How to ski next winter for less than $400 with the Indy Pass

There's no sugar-coating it. Skiing can definitely be an expensive sport. Between the gear, the lessons and the on-mountain food, a day on the slopes can truly add up — not including the cost of your actual lift tickets.

However, there's a secret to keeping your costs down while supporting independent resorts: the Indy Pass.

Related: We saved every receipt — here's how much it actually costs to go on a budget ski trip

As one of the most reasonably priced passes in the ski industry, it allows passholders to ski more than 400 days for less than $400 on the Indy Base Pass. Most won't get anywhere near that number of days, but even with a small fraction of that, you can still come out way ahead.

The Indy Pass works slightly differently than most traditional big-name passes — such as the Epic Pass and the Ikon Pass — in that it offers only two days at each participating mountain for the winter. Additionally, at some resorts that are part of the Indy Allied Program, you'll instead receive a 25% to 50% discount on lift tickets.

With more than 230 participating mountains (mostly in the continental U.S. but also throughout Canada, Alaska, Japan and Europe), you'll have many options as you plot out next winter's ski trips.

But since Indy is limiting its pass sales, and a countless amount have already been sold, the last day to purchase the pass is Monday March 10. This means, you'll want to lock in the pass today to not miss out. However, if you are unsure of your ski plans for next winter, there's always the chance that Indy will open up pass sales again once or twice this year — but, there's no guarantee. And if that happens, the pricing will most likely increase.

Here's what you need to know.

Which resorts are part of the Indy Pass?

The mountains that participate in the Indy Pass consist of independent resorts, where you may find a slightly different vibe and perhaps even shorter lift lines than at the megaresorts. Fortunately, Indy has done a great job at recruiting mountains that are geographically grouped close to one another. So, even though you're capped at two visits per mountain, you can still make a ski vacation out of it by visiting multiple resorts in one trip.

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Related: What's the best ski pass this season? Comparing Epic, Ikon, Mountain Collective and Indy passes

When looking ahead to next season, not all partner resorts have confirmed if they are staying on the pass, and because of that, Indy is offering its "250 resort guarantee." With this guarantee, Indy is promising at least 250 confirmed partner resorts by Nov. 1, and, if it does not meet that commitment, you are able to request a refund for any unused pass by Dec. 1. Additionally, if your favorite resort from the current season doesn't renew, you can request the same refund. However, over the past years, it's been rare to see a resort leave.

Instead, each year we've seen many more resorts being added — some even midseason. Just recently, six new resorts, including Burke Mountain in Vermont, Tenney Mountain in New Hampshire and four international destinations, were added. You can see all current participating resorts for the 2024-2025 season here; this list should hopefully be the same for next season, with some additional options added. You'll also notice that there are many participating cross-country ski areas, for those looking for Nordic skiing instead.

Pairing mountains together for a larger ski vacation

With many resorts in close-ish proximity to one another, it's possible to plan a great ski vacation while enjoying multiple mountains. While there are many options, here are a few resorts you can visit in one trip on the East Coast, as an example:

Southern Vermont and The Berkshires: Stay near Berkshire East Mountain Resort, and you can also visit Magic Mountain (1 1/2 hours north), Bousquet Mountain (an hour south) and Catamount Mountain Resort (1 1/2 hours south).

Northern Vermont: Stay near Bolton Valley, and you have Jay Peak (1 1/2 hours to the north) and Saskadena Six (just over an hour to the south) within driving distance. If you're skiing with kids, you might thoroughly enjoy staying at Jay Peak, as it has an amazing water park. And for those looking to try cross-country skiing, the nearby Trapp Family Lodge offers 24 trails.

New Hampshire: There are actually eight mountains in close proximity to one another: Black Mountain, Cannon Mountain, Ragged Mountain, Pats Peak, Whaleback Mountain, Dartmouth Skiway, Tenney Mountain and Waterville Valley Resort. Pats Peak is further south than the other seven. However, if you position yourself in the White Mountains, you'll be less than 1 1/2 hours away from all eight mountains.

Indy Pass pricing

There are two different Indy Pass options — one that has blackout dates and one that allows you to visit any date during the opening season.

If you want to get the least expensive pass option — and ski for under $400 for the season — you'll want to look at the Indy Base Pass. This pass is subject to blackout dates, which primarily include holiday weekends, Saturdays and/or Sundays at select resorts. Unlike some of the other passes you've seen, blackout dates are specific to each resort, meaning there are no universal dates given. Currently, blackout dates for next year's season haven't been announced, but Indy states it'll release the information by this fall.

If you don't want to worry about blackout dates and are looking to ski any day of the week, consider the Indy+ Pass for just $120 more.

The current pricing for next year's Indy Pass is:

• Indy Base Pass Adult: $369
• Indy Base Pass Kid (12 and under): $209
• Indy+ Pass Adult: $489 (no blackout dates)
• Indy+ Pass Kid (12 and under): $269 (no blackout dates)

Also, if you already have a season pass to one of the participating mountains, you can purchase the Indy Pass as an add-on option for even less. This works for both the Indy Pass and Indy Base Pass, with discounts between $110 and $120 for an adult pass and from $50 to $60 for a child pass.

All of these passes include the same resorts and a cap of two visits per mountain. Additionally, all passholders receive a 25% discount on the third day.

One thing to note is that some of the resorts require advance reservations or limit the number of tickets sold per day, so keep that in mind before you head off to the mountain.

Is the Indy Pass worth it?

If you enjoy going to the same mountain over and over again or are just planning one longer ski vacation at one mountain, then the Indy Pass is most likely not the right pass for you.

However, if you like visiting different mountains even two or three times in the season and can make the available regions work for you, the Indy Pass is potentially the best deal out there. At about a third of the price of the Ikon Pass, the Indy Pass can truly allow you to ski at a significantly reduced price per day. Since many of the resorts cost more than $100 per day for single-day tickets, you can break even just by skiing between four and five days.

With this year's ski season rounding its last corner, it's never too early to figure out next year's plan. And with the Indy limiting pass sales, you'll want to pull the trigger today to guarantee a pass in your pocket — and at the lowest price possible.