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Here are some ways to ski affordably – and even free – in Colorado this winter

Even as the price of some walk-up lift tickets soar near $300 at Colorado’s premier ski resorts, there are secrets to still skiing affordably in Colorado.
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Even as the price of some walk-up lift tickets soar near $300 at Colorado’s premier ski resorts, there are secrets to still skiing affordably in Colorado.

First and foremost, folks wanting to ski or ride the slopes this winter should start planning now.

“The key to skiing and snowboarding affordably is to plan early to make your purchases for ski tickets early in the season, before the snow flies,” said Sarah Beatty, the director of communications for Colorado Ski Country USA, a trade association representing 21 of the state’s resorts.

Early in the season is when the most buy-now, ski-later packages are available, Beatty said. CSCUSA’s suite of passes is geared toward families and are most likely only available until January.

The Ski Passport – which Beatty dubbed “the best deal in town” – offers kids in third through sixth grade 80 days of skiing (four days each at 20 resorts) for $67 and comes with two free junior rentals. The Gems Teen Pass for ages 12-17 grants two days each at 11 different resorts for $199.

One parent per household can ski those same 22 days for $325 on the Gems Parent Pass.

If you have a resort in mind that you know you want to ski this season, Beatty suggests visiting that resort’s website now to look for deals and discounts.

But you can even save at the big-time ski areas if you plan in advance. Vail’s Epic Pass offers a four-pack that equates to $108 per day, and Alterra’s Ikon Pass has a four-day pass for $549 ($137 per day).

Those prices go up – and the passes eventually become unavailable – as the season wears on.

“When you walk up to the ticket window on a beautiful, snowy Saturday or Sunday in January, February, March, that's not going to be a great, affordable experience for a lot of families to be able to participate in,” Beatty said.

And, believe it or not, you can actually ski for free in Colorado. Howelsen Hill, which is the oldest operating ski area on the continent, offers free skiing on Sundays and doesn’t require a reservation. Loveland Ski Area has free snowcat skiing on the Continental Divide for those who are up for a challenge.

Kids enrolled in Grand County Schools ski free on Fridays.

Another trick? Ski on weekdays.

Granby Ranch has a $369 weekday season pass available now. Eldora and Copper Mountain offer $99 skiing on Thursdays, with some of the proceeds going to local charities.

SkiCooper has weekday passes for $45 for adults and $35 for kids – and $30 passes on some Thursdays this season if purchased at least two days in advance.

“Weekdays are a little bit of a secret time to ski, where you can really start to find some of those deals throughout the season,” Beatty said. “So if you've got the flexibility, [weekdays] are the days where you can really find some good deals.”

‘A mountain for everyone’

Snow sports have garnered a reputation as exclusive, but Beatty says resorts have been hard at work to change that.

CSCUSA says it has “a mountain for everyone” in its rolodex of Colorado ski areas.

“What that means is there is a place somewhere in Colorado that you can ski, that you're going to have a fantastic experience,” she said, “whether it's an approachable mountain skillswise, whether it's affordable pass prices, whether it's a mountain where you might have friends that ski there and get together – we have a mountain for everyone.”

She added that many resorts have been intentional about hosting inclusive events. To name a few: Aspen and Telluride each host an annual Gay Ski Week, and Keystone has hosted a Queer Ski Weekend.

Different ski groups exist for people of different backgrounds, too. You can hear from the BIPOC Mountain Collective in the video player below.

BIPOC Mountain Collective offers inclusive fun at the slopes and beyond

“So there are different projects, there are different groups, there are different events that really mean that you can find a place where you're going to feel welcome, where you are going to see people of the same background, whatever that might be,” Beatty said.