10. Free nature nights and programs. Think bears hibernate? Think again. Learn the difference between torpor and hibernation and get the dirt on local vegetation and other animals at Beaver Creek’s Ski with a Ranger program, a guided nature program on skis, or Vail’s fireside Nature at Night. They’re free and perfect for the whole family. www.beavercreek.com or www.vail.com
9. Free guided tour. All of our resorts offer free mountain welcome tours. Check with a friendly guest service team member or call a concierge to get the details on where and when to meet (or visit www.snow.com). Typically, the tours meet in the morning at the base of the mountain or on top of the mountain (depending on the resort) and last anywhere from an hour to two, during which time you’ll get an overview of the mountain, pick up a few tips from the locals and even learn a bit of history about our resorts and towns.
8. Free rides. You can’t beat the price or the convenience. Plus the free in-town (or in-resort) shuttle systems at Vail, Heavenly, Beaver Creek and Breckenridge have an added bonus – they’re also good for Mother Nature. Leave the car at home and let our drivers navigate our alpine villages, resorts and roads. www.snow.com
7. Rock for free! Vail offers a free Streetbeat concert series on select Wednesday nights during the winter, smack dab in the heart of Vail Village. Breckenridge is famous for its free events with star-studded musical acts and high-flying ski and snowboard action on the slopes. Check out Spring Massive or the new AST tour. www.vvf.org or www.breckenridge.com
6. Free postcard + free postage at Beaver Creek. “Wish you were here” was never so easy, convenient or … so, free. On a daily basis, the top-rated Beaver Creek guest services team hand outs free collector resort postcards to visitors that they will then actually mail for you – for free. Yep, postage is free for you, too. www.beavercreek.com
5. Yummy free freshly baked cookies at Beaver Creek. Every afternoon, it’s Cookie Time at Beaver Creek. Reward yourself after a great day on the slopes (or a great day in the spa or shopping or relaxing off the slopes) with a freshly baked, warm, chewy and gooey chocolate chip cookie served daily in the slopeside Beaver Creek Village by Cookie Time chefs (near the escalators!). www.beavercreek.com
4. Free ice skating, yoga, snowshoeing and kids puppet shows at Keystone. When you stay at Keystone and book through their central reservations system, you play for free thanks to the Adventure Passport program that gives lodging guests dozens of one-time vouchers for free activities and discounted items like a free yoga class, free snow biking mini-clinic, free ice skating admission and discounted wine tastings, sleigh rides and more. (Activities based on the 2007-2008 ski season offerings). www.keystoneresort.com
3. Kids Fly, Ski Free. Pay for an American Airlines adult fare (age 18 and above) and get one free child’s ticket for ages 2-12 now through Feb. 10, 2010. Families must travel to Vail or Beaver Creek between Sunday and Wednesday and from the resort between Tuesday and Friday. This offer is valid for travel Dec. 1-17, 2009 and Jan. 3 – Feb. 10, 2010 with no blackout dates; travel must be booked by Feb. 10, 2010. This offer also allows kids to ski and stay for free and Colorado Mountain Express transports kids for free as part of this package. Additional restrictions may apply. Visit www.flyvail.com.
2. Free Holidays. Vail Resorts is giving travelers a free night of lodging on the season’s most popular holidays – Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, President’s Day and Easter Sunday – in the Company’s managed ski resort condos and townhomes or the nine elegant RockResort properties in Vail, Aspen, Keystone, Beaver Creek, Santa Fe, St. Lucia and Jackson Hole. The package is restricted and the guest must stay five consecutive nights to receive the holiday night free. www.HolidaysOnUs.com
AND …one more EPIC deal for the ski season:
1. Epic Season Pass. The Epic Season Pass is just $599 and gives skiers unrestricted, unlimited skiing/snowboarding on more than 700 ski trails on 18,000 acres at six ski resorts – Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado and Heavenly Mountain Resort that straddles Nevada and California – for the entire 2008-2009 ski season. The only catch is that you must buy the pass by mid November (date TBD). (non-refundable and non-transferable, too). www.epicpass.com.