Many of these lists will advise you to pack a lunch, purchase half-day passes, or get a condo with a kitchen, I will do none of that. I’ve lived and worked in ski towns for nearly 8 years and this article provides you with local tips instead of banal platitudes.

Ski Areas vs Ski Resorts

In the early 1980s, the ski industry transitioned from small ski areas to destination-type resorts. Vail, Aspen, Park City, Big Sky, Breckenridge, and Sun Valley, are all examples of ski towns that house expansive and expensive ski resorts.

During this time, (the late-1970s to early-1980s), these towns began investing heavily in snow-making equipment, resort amenities, and lift infrastructure. J-Bars and tow ropes were replaced with high-speed lifts, gondolas, with ever-expanding terrain. All of this, of course, costs money, which is reflected in increased prices for lift tickets, lodging, and food.

Ski areas, by contrast, haven’t changed much since the 1990s. For example, Loveland Ski Area in Colorado, even in 2021, offers free snowcat skiing on the Continental Divide and has 1,800 acres of big mountain terrain.

• A season pass costs $499

• An unrestricted 4-pack costs $199, which is cheaper than a single day pass at many North American ski resorts (Vail is $219/day).

  • For example, tickets at the window at Breckenridge are $219/day. Breck has longer lines, with nearly identical terrain as Loveland Ski Area (2,210 feet of vertical and 422 inches of average snowfall).

• Monarch Mountain, Colorado: $229/kids at $489/adults for season passes.

  • $317 for non-peak season 4-pack

  • Monarch Mountain officially opened in 1939, seven years before Aspen.

• Lookout Pass, border of Idaho and Montana: $35/seniors, $36/kids, and $46/adults per day.

• Silverton, Colorado

  • Located on the same mountain as Telluride but a season pass is $209/adults vs $1,900 for Telluride.

• Mount Bohemia, Upper Michigan: $99/adult season pass. Over 300 inches of snow and 900 feet of vertical.

  • Bohemia has the biggest terrain in the Midwest and the driest snow.

• Beaver Mountain Ski Area, northern Utah. $60/day or $600/season for adults and much cheaper for students, children, seniors, and the military.

  • 1,600 feet of vertical and 400 inches of snow…for the price is better value than almost any ski resort in Colorado.

• Loup Loup Ski Bowl, Washington: $55/day for an adult pass.

  • 1,240 vertical feet and about 3 hours from Spokane.

• Sunlight Mountain, Colorado: $49 to $59/day for adults.

  • 2,010 feet of vertical and located 13-miles from Glenwood Hot Springs Pool. Also, about a 50-minute drive to the famed ski town of Aspen, Colorado.

• Brian Head Resort, Utah. $45/day and $25 for night skiing

  • 1,707 feet of vertical and 360 inches of snow. Brian Head has the highest base of any ski resort in Utah and is only 3.5 hours from Las Vegas.

• Bridger Bowl Ski Area, Bozeman, Montana: One-day lift ticket (adults): $63.

  • Most likely the best value of any ski area in America. 2,600 feet of vertical along with 2,000 acres of skiable terrain. 75 runs. Also, 350 inches of dry Rocky Mountain powder.

  • More snow, longer runs, and bigger terrain than many expensive resorts in the USA or Canada.

I could have listed dozens more, but you get the idea. These lesser-known and smaller ski areas offer affordable skiing and budget lodgings options can be found nearby.

Purchase Tickets & Lodging Early

Booking early cannot be stressed enough. Book early for everything; tickets, rentals, lodging. Bundled deals offer good savings for resort-style vacations.

For the best deals, you need to book in the offseason. Lodging, lift tickets, and ski rentals all need to be booked BEFORE mid-November at the very latest.

• Season passes are only offered in the off-season.

• Tickets are cheaper when purchased online, at least a week prior but the best deals are found before Halloween.

Ski/Snowboard in Canada

• Revelstoke, for example, pre-purchased lift tickets cost less than $80 (adjusted to United States Dollars).

• Whistler costs $149 (CA$189) on the day, or $127 (CA$159) if purchased ahead of time online.

  • Whistler Blackcomb is the largest ski resort in North America with 8,171 skiable acres and is absolutely gorgeous

Vail, for comparison, lift tickets cost $219 if purchased on the day or $179 when bought days before. However, the real savings is found in lodging, where these Canadian towns cost less than half, for comparable accommodations.

Whistler, Mont-Tremblant, and Revelstoke aren’t exactly cheap, but they are affordable when compared to American ski resorts. Trips to these destinations cost about 1/3 to 1/2 of the price of Vail, Aspen, Mammoth Mountain or a Killington ski vacation.

Canada, Skiing, & Prices

Keep in mind that Canadian ski areas/resorts are generally LESS expensive than those in the United States of America.

• Additionally, the U.S. Dollar is usually 20 - 35% stronger than the Canadian Dollar. For families that are purchasing several lift tickets, rentals, lodging, lessons, and meals, this equates to thousands of dollars in savings over a week long trip.

