When you include lift tickets, gear rental, meals, lodging and transportation, a ski trip can cost hundreds of dollars per person.
When and where you ski can make a difference in the cost of a ski trip, but it can quickly become expensive. Private ski lessons or fancy lodging can add up to a lot.
You don't have to drain your bank account to go to the mountain. Points and miles can be used to pay for ski trips. It is possible to do here.
Lift tickets are one of the most difficult things to buy using points. Before we can use points, we need to know how to buy ski lift tickets.
Many major ski areas charge around $200 per day for single-day lift tickets, but there are many ways to save.
Purchase tickets before the season starts in order to save money and get a day on the mountain. You can make reservations for single-day tickets or larger packages.
Ski tickets can be bought with credit cards.
There are four main ski pass programs in the United States. Depending on where you want to ski, when you want to ski, and the number of days you plan to spend on the mountain, which ski pass is the best for you.
Battle between Mountain Collective and Indy is the best annual ski pass.
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If you're going to take more than one ski trip, a season pass is a good idea. For a single week trip, it can be worth it. As ski season nears, these prices often rise, and sales will end in December or January.
There is one type of pass that can be used. The price of the season-long pass will go up throughout the season, but the one-day pass is free. If you only plan to ski a day or two, locking the days in this way can cut the per day ski rate in half.
There are a number of ways to use points for these passes.
The Undercover Tourist site sells several of the big-name passes. Ski pass purchases are often labeled on your credit card as entertainment or something else. If you can use Undercover Tourist to make the purchase, your point-redemption opportunities will increase.
The Capital One Venture rewards credit card can be used to redeem miles against travel charges. The lift pass cost 20,000 miles.
You can use the miles to purchase a ski pass or lift ticket if you have earned the 75,000-mile bonus from the Capital One Venture rewards credit card.
You can redeem points for gift cards to purchase lift tickets. You can redeem American Express Membership rewards points for a gift card, but we don't recommend it.
This isn't a great option for travelers because it's less than a 1-cent redemption. You can use your points for flights or accommodations if you want to.
Children and seniors can ski for free if they use points. The need to use as many points as possible for the other tickets and passes is reduced by targeting programs where some of the family can ski for free.
Credit cards that can be used on ski trips are related.
You can use your Chase Ultimate rewards points to CarRentals.
You can redeem points from the Chase Sapphire Reserve for ski gear at a rate of 1.5 cents per point under the "things to do" section. Points can be redeemed at a value of 1.25 cents per point.
The adult ski gear rental package will cost you 3,056 Ultimate rewards points per day. A snowboard rental package costs 3,987 points per day.
The packages include transportation from your accommodations to the rental center, as well as transportation to the mountain or back to your lodging.
With ski gear and lift tickets out of the way, you can use your miles to fly to the ski resort.
There are ways to fly to the mountains. It is possible to fly into a small airport that is close to the ski area. In Colorado, this includes airports such as Aspen/Pitkin Airport, Eagle County Regional Airport, and Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport. Jackson Hole Airport in Wyoming is the same thing.
When it all works out well, this can be very convenient.
Unless you live in a hub city with nonstop service, you are less likely to get a nonstop flight to these smaller airports.
Your flights will depend on unpredictable mountain weather. Winter weather can cause flights at these airports to be canceled for days at a time.
I tried to fly into Telluride with my family a couple of years ago, but we had to take a bus because of the weather. It was impossible to rebook flights from that airport for days because of the winter weather. When we got stuck in a ski town during peak season, the Chase trip protection coverage picked up the huge hotel bill.
Award seats on these flights can cost a lot. It's true on weekends and holidays during ski season.
United Airlines and its regional partners often dominate service at smaller airports in Colorado and the mountains, with American Airlines coming in second. There are some mountain areas that the airline selects.
To see expanded Saver award availability, you need to log in to your MileagePlus account.
People in your family need a United credit card.
It is possible to get a free checked bag on an airline if you have an airline co branded credit card. Even if the boots are in a separate bag, two pairs of skis or a single snowboard are still counted as one checked bag. Double check your airline's contract of carriage and baggage policies to be certain.
There is a guide to flying with sports equipment.
Some of the routes are seasonal and only available on select days throughout the year.
The Yampa Valley Regional Airport is located in Colorado.
You can fly from Boston to Steamboat Springs using your TrueBlue points. The lowest award prices that work with your dates can be found using the JetBlue Fare Finder. You will get 10% of your points back if you have a credit card with the airline.
Southwest Airlines flies to Steamboat Springs and using a Southwest Companion Pass could be an excellent way to increase your Rapid Rewards points. If you have a companion ticket, this is a good time to use it as the fares to these smaller airports tend to be more expensive during peak season.
