When it comes to a ski day, weekend or week, often we all hit the biggest moguls and obstacles before we even leave the house.

I’m talking about the schlep. The planning, packing, getting there, being there and heading home of it all can feel a bit like the longest lift line ever that leads to exhaustion before you’ve even carved a turn.

Good news, skier: There are ways to make that all *nearly* go away. While nothing beats living slopeside and just gliding out the door for your runs (a gal can dream!), you can make it all smooth out like catching the first run on perfectly set corduroy.

As a life-long skier, I’ve been the single skier, then the mom of a ski family and now the grandmother of what I breathlessly refer to as a ski dynasty (If fun was a medal, we’d be wearing gold), I’ve had my fits and starts and now, after decades of heading up for turns and fun in spots both far and near, I feel like I’ve figured most of it out.

Today I share my tips for heading on a ski adventure with less schlep. Try these and see if you don’t find your ski day(s) are more serene.

Tickets/Reservations (of all kinds)  in place well ahead of time: This is the new golden rule of any ski day or trip. Securing your lift tickets should – whenever possible – be done as far ahead as possible. While it’s late this year for season passes, I always tell friends that their best bet is to think about the following season during this season.

If you’re planning a weeklong trip somewhere and are not married to a specific mega pass, decide where you’ll be going for that trip and choose that pass for the coming season – and purchase it in the spring and summer when prices are considerably lower. You’ll find that not only will this cost less than that one trip of day tickets would cost, you can then ski the passes other resorts for no additional cost all season.

But it’s now, and most of that is for next year. For this year, visit your resort’s website and purchase tickets now – even for a late season ski day. You’ll at least save a bit and you’ll also ensure you get a spot.

You should also book rentals and lessons ahead of time – most resorts let you now. While rental shops still need to make sure your gear is fit right, you’ll save lots of time booking ahead of time.

And remember this: Restaurants tend to be busy in ski towns. If you want some place popular, make a reservation as far ahead of time as possible and you’ll be sure to both have a table and not have to worry about where to dine.

Become a packing guru: When I finally figured out to have a ski bag for each family member in a unique color for each person, things got better fast. Before you start the season – and then every single ski outing when you get home, pack that ski bag with everything that person needs for actually skiing. Base layer, ski socks, mittens (what’s worse than getting out there and realizing you have two left mittens for little Mikey?), ski pants, jacket, hand warmers, neck gaiters, helmets; check them for size and then right when you get home each time, clean and repack. Just grabbing those bags confident that all is there is a great time and stress saver. And should you have an early morning hankering to take a powder – oops we mean sick – day, you’ll be able to grab and dash out the door.

Far trip? Leave your skis home: Bring your boots wherever you go, but renting skis and poles when traveling makes things easier. You won’t need to lug them through the airport or worry about them, you can choose skis each day depending on weather (Companies like Black Tie Ski Rentals (https://www.blacktieskis.com/) come to you, and you wont need to pay to check your skis.

Leave early for a weekend trip when you can: If you can take a day off or work remotely (or with kids, if they can do a remote school day), I cannot say enough about how great it is to head up on a Thursday afternoon.

Less traffic on the road, less crowds on the slopes on Friday (if you can get work/school stuff done and knock off early), I find this makes it all so much more relaxing. And then, if it’s a super busy Saturday, you don’t mind the lift lines as much since you barely saw one the day before. This holds true particularly for a holiday weekend. Getting there before the masses adds so much value to the experience.

I still have times I forget things (like the time I drove all the way to Burke Mountain in Vermont only to realize one of my ski boots was at home), but most times, thanks to planning and doing things ahead of time, it all flows quite well.

After all, I want to use my energy carving turns and of course, getting the best seat at the apres bar. Because that’s what it’s all about.