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By Trigg Skoe

Skiing and snowboarding can get pricey pretty quickly, but there are a handful of options that keep the costs low and the good times still coming. Don’t worry – we did the research so you don’t have to. Check out these inexpensive travel plans to your favorite resorts including Loveland, Breckenridge, Steamboat, Vail, Winter Park, Snowy Range, plus many more. These are also great options for folks without reliable or consistent transportation to the mountains.

Snowy Range

Option one – skip the traffic and head north! Only an hour and 45 minutes away from Fort Collins is Snowy Range ski area. Need more convincing? There is even a Snowy Range Express Bus for those on the Front Range. The cost includes a lift ticket and the round trip bus ride.

The bus leaves for Snowy Range from a determined location at 6:15 am and returns from  Snowy Range at 4 pm, putting you back home around 6 pm. Make sure to reserve your spot now and enjoy a day in the Medicine Bow National Forest. For all the The details and for booking information take a look look at the Snowy Range Express Bus website.  

Winter Park

Take a historic train ride to one of the best ski resorts Colorado has to offer. The Amtrak Winter Park Express, which runs from Jan. 4 through Mar. 31, leaves from Denver Union Station and drops passengers off at the base of Winter Park. The train operates every Saturday and Sunday, giving you the opportunity to plan either a day or a weekend trip!  If the weekend doesn’t work though, the train also runs the first two Fridays of January, February and March, the remaining dates are Feb 8th, Mar 1st and 8th. Tickets are limited for each train and pricing is subject to availability. Buy early to take advantage of the early bird discount, making the trip only $29 one way. All other tickets range from $39 to $59.

Winter Park Express schedule:

Depart Union station at 7:00 am | Arrive to Winter Park at 9:00 am

Depart Winter Park at 4:30 pm |Arrive to Union station at 6:40 pm

SkiSU

On campus without a car? SkiSU has you covered. For only $20 per person, you can hitch a round trip ride up to select ski resorts. Below are the dates and selected resorts.

• 2/9: Breckenridge
• 2/16: Copper
• 2/23: Vail
• 3/2: Winter Park
• 3/9: Keystone
• 3/30: Copper
• 4/6: A Basin

The buses leave at 6 am from the bus stop at Plum and Meridian, providing transportation to and from the resort for you and your gear. Make sure not to miss the return trip! The bus departs the ski areas  at 4 pm.