Most people aren’t a short drive from the resort. It’s staying at the resort, renting equipment, eating out, and daily lift passes that’s the biggest expenses for most people. For locals all you need is your own equipment and a $350 annual ticket and it’s basically free after that apart for parking.
In addition, in the US most skiing is at “resorts” and you can only get there by car or bus. In Switzerland you hop on a tram, maybe take a train, get another tram, and then you’re at the hill. You might not even need to pay for the tram because you have a monthly pass you use to get to work the other days.
Most people aren’t a short drive from the resort. It’s staying at the resort, renting equipment, eating out, and daily lift passes that’s the biggest expenses for most people. For locals all you need is your own equipment and a $350 annual ticket and it’s basically free after that apart for parking.
In addition, in the US most skiing is at “resorts” and you can only get there by car or bus. In Switzerland you hop on a tram, maybe take a train, get another tram, and then you’re at the hill. You might not even need to pay for the tram because you have a monthly pass you use to get to work the other days.