Lift passes are one of the biggest single costs of a ski trip — and one of the easiest to overpay for if you buy them the obvious way.
Buy online, in advance — always
Buying your lift pass online ahead of time is consistently cheaper than buying at the resort ticket office. Resorts price walk-up purchases at a premium, partly because it’s easier to sell convenience to someone already standing there in their ski gear. A few minutes online before you travel is the single easiest saving in this whole category.
Multi-day over single-day, every time
Multi-day passes work out cheaper per day than buying single-day tickets, even if you don’t end up skiing every single day of your trip. Check the resort’s pricing structure — most build in a discount that increases the more days you buy.
Check for family and group passes
Many resorts offer family or group passes at a discount over buying individual passes for everyone. This isn’t universal, so it’s worth checking specifically for your resort rather than assuming individual passes are your only option.
Time it around ski school
Book ski school first (see our ski school prep guide), because it changes how many lift pass days you actually need. Some ski school packages include a lift pass for lesson days — which means you might only need to buy passes covering the days you’re skiing as a family, not the full week. This alone can meaningfully cut your lift pass spend.
Don’t overlook age-based discounts
Many resorts offer free lift passes for very young children (often under 5)
Kids’ passes are typically around half the adult price
Some resorts offer reduced rates for seniors, which is worth checking if grandparents are joining the trip
A quick pre-trip checklist
Confirm ski school days first
Buy multi-day, not single-day, passes
Buy online in advance, not at the resort
Check for family/group discounts specific to your resort
Check age cut-offs for free or discounted kids’ passes