Skiing offers an exhilarating escape into winter wonderlands, providing families with unforgettable memories and bonding experiences during what are usually cold winter months spent inside. Unfortunately, skiing can be an expensive endeavor — often deterring families from hitting the slopes.

By exploring innovative budgeting tips, affordable gear options, and strategic planning techniques, the aim is to unlock the winter fun without the financial strain, making it possible for more families to embrace the thrill of skiing together. Here are some ideas for making skiing more affordable for families:

Beginners Package

If you are just starting out, looking at the price of a lift ticket, gear rental, and a lesson can be overwhelming, especially for a family with multiple children. The best way to try skiing at a more affordable price is to inquire with your local resort about beginner packages. On less busy days, like weekday evenings, some resorts will have a “beginners package” that includes a lift ticket, rental gear, and a group beginner lesson. These types of packages are typically less expensive than purchasing each portion individually and families can sometime take the lesson together!

Inquire at your local resort to see if a program such as this is available.

Used Winter Gear

Not only is ski-specific gear expensive, outfitting the family with proper winter clothing can be pricy as well. For kids, a lot of times used clothing consignment stores like Once Upon a Child will have decent snow pants and jackets. You can also ask around your neighborhood — a lot of people with older children are happy to get rid of clothing their kids are no longer using!

Additionally, I have found great gloves, ski helmets, and base layers for all ages at Costco. Check in the fall when they put out the first round of winter merchandise. If you struggle to find something for the adults, check out this list of used gear websites to see if something catches your eye for a cheaper price than buying new.

‘Junior Has A Fit’ Programs

Purchasing kids ski gear can be expensive over time as many kids grow out of their gear within one season. To address this need, many local ski shops offer innovative programs known as “Junior Has a Fit.” Here’s how the program works: By paying a nominal entry fee — ours was $40 — you can purchase gear for your child, which in my case amounted to $350. When the next year rolls around, you simply return to the shop to exchange last year’s skis and boots for a voucher toward gear the next size up equal to the full amount you initially paid.

This allows you to secure well-fitting new gear each year without facing exorbitant costs. The programs I know of typically accommodate children up to 100 pounds, which means they can be a valuable resource even into the teenage years, depending on your child’s growth. The younger you start, the more value you get out of this program, so join as soon as you know your family is going to stick with skiing!

Ski Swaps

Local ski shops and resorts will sometimes have “ski swaps” at the beginning of the season. Ski swaps are kind of like a ski-gear-specific garage sale where people bring their used gear t to sell to other folks in the sport. This can be a great place for adults to find gear that will last for years.

A quick tip though: When you purchase skis from a ski swap, talk to one of the staff on hand to ensure the bindings on the skis you want to purchase are able to be serviced. Ski binding manufactures put out a list of approved bindings for the season, and any bindings not listed cannot be worked on at a ski shop for liability reasons. You will need the shop to adjust the bindings to your boot size and it would be a bummer to find out you need to purchase new bindings because the ones currently on the ski are not serviceable.

Multi-day or Season Passes

A pricy recurring cost in the sport of skiing is lift tickets. Around the country, these can vary in price from $45 to an eye-watering $300 a day, making the cost for a family of four very steep. A good way to save in this area is to buy multiple days online ahead of time, as that approach tends to be cheaper per-day when multiple are purchased. Additionally, if you plan to ski frequently, a season pass may be worth the investment. It is a lot of money to shell out at the beginning of the season, but then you have the freedom to go all winter long.

By implementing strategies such as taking advantage of beginner packages, buying used gear, and bulk buying lift tickets or season passes families can bring down the expenses of getting on the slopes and enjoy this winter activity.

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Lauren Loria-Corbat is a writer and photographer who skis, rock climbs, hikes and backpacks. She loves introducing people to outdoor sports through journalism as well as hands-on teaching as a ski and climbing instructor.