The Off-Season Survival Thread

[GwaziBSRider1]

Got myself a new pair of skis and a season pass to my local ski resort.

[RaceBoarder]

Like many others, I'm an avid snowboarder.... This will be my 21st season on a board and 8th working as a snowboard instructor at a snow covered speed bump here in the Chicago area... With places like Ski Brule starting to make significant snow as of today, I should be able to get out within 1-2 weeks here... Regular outings usually start around the 1st week of December for me and take me all over the Midwest...

 

I also got hockey season to get me through the offseason as well... I usually make 2-3 trips/year to see my alma mater, Northern Michigan University, take on whomever... May have to make a run to Mall of America when I'm in town for the WCHA Final Five in March... Love going to Hawks games here in Chicago, although the current amount of bandwagon fans has pushed ticket prices through the roof, so that usually only happens 3-5 times/season now....

 

Overall, it's enough to keep me busy

[Gnome]

Go to bars, eat delicious food, concerts, snowboad, school and work? The off-season won't be long.

[Nrthwnd]

O-SS for me means continually checking up on all the Disney Resorts and

following the new construction going on, every where.

[Sharman19]

I'm planning on.....well....checking for park updates, but I am going to do winter percussion since my marching band season is done. We didn't make it to state finals which is at Lucas Oil Stadium.

[Cmbgo12]

Go to school, practice guitar, eat, sleep, etc during the fall and early winter...

 

-Pause in the Off-Season-

 

During Thanksgiving vacation I'm going to Florida and possibly hitting up both Fun Spots (At least one)

 

-Resume Off-Season-

 

Then during Spring Break, which for me officially marks the beginning of the season, I'm going to Myrtle and while I'm there I'm gonna go to Family Kingdom and maybe get the one credit at Boardwalk at the Beach (A Wacky Worm... I'm a whore, I know.)

[ScreaminNewEngland]

Skiing. It's the greatest thing in the world.

 

 

Killington VT

[thrillseeker4552]

I'm planning on.....well....checking for park updates, but I am going to do winter percussion since my marching band season is done. We didn't make it to state finals which is at Lucas Oil Stadium.

 

Your marching band season is already over? That's a little surprising. We still have 2 competitions left, then championships on Nov 22nd. Stinks to hear you didn't make it to state finals

 

During the off-season, I'll be visiting Knott's and Six Flags occasionally. Going to Disneyland with my band program on Dec 5th. I'm definitely occupied. One of the benefits of living in SoCal!

[Midgetman82]

^^ Take me there, please... that powder... There's never enough "real" snow in the region I live in.

 

*Ahem* I'm not surprised at how many of you posting here ski/snowboard, but I am a little surprised at the amount of snowboarders in particular. I am also one and own my own snowboard, but the closest hill to me is a 2 hour drive north towards Cincinnati. So my plans? Pray I hit a ski hill (resort), pray I hit at least one indoor water park (there's something in Vermont I'm interested in that would satisfy both), pray I get to go down to Florida once or twice, and pray my semester grades end with something close to straight A's.

[DonGeorge]

I really do suck at skiing, but I prefer going sledding during the off season.

[YoshiFan]

This offseason I am considering buying an annual pass to an indoor water park an hour away. I like water slides almost as much as coasters and it will probably be fun to go to a waterpark in January when it is 30 degrees outside.

[prozach626]

As much ice hockey as I can possibly handle

 

[superman2]

My other passion away from amusement parks is sports so I would try to visit as many as possible during off season.

 

This time I'm seeing Track cycling, snooker, and soccer.

[boldikus]

My lady and I just bought our first home and my buddy is rehabbing it as I type. Most of the next 5 months will be filled with finishing that up, packing up my current house, moving it all (likely right around Christmas, fun!) and setting up shop in my very own first home.

 

Its exciting and scary all at the same time, kinda like a coaster ride!

[coasterbill]

The Off-Season is a lot less painful now that we break it up with random, well timed road trips.

