$9 Lift Tickets Are Available at 9 Ski Resorts This Winter, Here's Where To Score
The humble ski ticket is in a weird place.
With the advent of multi-passes, they’ve become, in many places, wildly expensive, exceeding $100, $200, or even $300. That’s a fundamental shift in ski resort economics. And while you could argue that multi-passes, for all their complications, are a great deal for diehard skiers, there remains something special and nostalgic about going skiing for just a few bucks.
This winter, that dream doesn’t have to stay a dream. For the first time, Mountain Capital Partners—a resort group already known for its cheap advance tickets—is offering $9 tickets at all nine of its U.S. resorts.
Like other resorts, MCP uses a demand- and time-based approach to ticket pricing, which can lead to pricey tickets in the middle of the season, particularly when the powder piles up. But it also means that if you don’t, right now, mind buying a ticket to Purgatory, Colorado, for, say, Wednesday, December 16, it’ll cost less than a hamburger.
Purgatory Resort
The availability of the $9 tickets varies by resort. Purgatory only has some available in November and December before mid-season demand kicks in. Arizona Snowbowl, meanwhile, has more opportunities for $9 skiing and even a few $1 tickets tucked into the calendar for bargain hunters.
MCP’s fleet of resorts in the U.S. largely spans regional ski areas rather than Alterra and Vail titans like Palisades Tahoe in California or Breckenridge in Colorado. But as any well-traveled skier can tell you, that’s not necessarily a drawback—some of my most memorable ski days have happened on two-seaters.
Plus, some of MCP’s resorts could be in for a banner winter. While the jury is still out whether or not freezing levels will cooperate, the ongoing El Niño raises the odds of wetter—and hopefully snowier—weather in the Southwest this winter.
Here’s where you can scoop up the $9 tickets. Happy hunting.
- Pajarito Mountain, New Mexico
- Purgatory Resort, Colorado
- Lee Canyon, Nevada
- Brian Head Resort, Utah
- Willamette Pass Resort, Oregon
- Arizona Snowbowl, Arizona
- Sipapu Ski & Summer Resort, New Mexico
- Nordic Valley, Utah
- Sandia Peak Ski Area, New Mexico
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