Albany County's own Snowy Range Ski Resort has been ranked by Forbes Advisor as one of the "10 Most Affordable Ski Resorts for the Money" for 2023. Read the excerpt below to learn how they built their ranking! Or see the full article here.

 

Ski season is right around the corner and if you’re lucky enough to be planning a winter vacation, narrowing down resorts is no easy feat. Skiers are spoiled for choice with options in all types of scenic views, powder conditions or the size of the resort. Others may be focused on something else entirely: cost. Skiing, especially when travel is involved, is expensive.

To discover which of the best places to ski in the U.S. provide the most bang for your buck, Forbes Advisor compared the cost of a two day, two night winter vacation at popular resorts. We used a holiday weekend since many travel over those times to be more representative of the typical vacation. Then we filtered options for decent snow scores and available lifts and runs and then checked costs at 51 resorts fitting our criteria. Based on the cost of lift tickets, rental equipment, airfare, accommodations and a car rental, we found 10 ski resorts offering compelling value for the money.
 

Key Findings

  • Brian Head Ski Resort in Utah is the best ski resort for the money, with an average cost of $981.11 for a quick winter getaway. Two other Utah destinations, Eagle Point Resort and Beaver Mountain Ski Resort, also make our top five list and cost under $1,000.
  • With more selection in resorts overall, plus more consistent high-quality snow, the western U.S. dominates all 10 positions for best value ski resorts in the country.
  • Beaver Creek Resort in Colorado claims the title as the worst ski resort for the money. A visit costs nearly double that of our best value, adding up to $1,806 for an adult skier.
  • Thirty-nine out of the 51 ski resorts evaluated accept a multi-pass, such as Epic or Ikon, allowing skiers or snowboarders to enjoy expanded access or discounts at partner resorts.
  • Seven of the 51 ski resorts considered offer over 150 runs, ranging from beginner to expert level. Park City Ski Resort in Utah tops the list with a whopping 324 runs.


Skiers Should Head West
With record-high snow scores and sheer quantity of resorts and runs to choose from, the western half of the U.S. commands our list of the best ski resorts for a winter getaway. All 10 of the highest ranking resorts can be found in western states.

 

9. Snowy Range Ski Area, Wyoming
While it doesn’t have the prestige of Jackson Hole, skiing on the other side of the state will save you a ton of money. Snowy Range has the absolute lowest cost for two-day lift tickets ($118) and two-day ski rentals ($50) of any of the resorts we analyzed. Accommodations, at an average cost of $203, and car rentals are also affordable. So with good prices, why did it only claim the 9th position? Airfare is on the pricier side and there are only 27 runs. Nowhere’s perfect.

 

See the full writeup as well as the "outranked" resorts here: https://www.forbes.com/advisor/credit-cards/most-affordable-ski-resorts/