Hitching with a group of 3+ dudes that far and with a lot of gear is going to take you a long long long time, you'll probably have to split up a bunch etc. as not many people are going to have room or want to stop. Just work that into your plans, or save up for bus fare. Also be aware that many resorts watch for ticket clipping (buying/bumming tickets off people in the parking lot in the afternoon) and will kick you off/ban you from the resort. Some places will also call the police for theft if you ride the lifts without a ticket.