This Is the Most Affordable Ski Spot in the U.S. This Winter — and No, It's Not in Colorado, Utah, or Wyoming
An upstate New York hidden gem takes the honor.
New York City may not be a cost-effective place to live in the country, but just over four hours north, tucked away in the heart of the Adirondacks, sits the most affordable ski mountain in the United States: Gore Mountain.
Skiing in general is an expensive sport. According to a new report from HomeToGo, Gore Mountain boasts a total cost per day of $195.02. The total price is made up of a lift ticket price of $107 and a median per night vacation rental price of just $88.02. For context, the average daily lift ticket price of both the most affordable and most popular mountain resorts in the country was $188.15, and the total median per night cost for accommodation was $164.41.
“From transport to resorts to equipment hire and beyond, ski trips involve numerous moving elements, and costs can quickly add up,” Eleanor Moody, a travel expert and spokesperson for HomeToGo, told Travel + Leisure. “With price being a vacation planning priority for many in the U.S., we designed this [report] to help travelers put together trips that make the most of their budgets, pinpointing the places with lower accommodation and lift pass rates to ensure maximum thrills for the money.”
Gore Mountain, which also happens to be one of the best places to ski in New York, features more than 450 skiable acres and 115 different trails — the longest of which clocks in at 4.4 miles. And while the mountain is not as high as some out West with a top summit elevation of 3,600 feet, it does boast a respectable 2,537-foot vertical drop.
Beyond downhill skiing and snowboarding, travelers who head there can try their hand at cross-country skiing or snowshoeing at the mountain’s Nordic Center.
Washington’s Mt. Baker Ski Area was the second most affordable ski resort with a total daily rate of $200.92. The mountain, an old-school ski resort with plenty of powder that sits just below the Canadian border, had the bonus of offering one of the lowest lift ticket prices on HomeToGo’s list of just $94.27. (It was second only to Colorado’s Purgatory Resort, which sells daily lift tickets for an average of $83.)
Montana’s Whitefish Mountain Resort rounded out the top three with a total daily price of $223.02. The mountain features 111 named trails across nearly 3,000 acres along with four terrain parks.
Maine’s Sugarloaf Mountain and New Mexico’s Ski Santa Fe came in at No. 4 and No. 5 on the affordability list, respectively.