Multiresort season passes, like the Mountain Collective, the Epic from Vail Resorts or the Ikon from Alterra Mountain Company, have become the de facto option for many skiers. After all, they provide significant savings over the ticket window price at each ski area.
But what if you ski only a few times a season? That’s not often enough to warrant spending four figures for a full Epic or Ikon Pass, even with added benefits like discounts on lodging, gear and food. But at many resorts, the price of a one- or two-day lift ticket can be a deterrent.
“The ski industry has done a really good job over the past 15 years at making skiing more accessible for uber-frequent skiers at the expense of less frequent skiers,” said Stuart Winchester, who runs the Storm Skiing journal and podcast about the industry. In other words, higher daily lift ticket prices incentivize people to buy multiresort passes. But that leaves other skiers out in the cold.
Fortunately, there are now more ways to bridge the gap. “The ski industry is starting to focus more on this more casual, infrequent skier,” said Dave Belin, the chief operating officer of the new Snow Triple Play pass, which went on sale in September and will be available until Dec. 24.
Here is a roundup of six ways you can save on skiing without buying one of the big passes.
Three Days, Less Than $200
For $199, the Snow Triple Play lets pass holders ski for three days at their choice of 16 small- to midsize resorts in the northeastern United States and Canada, including Whiteface Mountain in New York. Granted, resorts like the four Les Sommets ski areas in Quebec or Pleasant Mountain in Maine don’t have the name recognition or varied terrain of, say, Stowe or Killington in Vermont, but for many skiers — especially beginners — they offer enough adventure for a satisfying weekend. Additionally, ancillary costs — parking, rentals, lunch and lodging — are far lower.
New Multiday Tickets
Skiers can also save by buying a multiday pass that’s good at one resort or resorts under the same ownership. The best passes often lower the cost of skiing to around $100 per day, and sometimes even less. These differ from traditional multiday tickets in that they offer bigger savings and can be used throughout the season, not just on consecutive days. Some tickets are transferable between skiers, too. The catch: You need to buy them soon.
Some of these tickets have been around for several years, like the Sugarbush Quad Pack (from $449; on sale through mid-December) and the Mission Affordable 4-Pack, which can be used at the U.S. ski areas that have been part of Pacific Resort Group, including Jay Peak in Vermont (from $269 through Dec. 1; $309 until Dec. 19). The Mammoth Mountain Quad Pack+ currently sells for $539 (through mid-December), which breaks down to $135 a day to ski at Mammoth and June Mountains in California.
New offerings include the Red Card ($499 for five days of skiing at Red Mountain in British Columbia, Canada, plus additional tickets at 35 percent off; on sale through Dec. 24); and the three- to six-day Boyne Explorer Pass (from $450), good at all 10 Boyne Resorts ski areas. Sales of the Explorer end Dec. 11. The company’s resorts, which include Big Sky in Montana, Brighton in Utah and Sugarloaf in Maine, also sell their own multiday passes, as well as a three-resort Maine Pack (from $299) and a four-resort New England Day Ticket Pack (from $249).
Bonus: Some resorts offer special $99 tickets. Sugarbush’s version, called the Best Deal, offers one day of skiing with no blackout dates, plus one day of skiing after April 1. Copper Mountain Resort, in Colorado, sells $99 lift tickets on Thursdays, starting Jan. 8. They must be purchased online ahead of time and proceeds benefit local organizations.
A Bargain for Beginners
Since its introduction in 2019, the Indy Pass has provided two days of skiing at each resort in a network of independently owned ski areas, which now number 271. But there is a limited quantity of passes, and they sell out in the spring (join the wait list now to purchase one next year). New for this winter — and still available — is the network’s Learn-to-Turn pass for beginners. It includes a three-day lift ticket with rentals and lessons for $189 at any of more than 40 participating resorts in the United States.
“Skiing has a high barrier to entry,” said Erik Mogensen, the managing director of Entabeni Systems, which administers the Indy Pass. “We think that it should be easier to get into.”
Big Savings in Colorado
For at least two decades, the Colorado Gems discount card has provided savings at 10 of the state’s lesser-known resorts. The card is geared toward skiers who want the flexibility to make last-minute plans, going where the snow is best on a particular weekend. New this winter is a simplified pricing structure: The card costs $49.99, and it lets holders pay a discounted price at each area, which can range from $44 for a weekday ticket at Ski Cooper to $129 for a weekend ticket at Arapahoe Basin. “Part of our work is letting the infrequent skier know these options are out there,” said Sarah Beatty, communications director for the ski-area trade group Colorado Ski Country USA, which administers the pass.
State ski associations often have programs that offer discounted tickets for children. Colorado Ski Country’s expanded children’s passport is now available for skiers in kindergarten through sixth grade, the biggest age range of any such program in the United States. At $67 for kindergartners through second graders, and $72 for older children, the passport offers 76 days of skiing at 19 resorts (four days at each area) throughout the winter, which works out to less than $1 per day. It’s available to anyone, not just Colorado residents.
Reciprocal Passes
Another way to save: Buy a relatively low-price season pass at a smaller resort that offers reciprocal benefits at other ski areas through programs like the Powder Alliance or the Freedom Pass. For instance, a $499 season pass at Ski Butternut in Massachusetts (the price increases to $599 on Dec. 1) includes three days of skiing at each of the 19 other Freedom Pass resorts, from Maine to Alaska. Likewise, a $599 season pass at Ski Cooper in Colorado gives three days of access to each of the 17 other Powder Alliance resorts, all of the Freedom Pass ski areas and 16 more areas, including Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah and Diamond Peak in Nevada.
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