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:
- Aspen Snowmass Ski Resort (Aspen, CO) — $2,004
- Beaver Creek Resort (Avon, CO) — $2,004
- Vail Ski Resort (Vail, CO) — $1,971
- Mammoth Mountain (Mammoth Lakes, CA) — $1,507
- Steamboat Ski Resort (Steamboat Springs, CO) — $1,400
- Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (Teton Village, WY) — $1,371
- Breckenridge Ski Resort (Breckenridge, CO) — $1,264
- Park City Mountain Resort (Park City, UT) — $1,225
- Big Sky Resort (Big Sky, MT) — $1,159
- Keystone Resort (Keystone, CO) — $1,132
- Sun Valley Resort (Sun Valley, ID) — $1,093
- Deer Valley Resort (Deer Valley, UT) — $1,035
- Snowbird Mountain Resort (Snowbird, UT) — $986
- Crested Butte Mountain Resort (Crested Butte, CO) — $915
- Telluride Ski Resort (Mountain Village, CO) — $839
- Winter Park Resort (Winter Park, CO) — $832
- Taos Ski Valley (Taos, NM) — $774
- Palisades Tahoe (Olympic Valley, CA) — $711
- Copper Mountain (Frisco, CO) — $675
- Purgatory Resort (Durango, CO) — $489

