I wish I could après-ski for the holidays.

Festive financial stress, the benefits of envy, and how to follow your alpine desires on a budget.

Left: (Halfdays), Right: (Slim Aarons)

This time every year it seems I’m asked the same question over and over: “What are you doing for the holidays?” It starts creeping up in late November and then runs rampant through the streets by the second week of December. Co-workers, friends, family members, the cashiers at my local grocer—everyone is tired of talking about the weather so they switch the script over to holiday plans.

This is an innocent enough question to ask someone, even a stranger. Yet, with social media comparisons and the constant advertising of ‘bigger, better, more’, this age-old time filler can start to feel like a judgement. As if we’re being asked to provide something impressive or opulent. I would undoubtedly love to answer this popular query with: “I’ll be renting a chalet up in the mountains, escaping my digital life for weeks, and gracefully following in the slope style fashions of Princess Diana, Brigitte Bardot, and Jackie Kennedy.” So for people such as myself who don’t have an international flight booked or a set of skis in the closet that have been counting down the days since their last annual trip to frosted peaks, this question can bring up some personal stress around finances. I’ve spent years feeling like a bore, feeling ‘behind’ for someone my age, and feeling envious of those who can afford to celebrate Christmas like the late great Gatsby. But more recently I have accepted my ski-less winters and reframed my relationship with comparison, judgement, and the green eyed monster.

You see, I have many aesthetic kryptonites and après-ski happens to be one of them. Even though I can’t afford to hit the slopes for the holidays, I still dream about that luxurious lodge lifestyle. Something about the chic alpine villages of Norway and Aspen start calling to me once December rolls in. I’ve been told that I’m drawn to a lifestyle outside my means, and that has proven to be true many times over. When people say this, they imply it’s a negative quality or a dangerous habit that I should be careful of, and I feel obligated to correct this belief. Although this can be true for some (and even myself in the past), when your relationship to envy is healthy, it can lead you to possibilities and opportunities you once didn’t think possible.

Left: (Casablanca Ski Club), Right: (Hand Luggage Only)

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Let’s talk about this ‘deadly sin’ and the bad societal reputation it has for a moment. We are often taught to feel shame about our envy, referring to it as unsavoury or malicious. Envy is a feeling than can come up when someone has something, or is doing something, that we would like for ourselves. Instagram is really good at bringing this feeling up, causing the user to start desiring the lives their peers are living. In an unhealthy situation, envy can make us want to tear others down—even people we care about. Nobody wants to be at the very bottom, so you might feel like discrediting people who are more successful than you, or putting them down so that you’re on a more equal level. A healthy relationship to envy however, is about noticing role models and fuelling your desires to better yourself—climbing up the mountain to your own successes.

So how do we avoid damaging behaviour and turn envy into something beneficial?

In the book On Our Best Behaviour, Elise Loehnen states: “Recognizing our envy can be an act of emancipation, and embracing it fully is one of the most important things we can do. […] Envy tests our tolerance for watching other people get what they want—and reminds us of what we’ve been too afraid to pursue.” Basically, envy is what leads us closer to our dreams and desires. Envy isn’t the problem, it’s the messy side-kicks of comparison, shame, and guilt that knock us off course.

So how do we manage these side-kicks?

In this article from the NYT, Manuel Gonzalez is quoted as stating: “Don’t react to envy impulsively. Instead, explore what you are fixating on when you feel envious. Then ask yourself: Why do I envy this person? How can I use this person as a role model? What can I learn that can change my own situation?” Also quoted, Christine Harris states: “When you are overcome with envy, list all of the things that you appreciate in your own life. It is hard to simultaneously be in both states at once.”

Left: (Etsy), Right: (Charade)

By ignoring our desires, we deny ourselves possibilities, connections, and future successes. It’s natural to want to grow and have more opportunity, but sometimes we need to witness other people doing something before we can envision ourselves doing it. Your desires have meaning and purpose, they are little whispers leading you towards your passions and goals. If you allow envy to be a guiding light rather than a place for judgement or guilt, it can show you possibilities in places that once felt out of reach.

