This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired. For more information check out our Advertising Disclosure. The flakes are still falling, the lifts are still running, and there are plenty of ski trips still to be had for this ski season, but cost-savvy skiers and snowboarders are already lining up their ski passes for winter 2024/25 myself included.

Why? Because right now is when you can lock in those 2023-24 ski passes at the cheapest prices. Thats why Im preparing for next season already: Spring savings make my oft-expensive pursuit of sliding down snowy mountains more affordable.

Dont worry, there are still some ways to save on a last-minute ski trip. But the best bet for saving is planning ahead – way ahead. From ski passes to hotels and rental cars to even flights, booking in advance is the key to saving on this often expensive wintertime activity. But most importantly: All the major ski pass programs (which can offer huge savings for avid skiers and snowboarders) are already selling passes for next season  at the best price youll find.

Even amid the current ski season, its the best time to plan for any skiing you plan to do next year. Heres why.

Not sure where to start? Check out our roundup of the best ski resorts for your next trip!

Season Passes are at their Cheapest If youre planning to hit the slopes a few times or more each year, buying a season pass or even a mega ski pass that covers multiple resorts can unlock some huge savings. And these season passes wont get any cheaper than they are right now. 

Whether youre looking to ski in the Swiss Alps or at Little Switzerland Ski Area in Slinger, Wisconsin, the best deals on next years passes usually spring up during well, spring.

Brundage Mountain Resort, Idaho. At my small, local ski hill in Minnesota, buying a season pass during the spring sale saves you about $250 on what eventually sells as a $550 season pass. Its a no-brainer for both you and the mountain. They get a little cash infusion from their members heading into the quiet summer months, and you get a cheap pass in your pocket so youre ready to rip as soon as the snow flies next fall.

But its not just individual resorts and the little guys who offer big savings in the springtime. The mega ski passes like the Ikon Pass, Epic Pass, Mountain Collective Pass, and Indy Pass that offer days at dozens of different resorts worldwide have all announced their introductory pricing for the 2024-25 season.

2024-2025 Ski Passes	Ikon	Epic	Mtn. Collective	Indy Pass
Adult Price	$1,249	$982	$605	$349/$469* (*no blackout dates)
Teen Price	$929	N/A	$485	N/A
Youth Price	$369	$501	$205	$199/$259*
Total Number of Destinations	58	64	24	186
Unlimited Access Destinations	17	42	N/A	N/A
Additional Destinations	41	22	N/A	N/A

(prices current as of Mar. 8, 2024) Choosing the right pass is important to help you save money on your ski season. With day lift tickets often eclipsing $200 at some of the most sought-after resorts, having one of these mega passes is the most affordable way to ski if you plan to ski for a week or more next year.

Check out our guide comparing the Epic vs Ikon Pass (as well as some of the smaller options.)

But lets take a closer look at whats different this year and why right now is a great time to buy.

Ikon Pass With 58 ski destinations in its portfolio and at least seven days of skiing and riding allowed at each one the Ikon Pass is one of the ski pass behemoths. It also comes at a big price of over $1,000.

But if you ski or snowboard a lot, that price tag could be worth it, considering many major ski areas now routinely sell $200-plus single-day lift tickets.

At $1,249 for the full Ikon Pass, its the cheapest price you can expect for that pass this year. Historically, Ikon Pass does not run any promotions or discounts. This is as cheap as it gets.

The Ikon Pass has an unbeatable roster of resorts. Even if you ski just five days on the pass, its worth it. Many of these resorts are some of the best in the world and come with hefty day ticket price tags.

For reference, my wife purchased just four ski days at Big Sky – a resort on the Ikon Pass – for more than $1,000 last winter. Compared to the overall price of the Ikon Pass which includes Big Sky it was a tough pill to swallow. We wont be making that mistake again this year.

This is the pass Im purchasing once again for my 2024-2025 ski season. And Ill get it at the lessened $1,149 renewal discount – a savings of $100. As always, its tough to stomach that upfront purchase, but I skied 11 days on my Ikon Pass this past season and used the pass to get five different 25%-40% discounts for my friends and family, too. I expect similar numbers next year.

Epic Pass For the 2024-2025 season, the Epic Pass starts at $982 a small increase of $80 from last years initial rate.

Like the Ikon Pass, roughly five days of skiing will make purchasing the pass worth it. Epic resorts like Vail, Beaver Creek, and Whistler-Blackcomb are known for having $200-plus day lift tickets.

The Epic Pass offers more destinations (64) for a lower cost (~$300 less than Ikon), so its a better value on paper. If you live near Epic resorts in Colorado, the Midwest, or the East Coast, this pass makes a ton of sense.

Lets say you live in the Twin Cities suburbs, where local hill Afton Alps is an Epic Pass member. That means you get unlimited access to that hill, plus all of the other hills on Epics roster out west.

For my money, however, Epic Pass actually has fewer substantial mountains on its list than Ikon. Epic has many smaller, local ski areas on its list of resorts, making that total of 63 destinations a little misleading. I would count 40-ish major resorts on Epics list, with the rest being smaller Midwest or East Coast hills.

Its still a fantastic value if you plan to ski for five or more days, and definitely deserves your consideration if you considering a trip to one of those major resorts in 2024.

Mountain Collective The Mountain Collective is a great budget option for people interested in the resorts featured on the Ikon Pass at about half the price.

The Mountain Collectives introductory offer of $605 will only last a few months before it climbs again.

Passholders get just two days at each resort on the list, which features Ikon crossovers like Alta, Aspen, Big Sky, Jackson Hole, Snowbird, Taos, and more.