 

Smoky Mountain Christmas at Dollywood is always awesome and it's only 11 hours away. We wait for a Saturday in December where the temperatures are at least a few degrees over 40, then we can leave from work on Friday, drive until we're tired... get up in the morning and finish driving to the park in plenty of time for opening while still getting a good night's sleep. We get a full day at the park and can drive home on Sunday. This doesn't even require taking time off from work.

 

Then in February we usually head down to Orlando. This year we'll probably drive as it can be more spontaneous based on the weather. Orlando is only 16 hours from us which can easily be done in a day (and on the way down won't have to be since we'll leave from work and knock out at least 6 hours of that drive right away) so we'll probably take 2 days off from work for driving and then visit 2 parks down there on a Saturday and Sunday (and we'll probably hit Fun Spot one night too).

 

Since BGW opens in mid-March and the parks near us didn't close until November this year our only coaster-less month will be January. I can live with that. I'm also very lucky to have a girlfriend who shares my enthusiasm for road trips and coasters... I'll never understand why she puts up with me. lol

[jimmiemac02]

^My home park is Dollywood and I go to Smokey Mountain Christmas every year! So that makes my off season only 3 months since Dollywood opens back up the last week in March. Those three months consist of school, school, and more school.

[K1ngdaKa88]

In the winter I often go skiing and it makes me fun. Here in Switzerland we have many ski resorts and two are just 15-20min away from my home!!! On these ski resorts i know some ski runs with nice Airtime, but you don't loose the ground! I like that feeleng even more when skiing than while riding a coaster, because there aren't any restrains that keep you stand secure on the skis.

[BugEyed]

I spend countless hours planning extremely detailed Summer coaster trips: generating airfare, car rental and lodging quotes, researching and comparing hotels, planning driving routes, considering which roadside attractions interest me, checking back frequently for deals and such to trim the budget and even looking at restaurant menus. I usually only take one or two trips per Summer, but I thoroughly research 12 to 15 completely different trips before making my final decisions in the Spring.

[ScreaminNewEngland]

^^ Take me there, please... that powder... There's never enough "real" snow in the region I live in.

 

*Ahem* I'm not surprised at how many of you posting here ski/snowboard, but I am a little surprised at the amount of snowboarders in particular. I am also one and own my own snowboard, but the closest hill to me is a 2 hour drive north towards Cincinnati. So my plans? Pray I hit a ski hill (resort), pray I hit at least one indoor water park (there's something in Vermont I'm interested in that would satisfy both), pray I get to go down to Florida once or twice, and pray my semester grades end with something close to straight A's.

 

 

 

Largest Ski Resort on the East Coast. It really is amazing.

[VF15]

So, based on all the skiers I see here, It sounds like skiing would be a good offseason alternative to roller coasters, am I right? Does skiing have a lot of the same sensations as roller coasters? If so, I may just have to try it out this winter.

[GnastyGnoric7]

I might go snow tubing this winter, after the trip to Wellsboro, Pa last winter, I found snow tubing quite thrilling, especially when I wiped out.

[redfoot12]

I never learned to ski or skateboard so now that I live in Colorado I feel obliged to at least take a lesson. I'm a huge college basketball fan so I'll be watching as many games of my favorite teams as possible during my spare time.

 

As far as coasters, I typically haven't tried to do much during off-season. I've never gone to Christmas Town at BGW so I may try it out this year if I head back East for the holidays. I also might credit whore a bit in my new home state. I'm also thinking about a possible SoCal trip for Knott's, SeaWorld, and possibly Disney.

[ThemeParkJunkie51290]

My trips are already planned for next year. I just have to keep myself sane until March.

[Coastinmiller]

For me, it's shuffleboard season. League play and tournaments. Nice way to make a bit of extra income to pay for the upcoming 2015 park season.

This shuffleboard not the deck shuffleboard.

[GwaziBSRider1]

So, based on all the skiers I see here, It sounds like skiing would be a good offseason alternative to roller coasters, am I right? Does skiing have a lot of the same sensations as roller coasters? If so, I may just have to try it out this winter.

 

Depends on the run and your speed. If you hit a mogul at a high enough speed, you'll get some air time. Hit it just right and you won't leave the ground. Just watch out for the trees!