Every year, there seems to be a grim competition as to which North American mountain resorts will have the highest daily rate for a lift ticket: It’s scary times when $250 is the new average at marquee destinations.
Yet it is still possible to ski for much less than that, even without committing to a multi-resort pass like Epic or Ikon.
For starters, most of those sky-high prices are for last-minute single tickets bought at the window: Ski resorts harshly penalize impulse buyers and the unprepared, so always purchase ahead online as early as possible.
Admittedly not everybody has the option to avoid weekends and holidays, but for those who can, skiing midweek makes a big difference. Daily rates in the two figures abound when you know where to look, even at mid- to large resorts: $99 on select Thursdays at Copper Mountain, Colo., or $69 to $79 for Ladies Day Thursday at Mt. Rose — Ski Tahoe, Nev.
Finally, the $100 world is your oyster if you are open to trading high-end properties for smaller ones, like the six listed below. All rates are for an adult daily ticket.
Smugglers’ Notch, Vermont
Smugglers’ Notch sits just north of Stowe, one of the most popular destinations in Vermont, though in winter when the mountain road between them is closed, it’s a 45-minute drive from one to the other. While Stowe is part of Vail Resorts and is on the Epic Pass, Smuggs, as it is nicknamed, is independent and has a laid-back, no-frills attitude. The skiable surface looks fairly small at 310 acres, but an additional 750 acres of glades are available for exploration. Weekends and holidays cost $119, but between Dec. 21 and March 30 you can ski for $85 midweek, and every day for a mere $65 before and after that. Families will be happy to hear that children under 17 ski free in January.