If you purchase the pass during Mountain Collectives introductory offer this spring, you also get to select a bonus third day at a resort of your choice. I held a Mountain Collective pass two years ago and used my bonus day on a trip to Big Sky saving me about $270.

Plus, one of the best perks of the Mountain Collective is the pass also gives skiers and riders 50% off all additional days at its destinations. During my aforementioned Big Sky trip, I used my three free days (thanks to the bonus day) and paid only half price (about $125) for my fourth day.

The Mountain Collective is a great option for skiers and riders who dont like the look of that $1,200 price tag on the Ikon Pass, but are still planning a few short trips in 2024-25. Because of the two-day limit, its better for a weekend warrior-type skier or someone who isnt planning a full-week trip anywhere next year. Its also a pretty good hedge if you havent purchased a major pass before, but are looking to dip your toes into the waters of the mega passes.

One inconvenience of the Mountain Collective is that you usually still have to go to the ticket window at each resort to get your lift ticket or card, unlike the Epic and Ikon passes where you can head straight to the lifts with your card. However, Mountain Collective is experimenting with offering a card, too, to remedy this problem.

Indy Pass The single best value in skiing is back for 2024-25, but its already sold out!

The Indy Pass has expanded its member resorts to over 186 for next year. Skiers and riders get two free days at each ski area, all independently owned resorts. Its all of the skiing and none of the crowds.

This year, the Indy Pass sold out in just over two weeks at a rate of $349 with blackout dates or $469 without.

The pass – just a few years old now – has increased in popularity to the point where Indy Pass has capped its sales to keep with the companys mission of returning skiing to its independent roots. There is now a waitlist you can join. More inventory may or may not be made available in the future.

The Indy Pass is a pretty amazing deal. Ive purchased an Indy Pass in two different seasons before this one. Just two or three ski days will make this pass worth it, no problem.

The biggest drawback to the Base Pass is the blackout dates. At the most popular Indy Pass resorts, it means skiing on holidays and weekends is blacked out. I went to Mt. Hood Meadows a few weeks ago for a Friday and Saturday weekend trip and I was able to use my pass Friday with no problem, but I had to pay full price Saturday due to a blackout date I wasnt aware of.

That could make the Indy+ Pass an even more amazing value at a higher price point since it frees you from planning around blackouts.

If youre more of a cross-country skier, the Indy Pass also has a ton of cross-country ski area partners that give you free access. And for backcountry skiing enthusiasts, you get two free days at Bluebird Backcountry (a human-powered-only ski resort with no chairlifts) in Colorado, too.

Your Local Ski Mountain (or Hill) This time of year is also the best for purchasing other ski passes. Whether youre like me and looking to snag a pass to your local Midwest ski hill or live near a mountain you frequent, this time of year is almost always the cheapest to lock in your pass for next season.

The prices and locations vary wildly depending on where you are in North America, but its worth checking out your favorite hills website to see what kind of pass sale theyre running right now. My favorite local bump is Welch Village, about an hour south of the Twin Cities, and its selling its unrestricted season pass for adults for just $329 if you purchase before April. By Christmastime, that pass will be north of $500.

The base area at Lake Louise Ski Resort. Similar savings can be found all over the continent, so do your homework now to decide if its worth it or not for you to ski this year!

Score The Cheapest Ski Gear Passes, flights, rental cars, and hotels can add up on a ski trip. But to get started, you need some gear. And all that equipment and apparel you need can get pricey, too.

Thats why it pays to plan. Youll generally find the best deals and biggest sales on skis, snowboards, boots, poles, and soft goods like jackets and pants over the next two months or so.

The top of Alberta Peak at Wolf Creek. Ski shops all over the country, especially the brick-and-mortar stores, will start looking to unload last years models of equipment and apparel in preparation for their summer selections and next years new winter models, too. Pop into your local ski shop to see if there are some savings you can take advantage of.

The savings on ski and snowboard equipment in March and April can be enormous. I purchased my last pair of skis for $400 in April. The next fall, I saw REI selling the same pair for $1,100. Dont fall into the holiday trap! Think ahead to save big.

Travel Bookings for Next Winter are Open Theres no best day to book flights. Theres no hard-and-fast rule about the best time to book flights or how far in advance you should book to get the best deal, either. Flight prices are fickle and constantly changing.

But if youve poked around on Google Flights lately, you might have noticed you can book flights as far out as next January and into February 2025, too. Aside from Southwest, which releases its schedule in batches, most airlines start selling flights about 11 months in advance.

This time last year, I had already secured my January trip to the legendary ski island of Hokkaido, Japan and was also on the hunt for flights to British Columbia, Canada, a trip from which I just returned. While ski season flight deals are just starting to trickle in, weve already seen a few and sent them to our Thrifty Traveler Premium members, including this gem flying to Bozeman, Montana (BZN) home to world-famous Big Sky Mountain Resort.

The deal had some fantastic summer availability for Yellowstone National Park-goers, but there were a few sneaky surprises for early-planning skiers, too. Like this MLK Day weekend fare to Big Sky for less than $200 roundtrip!

If youre not ready to book your flights, I dont blame you. But at the very least, set yourself a few Google Flights price alerts so you get an email as soon as fares go down for next winter.

Bottom Line If you want to maximize the value of your 2024-25 ski or snowboard season, the best time to make some of those purchases is right now while the snow is still flying this season.

Spring brings the best deals in the snow sports industry. Season passes, gear, and travel are all at some of the cheapest prices theyll be all year. So even if you still have a ski trip coming up in the next few weeks or months, start taking a good, hard look at next winter if you want to save.

That way, when the snow starts falling next season all you have to worry about is the skiing itself!