Arizona Snowbowl's $1 Lift Tickets Are Cheaper Than They Were in 1948

Back in 1948, Arizona Snowbowl offered lift tickets for $1.50. They included unlimited access to the intermediate rope tow. In 2026, you can pay less than that to ski Snowbowl on select dates.

The resort, like many others in the industry, uses demand-based pricing, adjusting lift ticket prices based on how many skiers are expected to attend on a given date. That can result in pricey days—particularly powder days when all of Flagstaff wants to make some turns—but also means if you plan ahead, you can go skiing for less than the cost of a tube of Chapstick.

Snowbowl opened its ticket calendar with eight $1 lift ticket dates. Based on a quick count, we found three remaining, all falling on midweek and outside the peak season. That makes them a bit of a gamble, although for all we know, March 10, 2027, could be the best day of Snowbowl’s season.

And for $1? It’s not like you need to be a high roller.

Beyond that steeply discounted price, many of Snowbowl’s dates started at $9 and remain available. In a time when multi-passes have become the most cost-effective way to ski—that’s a big change and one with pros and cons that you could write several essays about—and the cheap lift ticket is a dying breed, it’s nice to see an alternative to that trend. 

A few other options for cheap tickets are out there. Aspen Snowmass, Colorado, briefly sold $3.75 tickets in honor of its 80th anniversary and still has some $80 days (that’s cheap for Aspen) available in December. 

And in the Mountain Capital Partners universe—the group that runs Arizona Snowbowl—both Brian Head, Utah, and Purgatory, Colorado, still have $9 days for sale. 

As the 2026-27 season gathers steam, Arizona Snowbowl is in the El Niño hot (read: hopefully cold and snowy) seat, with Arizona potentially benefiting from wetter weather. El Niño can boost precipitation in Arizona, but it offers no guarantees. 

Arizona Snowbowl plans to start the party on November 20, 2026, weather permitting.

Related: Review: 2027 Blizzard Canvas 118 Skis