There is a town in Colorado called Gunnison-Crested Butte.
Aspen, Colorado is located in the United States.
You can pay as little as 8,500 AAdvantage miles per person for a direct flight.
There are ways to earn American Airlinesmiles.
The Eagle County Regional Airport is located in Colorado.
Turkish Airlines and Avianca Lifemiles are great alternatives to fly for less miles.
If you use these partners, you can redeem just 7,500 LifeMiles one-way to fly on the same United flights. It is easy to earn LifeMiles, as it is a transfer partner with Amex Membership rewards, Capital One miles, and Citi ThankYou rewards. A lot of the time, you can find a hefty promotion on purchasing LifeMiles, which can save you money. You can get a promotion to transfer your points with a bonus in order to redeem them. You could pay just 10,000 LifeMiles for a nonstop flight from Houston to Vail.
You can use your British Airways points to get to the mountain. British Airways' Executive Club program has a favorable distance-based award chart for nonstop flights, even though it is an international airline.
When seats are available, the price of a flight from Dallas to Vail on American Airlines will be just 9,000Avios. It's easy to earn miles in the British Airways program because it's a transfer partner. Sometimes there are bonus offers for transfers.
There is a town in Colorado called Montrose/Telluride.
You can't redeem airline miles for the flights from Denver and Phoenix. To offset the charge with your points, you'd have to pay and use a "purchase eraser" type of credit card.
There's a guide to a perfect ski day.
Jackson Hole is located in Wyoming.
Even if it is a little farther away from the ski areas, you can still fly into a bigger airport. Depending on where you're going to ski, these larger airports include Denver, Salt Lake City, Reno-Tahoe and even Albuquerque.
The advantages of this strategy are being less affected by mountain weather, having more nonstop routes from around the country, and having better award pricing.
There is a guide to the airport.
Southwest Airlines gives everyone two free checked bags and all flights are available as awards. Someone in your family can fly with you for free if you have the Southwest Companion Pass.
Denver is one of the biggest focus cities for Southwest, with nonstop flights from most of the cities it serves.
There are 6 award charts that will save you money.
You can book the bus service between Denver's airport and Fort Collins as part of your airline ticket.
It can be very expensive to stay on the mountain.
When you can find award availability, it's a great use of points. Points can be used to book hotels near ski areas.
There are a few properties near some of the more popular resorts in Colorado and Utah.
Each hotel in the program has a range for the number of points it charges. You can use the Points Explorer tool to find the points you need. Peak dates will require more points, and you won't know how many will be required for an award night until you find a room. The ski accommodations will require the most points during the ski season.
One benefit of using your points is that you may not be charged resort fees. If you book your stay with points, the Highline charges a fee, but it won't affect your bill.
The state of California.
The state of Colorado.
It's in Utah.
The state of Wyoming.
You can earn points with a number of credit cards, including the American Express card. The American Express Membership rewards program has a ratio of 1 Membership rewards point to 2Hilton honors points.
If you have status, you will get your fifth night free if you use your points. It's easy to earn status in the program with all of the credit cards that have elite status.
The information for the card has been collected by a third party. The card issuer did not review or provide the card details on this page.
It's related to choosing the best credit card for you.
Hyatt offers a number of ski-in and ski-out properties.
Thewaiving of resort fees is one of the main benefits of using your points. On paid reservations, parking fees are not charged.
Some of the top-notch resorts will require between 25,000 and 40,000 World of Hyatt points per night. The Hyatt Place Park City and the Hyatt Place Keystone both have 15000 points per night. Upon account renewal with the World of Hyatt credit card, you can use your annual Hyatt Category 1-4 award certificate.
Kids can ski for free at the Hyatt Place Keystone if they stay at the hotel.
The state of Colorado.
In-season award availability is very limited at Hyatt's other hotels in and around Colorado ski areas. The Residence Club properties have limited award availability.
It's in Utah.
The state of Nevada.
The state of California.
The World of Hyatt points can be earned with the World of Hyatt credit card.
The World of Hyatt program is a transfer partner of the Chase Ultimate rewards program and is a great redemption value for those with the Chase cards.
Despite having a large presence across the U.S., I hg offers less than a few properties that are close to the mountains. It's possible to use your annual reward night certificate that comes with the ihg rewards premier credit card if you spend 40,000 ihg rewards points per night.
If you are a cardmember, you will receive your fourth night at no additional charge on award stays, which means your vacation cost can be quite low. When you are short on points, there are many times when you can buy Ihg points for half a cent.
The state of Colorado.
It's in Utah.
The state of California.
The state of Nevada.
If an annual ski vacation is in your future, you might want to start earning Marriott Bonvoy program points right away.
