Ski Lift Tickets & Passes

Ski lift tickets and passes vary from resort to resort and country to country but there are some standard guidelines.

This page explains daily lift tickets, multi-day tickets, punch cards and season passes.

And if you're looking to save (who isn't?), check out our Ski Deals & Discounts page for common schemes that might help.

First, how ski lift tickets are structured—

Age 5 or 50?
Most ski pass prices are based on age. They vary but resorts generally divide skiers into the following categories:

• 5 and under's
• children aged 6-12
• teens & adults (sometimes this is broken into two groups)
• seniors

Therefore, a ski lift ticket will probably be more during the Christmas holiday than in mid-February and the latter will most likely be more than a ticket in mid-April.


Day Lift Tickets

Day lift tickets are available for a full-day or half-day, and you can buy them on a walk-up basis or online.

You can buy them as soon as the ticket windows open, which is usually around 7.30-8.00am. Half-day tickets are normally only available after 12.30pm. But at some resorts, if you return to the ticket window with your full-day ticket before 12.30pm, they'll refund you to the half day rate.

Ticket prices vary greatly between resorts so the following is only a guide.

As with all things in life, there are some exceptions. (And please let me know if you find one!)


Multi-day Tickets

Going on a ski holiday for a long weekend or longer? Multi-day tickets might work for you.

Resorts offer various options, from three to seven-day tickets—some must be consecutive, others are packages such as 5 days of skiing in 7 consecutive days.

The Pros:

• No line every morning. Just get straight on the chairlift. No hassle.


• Money off the regular daily ticket price. Usually the more days, the larger the discount.

• Lack of flexibility. Once you hand over the cash it's gone. Wake up to bad weather or change your plans, you might not be able to get a refund. Especially when the days must be used consecutively.


• The discount might be less than 5%. I don't think that level is worth it. 10% savings? Yes. 3%? No.

Tip: Attach ski lift tickets (especially multi-day ones) to a clip that can be removed from your jacket (or grab extra fasteners). If the weather changes and you need to change your outer layer, you've still got your lift pass. Or if your jacket needs to go into a drier, your multi-day ticket doesn't become a wadded up useless ball of paper.


Punch Cards

I wish every resort would offer punch cards. If you expect to ski 10 to 15 days in the season, punch cards mean you buy those days all on one pass at maybe a third of the price of a full season pass.

Most Colorado resorts offer 10-day passes like this and many others are starting to do the same.


Season Passes

They're spendy—ranging anywhere from $500 to $1800—but if you want to get a lot of days on the slopes in, they're worth it. And if you buy early, they're affordable.

Once you hand over the money, season passes offer a lot of advantages:

• ski as often as you like
• no ticket window or base lodge hassle
• additional discounts at the resort—in the cafeteria, on demo rentals, lessons, etc

• Full Season Pass — ski any day of the season, no blackout dates


• Midweek Pass — discounted pass for skiing Mondays through Thursdays, excluding holiday periods


• Youth/Student Pass — discounted pass for those 18 and under, full or mid-week, ages vary


• Senior Pass — discounted pass for those over 65, full or mid-week, ages vary, limited resorts offer super senior passes, which include free skiing or even higher discounts for those over 70 or 75


• College Pass — discounted pass for those enrolled full-time in university (official documentation required)


• Family Pass — vary in price to accommodate a family, 1 adult + 1 child up to 2 adults + 2 or more children (18 or under), better value than buying individual season passes


• Spring Pass — full but discounted pass offered after a certain date, usually after Easter or in late March, offered at limited resorts (see theSki Deals & Discountspage for more on Spring Passes).


• Express Pass — permanent pass with photo and swipe facilities, linked to a credit card, allows pass holder to go directly to the lifts while account gets charged the daily ticket fee

TIP: Most resorts offer passes at a nearly 50% discount if you buy in the summer and 25% off if you purchase a month or so before the ski hill opens.

Ask at the resort if they have any deals going on ski lift tickets. Staff will often tell you the best deal, even the unadvertised ones.

And check our Deals & Discounts page for other money saving options.
(Ski Deals & Discounts page)


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