Backcountry ski/snowboard

If you like to earn your turns, then backcountry skiing might be perfect for you. Recently, backcountry or off-piste skiing has grown in popularity, due to the ever-increasing costs and crowded nature of ski resorts, especially during peak season.

Not only do you not have to buy a lift ticket, but you can backcountry ski or snowboard in less expensive mountain towns, which means even larger savings.

However, backcountry comes with additional safety gear and equipment needs. Also, you need specific knowledge, especially related to avalanche hazards. Earning your turns in untouched powder has the power to change your life as long as you take precautions.

Hut-to-Hut Ski Trips

• The Summit Huts Association (SHA) developed and maintains five backcountry cabins, used for hut-to-hut skiing in Summit and Park counties, Colorado. The SHA emphasizes self-reliant backcountry skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, hiking, and mountain biking which provides an intimate connection with nature. Because of the popularity of these cabins, spots are hard to get, but they are relatively cheap and are an epic experience.

• The Alfred A. Braun Hut System (ABHS) is another hut system in Colorado. The ABHS is an Aspen-based non-profit that maintains 7 huts that connect Ashcroft and Crested Butte in the rugged Elk Mountains.

• In Southwest Colorado is the San Juan Hut System. This system of 5 backcountry ski huts connects Telluride, Ouray, and Ridgway, arguably the prettiest part of Colorado. These huts cost about $30 per night.

These are just 3 backcountry hut-to-hut skiing options, but there are dozens more on both the east and west coasts, as well as Alaska.

Ski in Argentina

Cerro Catedral in the northern Patagonia of Argentina is the largest ski resort in South America and the Southern Hemisphere. This epic ski center is only 12 miles from Bariloche, which means you can sleep in a hostel bed for less than $8/night and eat Argentinian beef dinners for under $19… if you want.

• Daily lift ticket = $55 USD

• 3,000 acres

• 3,773 feet of vertical drop (Vail is 3,450 feet, for comparison)

• Equipment rentals and lessons are cheap

• Seasons reversed. Winter is June to October.

• This ski vacation is considered “cheap” by international standards

Even after purchasing your flight(s) to Argentina, a week-long ski trip at Cerro Catedral is quite a bit cheaper than a trip to Vail, Breck, or Jackson.

Late Season Deals

Late March and early April is low/late season for ski resorts. This doesn’t mean too much for lift tickets, even though they are reduced, but the main deals are found with steeply discounted accommodations, which is generally the most expensive component of ski/snowboard trips.

Avoid Peak Season

The least expensive times to ski are the beginning and end of the season, which is because the snow is generally the worst or at the very least unpredictable. Typically, fall skiing doesn’t have much of a base with limited terrain while spring skiing is wet and heavy.

The most expensive times are:

• Christmas through the New Years holiday

• President’s Day weekend

• Spring break is a popular time. This varies by the school district. While it isn't always considered peak season, it does crowd resorts and fill-up lodging, which increases prices and lift lines.

Off-Site Lodging

While it’s obvious that ski-in/ski-out accommodations are the most expensive, just being near the resort is still costly. It’s easy to spend $1,000/night for a place that is right on the slopes, or for example, you could spend 44 dollars at a Motel 6 in downtown Salt Lake City and drive the 31 miles to Park City Mountain Resort in nearby Park City, Utah.

The La Quinta Inn in Silverthorne, Colorado is within a 30-minutes drive to Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, A-Basin, Loveland, Keystone, and Vail. For less than $100/night, you can take the free bus to many of these resorts or pluck down an additional Andrew Jackson or two for parking.

There are too many examples to list here, but the point is that a 30-minute(ish) drive or bus ride can save you hundreds of dollars per night on lodging while being near affordable restaurants, pubs, bars, microbrewery, and equipment rentals.

used ski/Snowboard Gear

Public relations teams for ski and snowboard manufacturers popularize the message that becoming a better skier/snowboarder is about buying the latest equipment due to “technological progress.” However, the average rider is unable to detect the differences between a brand new $800 snowboard or a used one on eBay for a hundred dollars. The same thing goes for bindings, boots, jackets, goggles, snow pants, etc.

I average over 100 days on the “hill,” while wearing a $10 pair of used kids googles, no helmet, a $40 jacket from Goodwill, while riding a used demo board, bought at the end of a previous season for $100 cash. Few people on the mountain are out “shredding” me even though they got thousands of dollars worth of gear and equipment. Lance Armstrong says, “it’s not about the bike.” The same goes for skiing, it’s not about the skis, board, boots, or bindings as long as they work.

Jesse is the Director of Pedal Chile and lives in Valdivia, Chile. Jesse has a Master of Science in Health & Human Performance and a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. Hobbies: Mountain biking, bicycle commuting, snowboarding, reading, weight-lifting, taster of craft beers, & ski resort/area connoisseur