Skiing is not something people from the South East partake in very often. Our nearby choices are painfully limited and anyone who tells you that you can ski in the Carolinas is kidding themselves.
The easiest way to make ends meet on a skiing trip is to get a group together and rent a cabin. The more people you can squeeze in the cabin the more affordable the trip, and by cooking your own food and making your own drinks you can easily save what you have spent to have a cabin versus sharing a hotel room. The whole on-a-mountain-in-heavy-equipment pretty much gives ski slopes a captive audience, allowing them to charge $4 for a 50 cent cup of Swiss Miss.
Depending on where you go the largest expense will be actually getting to a mountain or staying on it. In this post I included an East Coast drivable location and a Mid-West flyable location for those of us on a limited budget.
Option 1 - West Virginia
Note: These prices work for a group of 3 couples or six individuals sharing rooms.
Driving to WV will take about 10 hours from Atlanta, but the drive is very scenic and able to be completed in one day. If you can split the gas with another couple you will be able to get up there and back for about $100. This also saves you from having to rent a car(BYOC)! Because of losing two full days to travel I have estimated you will need 4 nights in WV to really get your drivings worth of skiing.
The one and only ski resort in WV I have personally been to is the Timberline/Canaan Valley resort. These smaller, but well equipped resorts have plenty of options and they are very relaxed compared to the West Coast options. One of the biggest drawbacks is the snow quality. They can end up making up to 80% of their snow, so you need to watch the weather reports and be prepared to switch up weekends if there has been a dry or hot spell which could result in challenging ski conditions and limited runs being open. In terms of ski quality, West Virginia is a good place to learn because the runs are shorter and tend to be less challenging. If you are an avid skier, you may find yourself getting board and getting down runs so quickly that you start to get frustrated with the slower chairs.
Lodging Options: There are a couple hotels, and limited cabin options, but with cabins being the preferred way to stay check out Black Bear Cabins This will run you at about $223 per couple for 4 nights.
Rentals: Luckily ski/snowboard rentals in WV are about half the price of those in the Rockies averaging $25 - $35 per day. Because of all the money you are saving on rentals you may find it worth while to buy your own boots before the trip (a cheap pair starts at around $200). It may seem pricey, but uncomfortable boots can easily ruin a ski vacation causing bruised shins and premature exhaustion.
Lift Tickets: Because Canaan Valley/Timberline is a multi-resort ski area you may want to get a "park hopper" ticket that grants you access to both locations or you can stick with one resort as well.
3 day "hopper pass" = $258
3 day Timberline only = $145
Surrounding area: Unfortunately the last time I visited the area other than skiing there wasn't much else to do. We saw very little shopping and the best meal we ate outside of what we cooked was McDonald's.
The grand total without food for one couple sharing a room ~ $918
Option 2 - Winter Park, CO
To say West Coast skiing is superior is an understatement. The runs are longer, the chairs are newer, there is more variety, I could go on but it would be unnecessary.
The one thing that West Coast skiing doesn't have in it's favor is accessibility. Flying from Atlanta to Denver International will cost you about $300 per ticket depending on the weekend. Once you get to Denver though you will still have a trek to your resort of choice, of which there are many. I have researched Winter Park because of the town and it appears to be a lower cost option. To make the rental situation worse, you can't rent 2 wheel drive Yarris and squeeze everyone in, you are going to have to spring for a 4 wheel drive rental, especially if you are not accustomed to driving in snowy mountains. Including a 3 day car rental you are looking at an additional $250 - $500.One of the great things about West Coast/Midwest Skiing is the variety of lodging available. My favorite site is VRBO. Here you can find every option in proximity to the mountain, bedrooms, luxury, etc. I found nice rentals from as low as $177 for three nights.
Rentals: For three days of skiing expect to spend $140, but the quality is there. Lift tickets are also more expensive but the variety and size of the park makes it so that "hopper passes" are not necessary. A 3 day lift ticket to Winter Park resort runs at about $246. Many of the rentals do offer discounts on left tickets though, so you may get lucky!
Finally Winter Park has plenty to do outside of skiing including shopping dinning and night life (if you have any energy left after skiing that is).
So assuming a group of 3 couples to split costs with, you will spend a grand total of $1,296 per couple for a comparable vacation before food and drink expenses.
