As a former Lake Tahoe and current Bay Area resident, I’ll focus on deals for the magical mountains of the pristine Lake Tahoe basin. However, many of these approaches and tips can be applied anywhere.

Pick the Right Resort

First of all, you can score major savings by knowing what kind of riding you’re going to do, and how long you’re going to do it.

Many people become enamored by the big names — Squaw Valley, Heavenly, Vail, Whistler — and think they MUST ride at such places to be legit or to have fun.

Before You Go

If you’re driving to Tahoe, check your local REI store and other sporting goods shops to see what discounts they’re offering on tickets. You can also visit Discount Lift Tickets, Sliding on the Cheap, and Snowbomb.com to find deals.

Sometimes the right price can make for the right resort, regardless of ability level.

Day Lift Passes

If you’re an advanced or expert level skier or rider, then hey, you’re probably want to go to the more challenging hills. But if you’re less advanced, are taking a group or family of mixed skill levels, or generally have no interest in launching cornices, shuttling through chutes, and tracking out the trees — you can save yourself major cash by hitting the less glitzy slopes. You’ll have the same experience, you’ll experience similar conditions, and you’ll have just as much fun.

North Tahoe

For instance, an all day lift ticket to Squaw Valley USA is now a whopping $83 for a regular day and $88 for a holiday. The same ticket, at the neighboring mountain just a few miles down Highway 89, Alpine Meadows, is $69 for a regular day and $74 for a holiday (Pro Tip: Get steeper discount by joining their Alpine Club). Prices for both sure have changed over the years, but that’s some major (about 18%) savings.

(For a mountain that many locals consider to be superior. Shhhhh! Don’t tell them I told you.)

South Tahoe

Down on the South Shore’s Celebrity Mountain Scene, aka Heavenly, rates vary by date and range from $80 to $86. 15 minutes further south looms the massive Kirkwood bowl. Kirkwood offers no shortage of advanced terrain and rates are $74 for a regular day and $77 for a holiday.

Is it worth the drive? Only if you want to ride a bigger, more challenging mountain with a more laid-back and friendly vibe. If you want to strut around in $2,000 Gucci ski gear that you only wear once or twice a year, Heavenly is probably the place for you.

West Shore

For you POWder hounds out there, there’s truly nothing more beautiful than the West Shore’s Homewood mountain on a powder day. With ticket prices at $45 Mon-Thurs, $55 Fri-Sun, and $59 for a Holiday day, you get a very good deal.

That said, I don’t recommend Homewood on holidays or very busy weekends. Some of their older lifts can get backed up with long, unmanageable lines. If you’re going to hit it up midweek and it happens to be a powder day — there’s no better bang for your buck.

On those powder days, Homewood is tremendous fun for any skill level. On non-powder days, more advanced and aggressive riders might get a little yawny.

Fun For the Family

I don’t have kids, but if I did, and I was taking them out for the day, you can bet I’d take them to Diamond Peak. Why? Kids 6 and under ride free. At most resorts, kids 4 and under ride free. Also, an all day pass for kids 7 – 14 is just $14 at Diamond Peak. On top of that — and my favorite thing that’s unique to Diamond Peak — they have an Interchangeable Parent’s Pass for $49. You can take turns with the kids, inside and out, and take turns on the slopes.

For a family ski trip, Diamond Peak offers a substantial savings opportunity.

The nearby Mt. Rose offers 2′fer Tuesdays — 2 tickets for the price of one. $65 at the window, or $59 online. (Also take a look at their Bonus Mondays, Student Wednesdays, Over the Hill, and Ladies Day Thursdays discounts. They also have family packages and college discounts. They’re all great deals.)

On Vacation

Lake Tahoe is a popular tourist destination for people visiting from outside the state and also internationally.

Package Deals

Every mountain in Tahoe offers some kind of package deals, or multi-day ticket discount. Again, pick the mountain that seems right for your level of experience. Also, check with the hotel you’re staying at, and scope out sites like Discount Lift Tickets and Snowbomb.com for package deals and packages.

