Alpine skiing is a fantastic sport, but quite expensive. A one-day lift ticket can easily cost upwards of $50 per person, and the unlimited season pass several hundred dollars. A big expense in a family’s leisure budget! Here are some tips for saving.
Analyze your needs
Before shopping for your equipment and tickets, ask yourself regarding your needs. How many times do you plan to do it this winter? Are you a beginner, an expert or a parent who wants to initiate a toddler? How many minutes by car are you willing to do to practice your favorite sport? The answers will guide your choices. The small station near the house will surely be suitable if you plan to initiate your toddler. And if you ski a little, a ticket book might be more advantageous than individual tickets or a season pass.
Watch for promotions
Ski resorts compete with promotions to attract skiers. Discounts for subscribers who buy their season pass early, special days, loyalty programs, there are all kinds. Consult the sites of the stations near you or that of the Association des stations de ski du Québec to discover them.
For little skiers, here are three particularly interesting ones:
- The Maneige experience: initiation program to downhill skiing and snowboarding. Free for children 5 to 8 years old.
- Ma Première Fois: Participating ski resorts offer an initiation at a cost of $29.95 + taxes for ages 5 to 99. The package includes a group lesson, equipment rental, access to the learning area following the lesson. Following the initiation, you will be entitled to a second free visit including equipment rental and access to the learning area.
And here is another interesting one for adults:
- Ski Passe-Partout: with the purchase of a card ($49.99) you get 5 discounts (2 at 30% and 3 at 25%) in each of the participating resorts.
Choose your time
The better the time is for skiing, the less the resorts have to offer discounts since the slopes will be busy anyway. To save money, prefer less busy times such as evenings and weekdays (except during the holidays and spring break), it’s often cheaper. As a bonus, you will avoid the long queues for the chairlift!
Estimate how many hours you will spend on the slopes. Some resorts offer attractive discounts for blocks of 2 or 4 hours of access to the slopes.
Choose small resorts
Smaller ski resorts are generally more affordable than larger ones. Some are even accessible for less than $25 for the day for an adult. Even if the number of tracks is more limited, some can nevertheless offer interesting challenges.
Equip yourself intelligently
Buying new equipment can cost a small fortune. Do not hesitate to shop in several stores before fixing your choice on the one that suits you best. However, avoid trying to save at all costs. Super sale boots are a bad buy if they’re uncomfortable. At the end of the season, it is possible to benefit from good discounts since traders want to make room for bicycles and other summer sporting goods. The choice is less, however.
Buy used
Buying used alpine ski equipment is a great way to save money. You can scour the classifieds, but many ski resorts hold bazaars at the start of the season. This makes it possible to compare several pieces of equipment in a single visit, while benefiting from attractive prices. Some businesses such as Flea Sports or Echo Sports also offer used equipment. Don’t forget to have your new bindings adjusted according to your weight to avoid unpleasant surprises on the slopes!
Rent the equipment
If you have never skied, renting the equipment allows you to learn inexpensively. This service is generally offered directly at stations. Some also rent for the season, a solution that can be interesting for children who grow like weeds! Shops, such as La Poubelle du ski, also offer this service.
Happy skiing season!
*Updated December 23, 2022 from a 2015 publication.
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A journalist for 18 years, Nathalie Côté worked for several years in the local press before becoming a freelancer for various publications including La Presse and Protégez-Vous. She is the founder of Economies et cie.
