous! I would never. A waterproof/water-resistant ski jacket and snow pants too. I haven’t had snow pants since I was seven years old – sheesh. Also, I very much doubt that my gloves, bought for fashion versus warmth, would be up to the task.

If you have big buckos and love skiing, January and February are awesome. OR, if you have the dosh, can ditch work for and other responsibilities for beaches in the tropics, I’m sure these months are lovely for you. The key here is money, money, money.

Me? Well, now that I think on it, the cold, windy, snowy weather…the bleak days, mean that I can stay inside, curled up under blankets. I can read, doodle, watch cat videos, cosset Cake, eat cookies, and NOT go outside. There are people outside...ewwww. 

 Okay, never mind. January and February are my No Guilt Hermit Months.