Another year, another questionable snowboard and skiing-related list.
HomeToGo, the vacation property rental company, put out a list earlier this fall outlining the “most affordable U.S. resorts for ski vacations.” The list uses “exclusive HomeToGo accommodation price data alongside lift pass rates” and awarded New York’s Gore Mountain the top spot.
Washington’s Mount Baker, Montana’s Whitefish, Maine’s Sugarloaf Mountain, and New Mexico’s Ski Santa Fe round out the list’s top five. The notoriously expensive ski resorts of Big Sky, Deer Valley, and even Vail Mountain have all made the list as well.
So how was the list constructed?
Photo: Sarah Linnertz/Shutterstock
“Lift prices are based on the cost for a one-day adult pass, purchased online in advance where possible. Where date selection was required for ticket purchase, January 18, 2025 was selected,” the company says under the methodology section.
“Prices were collected in October 2024 from official ski resort websites and may be subject to change. Vacation rental prices are based on the median nightly cost per person to stay in accommodation in or in the vicinity of the ski resort between the dates of November 15, 2024, and March 31, 2025 via HomeToGo. Prices were collected in October 2024 and may be subject to change.”
The qualifications are iffy, but let’s make one thing clear: No ski area with a lift ticket price hovering around $200+ should be on this list.
There are dozens of ski areas with lift tickets far cheaper than that. Consider Red Lodge Mountain in Montana: The most expensive single-day lift ticket is around $77, with many single-day tickets coming in around $60 for off-peak or midweek days. New Hampshire’s Ragged Mountain has midweek lift tickets starting at $79 for adults, and the most expensive lift ticket at New Mexico’s Sandia Peak Ski Area – which has a vertical drop of 1,700 feet and is less than a half-hour’s drive from Albuquerque – is $29 for an adult, if you purchase lift tickets ahead of time.
Photo: HomeToGo
And of course, perhaps the most obvious omission, was the lack of data surrounding places to stay. Because the study was carried out by HomeToGo, it only includes homes available to rent on HomeToGo. That means AirBnB, VRBO, resort-owned rentals, and the good old fashioned motels and hotels are not included in the median nightly cost per person.
That doesn’t stop other media outlets from picking up the story and running with it, though. The New York Post published a story about it at the start of the month. A couple of days later, Boston.com published a similar story, crediting Sugarloaf, Sunday River and Vermont’s Jay Peak for its affordability.
Related: This 20 Best Resorts for Snowboarding List Is Controversial