Free skiing and riding!
Up to 88 days at 17 Vermont mountains and Nordic centers!
Did I mention that it’s FREE?
Ski Vermont Fifth Grade Passport Program + your child = a whole season of fun
Now that I have your attention, let’s get down to specifics. We all know that lift tickets aren’t cheap. And not everyone wants to buy a seasons pass, especially if you don’t live in or near Vermont or want to try skiing at a number of different mountains.
If you’ve got a fifth grader in the house, you can help offset the cost of tickets by applying for a Ski Vermont Fifth Grade Passport. There is a small processing fee ($11 for applying online) and you must provide proof that your child is enrolled in fifth grade. But you don’t have to live in Vermont to apply, which makes my Delaware family very happy.
Passports are good from December 1 through May 1 and include three tickets for all of the downhill resorts and one to three tickets for the Nordic centers.
Individual resorts do have some blackout dates during holiday periods, but non-holiday weekends and the entire month of March are not blacked-out for any resort, so there’s plenty of time to take advantage. In fact, the passport is the perfect excuse to try out ski resorts in Vermont that you haven’t yet visited.
Learn more about the program and apply.
Give your child a sense of accomplishment & excitement
What’s really cute is that the Ski Vermont Passport is actually a little booklet, just like the real variety. My son Teddy is the kind of kid who loves to collect things, whether that’s belts and medals in karate or Pokemon cards. I know he’s going to enjoy marking off each day of skiing and then keeping the passport as a souvenir.
In 2015-16, we’ve got trips planned to Mad River Glen, Sugarbush Resort, Bromley Mountain, Magic Mountain, Saskadena Six Ski Area, and Smugglers’ Notch Resort. From north to south throughout the state Teddy will have lift tickets waiting for him wherever he goes. It’s just one more way to build his enthusiasm for skiing – and it will also offer a big savings for our family.
Looking for more skiing budget tips? Check out what my fellow mamas have to say about how to save money on family ski vacations.
Mara Gorman may live at sea level now, but she’s a native New Englander and mountain aficionado who grew up skiing in Vermont. She spends as many days each winter as she can chasing her two teen boys through glades and across mogul fields and regularly journeys far and wide to get on the slopes. Mara blogs about her family’s many travel adventures at The Mother of all Trips. She is also the author of The Family Traveler’s Handbook and an award-winning freelance writer whose work has appeared in various USA Today print publications as well as on websites such as BBC Travel. When there’s no snow, Mara and her family can be found hiking, biking and eating around the United States and Europe.