Here are some more resorts that are doing early deals:
Brighton- UT
A Season Pass is $849 (you need to go 14 times to break even), a midweek pass is $485 (eight times to break even), and a night pass is $319 (10 times to break even). To get these deals you need to purchase them before 9/15/2011. http://www.brightonresort.com/ticketspasses.seasonpasses.html
Loon Mountain- NH, Sunday River- ME, and Sugar Loaf- ME
The New England Pass is a season pass for Loon, Sunday River, and Sugar Loaf. The Gold New England pass is $999 (17 times to break even). The Silver New England pass is $699 (12 times to break even). The Bronze New England pass is $439 (eight times to break even). These deals are good until 10/10/11. http://www.loonmtn.com/info/winter/rates_passes.aspx
Sugarbush- VT
Sugarbush does a recent college grad. pass (I've never seen that before), so if you graduate in 2011 you can get a season pass for $319 (before 9/15/2011). The season pass is $1,259, you need to go 15 times to break even (an all mountain pass is $84). A mid week pass is $529 (seven times to break even). The Mt. Ellen Pass is $549. All of these deals are good until 9/15/2011, then prices go up. There is also a SugarDirect card that gives you 25% off mid week, 20% off weekends, discounts on lodging and food, an all mountain pass when you purchase the Sugardirect card and an all mountain pass after you have purchased 10 passes. http://www.sugarbush.com/vermont-skiing-snowboarding/season-passes
Whistler- Canada
I think the most affordable way to visit Whistler is to take advantage of the Early Booking Deals. If you buy your vacation before 8/31/11 you can save up to 45%. (http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/deals_packages/packages/earlybooking/index.htm) Here are some of the deals: four nights and 3 days on the hill is $87 a person, seven nights and five days is $81 a person, and eight nights and six days is $82 a person. A mountain pass is $96 so it's like you are staying or skiing for free. These are Canadian prices but our currency is practically the same at the moment.
Whistler also has discounted tickets for sale until Nov. 15. The best deal seems to be seven days for $401-$597 (depends on the day). That's $57- $85 a day. http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/tickets/winter/index.htm
The Early Early Bird special for a $1,199 season pass deal is now over, sorry I didn't tell you in time (#FAIL). The new season pass prices will go up on 8/31/2011.
If you live in Washington state or Canada you can get an Edge card which will give you discounts on lift tickets (http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/tickets/edge/gate.htm?passthru=true&referer=%2Ftickets%2Fedge%2Findex.htm)
A truly Elevated Family.
Quinn, their 21 month old little girl runs the show. And then we have Shawna and Eamon. Shawna was raised in CO and learned to ride in Breck. Eamon was raised at Jay Peak; raced as a skier and then began riding in '93. They met at Winter Park in the cafeteria. It's a true ski bum love story. They spent some time in Whitefish, MT and then two phenomenal years in Jackson.
In Jackson they ate off a ping pong table while games were played. They thoughtfully let off fireworks in the house as alarms for their roommates. The second year they spent at Jackson it snowed over 600".
In the summer they would go back to Montgomery, VT. They lived in a tree house on the land that is now Shéady Acres. While they lived in Vermont and Wyoming they built their house at Shéady Acres with the help of friends and family. The O'Sheas kept a stocked cooler of beer and an open tab at the local restaurant, The Belfry (they have banging scallops) to encourage their helpers.
Eamon is a builder who "got bored building vinyl shitbox houses, and wanted to build something creative, functional, and efficient."
Introducing Shéady Acres. Shéady Acres consists of five houses: The Sugar House (Vermont style), The Caribe (Caribbean bungalow), The Tea House (where we stayed! Japanese style), Irish Farm House (Irish without a thatched roof), and The Adobe ( Southwestern style). I heart the tea house.
Do not be deceived, Q is not bigger than the Tea House
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2vw0yEi0_8)
Three of the units sleep two and two of the units sleep four. The least expensive time to stay is in Nov. And April. And the best deal works out if you stay 4-7 nights. Sometimes they will have home-brewed beer waiting for you (Eamon's best is his Obama brew) or sometimes they might give you cereal.
People are welcome to tune their equipment in the O'Shea's garage, but the O'Sheas' recommend First Trax- a local shop in Montgomery. That is if you need a tune in all that powder.
Obama Brew
The O'Sheas play hockey- it's like a law when you live so close to Canada. Shawna plays in the first women's hockey league to play at the Jay Peak Ice Haus.
Eamon also designed and built a disc golf course on their property and in the summer they have crazy tournaments. He writes the variety show in the spring that is a fundraiser for the town. I've heard this is an insane event that should not be missed. The people of Montgomery are really what make Jay Peak such a magical place.
On our last day at Jay I watched wistfully as Shawna and Eamon began the hike for some epic turns on Big Jay. One might say, this family gets it.
