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Ski for $9? These 4 Resorts Have the Cheapest Early-Season Lift Tickets.

To kick off the ski season, a handful of resorts are selling crazy-inexpensive day tickets

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(Photo: Courtesy of Lee Canyon)

Rarely do we hear of skiing getting less expensive, so we can’t resist calling out great deals when they come across our desk. To kick off the ski season, a handful of resorts are selling crazy-inexpensive day tickets; we’re talking under $20 a pop. The only catch: You have to purchase online, in advance.

Granted, not a lot of terrain will be open at first, and it’ll be full-on early-season conditions, but if you live within spitting distance—or feel like taking a little road trip—it’s a nice way to celebrate the start of winter. Here are a handful of resorts making it worth your while to enjoy some early-season turns.

Arizona Snowbowl, Arizona

Just north of Flagstaff, Arizona Snowbowl is coming off its longest season ever, staying open for 185 days during the 2024-’25 winter. The resort is planning to open on Nov. 21, conditions permitting, and is boasting a series of upgrades, including new glades, more snowmaking, and better wifi connectivity. Best of all, Snowbowl’s demand-pricing structure, which it implemented in 2022-’23 during , has skiers now seeing ticket rates as low as $10. are sitting between $10-$17, while weekend rates range from $25-$40 right up until Christmas Day.

Purgatory Resort, Colorado

Way down in southern Colorado’s San Juans, Purgatory is kicking off the ski season with lift tickets from $9. (Which is a good thing, since you’re going to use all your gas money getting there.) Opening day is planned for Nov. 22 and lift tickets are going for $16. Midweek rates through the third week of December are sitting between $11 and $17, with weekend prices ranging from $18 to $35 before rising after Christmas. .

Brian Head, Utah

For almost the entire month of November, the most expensive lift ticket at Brian Head will go for $37—and on many days, it’s half that. The southern Utah ski area is scheduled to begin turning its lifts on Nov. 7—that’s a lot of cheap turns. The trend continues through most of December, with midweek rates between $14 and $23 through Dec. 20. But even during Christmas week, the advance ticket prices remain relatively low. For instance, a lift ticket for the day after Christmas, considered high-season holiday pricing in the ski industry, is only $66. .

Lee Canyon, Nevada

Lift tickets at small but mighty Lee Canyon, about 30 miles northwest of the Vegas Strip, dip as low as $10 in the weeks after its scheduled opening, which is Nov. 21. Midweek rates run from $10 up to $26 through mid-December, with weekend rates between $15 and $27. Most days, you even get a $10 resort credit to use on food and beverage or in the ski shop, bringing your lift ticket rate down to mere pennies. That’s pretty hard to beat. .