Vail Expands Operations Hours, Offers Specials
Vail, Colorado (tel. 800/503-8748, 970/754-8245; https://vail.snow.com) quietly announced a $98 one-day, at-the-window lift ticket over the holidays -- a price that, by the way, hardly anyone pays. The resort also moved its opening time by half an hour to 8:30am, giving skiers and riders more slope time for their money. While lift ticket prices were going up, lodging prices were coming down -- even for luxury properties. Several announced special rates or value-added offers for the new year. These include 25% off a Sun Vail two-bedroom condo in January; get a fourth night free with with three paid nights and a $150 spa credit at the Lodge at Vail, except January 11-27, February 22-March 7, and March 22-April 18; and buy-three, one-free at the Vail Racquet Club, January 4- February 13. Also, guests who book into any of nine RockResorts properties (tel. 888/FOR-ROCK; www.rockresorts.com) for at least two or three nights (the minimum varies by property) stay an additional night free and also receive a complimentary bottle of Bonterra organic wine and a $50 RockResorts gift card good for spa, restaurant or retail purchases. The stay must be booked before February 28 and used before April 15.
Book Soon for Keystone Lodging Bargains
Keystone (tel. 877/753-9786 or 970-496-4500; www.keystoneresort.com) guarantees rooms for $99 nightly at properties throughout the resort all season long, with the exception of December 28-31, March 15-19 and March 22-25. Bookings must be made before January 31 to snare this exceptional rate.
Colorado Country Inn Offers Lift/Lodging Bargain Package
Skiing at low-key, casual Powderhorn (tel. 970/268-5700; www.powderhorn.com) and lodging at the charming Wine Country Inn (tel. 888/855-8330; www.coloradowinecountryinn.com) in nearby Palisade start at $165 nightly for two through March 31.
Jackson's Terrific Terra Hotel with Offers Lodging Specials
The hip new, ultra-luxe, super-eco-friendly Hotel Terra Jackson (tel. 800/631-6281, 307/739-4000; www.hotelterrajacksonhole.com) in Teton Village at the base of the new Jackson Hole tram offers stays for as little as $182 per person, including daily lift pass and breakfast from January 4 to March 31, 2009, except during January 7-11, January 22-24 and February 12-15 periods.
Value Skiing and Lodging in Wyoming Snow Pocket
Western Wyoming's snow-laden Grand Targhee (tel. 800/TARGHEE; www.grandtarghee.com) offers a slopeside lift/lodging package starting at $89 per person nightly with up to two children staying and skiing free when sharing parents' room; a $499 three-nighter that includes lodging, two days of resort skiing and one day of snowcat skiing; and a four day free when three are purchased with an American Express Card starting at $369 per person.
Fly into Salt Lake City for Extra Half-Day on the Slopes -- Free
The Park City ski areas (Park City Mountain Resort, Deer Valley and The Canyons) reprise their popular QuickStart half-day lift ticket (tel. 800/453-1360 or 435/649-6100; www.parkcityinfo.com/quickstart/). Most morning departures from just about anywhere in the country get skiers into Salt Lake City and up into the mountains in time to ski on the afternoon of their arrival. After registering on-line, visitors show their airline boarding passes and a photo IDs at any ticket window to convert them into same-day lift tickets at any one of the resorts. QuickStart is in effect January 4-February 13 and again March 29-April 12.
Snowbird Guests Reap Bountiful Extras
Powder Perks is a new program at Snowbird (tel. 800/232-9542; www.snowbird.com) that favors overnight guests with discounts on all sorts of goods and services. This includes discounts at resort restaurants, merchandise from local retail shops and on lift tickets, equipment demos, rentals, tuning and other services, including snowmobile tours and winter fly fishing.
Deals and Steals at Red River
Red River, New Mexico (tel. 575/754-2223; www.redriverskiarea.com) celebrates its 50th anniversary this winter with such free evening entertainment as weekly fireworks and torchlight parades. In addition to annual January vacation values and a golden gala on January 30, the resort invites one child to stay and ski free for each paying parent in a participating lodging facility with the purchase of a three-day or longer lift ticket), except March 14-21. Such modest infrastructure upgrades as efficient new ticket kiosks, an improved terrain park and upgrades to the Main are this friendly, fun-filled resorts gift to itself to acknowledge its 50th.