Northstar is a complete, year-round resort. So if people in your group aren’t going to jump on the boards, there’s plenty of things to do and Truckee is close by for shopping and dining. For those that are going to ride, Northstar’s Multi-day ($69) and Afternoon ($64) adult lift tickets are a good bit cheaper than a regular, single day ticket. Young Adult tickets are priced even better. But, if you have kids aged 5 – 12 years in age, there are some solid discounts on multi-day rates, including 2nd Day tickets for FREE and QuadPaks for $15.

Pace Yourself

Perhaps you’re flying in to Reno on Saturday, planning to ride 6 days straight, then fly out on Sunday. I’d say you’re insane, but to my absolute amazement, there are people that do this, have the time of their life, and manage to keep making turns without tiring.

To those that aren’t regulars on the mountain and accomplish this: I salute you.

For most people, the elevation, combined with challenging terrain, is enough to wipe them out after the first day. If you enjoy the night life, that can be another fatigue factor. Lastly, if you’re not used to deep powder, or, come late in the season or during a warm spell, you may have to content with the wet and heavy Sierra Cement. You’ll still have fun, but you’ll probably be tired. And sore.

So, instead of getting a 5 day package deal on tickets, especially for family that might not be able to keep up, get a 3 day and play the other days by ear. You’ll still save money. Plus, you don’t have to worry about a ticket going to waste. It’s hard to enjoy an expensive lift ticket when every fiber in your legs is in burning pain. By riding a day or two less, you might enjoy your days on the hill that much more — and also save some money.

Lastly, a Word of Advice: Be Honest About Your Abilities

I’ve had seasons passes to 5 different mountains in 3 different states and have skied and snowboarded all over the East and West coasts. I’ve heard far too many people with no clue say, ‘Oh, yeah!! I’m taking the lift to the top!’ That’s cool. You can do that. But just remember, if you ride up, you have to get yourself down.

Without getting hurt. Or hurting someone else. If either of those things occur, it can make for a very costly trip.

In the same vein, if you get tired, stop riding. After paying an exorbitant amount for a lift ticket, many people want to push on for another run ‘to get their money’s worth.’ It’s often that last run when people get hurt. There comes a point when enough is enough.

But until that point comes, have as much fun as you possibly can.

What am I saying? Any day on the boards is a good day.

Here’s how to save money on gearing up. Do it right, and you might even cover the cost of a couple extra days on the hill.

Buy in the Summer

Yeah, we’re all dummies because we all start drooling and buying gear now. Without fail, we find other toys we want for summer, right? Camping gear, bikes, golf stuff, boating, whatever. So many sports, so little gear.

We all know that previous year’s snow gear inventory can take some serious price drops in the late spring and summer, but it’s always worth mentioning again. With all the shops dumping inventory and people selling off old gear, it’s probably the truly best time to buy.

Use the Holiday Sales

For most of the U.S., December is still pre-game to the main snow season. Your local ski shops and online retailers like REI, Sierra Snowboard, Sierra Trading Post, GearX, BackCountry.com, geardirect.com, and many more will be running some pretty decent deals. Check the GSS for updates. You’ll be unlikely to find better prices during the season.

There might be some President’s Day sales and other smaller promos retailers will run to try to liquidate their 09′ – 10′ inventory, but, most of the time, December represents the best deals of the year.

Once the lifts are in full swing, retailers take advantage of that as much as they can. From January through late March or so, depending on the length of the season, retailers will keep their prices high. However, if there’s not much snow that year, there will probably be lots of opportunity to find cheap gear.

Also, the closer you get to the mountain, the higher the price of an item will climb. Never, ever buy gear at a resort’s ski shop if you can avoid it. Sadly, sometimes you can’t.

Make Friends

If you live in a resort town, it never hurts to befriend some local pros or barter with local ski/board shop owners. Of course, this isn’t always possible, but if it is, you will be a pretty happy kid. Even if you’re not a kid.

Swap it Up

In just about any avid snow sports area, you can find local ski and snowboard swap meets where people sell old gear they’re no longer using and look for new (to them) items. Local outdoor stores often help in facilitating these, so ask the nice guys and gals that work there if they have or know of one. Some of the best ones occur in the summer.

No swap meets near you? Don’t boohoo. There’s always eBay and Craigslist, the ultimate swap meets. If you know what you’re looking for, places such as those provide great deals on gear all year long. Don’t be afraid to get advice and check out gear at a local store and then buy online — should you find better prices there.

