Colorado Ski Vacation for Nearly Free

We are bracing ourselves for some SNOW here in Arkansas! And while I was pulling out all our ski gear in preparation, it got me reminiscing on some of our ski-cations in Colorado. So today, I thought I’d share FOUR ways we save thousands of dollars on our ski vacations in Colorado each year. Feel free to save this post for your next Rocky Mountain Winter Vacation!

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1. Flights:

We usually fly into Denver, CO on Southwest. You can also fly into Steamboat Springs or Telluride to mix things up a bit. To save on flights costs, I will book 4 roundtrip tickets using SW Rapid Rewards points plus our companion pass and $11.20 in taxes (per person). That’s easily a saving of $1-2,000K simply on flights alone. Our SW companion pass is the #1 way we save money on flights.

From Denver, we always rent a car at the airport and head to the Rocky Mountains. So far we have visited Vail, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Grandby, Keystone, Winter Park, Steamboat Spring, and Aspen. And this year we visited Beaver Creek. Some of these towns are much more points-friendly than others. (see below for point-details on accommodations)

2. Rental Car:

I always book my car rentals with my Capital One Venture X. Not only do I get ten times the points back in my pocket for car rentals through the credit card’s portal, but I also get a $300 annual credit to reduce the cost of my rentals if needed.

Rental car rates through the credit card’s portal are often comparable to those on Expedia or Rentalcars.com.

3. Accommodations:

Hyatt is my go-to for the best point redemptions in the Rockies. They have a plethora of hotels and resorts all across the state of Colorado! One of my favorites is the Hyatt Place in Keystone that can go for as little as 18,000 points per night.

But this year, we decided to splurge on a luxury ski-in/ski-out resort in Beaver Creek. We stayed at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa. It’s perfect for families, with tons of amenities, plus the kid’s group lessons are right there on site. I used 45,000 points per night plus $0.00 in resort fees to book our stay. If I had paid cash, it would have cost $1,776.28 per night! In order to earn Hyatt points, you can open any of these 4 cards and then transfer those flexible points to Hyatt to have enough points to book your stays.

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH for using my links when you sign up for a card! I earn a small commission at ZERO COST TO YOU, and it truly allows me to keep showing up and sharing all the travel help and new elevated offers to get you traveling more with your family for way less!

4. Lift tickets:

It’s hard to save on lift tickets when you only go once a year (or every other year), but here’s a few things that help: (a.) Advance purchase – many resorts offer discounts for purchasing lift tickets in advance online. (b.) Multi-day Passes – Buying a mulit-day pass often provides a lower daily rated compared to a single-day ticket. (c.) Local Discounts – Check if there are any local discounts available for residents or frequent visitors. We have had friends who live in Colorado share with us their “resident” passes/discounts…major savings if you can swing it.