How much did a ski trip cost your family?

[Anonymous]

Last year we did two significant trips, one to Italy and one to Colorado. Family of 2 (parent and teen).

Italy:
Airfare to Venice: $3000 total
4 days of lift tickets: $300ish -- I don't remember exact price, but shockingly cheap compared to US resorts
AirBnB for 5 nights: $1000
Car rental from Venice airport: $500 -- I considered taking the bus or a car service from Venice airport to Cortina, but ended up renting a cheaper place a little outside of town which made the car necessary. You don't strictly need a car in Cortina if you are staying in town, even if you plan to ski across the Dolomites since the ski bus can get you to other resorts, but it was nice to have -- and it meant we could save considerably on lodging, thus covering most/all of the car rental's cost.
On-mountain food: about $40/day for amazing seated restaurant meals
Ski rental: skis only (we brought our boots), approx $200
Parking: approx $10 for one day, free parking on other days

We also visited Venice and Florence so the airfare component amortized, so to speak, to the rest of the trip

Colorado (Winter Park):
Airfare: $360 total on United from IAD
4 days of lift tickets: $1000 (we bought "4-packs" from Winter Park at $125/day per person, which is way less than window price)
AirBnB: $1400. We could have saved money here by getting a less spacious place, but we were traveling with a friend for the teen and had an old (and also older) family friend join us for one night, so chose a place that had a bunk room for the teens and a separate room for the friend
Car rental: $500
On-mountain food: about $60/day for cafeteria burgers, mac and cheese, etc
Skis: $70 in baggage fees
Parking: averaged $20/day for a combination of 2 days in the resort garage, one day in a resort surface lot, and one day of taking the town shuttle (which was running approximately once/hour last winter, hence the parking fees for the three other days)

Obviously most costs would increase for larger families, but lodging and car rental are probably close to constant (but would also increase for a longer trip).

[Anonymous]

We are trying to book a spring break trip now (last week of March) and prices seem absolutely insane.

I'm seeing flights from all local airports to Salt Lake in the $800+ range and that's if you fly back on a redeye, which doesn't work with small kids (3 kids under 12).

So we're looking at likely $5000 just to get there. Then $1500 to rent a suburban for a week.

A rental within walking distance to a lift is going to be close to $10k at least.

We already have passes and skis, and food will be similar to food at home, so i'll exclude that, but not sure how we do this for less than $16k.

Any tips on airfare? That is the toughest thing to stomach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are trying to book a spring break trip now (last week of March) and prices seem absolutely insane.

I'm seeing flights from all local airports to Salt Lake in the $800+ range and that's if you fly back on a redeye, which doesn't work with small kids (3 kids under 12).

So we're looking at likely $5000 just to get there. Then $1500 to rent a suburban for a week.

A rental within walking distance to a lift is going to be close to $10k at least.

We already have passes and skis, and food will be similar to food at home, so i'll exclude that, but not sure how we do this for less than $16k.

Any tips on airfare? That is the toughest thing to stomach.

Are you absolutely set on Salt Lake?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are trying to book a spring break trip now (last week of March) and prices seem absolutely insane.

I'm seeing flights from all local airports to Salt Lake in the $800+ range and that's if you fly back on a redeye, which doesn't work with small kids (3 kids under 12).

So we're looking at likely $5000 just to get there. Then $1500 to rent a suburban for a week.

A rental within walking distance to a lift is going to be close to $10k at least.

We already have passes and skis, and food will be similar to food at home, so i'll exclude that, but not sure how we do this for less than $16k.

Any tips on airfare? That is the toughest thing to stomach.

You need to book a LOT earlier.

We are going to Colorado. Flights were $450 pp (2 adults, 2 kids, we did opt for layovers to save money) , booked a while back when SW released their new flight schedule.

Also managed to get an incredible deal on lodging. It's a large studio, but whatever it's ski in/out and half the cost of similar places.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are trying to book a spring break trip now (last week of March) and prices seem absolutely insane.

I'm seeing flights from all local airports to Salt Lake in the $800+ range and that's if you fly back on a redeye, which doesn't work with small kids (3 kids under 12).

So we're looking at likely $5000 just to get there. Then $1500 to rent a suburban for a week.

A rental within walking distance to a lift is going to be close to $10k at least.

We already have passes and skis, and food will be similar to food at home, so i'll exclude that, but not sure how we do this for less than $16k.

Any tips on airfare? That is the toughest thing to stomach.

Are you absolutely set on Salt Lake?

We are on Epic so could go to Vail/Beavercreek/Keystone/etc. I looked and Denver or even Eagle is slightly less for plane tickets but still seems to be almost $800/ticket unless we fly Frontier, and i'm not sure that would end up less in the long run with luggage fees. Lodging is more in Vail/Beavercreek at first glance so I think it evens out with Park City.

