As a reminder, there are 365 days in a year. The most dedicated skiers we know tend to clock around 100 days a winter on skis, and that takes effort and commitment. So, what if we told you we know a guy who has consistently been skiing 200 days a year for the last five years? We called up a Flylow ambassador from Utah named Drew, who holds down a full-time job, to see how exactly he pulls this off and how his gear is holding up.
So, Drew. What’s your count?
I skied 201 days this year. I did 211 last year, 210 the year before that, and 202 the year before that. The goal was 1,000 days in five years.
You’re almost done with the goal then. What will happen after that?
I’ll keep going.
How did all of this start?
I accidentally stumbled into it. In the winter of 2022-2023, there was a lot of snow after the lifts closed in Utah, so my friends and I rode our bikes to make turns. Before I knew it, I was at 200 days. I used to be the standard 100-days-a-year skier, and that felt like a good mark.
"Some days, it’s more the effort to achieve it than the act of sliding on snow itself. I’m surrounded by like-minded individuals who make what I do seem not even a little bit odd." —Drew
And you do this every day?
It’s harder to ski four days a week than it is to ski seven. It’s easier to maintain doing it every day than trying to figure out how on a Thursday, you’re going to sneak out to ski. I’ve developed a routine of how to get up to Snowbird or Solitude every day. My friends make fun of me and call me half day because I’m usually out by lunchtime to get back to work. I’d say I ski six and a half days a week during the winter, then I extend that into the summer for about 50 days of hiking for turns around the Wasatch to get to the 200 mark. In the summer, I switch to mountain biking every day.
What counts as a ski day—does one turn on a patch of snow in July count?
I’m not going for a patch of snow. I have this undefined Worth It rating. If it’s 20 or 30 turns, that’s worth it. I’m not doing September or October skiing unless it’s Worth It.
Any other rules of the game?
One time I counted it as a ski day when I waited for the Snowbird tram to open until 12:30 and it never opened and all I did was ski from my car to the tram. Some days, it’s more the effort to achieve it than the act of sliding on snow itself. I’m surrounded by like-minded individuals who make what I do seem not even a little bit odd.
Do you travel much for skiing?
Not much. I do a Mammoth trip in early June. If the snow is ever better anywhere else but Utah, I’d go there. In 2021, I took a trip to Jackson and Big Sky. That’s the last time I remember there was something worth leaving for.
So, even if it’s bad snow or crappy weather, you’re going skiing.
You know the saying: There’s no bad snow, just bad skiers. I do believe that. I say I’m more of a visibility princess than a powder princess. What makes me go home is when I can’t see two inches in front of me.
Describe your perfect conditions.
Tough one. Who doesn’t love a powder day, but the entire valley is in the liftline on those days. I’m a lover of wind buff and chalk. When those conditions are right, the lift lines are low.
Any advice to others hoping to find more time to go skiing?
The work’s always going to be there, but the snow is not. Make an effort. The thing I repeat most when people ask me how the day was: It was better than not skiing. When it comes to bad conditions or weather, I think getting out for a few hours in 50 mph winds or taking 30 turns down a strip of snow in late June, to me, always seems better than not.
How do you track your ski days?
On a whiteboard in my office. I also use the resort apps to check how many days my pass has been scanned. It’s actually easier to track my days off. Then every now and then if I want to know the exact number, I check the lift gate and do the math.
How is your gear holding up after all of these days?
I’ve put more than 200 days on my Baker Bibs and they’re in great shape. Those bibs have everything you need for a ski day. I switch up my jacket depending on the conditions between a Kane Jacket or a Dante Jacket, but I always wear my Baker Bibs.