Replying to Fly With Ski Stuff Cheaper?

I'm planning a ski trip and i need to fly places to get there. I just checked united's website and it said that one ski bag and a boot bag count as just one piece of checked luggage. I want to get around the second bag fee because it rediculously expensive (50 bucks one way!). Any thoughts on how to do this, like putting clothes and stuff in the ski bag? I'm not too sure i'll be able to fit all my clothes on a carryon. +karma for good ideas