Jackson hole discount airfare

Lift-off for ski season

Gannett News ServiceIF YOU GO

At first blush, skiing would seem to have become a sport for the super-rich. The price of a lift ticket alone has soared above $70 a day at some resorts. And airplane flights to ski areas and hotel rooms aren't getting any cheaper, either

A family of four easily can spend as much in a single day on vacation in Vail as they'd spend in an entire week on a Carnival cruise.

But hold on before you start shopping for flip-flops. Even as the "brochure" rates at ski areas have ridden a high-speed lift upward in recent years, the industry has softened the blow with a mountain of discounted packages and specials to keep the budget-conscious coming to the slopes.

"There are many more good deals [this year] if skiers shop around," says Karl Stone of Ski New Hampshire.

Stone says some of the biggest discounting is taking place with season passes. A few years ago the typical all-winter pass cost well in excess of $1,000 and only paid for snow hounds who hit the slopes 30 or more days a year. But prices began falling sharply in the late '90s, and now even the occasional skier can benefit from becoming a pass holder. The cost of a season pass at some New Hampshire resorts has dropped to around $300 a person this year, making them good buys for anyone who skis more than six or seven days.

In addition to lower-priced season passes, which appeal to the drive-in market, resorts are offering more deals for fly-in visitors, who have the added burden of paying for airfare on top of hotels, lift tickets, equipment rentals and meals. Many of Colorado's resorts, including Crested Butte, Steamboat and Telluride, for instance, have teamed with United on rare "Kids Fly Free" packages (www.unitedvacations.com).

United also is allowing passengers connecting through its Denver hub this winter to add an extended stopover in the area for just $60 - - a promotion aimed at luring more business travelers to take a few days in between meetings to hit the Colorado slopes.

Resorts also are offering more early booking discounts in an attempt to reverse the trend toward later bookings that has swept the travel industry. And although the snow already has begun in many ski states, it's not too late to lock in a booking. Meanwhile, in a development that other resorts are watching closely, one resort, Alpine Meadows in California near Lake Tahoe, is slashing ticket rates across the board for most of the season. (If business booms, expect others to follow.)

A sampling of top deals in big ski states:

.(BULLET) Utah. Chafe at the notion of flying to a resort in the morning, raring to hit the

slopes, only to find you'll have to pay a full day's rate to ski what's left of the afternoon? Present your airline boarding pass after arriving at Park City, Deer Valley or The Canyons, all within 40 miles of the Salt Lake City's airport, and you can ski the rest of the day free with this year's new QuickSTART Vacation program (800- 453-1360 or parkcityinfo.com/skiing).

(BULLET) Colorado. Vail Resorts and Frontier Airlines have cooked up an unusual promotion that gives a break on airfare to frequent skiers. The "Triple Play" offer allows three round-trip flights to Colorado from any city served by Frontier as well as unlimited skiing at Vail-owned Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin for $999 a person. Three visits not enough? For true die-hards, the "Ultimate Season's Pass" offers unlimited skiing at five resorts in Colorado and California and unlimited Frontier flights to the resorts for $2,999 a person (packages available online at snow.com through Dec. 31).

(BULLET) California. Alpine Meadows is home to the year's most- talked-about deal, an across-the-board 33% rollback of lift ticket prices. The single-day rate drops to $39 a person, down from $56 last year. The exception: Rates remain high during the holidays (Christmas, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents Day) at $59 a person (800-441-4423 or skialpine.com). The state's best deal for families: Squaw Valley this season will charge children 12 and under just $5 a day to ski -- 92% below the $59 rate for adults (800-545- 4350 or squaw.com).

(BULLET) New Hampshire. This year's "Threedom Pass" to Loon, Waterville and Cranmore resorts starts at $429 for adults, $199 for students and kids and allows unlimited skiing all year. Cranmore- only "Anytime" passes start even lower at $349 per adult and $99 per child age 12 and under. And the Ski New Hampshire Value Pass, good at 10 resorts, starts at $625 per person for 32 vouchers (800-887-5464 or skinh.com).

(BULLET) Vermont. Smugglers' Notch is upping the ante in the discounted-season-pass wars of recent years by giving a free season pass to anyone who buys a five-night-or-longer package this year (800- 451-8752 or smuggs.com). And while Stratton's lift ticket hits $72 a day this year, the resort tempers the sticker shock with new discount packages. Among them: Book a two-night lodging package starting at $79 a person and get two days of skiing free (available Nov. 30-Dec. 11; March 28-April 11; 800-787-2886 or stratton.com).

Looking for a ski bargain this winter? Consider these time-tested tips for scoring a deal:

(BULLET) Go off-season. Ski lodges offer the best deals around Thanksgiving and early December, when the season is just getting started, and in the slow months of January and April. Example: Vail's "First Time" package, which combines three days of lessons and lifts for beginners and costs $280 per person most of the season, drops to $130 the weeks of Nov. 22 and Jan. 4 (800-475-4543 or beavercreek.com).

(BULLET) Don't fly on weekends. Airlines jack up rates on weekends, when demand to resort areas is highest. Book trips leaving midweek for the biggest savings.

(BULLET) Stay longer. Resorts charge less per day for multi-day trips. Telluride's one-day lift ticket rate this winter will be $69 per person. But if you book five days, the price drops to $59 per day (must be purchased in advance at tellurideskiresort.com).

(BULLET) Buy a package. Expedia.com, which offers a dedicated ski section this winter for a third year, is offering three-night packages to Jackson Hole, Wyo., in December starting at $418 per person, including airfare from Chicago and lodging. That's about what airfare alone will cost those who book each segment of the trip separately.

(BULLET) Book early. Resorts are rolling out more incentives for those planning early. Examples: Aspen in Colorado offers $50 off a six-day lift ticket for those who book by Dec. 1 (888-649-5982 or stayaspensnowmass.com); Colorado's Winter Park gives a fourth night free, with lift tickets and ski rentals, for those who book by Dec. 15 (800-729-5813; ski winterpark.com).