Ski for Less in Vancouver

Ski for Less This Winter

 

Temperatures have dropped and summer is a long way away—which leaves us with several chilly months to fill. Fortunately in Vancouver we have the mountains, which on a clear day offer plenty of inspiration to get out of the city and up onto the slopes.

 

Unfortunately, skiing can become expensive with lift tickets, rentals and lunch for a family adding up to a pretty steep price.

 

However, there are a few ways to get deals. Here are six tips to help you find the best bargains for Vancouver skiing.

 

Check Outside the Ski Resort

If you’re willing to be flexible and travel, sites like Liftopia and LiftTickets offer discounted rates from 15 to 80 percent off, depending on the ski resort and time of year.

 

If you plan to hang out locally and want to squeeze in multiple sessions (but not enough for a season pass), great deals can be found through Ski Canada, which offers discounted ticket bundles at the beginning of each year. And if you have younger kids, don’t forget to check out the snow pass, which offers free ski passes to kids in the fourth and fifth grade.

 

Call the Ski Resort

A view of beautiful Chateau Lake Louise. (Image: Drew Douglas)

 

Cypress Mountain is offering the Gold Medal Card which gives you your first trail ticket for free and offers savings of 20% off all your other days of skiing, boarding, cross country, snowshoeing or snow tubing this winter. And make sure to check out their website for the daily deal coupon.

 

On Mount Seymour they’re running two for one Discover Ski or Snowboard Lessons from Friday, December 9, to Friday, December 16. The two-adult packages include a lesson, rental and lift ticket.

 

Avoid the Ticket Window, Buy Online

Buying ahead either from the resort (Whistler Blackcomb offers a 22% savings on a 2-day ticket bought online) or from a site like Liftopia (typical savings are over 30% for tickets bought two weeks in advance) make Internet purchases a great idea.

 

Have A Ski Vacation

Sometimes it’s worth getting away for your ski fix. Check with the resort for stay and ski deals (Silver Star offers guests a 10% discount on multi-day lift tickets when purchased with accommodation).

 

At Sun Peaks resort you can find a package that gives you a fourth day of skiing and accommodation for when you pay for three days.

 

Multi-Day Ski Passes

Whistler offers some of the best runs in the world. (Image: Justin Liew)

 

Multi-day and season passes offer greater savings. For Mount Washington you can buy six-ticket bundles (which are transferable and include a seventh lift ticket good for April 2012). While at Apex Mountain the Apex Power Pass discount card is good for seven lift tickets.

 

Ski Later in the Week

Cypress Mountain has different rates depending on if you arrive in the morning, after 2 p.m. or in the evening. And Grouse Mountain not only offers low night rates, they also offer two different types of season night passes.

 

There is the regular night pass as well as the One Night pass, where you can ski one night a week after 4 p.m. With this pass you can ski a different night each week as the pass resets every Saturday night. While at Manning Park you’ll save $10 on your day pass if you head there midweek.