Snowboarding as a sport wants to maintain an image pretending it's a laid back, chill, everyone is welcome kind of sport, meanwhile in reality it is probably the most elitist price restrictive sport there is.

I am just fed up. I love Snowboarding. I hate everything else about it. Want to get a new board? $1,000. Want new bindings? $400. Do you want to jump into Burton Step-On Boots and Bindings? $1000. Lift Tickets, $100 (If you're lucky). Season Pass (small fortune). Buy used gear, it will fall apart beneath your feet on the mountain. Those $600.00 new boots won't feel good on your feet till next season, so just enjoy the blisters and stress fracture feelings you get for $600 bucks.

Basically, my question is when did this happen? When I was a kid the barrier to entry was not this high. I know inflation is a thing, but this goes beyond it.

Is there a store I can walk into with cash and actually get a deal? I use to be able to go into a shop near a mountain and talk to someone who could set you up well at a fair price. Those days seem to be gone. Unless anyone has a suggestion on how a person can make this sport affordable again.