5 Tips for Budget-Friendly Ski Vacations

Buy a Multi-Pass, and Buy It Early

These days, major ski resorts regularly draw eye-watering prices at the ticket window. Tickets exceeding $200 or even $300 aren’t uncommon. Our advice? Don’t buy them at all—unless you’re visiting somewhere with tickets that won’t break the bank. Season passes that provide access to multiple mountains are a solid bet, particularly for frequent skiers eyeing a trip to a major resort.

Options like the Ikon and Epic passes are cheapest when they first go on sale in the spring, with the price increasing as winter approaches. In 2025, the Epic Pass started at $1,051. That’s hardly pocket change, of course. But when you consider the access the Epic Pass provides—it now works at more than 90 mountains—the idea of spending a grand hurts less. 

To get the most out of a multi-pass, pick one that covers a resort or two you might frequent during winter weekends, and treat it like a standard season pass. Then, you can also use it to avoid paying for tickets at another mountain it provides access to while you’re on vacation.

The math gets more complicated for people who don't live near ski resorts and only visit the mountains a few times a year. In that case, ticket deals or the Mountain Collective—a less expensive multi-pass with more limited access—might be worth a look. Ikon and Epic also sell flexible ticket bundles.

Hunt for Ticket Deals

As we already noted, grabbing a multi-pass can be a good play for affordability-minded skiers. But what if you’re going on one ski vacation this winter, and don't think you'll ski enough to make a pass worth it? Ticket deals can help.

For example, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, has, for the past few years, sold dirt-cheap tickets to celebrate its Ski in Jeans Day event in December (in 2025, they cost $35 while other tickets that month almost cost $300). The resort also sold $60 tickets in honor of its 60th anniversary. 

Advance purchase lift ticket programs can produce results, too. Resorts operated by Mountain Capital Partners, like Brian Head, Arizona Snowbowl, and Lee Canyon, have surprisingly cheap tickets that can be bought well before the season starts. At the time of writing this, some Snowbowl tickets cost less than $20 for the 2025-26 season.

The challenge is that these prices increase with demand, so if you don’t identify where and when you want to ski months ahead of time, you might miss out.

Don’t Cash Out on Lunch

Some resorts have a reputation for serving food that surpasses the cliche, heat-lamp-baked chicken tenders commonly associated with ski lodges. We can’t deny the appeal of breaking up a ski day with these higher-end meals. But if saving cash is your goal, on-mountain food, which often costs far more than its counterparts off the slopes, should be avoided altogether. 

There are a few options here. Some go barebones, relying on a few granola bars to get through ski days. Others prefer to grill out in the parking lot. Either way, with a season pass or ticket already purchased and a lunchtime contingency plan established in advance, it’s possible to spend an entire day on the mountain without opening your wallet.

This extends to eating out elsewhere on vacation. Rent an Airbnb or book a hotel room with a kitchen. Go to the local grocery store. Cook group meals. You’ll save that way, too.

Venture Off the Beaten Path

When planning a ski vacation, being blinded by the superstars is common. Destination resorts in Utah or Colorado draw the most attention, and fairly so. They have the most terrain, the nicest accommodations, and the fastest lifts. But those luxuries often come with higher food and lodging costs.

Consider, then, picking somewhere you haven’t heard of and know little about. Smaller, lesser-known mountains are typically cheaper in every way. Plus, as an added bonus, you’ll spend less time waiting in lift lines and probably find some new favorite runs. Fancy lift infrastructure isn't a prerequisite for good times. 

To lean into the small ski area approach while enjoying the flexibility of a multi-pass, consider the Indy Pass. It accesses a huge collection of independent mountains off the beaten path. You might end up somewhere you never expected to visit.

Get Used or Discounted Ski Gear

The high cost of equipment is one of skiing’s biggest financial hurdles. It can be sidestepped somewhat, though, by not buying new gear. Online marketplaces, like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, are a good place to start. Another tip: Ski retailers sell equipment from previous seasons at a discount to make way for the latest gear. This equipment hasn’t actually been used; it just doesn’t have the newest designs or graphics.