| Be young. At many resorts, kids ski free all | | | | passes - that are much cheaper than buying a |
| year. Of course, the little ones have to be | | | | series of single-day passes. At many areas |
| accompanied by a ticket-buying adult and the | | | | you can buy a book of tickets - say ten - in |
| cutoff age varies from resort to resort.Be | | | | advance. The savings are usually significant |
| old. Many resorts offer free lift tickets to | | | | enough that at least one day of skiing is |
| vintage skiers, usually those over the age of | | | | essentially free.Bring a friend. This is |
| 70. Be prepared to show some sort of ID that | | | | simple. At many ski areas, if you bring a |
| proves how old you are.Have a gimmick. Ski | | | | first timer for their first day on skis, you |
| areas have a sense of humor. They | | | | can get a voucher for a lift ticket for |
| occasionally give away lift tickets just to | | | | yourself. Most ski areas have group sales |
| see what people would do. Do you have a good | | | | departments and among the incentives they |
| memory? On Martin Luther King Day at one | | | | offer are free tickets for the organizer of |
| resort, if you can recite the full text of | | | | the group.Ski a lot. You've heard of |
| his "I Have A Dream" speech, you get a free | | | | frequent flier cards? Well how about a |
| lift ticket. At another place, reciting the | | | | frequent skier card? At many resorts, skiing |
| Gettysburg Address on Lincoln's birthday will | | | | begets more skiing (or more to the point, |
| get you a free one.Go to Crested Butte. In | | | | buying lift tickets begets more lift |
| an effort to attract early and late season | | | | tickets). If you accumulate enough points |
| skiers to the town's lodging and restaurants, | | | | under a resort's affinity program, you can |
| this central Colorado resort slashed prices | | | | trade them for free lift tickets.Buy a season |
| to the bare bone and beyond. In recent | | | | ticket. At many ski resorts, season passes |
| years, Crested Butte has offered free lift | | | | are so cheap that the break-even point is 20 |
| tickets until December 1 and after April | | | | days or less, so if you ski a lot, you can |
| 1.Learn to ski. In the great American | | | | practically ski half the season for free. A |
| tradition of the free sample, many resorts | | | | few areas are selling season tickets so cheap |
| and resort associations offer a way for | | | | - around $200 if you buy well in advance - |
| beginners to try skiing without cost or | | | | that even a vacationer could take advantage |
| obligation. These packages usually include | | | | of the deal.Volunteer. You know those people |
| rentals and a lesson as well as a lift | | | | who stand around the resort on weekends in |
| ticket. Significant restrictions, however, | | | | their mountain-issued jackets, answering |
| do apply. These promotions are limited to | | | | questions, giving directions and generally |
| certain dates and are good only for | | | | being courteous? Well, come Monday most of |
| learn-to-ski packages. But you can't beat | | | | those mountain ambassadors go back to being |
| the price.Buy in bulk. Skiing is not | | | | accountants, carpenters or school teachers. |
| dissimilar to paper towels - if you buy a lot | | | | That means that you too could volunteer for |
| all at once it's cheaper. All resorts sell | | | | this kind of program, which usually doesn't |
| multi-day tickets - two-, three-, or five-day | | | | pay but does carry a free lift ticket. |