4 Ways To Get Discount Lift Tickets At Colorado Ski Resorts

I live in Colorado and recently a good friend in Nashville, TN called me in preparation for his family ski vacation. He wanted to know how to get the best deal on lift tickets.

If you are a downhill skiier or snowboarder you know that the price of lift tickets are rising each year. In Colorado it costs at least $50 to go to the smallest ski area and if you want to go to a world class resort like Vail it is $98 or you want to hob knob with the pretty people at Aspen it is closer to $110. But what if you ski a handful of times a year and you want to try and save some money on the few lift tickets you buy each year?

Here are 4 suggestions for finding discount lift tickets: 1. Check with friends who have ski passes. 2. Go local and check local grocery stores and rental shops. 3. Package deals. 4. Craigslist.

1. Check with friends who have ski passes

If you have friends with ski passes hit them up for coupons. Often times a ski pass will come with "buddy tickets" that can be up to $20 off the regular price. The idea being that the pass holder drags up someone to the ski resort to spend money that would normally not get spent. I have had a ski pass for many years and invariably I never use all my buddy tickets. The pass I have this year did not come with any deals but it does not hurt to ask.

2. Go local

When I was young in the early 80's we would wake up at about 6am, throw our ski stuff in the car and head over to the local grocery store. Back then skiiers could buy discounted lift tickets for any Colorado ski resort at the grocery store. This was a great convenience because you could get about $15 off the normal price and you had your ticket in advance so you did not have to wait in any ticket lines once you got to the mountain. Today you can get $5-$8 off but the convenience of skipping the ticket line is still there. Inquire at the service counter at the grocery store to see if they have any deals. If your grocer can not help you out then you should call or visit a ski rental shop and ask the employees where to find a cheap ticket. If anyone knows it will be these ski bums.

3. Package Deals

Ski resorts are going to give you a break if you buy a group or pack of tickets. For example a three day ticket at Breckenridge will cost you $276 while a single day ticket is $92. The catch here is that the tickets are usually dated and can only be used on the related date. Be careful not to buy to many days at once. There is always that guy from the flatlands that rolls into the mountains with the 6 day pass. By the third day this guy is dragging and he is only half way through his ticket use. Remember that skiing is physically taxing. Your legs, back and lungs are going to get a work out so check yourself before you wreck yourself.

4. Craigslist

You got your job there and you unloaded that old sofa why not look for some ski tickets. People get tickets for all sorts of reasons and from all sorts of places and some people would rather make a few bucks by selling them over Craigslist. This is the place to get the best deals right now as I have had friends get tickets $30-$40 bucks off. Craigslist can be a chore and it does require someone on the other end that is not jerking you around, but this is the place to find the cheapest tickets.