How To Save Money On Ski Trips
Skiing/Snowboarding are expensive hobbies. Here are some ways I’ve learned to make ski trips more afforadable!
1. Plan your trip the summer before the ski season starts
Planning well in advance for a ski trip will save you a lot of money! If you know what trip you want to do, you can start looking for flights, lodging, and lift tickets/passes when there are still good deals on them.
2. buy a season pass, not individual lift tickets
This will work best if you know where you are skiing/snowboarding but I can almost guarantee that buying an Epic, Ikon, Indy or Mountain Collective Pass will save you a ton of money!
For example, the Epic Local Pass costs $731 for the season (if purchased early enough, prices go up closer to the ski season) and gives you access to tons of ski resorts with some blackout dates on holidays, and limited days at certain resorts. Compare that to buying 4 days of lift tickets at Breckenridge for almost $1000. You have unlimited access to Breckenridge all season long on top of access to almost 50 other mountains with the Epic Local Pass! I’ve always done the Epic Local Pass and found that to offer plenty of options but just make sure you pay attention to what the Epic Local Pass has to offer versus the full Epic Pass, which costs $982.
The Ikon Pass is another great pass but costs a bit more. The Ikon Base Pass is $869 and the full Ikon Pass is $1249. If you go to Steamboat Springs, it could cost almost $1200 for 3 days if you buy individual lift tickets, versus getting the Ikon Pass for $1249 and having access to much more .
The Indy Pass has smaller mountains but another great option. Especially for the Midwest. It offers the largest amount of Midwest mountains of all the passes.
Mountain Collective doesn’t have as many options, but depending on what ski resorts you are looking for, this might also be a good option. I know some people that do road trips and get this pass to road trip to the different resorts on this pass.
3. book lodging directly through the hotel/vacation rental website
HOTELS: When you search on travel sites like Booking or Expedia, they are great for comparing places all in one spot, but once you decide on a place, you should always go directly through the hotel’s website. It is usually cheaper or the same price. And if something comes up where you need to cancel, it’s easier to do it through the hotel versus a big company like Expedia.
AIRBNB/VRBO: If you notice that the place is hosted by a company name like “Vacasa Colorado” versus a person’s name like “Jessica”, then you should Google that company and it’s most likely a vacation rental company where you can book directly through their website for cheaper because the Airbnb/VRBO fees are not included. Here’s an example of a place I found on Airbnb and booked for cheaper on the vacation rental website. Notice how it says “Hosted by Vacasa Colorado”, I Googled Vacasa Colorado, found the rental I saw on Airbnb and then booked directly through their website. I saved about $150 total for a 3 night stay in Vail!
4. Pack food for the mountain/make food at your lodging
Having a kitchen or at least a mini fridge will be a necessity for this but we always get groceries at the beginning of our ski trip and make most of our meals at the place we’re staying. We make PB&J or Deli meat sandwiches for the mountain each day and pack a protein bar or some fruit to avoid having to buy food on the mountain. You’ll pay at least 3 times the amount you’d want to on lunch at a chalet for mediocre (at best) chicken tenders.
After a long day of skiing or snowboarding, I know sitting down at a restaurant where you are served sounds great but we power through and get groceries that we can have leftovers with for a few days. Things like tacos, or baking a bunch of chicken breasts can go a long way, and then we end up only going out to eat once or twice.
5. Take advantage of your pass benefits
If you decided to buy one of the ski passes, make sure you look into what the benefits are! For example Epic Pass Holders save 20% off food at select on-mountain locations. The Ikon Pass gives 15% off food, beverages, and retail at select restaurants and stores at participating Ikon Pass destinations. You can also save your friends money if they don’t have passes because you have discounted Buddy Passes.