When I lived and worked in Tahoe, having an annual ski pass to be able to hit the slopes whenever I wanted was like
a license for fun. But that ski pass was basically free since I worked at Squaw Valley mountain as a photographer. For
locals and ski hounds who frequent a particular hill, passes can set you back a lot. And buying daily passes, well, if
you ski a lot you gotta be rich as Croesus to do that.
This year, though, as in years past, some ski areas are offering great deals on passes if you get on it early. For
example, last month, ski-mega-conglomerate Intrawest announced early-booking
deals at Stratton, Tremblant and Whistler/Blackcomb,
providing discounts of up to 35 percent on lodging-and-lift packages…that is, if you book before the end of
October.
These deals and others are described in greater detail in
this Times piece that gives the low-down on costs
for lift tix and, in some cases accomodations. It’s a very nice primer for the early ski season, and if you’re like me,
it got me a little fired up for the coming ski season.