THE GREAT OUTDOORS — There are some definite advantages to shopping early for season ski/snowboard passes, among them being that buyers can pay less to ski or snowboard, and in some cases considerably less than the daily rate.

Then there are the added perks to consider. Resorts add value to the passes in the form of discounts at restaurants, rental shops and retail stores, and offer passes at sister resorts around the world.

There’s also the convenience factor. Buyers can visit a resort anytime, make as many runs as they choose, and then go home, free from the need to make a certain number of runs.

Buyers first need to identify their needs — individual or family requirements. They then need to select a resort and a budget, and then go online to select the right package. Each resort has a long list of passes and prices.

“It’s important that individuals do a little research into the various programs available before they buy. Along with the pass they should look at the benefits. Resorts, today, offer many benefits,’’ said Coleen Reardon, Deer Valley director of marketing.

There has been an emphasis on younger skiers in the past and this coming winter is no different.

Ski Utah’s longstanding school-age program offers students in the fourth and fifth grades free skiing at all of Utah’s 14 resorts. Fourth graders get a passport worth three free days at each resort and fifth graders get one day at each. Park City joined the promotion by offering those between the kindergarten and fifth grade five free passes and a first-time lesson that includes rentals in January.

When looking at the various pass programs, also consider some resorts offer free skiing for very young skiers and boarders. At Alta, for example, if you ski 12 times during the season, the season pass is paid for.

Following is a brief look at what the resorts are offering. When selecting a resort, make sure to go online to view all the packages.

Alta

A family pass at Alta, for two adults and two children (7-17), is $2,299. A regular adult season is $1,199. A mid-week only pass for adults is $929.

A pass for children 6 and under is $199 without benefits. An Alta/Snowbird pass is $2,999 for a family of four and $1,599 for an individual.

Alta is also offering a Gold Card for $259 that gives the buyer 50 percent off the ticket window rate.

Brian Head

The cutoff date at Brian Head has passed. Adult season passes (26-61) are $679, a young adult, high school to 25, is $399, a kindergarten through 12th grade pass is $309 and a college pass is $199. The dependent child is $269 with the purchase of an adult or buddy pass.

Beaver Mountain

The cutoff date has also passed for Beaver Mountain so adult season passes are $555 until Oct. 15 and then go to $590. A pass for juniors at Beaver Mountain (6-11) are $320 and those 5 and under ski free with an adult pass.

Brighton

An unlimited season adult pass at Brighton for 2016-17 is $899, a college student pass is $599, a youth pass is $399 and a child’s pass, 10 and under, is $50.

With the unlimited pass, comes free UTA Ski Bus passage, two free days at Deer Valley and Solitude, a $10 discount on buddy passes, and discount passes plus lodging at Boyne Resorts West (Michigan).

A Big Cottonwood pass for Brighton and Snowbird is $1,199.

Also available with the unlimited, mid-week and Big Cottonwood pass is the M.A.X. pass add-on that provides skiing and riding at 30 resorts across North American. The add-on price for the adult pass is $299. These passes must be purchased through Oct. 21.

Cherry Peak

An adult pass, Monday through Thursday at Cherry Peak honoring blackout dates is $99 and Monday through Friday with no blackout dates is $202. A Monday through Saturday night pass is $219, and a Monday through Saturday night and day pass is $346.

Deer Valley

An adult season pass until Oct. 31 at Deer Valley is $2,185 and then increases to $2,555. A second adult can get a pass for $1,800 and then it goes up to $2,125. A mid-week season is $1,140 until Oct. 31. It is not valid during December holidays and after Oct. 31, the price goes to $1,200.

Passes also include lift access for mountain biking in the summer, discounts on buddy passes, discounts on dining and the Wasatch Benefit Pass with three passes each to Alta and Snowbird.

Eligible pass holders will also receive four complimentary day passes to Solitude, three complimentary passes to Steamboat (Colorado) and two passes to Brighton.

A Tot (1-4) season pass is free with purchase of adult one season. There are also military and senior passes available.

A hospitality pass, which is a transferable pass, is $5,460.

Eagle Point

An adult pass at Eagle Point is $349 and a young adult and senior pass is $249. Both include three days skiing or boarding at resorts in Colorado, New Mexico, Las Vegas and Beaver Mountain in Utah.

Nordic Valley

An adult season pass at Nordic Valley is $450, a family season pass (two adults and two children) is $930, a youth pass (7-12) is $150, a teen pass is $200 and a college pass is $250. Kids 6 and under are $15.

