Save Money on Your Ski Trip
By Stephanie Nelson, Coupon Mom
Fall 2007 

The typical ski trip can be very expensive once you add up the cost of travel, car rental, lodging, meals, lift tickets, ski or board rental, and ski lessons.  By doing your research and knowing the questions to ask to find the best deals, you can cut the cost of your next ski trip in many popular destinations.

 

Visit the state’s ski association website:  When you begin planning your trip, find the visitor’s association website for the state or the ski association website to find information, special lodging offers, discount cards for ski areas, and links to ski areas.  Subscribe to their email newsletter to receive special offers.

Review the Entertainment coupon book at www.entertainment.com for the major city nearest the ski area you are interested in to see if it has coupons for ski tickets, ski rentals and/or lessons.  You can preview offers available online before purchasing a book.  You may also find coupons for local restaurants in that city’s book. 

 

Lodging and meals:

• check out owner rental sites like Vacation Rental by Owner (www.vrbo.com) to rent private rentals.  Individual owners may be more flexible in negotiating rates, particularly in the early and late part of the season. 

• renting a condo or a house with a kitchen can save money on meals.  Pack your own snacks and lunch and take it with you for the day rather than buying all of your food at the lodge every day.

 

Lift tickets & Lessons:

• visit the websites of several ski areas in the state you plan to visit to compare prices, programs, conditions and services available.

• larger, more popular ski areas generally have higher lift ticket prices.  Search out the lesser-known ski areas in the same vicinity and compare their prices and conditions. 

• If you plan to ski more than a few days a year, many ski areas sell discounted season passes before the end of November.  In some cases, discounted passes pay for themselves after just a few days of skiing as compared to paying full rate at the ticket window. 

• Look for special promotions on the ski area website.  You may find discounted prices on certain days of the week, discounts for military, students, or seniors, or multi-day passes available at a discount.

• -f you are skiing with a group (such as 15 or more), check to see if group discounts are available

 

 

The National Passport Program Take advantage of the free Passport programs in selected states that give free ski passes to students in specific grades (which varies by state).  Passport savings offers vary by state.  In general, they give free ski lift tickets for the year at many areas in the state to eligible students (determined by grade, ranging from 4^th to 7^th grade depending on the state).  In most states students do not have to be residents of the state to qualify for the pass.  Passports may also include coupon books to save on other services such as lessons, rentals, and discounted tickets for other family members. 
 
Ski Rental savings:

• before leaving for your trip, compare prices of ski rentals available at the ski area as compared to in-town ski rental shops.  Call ahead and ask for prices, or view them online.  Look for coupon offers and special promotions.  When you place your rental equipment reservation, ask if there are any coupons or discounts available for advance bookings--there usually are!