Hit the Outlets

The outdoor sporting good outlet stores serve up some of the best deals on gear you’ll find anywhere. The North Face outlet in the SF East Bay and the PacSun store at the Napa Valley Outlets (which carries Element, Burton, Da Kine, and many more) offer HUGE discounts on some of the most styling and technically advanced (= warm + breathable) snow sportswear you’ll find anywear. Hey, you might even find something affordable at the PataGucci (Patagonia) outlets.

While traditional sporting goods stores and their outlets don’t typically carry much in the way of high-end snow gear, you can find deals on entry-level gear and all sorts of winter clothing at these locations.

Spend Money in the Right Places

There are places you can skimp on spending when it comes to outdoor gear. You don’t need big name brand jackets or pants to get down the slopes — especially for kids. The secret to staying warm in cold conditions is to have layers. So instead of spending $300 on some crazy jacket you think will keep you warm, a much better approach would be to spend $80 to $120 on a discounted one, then make sure you have the right layers to adapt to different conditions. You’ll really be getting much more for your money.

When it comes to buying skiis, boots, snowboards, bindings, snowshoes, etc. — almost no one needs to buy this year’s model anything. The technology typically doesn’t change too much from year-to-year and you’ll almost always find a better deal on last year’s model, if you can find it.

If you fall in love with a certain piece of equipment, well then, sometimes it’s worth paying full price to have the right thing. Try to avoid it if you can, or make sure you have a really good reason to do so.

It’s Gotta be the Shoes

Okay, I mean the boots.

Whether you’re a beginner starting out or an expert upgrading your gear, your ski or snowboard boots are the one piece of equipment I’d actually encourage you to spend more money on. Whatever you have to spend on gearing up, but more of it towards boots. To make sure you get the right fit, you should even be willing to splurge, if you’re able to do so.

Why? Your boots are your most intimate item of gear. Your skis or snowboard can be garbage and you can still have fun. A pair of poorly fitting boots almost guarantees a bad time.

Whether you ski, snowboard, snowshoe, or teleski — everything gets strapped to your boots. They take all the impact and transfer it to your body. They are the transition point between you and your planks. To slide down a hill harmoniously, you don’t want too much friction on your feet.

Great boots can make your skiis or snowboard feel like an extension of yourself. Poorly fitting boots will make the cost of that expensive lift ticket, your whole day, your whole trip, and maybe even your whole season feel like a total waste.

Don’t let this happen. Try on lots of boots, wear them for a long time around the store, check out the sales in local stores, and compare them to what’s being offered online. Spending extra time and money on the right pair of boots is well worth it.

If you’re a beginner snowboarder or skier and looking to buy your own gear, boots should be your first big purchase.

If you have problems with your feet, or have trouble finding a good fitting pair of boots, having your boots professionally fitted will make your life easier. Even if you don’t have any problems, professional boot fitters can do wonders. The more you ride, the more you should consider this. You’ll simply have more fun.

Be Real

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen some teenage kids with some $500 planks strapped to their feet. Do they really need these?

Maybe. Some of these kids shred hard, ride upwards of 100 days a year, and get every penny out of their gear.

For others, they only use it once or twice. It’s really just a waste.

Be honest with yourself and your local ski shop dude or dudette — they can give you more accurate advice that way. If you’re a beginner, you really won’t need the more expensive, top-of-line gear for a good while. Many times, lower-end gear will actually make your life easier. Higher-end boots and boards are often stiffer and less forgiving — making them too tough for newbies to handle.

On the other hand, if you ride hard or frequently, spending a little extra on your gear can prevent the need to upgrade too soon and save you some money in the long run. It really depends on your ability, how devoted you are, and how able you are to get out there.

Lastly, I just have to say, part of being real also means knowing your limits. Don’t try to do things that are too advanced for you. If you push yourself too far, especially at the end of the day when you’re tired, you run the risk of damaging your board or breaking yourself. Both can be quite expensive to repair.

Got Any Tips to Share?

How do you save money on winter sports? We’d love to hear. And, if you know of any great sales, please feel free to share them on the GSS.

Also, keep an eye out for a follow-up GauchoBlog post on lift ticket deals.

In the meantime, have fun out there.