Boulder My Place (airbnb, coachsurfing) Eldora Under $500, not counting renting equipment. But, I'll supply the helmet, poles, skis, but you'll have to get your own boots. For $50 more you can go to Loveland with my buddy and I, and we'll give you our Buddy Passes. Now, if you want a ski lodge. Take the shuttle from Denver airport to Frisco, and ski Breck. Don't listen to anyone else who tries to pitch on a Non-Colorado destination. CO is off the charts better than any other ski destination in the North American.
Traveling to Canada will probably not meet your budget needs, but maybe with the weak Canadian dollar it works? o In any case, I will be heading to Lake Louise this weekend - already had 40cm of snow and a further 20cm+ forecast for tonight/tomorrow! EDIT: 50cm+ forecast for the weekend!!!!
Salt Lake City. Southwest flies there. It is a very easy drive from Salt Lake City to 3/4 ski resorts, so you can stay in the city for cheaps.
HeyP is correct, CO is the only way to go I also live in CO and am a former Ski instructor There really isn't such a thing as skiing for cheap. There are cheaper options than others but it's gonna be expensive any way you do it. Loveland and A Basin are cheaper (I'm skiing at A Basin tomorrow), but they also have nowhere to stay nearby. Of the really great resorts, I would recommend Breck. You can find relatively cheap lodging compared to others and it's the only major ski town where a non-rich person can still eat a meal. The town is also very walkable and pedestrian friendly. Lift tickets are gonna be $150+ a day almost anywhere, so if you are gonna ski for like 4 days or more, it's worth buying some kind of season pass
If you're on a super budget, stay at a cheap motel in Silverthorne/Dillon. From there you are only 15-20 minutes away from Breck, Arapahoe, Keystone, Loveland ski areas. You can drive yourself or shuttle (fee) there. There is actually a really really nice Best Western in Dillon. I've been a regular at Breck for 6+ years now but I'm even looking elsewhere because lift tickets at Breck are outrageous. Near Breckenridge you have Loveland and Arapahoe which are like $50-60 for lift tickets. My next trip I'm thinking about staying in Breckenridge (love the town) but driving out to Loveland/Arapahoe to ski. Keystone is also close by but I think prices are similar to Breck.
Angel Fire New Mexico. It's where my wife and I celebrated our 1year anniversary, and it was a blast!
A couple years ago I went skiing at Winter park Colorado. I had a blast and would recommend it. If you do go here make sure to try out Tabernash Tavern to grub.
Use miles to get to Calgary and then take advantage of cheap loonie to experience Revvy or Fernie. POWDA!!!!
If you want cheap, CO won't work. The lodges & ski resorts there are usually pretty expensive. Utah is good & cheaper. Same w/ Cali. I love Lake Louise, mostly for the beautiful views. That wouldn't be cheap though.
Salt lake city has inexpensive lodging and a lot of the mountains have reasonably priced lift tickets. The mountains are close to the airport. Best snow on earth. Best snow on earth. Best snow on earth.
If you can get a decent flight, you can stay in Lake Louise or Banff cheap. Lake Louise has some really nice high end options but also a couple of really cheap ones. It is also not a true "alpine village" if that is what you are looking for. Banff has a lot more going on and also has the full range of accommodation options. You might need a car to make it convenient, or look into catching shuttles to and from the mountains each day. I had an epic day yesterday at LL - 15" of powder not bad for November
when are you going, and how many people? Big 30% off sale on everything but your plane ticket in Canada just now. Just bought my 3 day card for Panorama (Alberta) skiing for $150 cdn. http://www.panoramaresort.com/snowcard/ We're staying half an hour away....striking distance to several other top places. Revelstoke's good. Kicking Horse is a mecca for lovers of steep and deep.
