It’s no surprise that the best way to save money on a ski trip is to plan ahead. Way ahead. Wait until the last minute, and you’ll pay top dollar on lift tickets, flights, and lodging. Of course, booking ahead means you’ll take a gamble on snow conditions, since you won’t know if there will be fresh powder or week-old hardpack until closer to go-time. But the savings you’ll get from these simple tricks makes the toss-up worth it.
Go Early or Late Season
Resorts give out the best deals if you’re willing to come at the very beginning or very end of the season. Those are also the least-crowded months to visit, due to uncertain snowfall. , California, will sell throughout December, including weekends and holidays, as long as you buy them online at least two days ahead of time.
, Utah, is offering if you book a trip for two nights or more at participating accommodations from November 23 to December 19 and March 27 to April 19. , in Colorado, has —a $50 savings—plus deals on rentals and lessons if you come for spring break and purchase tickets online at least 48 hours ahead of time.
Get Free Kids’ Passes
Going on ski trips as a family can be ridiculously expensive. Between lift tickets, ski lessons, hotels, flights, and hot chocolate breaks, it all adds up. These ski resorts make it easier to come as a family. At , Maine, between January 5 to 10, if you stay three nights or longer at a resort hotel, your —including lessons, tickets, and gear rental. At Colorado’s or and New Mexico’s or , kids ages 10 and under get a —no fine print, no blackout dates.
ճ program from Vail Resorts offers four free days of skiing, including first-timer lessons and gear rental, at resorts across Colorado, Utah, and British Columbia, including , , , and . In New York, a grants free lift tickets and discounted lessons at more than 20 ski areas, like , , and , if you apply online in advance. At , Colorado, if you purchase an adult five-or-more-day lift ticket, kids get . At , Colorado, if you stay two or more nights in resort lodging, you’ll get for the under-12 crowd. California’s guarantees free passes for the same age group any day of winter.
Don’t Forget Discounted Lodging with Your Ikon or Epic Pass
If you bought an Ikon or Epic Pass, you already have a season pass to dozens of world-class ski areas. But remember that they’ll also get you more savings on the ground. Some of the best deals include , Idaho, where Epic Pass holders on lodging at resort properties like the (from $299) if you come during select dates, and at least at hotels like the (from $277) and the (from $50) in the village at , BC.
Ikon Pass holders get , Wyoming, if you travel during specific weeks. Stay at (from $199), at the base of , California, for . Mountain Collective and Ikon Pass holders also get at the (from $450), near the base of , Colorado, when you stay two or more nights.
Visit Midweek
Weekends are always the busiest and most expensive time to visit a ski area. If you can plan a midweek trip, you’ll save money and avoid crowds. , Vermont, sells to its Mount Ellen terrain on Thursdays throughout the season. , in Nevada’s Tahoe National Forest, has throwback Tuesdays and Thursdays for most of the winter, with . And West Virginia’s has a that’s $99 for two people per night, including lift tickets and overnight lodging.
At , in British Columbia, a includes a stay in downtown Nelson’s , plus lift tickets for $86 per day, per person, if you stay for three or more nights.
Save While Giving Back
Since 2008, , Oregon, has held . Visitors can buy deeply discounted $49 lift tickets in advance and use them on select dates throughout winter. This season, the dates are January 6 to 9; January 13 to 16; and April 27 through the end of the season, which is usually sometime in May. Mount Bachelor donates 100 percent of the money raised from the tickets to its partner nonprofits around central Oregon, like the , , the , and more. Tickets are limited, so get them while they last. Meanwhile, at , California, take place throughout the season. You get a lift ticket for $25, and $5 from each ticket is donated to the .