The Ticket to Saving: Getting a Ski Pass Early

EVEN though ski resorts may be havens for steely-nerved daredevils, they are not immune to the jitters. In the post-9/11 tourism environment, resort owners frequently discounted lift tickets and lodgings at the last minute, rather than face revenue charts resembling the downward slopes of their mountains.

In response, skiers in recent years booked trips later than ever, industry executives said. Now the game is taking another turn, with resorts offering more and better deals to early bookers, to induce a steadier, and perhaps more loyal, flow of customers.

"We're adopting the model of the airlines, where we're rewarding people for booking early," said Kyle Darbyson, a spokesman for Intrawest Central Reservations, which handles bookings for Stratton Mountain resort in Vermont, Whistler/Blackcomb in British Columbia and Tremblant in Quebec, among others.

Last month, Intrawest announced early-booking deals at Stratton, Tremblant and Whistler/Blackcomb, with discounts of up to 35 percent on lodging-and-lift packages, if skiers book before the end of October and visit between Nov. 23 and April 1.

At Stratton, (802) 297-4000, www.stratton.com, rates are 8 to 8 a person, double occupancy only, for five nights' lodging and four-day lift passes. The range is 5 to 9 at Tremblant, (888) 857-8001, www.tremblant.ca, and 0 to 1 at Whistler, (866) 218-9690, www.whistlerblackcomb.com. (Winter holiday blackout dates apply and taxes are extra.) Neither the early-booking special nor the cross-resort booking bonuses were offered last year.

Similar - and new - cross-mountain discounts are being offered by other companies as well, like the American Skiing Company, which owns eight resorts, including Killington in Vermont, (800) 621-6867, www.killington.com, and Steamboat in Colorado, (877) 237-2628, www.steamboat.com. Skiers and snowboarders can traverse six of American's resorts in the Northeast this season for lift-ticket packages starting at 9, with some blackout dates. It is the second year American has offered the deal.

According to Ford Frick, managing director of BBC Research and Consulting, a resort consultancy in Denver, ski areas in North America have for the past "seven or eight years" dabbled with these programs that reward commitment to one area or one ownership. And, he said, companies that own several resorts, like Intrawest, are increasingly offering multimountain deals to those who book early.

"It's very hard for an independent resort to compete because they don't offer the same diversity of terrain," Mr. Frick said.

Still, independently owned ski areas like Loveland, in Georgetown, Colo. - a single summit location with 70 trails - continue to compete in the discount game. Loveland, (800) 736-3754, www.skiloveland.com, this year knocked off the unrestricted season pass rate of 9 for adults over 22; the rates are now 9 for children 14 and under and 9 for those 15 to 22 for those who buy by mid-November. Single-day lift tickets, by contrast, cost , for children.

In 2001, Loveland also instituted a so-called three-class pass package, including lift tickets, equipment rentals and lessons. The package costs for adults (with a half-day lesson) and for children (full-day lesson).

These "three packs," as they have come to be known in the industry, are starting to sprout up throughout the country, according to Troy Hawks, who is editor of the journal of the National Ski Areas Association, an industry trade group. "The general thought is that after three lessons at a resort, many guests will be hooked on the sport and become lifelong enthusiasts," Mr. Hawks said.

Online travel agencies are, of course, also fertile ground for ski-related deals. Ski sections made a debut this month on Orbitz, Travelocity and Expedia - with discounts, recommendations and resort information.

Online ski specialists like Ski.com and Ski-Europe.com are worth a look as well. Ski.com, which negotiates exclusive discounts with resorts, in late August listed several noteworthy deals, including a seven-night stay at the St. Regis in Aspen, plus six days of lift tickets, airport taxi and breakfast for ,180 a person, double occupancy.

And even though American travelers now often ignore Europe because of the dollar's shrinking value there, Europe can still provide bargains for skiers. On Ski-Europe.com, for instance, travelers can book a weeklong trip to Innsbruck departing on Jan. 12, Feb. 2 or 16 for 9, including round-trip air fare on Lufthansa and six nights' accommodation at a three-star hotel (Tautermann). The price excludes taxes and fees of about 0 and lift tickets, which run about 4 for adults, and 0 for children for five days.

For more daring skiers, early booking specials can actually turn out to be a curse. Jesse Silver, of Greenwich, Conn., last fall bought two three-day discount passes at Mad River Glen, in Vermont, for apiece.

"They're a good way to get you back to the mountain a few extra times," Mr. Silver said. Or one time too many.

With two days of skiing left on his passes, Mr. Silver attempted a jump with a 20-foot drop. "The first time, I hit it," he said. "Then I got a little cocky. The second time I demolished myself."

Mr. Silver is still recovering from the fractures and nerve damage in his upper arm. This year, he said, he will leave the early-bird passes to someone else.