I've skied Keystone and don't love it, and i know it could be a little less expensive. I've also skied Breck and do like it but am not sure I want to sleep at 10,000 feet.

So the prices I quoted above could come down if we cram everyone into a 2 bedroom, go to Keystone, but would still be $12k I think.

I've been looking at Salt Lake flights for months and i think they've been this high for a while.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are trying to book a spring break trip now (last week of March) and prices seem absolutely insane.

I'm seeing flights from all local airports to Salt Lake in the $800+ range and that's if you fly back on a redeye, which doesn't work with small kids (3 kids under 12).

So we're looking at likely $5000 just to get there. Then $1500 to rent a suburban for a week.

A rental within walking distance to a lift is going to be close to $10k at least.

We already have passes and skis, and food will be similar to food at home, so i'll exclude that, but not sure how we do this for less than $16k.

Any tips on airfare? That is the toughest thing to stomach.

Are you on epic? Go to CO/Breck. You can get a ski in/out townhouse for a lot less than 10K. Even cheaper if you book directly through rental agency.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/725314927379280776?adults=3&children=1&check_in=2024-03-23&check_out=2024-03-30&source_impression_id=p3_1704302725_CqFVlytvTyWwoTBk&previous_page_section_name=1000&federated_search_id=1f35a050-7346-42e7-b38b-a141a588f98c

Flights are what they are at this point. But you can at least get free checked bags if you fly SW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are trying to book a spring break trip now (last week of March) and prices seem absolutely insane.

I'm seeing flights from all local airports to Salt Lake in the $800+ range and that's if you fly back on a redeye, which doesn't work with small kids (3 kids under 12).

So we're looking at likely $5000 just to get there. Then $1500 to rent a suburban for a week.

A rental within walking distance to a lift is going to be close to $10k at least.

We already have passes and skis, and food will be similar to food at home, so i'll exclude that, but not sure how we do this for less than $16k.

Any tips on airfare? That is the toughest thing to stomach.

You need to book a LOT earlier.

We are going to Colorado. Flights were $450 pp (2 adults, 2 kids, we did opt for layovers to save money) , booked a while back when SW released their new flight schedule.

Also managed to get an incredible deal on lodging. It's a large studio, but whatever it's ski in/out and half the cost of similar places.

We book the condo we always stay at as soon as the rental agency opens their booking window. DH watches SW like a hawk and books as soon as we can. We book the car through Costco and will cancel a reservation and rebook if a better price becomes available. We buy our Epic passes during the previous spring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are trying to book a spring break trip now (last week of March) and prices seem absolutely insane.

I'm seeing flights from all local airports to Salt Lake in the $800+ range and that's if you fly back on a redeye, which doesn't work with small kids (3 kids under 12).

So we're looking at likely $5000 just to get there. Then $1500 to rent a suburban for a week.

A rental within walking distance to a lift is going to be close to $10k at least.

We already have passes and skis, and food will be similar to food at home, so i'll exclude that, but not sure how we do this for less than $16k.

Any tips on airfare? That is the toughest thing to stomach.

Are you on epic? Go to CO/Breck. You can get a ski in/out townhouse for a lot less than 10K. Even cheaper if you book directly through rental agency.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/725314927379280776?adults=3&children=1&check_in=2024-03-23&check_out=2024-03-30&source_impression_id=p3_1704302725_CqFVlytvTyWwoTBk&previous_page_section_name=1000&federated_search_id=1f35a050-7346-42e7-b38b-a141a588f98c

Flights are what they are at this point. But you can at least get free checked bags if you fly SW.

I was going to say the same. Breck has more skin in/out and it’s cheaper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We like deals in this family.

Family of 4, 3 skiers, going to Park City

Airport parking about $80
Flight to Salt Lake $425 + miles for the rest
Lift tickets $500 max for 5 days of skiing - Epic Pass $1,500 for 5 days
Food estimate $400 groceries, $60 * 5 = $300 for lunches on mountain. 2 * $80 for dinners = $160 > $860 total
Lodging $1,400 for 7 nights on points and deals for nice resort
ski/snowboards amortized cost for 3 is $75/year (cheaper to buy, pass down to younger sibling, then sell)
Uber $100 RT


Total $4,440

*cheap learn to ski programs during 4th and 5th grade so no lessons needed.

You are spending $60 for lunch and $80 for dinner for 4 people?

What do you eat?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We like deals in this family.

Family of 4, 3 skiers, going to Park City

Airport parking about $80
Flight to Salt Lake $425 + miles for the rest
Lift tickets $500 max for 5 days of skiing - Epic Pass $1,500 for 5 days
Food estimate $400 groceries, $60 * 5 = $300 for lunches on mountain. 2 * $80 for dinners = $160 > $860 total
Lodging $1,400 for 7 nights on points and deals for nice resort
ski/snowboards amortized cost for 3 is $75/year (cheaper to buy, pass down to younger sibling, then sell)
Uber $100 RT


Total $4,440

*cheap learn to ski programs during 4th and 5th grade so no lessons needed.

