Ski resorts seem to have heard the complaints about the high cost of lift tickets. Sure, a walk-up day pass at Vail during Christmas Week is currently $374, but plenty of ski areas are offering promotions and lift ticket pricing under $100 this season.
Smaller, regional ski areas across the country offer cheaper tickets in general — Ski Cooper near Leadville, Colo., offers $49 midweek and $99 weekend tickets all season. But even bucket-list destinations such as Jackson Hole and Aspen Mountain have promotions to entice the super-pass–eschewing skier on a budget.
Hardcore skiers who log 100 days on a $1,000 Epic or Ikon pass can drive their cost per ski day under the $10 mark. Critics have suggested, however, that relatively cheap megapasses paired with expensive single lift tickets keep new skiers from trying the sport.
Several of the sub-$100 deals listed here rely on increasingly popular dynamic pricing models — similar to how Uber and Lyft adjust prices up or down based on demand. As a result, many lift tickets under $100 are limited to early-season and midweek dates and are far from popular holiday weeks.
Aspen Snowmass
Aspen made headlines this fall with a $3.75 lift ticket promotion for Dec. 14 only at Aspen Mountain (Ajax), Snowmass, Buttermilk, and Aspen Highlands. The deal, in honor of Aspen Mountain’s opening on Dec. 14, 1946, didn’t last long once word got out, but resort officials haven’t ruled out opening sales back up.
Luckily, $80 lift tickets are still available in honor of the 80th anniversary for the two days prior, Dec. 12 and 13. Buy tickets here.
Purgatory & Brian Head
These Southwest hidden gems are no strangers to cheap tickets, and they’re back for the 2026-27 ski season, starting at $9. Both ski areas are under the same ownership, which offers a Power Pass to all of their resorts, but their dynamic pricing model is generating lots of lift tickets under $100 at these two worthy destinations.
Purgatory is opening 40 acres of brand-new expert terrain served by the new Colorado Couloir lift, and Brian Head has announced major multi-decade expansion plans that will ultimately double its skiable acreage. Despite big investments, there are $9 days on offer in November through April, though prices depend on advance purchase and may change at any time. Buy in advance for Brian Head and Purgatory.
Arapahoe Basin
The Basin is another Colorado ski area celebrating its 80th anniversary with $80 tickets. This celebration runs for the whole ski season, with free skiing for 80-year-olds and $80 tickets every Wednesday. Early- and late-season offers even better deals, with tickets as cheap as $50 in November and December.
And truth be told, A-Basin’s other midweek prices are almost all $104 or less throughout much of the season already. Check specific dates here.
Jackson Hole
Jackson Hole sits in the wealthiest county in the nation, and, yes, its walk-up tickets might cost more than $300 depending on the date. But for the ‘26-’27 season, it is bringing back Ski in Jeans Day in December (date TBD). Day passes are only $35, and a Friday-to-Sunday pass is $199.
It’s also planning Kids on Snow weekends where kids ski free, and group lessons are discounted to $100. The dynamic pricing model also lists some great early-season prices with plenty of 75%-off ($84.75) tickets for late November and early December dates at the time of this writing. Check current prices for specific dates here.
Powder Mountain
Utah’s Powder Mountain may have gone semi-private, but they haven’t forgotten the skier on a budget. For this season, PowMow is bringing back the forgotten half-day ticket (1:30-8:30 p.m.) for $99, which includes up to 7 hours of night skiing on snow.
There’s a lot of value considering that Powder Mountain is the nation’s largest ski area with plans to get even larger. Night skiing-only tickets are just $29, and there are some early-season days with $97 all-day tickets as of this writing. Check current pricing here.
Smaller, Independent Resorts
The deals above are surprising given the steep walk-up prices people pay at destination resorts, but the country is full of local ski areas, many of which offer beginner and casual skiers the chance to sample the sport for under $100 without committing to a season pass.
The Indy Pass offers 2 days at more than 300 independently owned ski areas around the world. While Indy Pass sales are currently waitlisted for this season, dozens of their member resorts offer sub-$100 lift tickets, from $45 passes at Mt. Abram in Maine to $85 at Montana Snowbowl outside Missoula.
The “mom and pop” tier of ski areas might not have the vertical, skiable acreage, and infrastructure of the destination resorts, but their (normally) lower prices reduce the barrier to entry for budget-minded and beginner skiers.
Song Mountain in Central New York, where I learned to ski, still has $89 all-day tickets. And like many smaller, local ski hills, they still have half-day tickets — just $49. Monarch Mountain in central Colorado is small by Rockies standards, and they also keep the afternoon half-day tradition alive with afternoon-only tickets between $79 and $109.
