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Here are the top 20 most expensive ski resorts in the U.S.

A new analysis breaks down the true daily cost of skiing, from lift tickets and lodging to lessons and lunch.

Laura Ratliff
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Laura Ratliff
Skiing
Photograph: Shutterstock
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Ski season is here, the lifts are running and your wallet is about to learn what high-altitude pricing feels like.

With Powder magazine reporting that 2025 was the second-busiest ski season in U.S. history (more than 60 million skier visits!), Casino.org crunched the numbers on what a “typical” day on the mountain might cost this winter—because the all-in cost is more than just the lift ticket these days. Their tally factors in five everyday line items like a one-day lift ticket, a one-day equipment rental, average nightly lodging, average meal-and-drink spend and the cost of a half-day group lesson.

The priciest mountain day in America is a tie: Aspen Snowmass Ski Resort and Beaver Creek Resort both come in at $2,004 per day. Aspen’s total is driven by a high average nightly lodging rate of $1,168 plus the most expensive half-day group lesson on the list ($429). Beaver Creek, meanwhile, pairs even higher lodging ($1,229) with top-tier ticket and rental costs to land at the same total.

Close behind is Colorado’s Vail Ski Resort at $1,971, followed by Mammoth Mountain ($1,507), Steamboat ($1,400) and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort ($1,371). Rounding out the rest of the (still painful) high end are Breckenridge ($1,264), Park City Mountain ($1,225), Big Sky ($1,159), Keystone ($1,132), Sun Valley ($1,093) and Deer Valley ($1,035).

From there, totals finally dip below four figures: Snowbird ($986), Crested Butte ($915), Telluride ($839), Winter Park ($832), Taos Ski Valley ($774), Palisades Tahoe ($711) and Copper Mountain ($675). And the bargain, relatively speaking, is Purgatory Resort in Durango, Colorado, at $489 per day, a number that looks downright wholesome next to Aspen.

One surprise from the data: Casino.org says the average daily ski resort experience is down 11% from last year, despite the peak prices at the top. For first-timers specifically, lessons swing wildly: Aspen Snowmass is the priciest ($429), while Taos Ski Valley is the cheapest ($135). If you’re learning, that gap alone could cover a lot of hot chocolates.

Here’s the full breakdown:

  1. Aspen Snowmass Ski Resort (Aspen, CO) — $2,004
  2. Beaver Creek Resort (Avon, CO) — $2,004
  3. Vail Ski Resort (Vail, CO) — $1,971
  4. Mammoth Mountain (Mammoth Lakes, CA) — $1,507
  5. Steamboat Ski Resort (Steamboat Springs, CO) — $1,400
  6. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (Teton Village, WY) — $1,371
  7. Breckenridge Ski Resort (Breckenridge, CO) — $1,264
  8. Park City Mountain Resort (Park City, UT) — $1,225
  9. Big Sky Resort (Big Sky, MT) — $1,159
  10. Keystone Resort (Keystone, CO) — $1,132
  11. Sun Valley Resort (Sun Valley, ID) — $1,093
  12. Deer Valley Resort (Deer Valley, UT) — $1,035
  13. Snowbird Mountain Resort (Snowbird, UT) — $986
  14. Crested Butte Mountain Resort (Crested Butte, CO) — $915
  15. Telluride Ski Resort (Mountain Village, CO) — $839
  16. Winter Park Resort (Winter Park, CO) — $832
  17. Taos Ski Valley (Taos, NM) — $774
  18. Palisades Tahoe (Olympic Valley, CA) — $711
  19. Copper Mountain (Frisco, CO) — $675
  20. Purgatory Resort (Durango, CO) — $489
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