There are a lot of ski-friendly properties across the West and beyond. Your high-end ski-in and ski-out resorts, as well as more budget focused properties, are not too far from the main ski villages. Even though you hold elite status with Marriott Bonvoy, you will still be charged the hotel's nightly resort fees.
Even if you stay on points, the W Aspen will charge you $50 per night in resort fees. The Sheraton Steamboat Resort Villas is one Marriott property that does not charge a fee.
For most of the ski season, Marriott has introduced peak and off-peak pricing. When you use points, you will get your fifth night free, but not the cost of the actual fifth night.
There are points listed for a free night.
The state of Colorado.
It's in Utah.
The state of Wyoming.
The state of California.
The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card can give you a Marriott free night certificate. You will receive an annual free night certificate worth up to 50,000 points with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express card. Up to 15,000 points can be added to these awards. It is possible to redeem these certificates at expensive ski resort properties, but you will need some flexibility since peak ski weekends are likely to cost more.
There are other ways to redeem the 50,000 and 35,000 point certificates.
All properties fall into one of three categories on the new award chart.
There are a few hotels in the program that stand out for skiers. It's a good idea to stay at the properties that have 15,000 points per night per bedroom.
It is possible to check for availability on points for multiple nights if you stay two or three nights at a WYNDHAM RESORT.
The state of Colorado.
It's in Utah.
The state of Wyoming.
The state of California.
The state of Nevada.
You can increase your account balance with a credit card if you are short on points. There is a 10% points rebate on both cards.
There is a guide to earning and redeeming Wyndham rewards.
If you can find a Choice property near the ski slopes, you will get some great benefits.
Choice doesn't charge more points for bigger rooms. If you are travelling with a family, this is a great benefit. Choice Privileges points can't be redeemed for a free night stay until 100 days out. During periods of low or high demand, award prices can change. The prices are from a weekend stay.
The state of Colorado.
The state of California.
The Choice Privileges Visa credit card can be used to earn points.
Renting a home can be a better deal if you are skiing with a lot of people. Colorado and other ski areas are full of well-appointed home rentals on websites such as Vrbo and Marriott homes and villas.
Vacasa Rental Management Company has a number of amazing properties on or near the ski slope where you can pay just 15,000 points per bedroom. You can use less points and be more spread out in a slope-side one-bedroom condo. Some properties have restrictions on when you can use your points.
Marriott points can be used to book an entire house or condo through the Marriott homes and villas program. It is possible to offset the cost of your ski vacation with the rate of return for your points. Marriott points can be earned if you pay cash.
Credit card points can be used to offset the travel charge for home rentals outside of the Marriott program. Points can be used to book a vacation home.
How to find the perfect place to stay.
Getting from the airport to the mountain is usually the last thing on the list.
There are many pros and cons to renting a car. If you stay at a property that is very close to the mountain, you could face parking charges if you rent a car. Visitors from warmer climates may not be comfortable with heavy traffic and winter weather in the mountains. Many popular destinations have had major issues with a car rental shortage so availability and pricing can be problematic.
You can take a trip to the slopes and stop at various places along the way. It's easier to visit attractions when you have a car. If you are a frequent renter, you can use points to pay for your rental car booking through a rental car program or through a website like the Chase travel portal.
You can get an all-wheel-drive audi when you rent a car from Silvercar. Chase and Visa Infinite card holders can get additional discounts from Silvercar, as well as free car seats and skiracks upon request.
Private or shared shuttles are another ground transportation option.
It is possible to get a van from the Denver International Airport to many Colorado ski areas with free wi-fi. When you arrive in a mountain town, you can use a free public shuttle service to get around. shuttles are offered by many hotels If you stay for a week, you may be able to get a better idea of the cost of gas and parking.
You can book these shuttles through the Chase travel portal. It is possible to take United's bus service with Landline. You can connect to the bus after you get to the airport in Denver if you book a flight.
There is a review of United's new bus service between Denver and Breckenridge.
The Winter Park Express Ski Train is a great option if you want to travel quickly. There will be trains every weekend from January to April in 2023. You can take the train from Denver to the base of the ski area in two hours. You can always take the train to Fraser.
Children 2 to 12 years old can ride for half price on tickets. The tickets for the season should be on sale in November. Combining the ski train with the commuter train service from Denver International Airport to downtown will give you a car-free journey to the slopes. There are many hotels around Union Station.
Credit cards are used for train travel.
skiing can be an expensive hobby, but it doesn't have to deplete your wallet. Saving big on your next ski trip is possible by heading to smaller mountains or leaning into your points and miles. For people who are still looking to avoid large crowds and indoor gatherings as they return to travel, skiing is a great way to be outside.
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Additional reporting was done by several people.
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