Want to save money on skiing?

A multimountain pass is great if you use it enough. New programmes are aimed at more casual skiers, offering discounts without the high initial price tag

- CINDY HIRSCHFELD

MULTIRESORT SEASON PASSES, like the Mountain Collective, the Epic from Vail Resorts or the Ikon from Alterra Mountain Company, have become the de facto option for many skiers.After all, they provide significant savings over the ticket window price at each ski area.

But what if you ski only a few times a season? That's not often enough to warrant spending four figures for a full Epic or Ikon Pass, even with added benefits like discounts on lodging, gear and food. But at many resorts, the price of a one- or two-day lift ticket can be a deterrent."The ski industry has done a really good job over the past 15 years at making skiing more accessible for uberfrequent skiers at the expense of less frequent skiers," said Stuart Winchester, who runs the Storm Skiing journal and podcast about the industry. In other words, higher daily lift ticket prices incentivise people to buy multiresort passes. But that leaves other skiers out in the cold.

Fortunately, there are now more ways to bridge the gap. "The ski industry is starting to focus more on this more casual, infrequent skier," said Dave Belin, the chief operating officer of the new Snow Triple Playpass, which went on sale in September and will be available until December 24. Here is a roundup of how you can save on skiing without buying one of the big passes.

Three days, less than $200