You are spending $60 for lunch and $80 for dinner for 4 people?

What do you eat?

This makes no sense. $80 for dinner for 4 means $64 or less prior to tax and tip. There is no way you're feeding a family of 4 in Park City for dinner for under $64. I looked up the menu for a low-cost taco place and the entrees are about $25.

Why do people on DCUM chronically lie about what they spend? It's one of the great mysteries of life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Last year we did two significant trips, one to Italy and one to Colorado. Family of 2 (parent and teen).

Italy:
Airfare to Venice: $3000 total
4 days of lift tickets: $300ish -- I don't remember exact price, but shockingly cheap compared to US resorts
AirBnB for 5 nights: $1000
Car rental from Venice airport: $500 -- I considered taking the bus or a car service from Venice airport to Cortina, but ended up renting a cheaper place a little outside of town which made the car necessary. You don't strictly need a car in Cortina if you are staying in town, even if you plan to ski across the Dolomites since the ski bus can get you to other resorts, but it was nice to have -- and it meant we could save considerably on lodging, thus covering most/all of the car rental's cost.
On-mountain food: about $40/day for amazing seated restaurant meals
Ski rental: skis only (we brought our boots), approx $200
Parking: approx $10 for one day, free parking on other days

We also visited Venice and Florence so the airfare component amortized, so to speak, to the rest of the trip

Colorado (Winter Park):
Airfare: $360 total on United from IAD
4 days of lift tickets: $1000 (we bought "4-packs" from Winter Park at $125/day per person, which is way less than window price)
AirBnB: $1400. We could have saved money here by getting a less spacious place, but we were traveling with a friend for the teen and had an old (and also older) family friend join us for one night, so chose a place that had a bunk room for the teens and a separate room for the friend
Car rental: $500
On-mountain food: about $60/day for cafeteria burgers, mac and cheese, etc
Skis: $70 in baggage fees
Parking: averaged $20/day for a combination of 2 days in the resort garage, one day in a resort surface lot, and one day of taking the town shuttle (which was running approximately once/hour last winter, hence the parking fees for the three other days)

Obviously most costs would increase for larger families, but lodging and car rental are probably close to constant (but would also increase for a longer trip).

we did your Venice/Cortina trip last year and need to consider Utah/Colorado. The lift price difference is still shocking to me. And the food is awesome everywhere in Italy. alas. Anyway, regarding CO, How/where did you fly for $180?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We like deals in this family.

Family of 4, 3 skiers, going to Park City

Airport parking about $80
Flight to Salt Lake $425 + miles for the rest
Lift tickets $500 max for 5 days of skiing - Epic Pass $1,500 for 5 days
Food estimate $400 groceries, $60 * 5 = $300 for lunches on mountain. 2 * $80 for dinners = $160 > $860 total
Lodging $1,400 for 7 nights on points and deals for nice resort
ski/snowboards amortized cost for 3 is $75/year (cheaper to buy, pass down to younger sibling, then sell)
Uber $100 RT


Total $4,440

*cheap learn to ski programs during 4th and 5th grade so no lessons needed.

You are spending $60 for lunch and $80 for dinner for 4 people?

What do you eat?

This makes no sense. $80 for dinner for 4 means $64 or less prior to tax and tip. There is no way you're feeding a family of 4 in Park City for dinner for under $64. I looked up the menu for a low-cost taco place and the entrees are about $25.

Why do people on DCUM chronically lie about what they spend? It's one of the great mysteries of life.

We eat tacos at taco places, not entrees. A pizza or hamburger place can easily be done for $80.

You also have the option of drinking $80 per meal and buying $45 entrees if that's your groove.

[Anonymous]

If you are looking for cheap food in park city, go to Vessel Kitchen. It is great and can totally feed a family for $80.

[Anonymous]

7K for 4 people for 4 days of skiing in Vermont.
This is mostly lodging (5 nights ski in / ski out) 4K.
Epic pass about 1500 (still have 1 day left to ski)
Lessons for kids 1K
500 gas etc

[Anonymous]

I know everyone will disagree with me or say it's just not worth it, but one of the best ways to save money on ski trips is to not stay ski in ski out. It is really not the end of the world to take a shuttle to the mountain or (gasp) to park and walk. Also you miss out on some great mountains if you require ski in/ski out lodging, since it is not an option everywhere. My son and I had a great time at Snowbasin last year. We paid about $100/night for a hotel with free breakfast in Ogden. We rented a car and drove to the mountain but could have saved more money but taking the public ski shuttles.