Let me give you an example of what I mean by this…

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Below is a picture of me in Saskatoon (yes, the middle of the prairies) last winter. Without a hill or a lodge in sight, I was living my après-ski holiday dreams. I borrowed my mother-in-law’s ski jacket, we borrowed the boots, skis, and poles from my sister-in-law’s partner, and then drove to a big open field behind the community church that someone turned into a public cross country track. I packed hot chocolate and Scott picked up a film camera that someone had posted for free on craigslist. Without including the roll of Portra 400 film, the whole experience cost us about $5 and we got to spend the afternoon listening to the glorious swish of snow under our skis. The breeze kissed our cheeks and the sea of white whipped cream restored our eyes from all the time we’d spent staring at screens that week. It’s a memory we still bring up in stories, which is a good sign that we enjoyed ourselves that day. A beautiful moment that manifested itself from my envy of those on the hills.

Me in an open field. Saskatoon, 2022.

The moral of that story is: my desire to be Audrey Hepburn drinking bottled Evian water between runs led me to an afternoon making memories with my husband doing something we wouldn’t have otherwise done together. Instead of feeling bad about myself for not being able to afford day passes to the mountain, we used what was available to us and I fulfilled my desire for an afternoon of après-ski. I understand not everyone has family in Saskatoon to borrow ski equipment from, so I have put together a few ideas for following your alpine desires on a tight budget!

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Here are four ways to get a taste of lodge living without booking tickets to Switzerland (aka après-ski on a low to no budget).

1. Watch a movie. Sometimes a craving can be met simply by watching someone else experience it. Movies are also a great way to do some travelling without leaving the comfort of your own home. Here are a few films with great slope scenes:
   House of Gucci (2021) with Lady Gaga and Adam Driver. We’re talking red onesie ski suits, cable-knit sweaters, and hammered copper fondue pots. It’s glamour, money, and Italy’s finest fashion house.
   Charade (1963) An Audrey Hepburn classic of comedy, mystery, and romance.
   007 Spectre (2015) Many scenes were shot in Soelden, Austria—a top ski resort in the Tyrol region. The resort’s ultra-modern Ice Q restaurant, gondolas, and panoramic glacial road made the sleek and sexy cuts.
   The Pink Panther (1963) The mystery comes together in the luxurious winter retreat setting of Cortina d'Ampezzo in the heart of the Dolomites. Vintage lodge style at it’s best.
   Chalet Girl (2011) If you can handle a little cheesiness, this movie hits all the check marks of mountain living.

Left: (Pinterest), Right: (House of Gucci)

2. Turn off the wifi.
   Pretend your home is a chalet! The power went out, there’s no service, you’ll need to rely on a bunch of candles and a bag of popcorn. Bring out some board games, a puzzle, or a deck of cards and imagine you’re surrounded by wet ski pants hanging off the banisters—drying out for tomorrow’s runs.

3. Go for a walk in the woods.
   Get in nature, breathe in the fresh air, and listen to the sounds around you. Even better, rent a pair of snow-shoes and hit some trails if you live in a climate with snow.

4. Meet a friend for a glass of wine or a hot chocolate in a fancy hotel lobby with a big fire place.
   The big fire place is key for the authentic lodge feel. Dress up in layers and pretend you’re celebrating after a long day of skiing. If you can find a place with live music (saxophone preferably), even better.

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Well, there you have it snow bunnies. Find your role models, get inspired, and do the work to carve your own paths! No matter how big or small your dreams are, many of the things you believe to be impossible are actually within your reach (even if it’s just a taste—or an open field in the middle of the prairies). With the fresh new year right around the corner, it’s a great time to reflect on where you’ve been and where you want to head next. That’s the end of our lift today—tips up, let’s see what you’ve got.

Brigitte Bardot 1971 (via Vogue France) & Princess Diana 1985 (via Vogue UK).