Last spring, I received an email from a Braveskimom.com reader.
She specifically asked me to discuss price increases related to ownership changes within the US ski industry.
Here’s my take on the season pass battle, along with practical advice for cutting costs so that family skiing remains affordable.
Ikon versus Epic
Whether you call it “choosing sides” or “forming partnerships,” the alliances formed by the Ikon and Epic passes have a big impact on skiing families.
On the plus side, the consolidation has cut season pass pricing for families living near resorts which are either pass. If either the Ikon or Epic pass is your season pass, you’re saving money, especially when you take into account the ability to ski for “free” at affiliated resorts.
But what about families that don’t have a local reason to purchase one of these passes?
For them, the picture is a little less clear. For families who travel to destination resorts for at least once each winter, these passes can make a lot of sense. But it depends upon when you plan to travel and if you’ll be bumping into any restrictions or blackout dates (for example on the Epic Local or Ikon Base passes).
It also depends upon how many days you’ll be skiing. Look online, check out the daily and advance-purchase ticket rates and do the math. An Ikon or Epic pass may save you a lot of money.
Save Money on Family Ski Trips
I recently wrote a longer post for Liftopia.com addressing how to save money on family ski trips.
Rather than rewrite it here, I urge you to check out the original post. In it, you’ll find money-saving ideas for lift tickets, lodging, lessons, dining and travel.
Additionally, here are a few things to keep in mind.
- Plan ahead. The sooner you buy your passes or tickets, the more money you’ll save. Same with lodging, especially if you take advantage of early season sales. The reader who reached out indicated that lodging prices had increased dramatically when her favorite Colorado resort joined the Ikon Pass. Try staying in nearby towns or communities if you’ve got sticker shock. By planning ahead, and booking lodging through a resort, you may also be able to score “Kids Ski Free” deals.
Go somewhere new. With hundreds of ski resorts in North America, don’t limit yourself to the resorts on the big-name passes. Look for lesser-known resorts offering good deals. For example, Magic Mountain (Vermont) offers a White Out Pass for less than $300 that is valid only during holiday periods (12/26-1/1, MLK and Presidents Day weekend). My neighborhood mountain, Powderhorn Mountain Resort (Colorado), has discounted pass, ticket and lesson prices as part of their Mission:Affordable campaign.- Be flexible. Travel off-peak and don’t limit yourself to the “snow-globe” ideal of a family ski vacation. Staying slope side is great, but pricey. Consider riffs on the traditional ski trip by adding an urban vibe. Staying in Reno to ski Tahoe or in Salt Lake to ski Utah can save money and be tons of fun.
- Lessons at home. Take lessons before you go, or at a less spendy resort. You and your kids will still get great instruction. It just won’t cost as much. Also, check out the Online Family Ski School. Designed for families with kids 10 and under, you’ll find concrete suggestions, games, tips and instruction for parents to help their children learn to ski and progress. The Online Family Ski School is appropriate for families with “never-ever” skiers and kids who have had lessons, but are still beginners.
Looking for more money-saving ski tips? Check out the longer post at Liftopia.com.
I hope you’ll check it out!
And please, keep the questions coming.
Thanks!
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I enjoyed reading this and learned a lot. Maybe I don’t know all of the ins and outs and maybe I’m mistaken, but it seemed to work out better for us for an upcoming trip to buy lift tickets through the resort simply because our kids (9 and 7) could ski free with the parents’ purchase of tickets. We’re going to Steamboat over the holidays and I looked into getting passes that would allow us to ski at Steamboat. And maybe Steamboat is different, but our kids could ski free with adults buying Steamboat lift tickets (one kid for each adult). I think there was a minimum number of days to get this deal. The lift tickets were a little more expensive than the passes for my wife and myself, but I think if we went the pass route the kids wouldn’t ski free that way and I would have had to get them the kid passes. Now, for us, this may be our only ski trip this year and this calculus would be different for families who ski a lot more than we do and could use passes elsewhere. And I can’t remember if, to get this deal, I had to buy from Steamboat rather than through Liftopia. But the math seemed to work out better overall for us because of the break on the kids’ lift tickets.
Thanks Richard! Kids Ski Free programs at Steamboat and Keystone (and other resorts) vary by the resort. Anyone have anything to share?
Also, this just went up at Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month. It may be helpful to you all as well! http://learntoskiandsnowboard.org/adult-kids-tips/getting-started/how-to-save-money-on-family-skiing-and-snowboarding
I’m so glad to live 20 minutes from a small resort where our season passes were $99/each. NINETY-NINE DOLLARS! And last year we went over 20 times to the mountain, so skiing is crazy affordable for us. It’s spoiled us. But we buy lift tickets elsewhere anyway a couple times a year to mix things up and explore new terrain.
You are so fortunate! I love the value that comes from smaller ski areas and resorts. But like you, I also agree, that it’s fun to explore new places. When you save so much money at your home mountain, it makes it easier. Thanks for sharing!
I am having a really hard time deciding if we should get an epic pass. It covers our favorite places, Breckenridge and Crested Butte, but the payoff seems to be after 10 days and we live out of state, 10 days is not a guarantee. If we are lucky, we might go 13-15 days this season. My pros are that getting it would make us go at least 10 days and I like the no restrictions during the holidays when it is the only big block of time we can go and Breck tickets are $150/person! On the fence!
It’s a hard upfront decision, because you’re right – will you go 10 days? If you do come over the holidays, is the payoff faster since Breck is so pricey? Also there is much more snow this year already, so that might entice you to come to Colorado. Having had a few winters without an Epic Pass I can tell you personally that it stunk. When friends came from out of state, we didn’t want to pay the daily ticket rate, but sometimes we did. Ouch! Good luck deciding!
Michelle, I just visited the Epic Pass website. You can get the Local pass and have unlimited access to both Breck and CB. $709 for adults, so about a 5 day payoff!