The Cheapest Ski Vacations in the US for 2021

Caroline Morse Teel is the Managing Editor for SmarterTravel Media. Follow her adventures around the world on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline.

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Between the lift tickets and the lodging, a simple ski weekend can get pricey—unless you pick your mountain wisely. Vacation rental search site HomeToGo crunched the data to figure out which U.S. ski destinations are the most affordable.

To find the cheapest ski spots, HomeToGo analyzed prices for lift tickets and vacation rentals at the 55 most-searched ski destinations on their site.

With COVID-19 restrictions keeping many skiers out of on-mountain restaurants and lodges, it’s no surprise that the report found that houses within half a mile of the ski lift were twice as likely to be booked that those that were 1-2 miles away. If it’s in your budget, a ski-in ski-out vacation rental will let you take a break to warm up indoors, take bathroom breaks, and eat lunch safely without taking much time away from the slopes.

Compared to last season, HomeToGo saw an increase of 345 percent in bookings for vacation rentals rather than hotels, as skiers look to travel safely during the pandemic. With travel restrictions changing often, last-minute trips have exploded in popularity, with the time between booking and check-in dropping by 42 percent compared to last year. (Just remember to reserve your ski tickets before booking, as many mountains are requiring pre-booking tickets or reservations in order to limit capacity.)

Ready for that cheap ski vacation now? Here are the 10 cheapest ski vacations in the U.S. for 2021:

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