Park City

The Epic Local pass, which is available to anyone, is $629, the teen price is $499 and the child pass is $329. But, then there’s the Epic pass which is $829 for adults and $429 for children.

The difference is that with the Epic Local pass, there’s unlimited access to six resorts and limited access to six more, including Park City on holidays. With the Epic pass, there are no restrictions and unlimited access to 13 resorts, and international access to 30 European resorts. Among the resorts connected with Park City are Vail, Beaver Creek, Heavenly and Breckenridge.

Both passes come with ski-with-a-friend passes, which offer six discount tickets to friends.

For the occasional skier, Park City is offering the Park City 4-Pack for $299, which drops the daily ticket price to $74.75. The tickets are restricted to non-holiday periods. There’s also the Epic 7-day pass.

Powder Mountain

An adult season pass is $870, a youth’s pass (13-18) is $360 and a child’s pass (7-12) is $220.

Powder Mountain has also partnered with other resorts, to include Loveland, Purgatory and Snowbowl, which will give three full-day tickets to pass holders.

Jean-Pierre (J.P.) Goulet, marketing director, noted that this year the resort is limiting season pass sales to 3,000.

“There a limited number of adult, but a large number of children’s passes still available,’’ he said.

Snowbasin

An adult (27-64) premier season pass with benefits is $829, a young adult premier pass (19-26) is $519 and a youth premier pass (7-12) is $249. Kids 6 and under can ski or ride for free.

An adult pass without benefits is $629 and a mid-week pass is $499.

Among the perks are five days skiing or riding at Sun Valley, two half-off buddy passes, three days available at 14 other resorts and discount room rates at Grand America and Sun Valley Inn.

Snowbird

The family pass for four (two adults and two kids in kindergarten through 12th grade) at Snowbird is $2,399 for tram and chair, and $1,999 for chairlift service only.

An unlimited adult pass is $1,199, a chair adult pass is $1,099 and a mid-week pass is $749 unlimited and $599 chair only.

An unlimited young adult (19-25) pass is $729 and chair pass is $599, a youth pass (7-18) unlimited is $439 and chair is $369. The resort has sold out of its Wasatch Benefits packages.

Those planning to travel this winter might consider purchasing a Mountain Collective Pass for an additional $409. With this single pass, the buyer has two days at 14 resorts including Aspen, Jackson Hole, Mammoth, Sun Valley and Squaw Valley, and can buy additional days at 50 percent off.

Solitude

An adult season pass at Solitude, ages 24-64, is $879 until Oct. 31. After that, the price goes up $100. A young adult pass (18-23) is $539, then goes up to $589, and a youth pass (7-12) is $229 and then goes up to $279. There are also student, mid-week and military passes.

New this year is the Ultimate Family Pass, good for two adults and two junior passes, which is $1,758 through Oct. 31. It then goes up to $1,958.

“We’ve had a lot of interest in this package. It makes it possible for families go ski or snowboard together,’’ said Sherri Harkin, Solitude marketing director.

As with Brighton, the M.A.X. pass is also available for $299 through Oct. 12. There are also passes for teens, youth and children. There are 30 resorts involved in this program.

Solitude also offers daily packages. A 10-day package sells for $52 a day and five to nine days is $57 a day. A Family Pak can be shared by family members, two adults and two children for $999 for 14 days. Additional days can be added. Packages can be purchases through Oct. 31.

A Big Cottonwood Pass, good for Solitude and Brighton, is $1,199 through Oct. 31. It is also available for seniors, young adults and juniors.

Season passes come with four tickets to Deer Valley and the opportunity to buy a season pass at the Nordic Center for $99.

Sundance

An adult unlimited pass through Oct. 31 at Sundance is $569 and then increases to $699. Benefits include a 20 percent discount on passes for family and friends. They also discount on ski and snowboard lessons, a UTA bus pass and rentals on the resorts zip line, ZipTour.

A mid-week pass with benefits is $349 through Oct. 31. A Junior Pass, for those 6-12, is $189 and is valid for both day and night skiing. There are also passes for young adult, corporate, seniors and a VIP pass that allows line cutting. The resort also offers a 1st Track pass that allows early access to the holder three days a week.

Ray Grass is a long time outdoor contributor for the Deseret News and KSL.com. Contact him at grassfam@hotmail.com.

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