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With lift fees high, skiers in constant bargain search

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January 05, 2012|By Marty Basch

Ski conditions at the Blue Hills have been subpar with the lack of snow. But… (Yoon S. Byun/Globe Staff )

As a way to save money to fuel his love of skiing, Jared Antista started an online ski networking group.

The New England Ski Networking Association is now some 700 members strong since its birth in the fall of 2010. Between 20 and 40 people ages 25 to 35 usually show up for a Saturday outing in the mountains, according to Antista, a 32-year-old Nashua, N.H., skier who works for a start-up sports and fitness company.

With a NESNA group discount, a skier saves $15-$30 off a lift ticket depending on the ski area.

“People are very happy about saving money when it comes to skiing,’’ Antista said. “When I was in high school, it was 30 or 40 bucks for a weekend pass. Now it’s 70 or 80. Resorts say they’re pumping money into snowmaking and faster chairs, but I don’t think that registers. If you can save $20 or $30, that’s gas up there or a beer, and that makes people pretty happy.’’

Skiers and snowboarders have long played the discount game to avoid paying top dollar for lift tickets. On peak days this season, window lift ticket prices include $92 at Stowe, $87 at Stratton, $86 at Killington, and $78 at Bretton Woods. But a simple tactic of just going to a ski area’s website to buy a lift ticket is a money saver. That shaves $5 off a Stratton ticket.

On websites such as Liftopia.com and LiftTickets.com, multiday lift tickets, frequent-skier cards, special events, non-holiday Sunday afternoon tickets, night skiing, and non-holiday midweek two-for-one deals are among the items on the dollar-saving menu.

Not only are snow lovers looking for a bargain, ski areas use them to fill chair lifts.

“There are off-peak time periods when ski areas aren’t at capacity,’’ said Karl Stone, the marketing director for Ski New Hampshire. “They are doing everything they can to improve business. Staff is in place, they’ve groomed the snow, and the lifts are running. It is about attracting loyalty and maybe getting people to spend money on activities like lunch they wouldn’t have had budgets for.’’

Stone knows about discounts. The deal section of Ski New Hampshire’s website is the third-most-visited page behind the home page and snow conditions.

Non-holiday midweek is the best time to score a deal. In New Hampshire, two-fers include Waterville Valley (Monday), King Pine (Tuesday-Thursday), Cannon (Tuesday, Thursday), Bretton Woods (Wednesday), Cranmore (Monday-Thursday, online only), Crotched (Tuesday), and Sunapee (Wednesday).