How to Ski for CHEAP!

Skiing / Snowboarding can be very costly with the outrageous prices most resorts are charging now-a-days. Not only that, but it is getting harder and harder to find good deals. Remember when you could go to City Market and buy discounted tickets for half the retail price? Today you would be lucky to find tickets 20% off, let alone half price. $95 to ski one day and another $30 to eat and drink? CRAZY! But there are ways to ski for cheap, if not for free. Here is the 5 Best Ways to go skiing and still have some beer money afterwards…

1) Ski small. This principle is the easiest way to ski for cheap. Many of the smaller, unincorporated resorts have great deals especially at the end of the season. Places like Sunlight Mountain, Monarch Mountain, and SolVista Basin all have one day lift tickets for right around $50. This is about half of what you would pay for any bigger resort in Colorado.

2) Ski multiple Days. Buying 3-day, 4-day, even 10-day can really save you some dough. At Aspen/Snowmass, you can buy an early season 7-pack and save $133 over retail. Buy a 3-day pass at Breckenridge save $45. Buy the 4-day deal from Copper Mountain for only $219 and save $149! You get the idea.

3) Be a ski bum for the day. This concept works best at places like Keystone who offer night riding. Simply wait in the parking lot for the 2-run-and-done tourist done riding at 11 and poach their ticket. You may have to shell out a couple bucks, but it is worth it for 4 – 5 hours of riding! Not only that, but always to remember to bring a sack-lunch. Don’t give into that $15 Bratwurst!

4) Ride (not surf) the Web. There are a ton of websites that sell coupons and discounted lift tickets. Search for discounted tickets at the place you want to go. Or if your too lazy to scan Google listings, go to these websites that do most the work for you; http://www.snospace.com/, http://www.liftopia.com/, and http://www.skicoupons.com/.

5) Hike it. This is the most difficult way to save some money, but it is definitely the cheapest. Go to the resort of your choice and hike up the mountain. This sounds daunting, but can be very rewarding. Places like Sunlight Mtn and Aspen Mtn have cabins open at the top of the mountain. This is a popular thing to do at night, so bring a headlamp and some snacks!

Now that you’ve saved yourself some hard earned cash, go celebrate!