There’s no denying that snowboarding is an expensive sport. Between boards, bindings, boots and outerwear one can easily expect to spend over $1,000, but even after breaking the bank with gear it won’t get you on the mountain. Lift tickets and season passes can easily exceed the cost of gear depending on how much you plan to board in one season. Sunday River in Maine is charging $77 for a weekend ticket this year. They even try to advertise their “value season” which consists of early and late year tickets and a few other days in between. However a value ticket is $75. How is that a value? I’m not very good at math but a $2 discount off of $77 is more of a slap in the face than a deal to me. Most likely you spent 5 times that amount on gas just to get to the lift.
So lets talk deals. Liftopia.com offers discounted lift tickets for a variety of mountains across North America. The catch is you need to pre-order the tickets, and supply is limited. So if your one to chase the powder and ride spontaneously this won’t really work for you. But if you’re trying to save some cash and willing to take a chance that you purchase tickets on days with good conditions you can really save a buck by using Liftopia.
For instance, select days at Wildcat are priced over 70% off. That’s $19 for an adult ticket. Sure beats someone else’s “value season”. *cough* Sunday River *cough*
So while it won’t ensure you get fresh tracks for a great price, it will guarantee you will be on the slopes with some cash in hand for the next time you do want to chase the pow. It’s also a great way for season pass holders to travel outside their zone and mix it up a bit without overpaying.
interesting, thanks
Hey Dan – thanks for the great write-up about Liftopia. We’re psyched to be able to keep offering killer deals in New England and across North America. We’ve gotten a bunch more partners on board this year (should be somewhere around 150-170), INCLUDING Sunday River. Most of our partners should be loading deals in the next few weeks, and if you’d like we’d be happy to keep you posted so you and your readers can get first dibs!
- Ron (Co-founder, Liftopia.com)
Hey Ron, thanks. I just signed up online for email alerts to my local mountains. I definitely encourage anybody reading this to check out liftopia and sign up for their local mountain alerts as well. A good deal is hard to come by these days.
Oh and glad to know Sunday River is on board. I just singled them out as being expensive, but in reality many other mountains are charging similar amounts these days.