Cheap Ski Vacations
When I met Bob I had never been snow skiing. One winter while we were dating we decided to be part of a group trip to of folks from work and after that I was hooked! Mind you I SUCKED my first time out (and several more trips after) but the apres-ski was a blast. Sitting by the fire with friends, playing card games and recalling the day of downhill mishaps made for some of the best memories I have of our stay in Turkey. Once Spencer came along we didn’t let that stop our winter treks to the mountains. The top photo above is of Bob and Spencer Winter 1994 at Kartalkaya, Turkey when Spencer was about 3 months old and the one directly above is Bob and Spencer Winter 1998 at Kartalkaya when Spencer was 4 years old. During our stay in Turkey we were fortunate to have CHEAP trips for our winter fun. Moving back to the States was a rude surprise for me as I had never paid for a ski trip in the US before! The photo above is probably one of our first ski vacations to Snowshoe, WV when Spencer was 5 and Alex was 3. Everything was expensive from the lodging to the lift tickets to the food on the mountain. We were not prepared! After the first trip I soon found ways to lessen the cost of our family fun vacation.
Before I go further I should share that we do not do Christmas at home. We do not buy gifts that will be forgotten in a few hours. Instead, we spend our money to make every Christmas memorable by going snow skiing. We started this early on when the kids were little but old enough to understand money for the trip vs. presents. Now, we don’t deny our children gifts… we just don’t spends a lot of money on them. Instead, we normally buy games that we can play as a family and wrap them up for the kids to open and then a few personal gifts for each kid. Bob and I normally do not swap gifts and put that money towards the trip. Below are some money-saving tips on how to plan some cheap ski vacations but keep in mind that each tip might not work for the location you want to ski. These tips are geared more towards skiing at Brian Head Ski Resort in Utah since that is where we spend our winters now.
Cheap Ski Vacations
GETTING THERE
Buy gas gift cards at grocery stores like Von’s and Smith’s so you can earn points to reduce your price at the pump {we buy Chevron and Shell}.
Sometimes Albertson’s will run a promo of buy $50 in gift cards and receive a $10 coupon for free groceries.
MEAL PLANNING
Pack a cooler for drinks, snacks, lunch, and dinner.
If staying in a hotel, pick one that has free breakfast {ours does}
Since our hotel has a kitchenette, we will take meals that are prepped ahead of time or easy to make in the room.
BRIAN HEAD LIFT TICKETS
Buy your lift ticket pre-season when they offer a season pass at a discounted rate.
Ski mid-week when prices are lower
Local businesses will offer discounts on lift ticket so watch the papers and listen on the radio {Terrible’s used to have discounts}
BRIAN HEAD LODGING
- While I think credit cards are evil, we do use a Marriott card to earn points so we can stay for free when we go on vacation.
What money-saving tips do you have for skiing at Brian Head Ski Resort in Utah?
