While I am NOT generally a fan of the cold weather or the snow, there is ONE and ONLY ONE redeeming thing about the wintertime in my opinion – Skiing! Somehow this cold weather girl is a fan.
I married an avid skier so it’s a good thing I am. And of course now my boys are very into it as well.
We live in Pennsylvania. People are often surprised to hear that there’s still pretty decent skiing you can do right here in-state. There are dozens of fabulous resorts plus lots of amazing perks for skiing in Pennsylvania and you do not have to be a PA resident to take advantage.
4th & 5th Grade Ski For Free
The first and the biggest worth mentioning is that 4th and 5th graders can ski for free in PA. This has to be the best deal around. Again, you do NOT have to live in PA to get this deal. Simply fill out an application on the SkiPA website and wait a few weeks and your child’ssnow pass will arrive. We have done this the last two years for my current 6th grader. Sadly we can’t take advantage this year with a 3rd and 6th grader!
It does require a little bit of time – you need to provide proof of their age (a copy of a recent report card is good) and it’s $35. You send in the application and in a few weeks your child will receive a Snowpass which looks a little like a Passport and a lot of fun for them. It also comes with a booklet with stickers from various resorts – Nate loved this the last two years and has taken to putting a sticker on his helmet for every resort he’s skied.
Each booklet contains 3 free coupons for various resorts. Not all of them do it but MOST do. We have yet to go somewhere that doesn’t do it. Here is a complete list of participating resorts.
Other deals
Beyond the Snow Pass… cuz we know that’s only good if you have a kid in the age range, Ski PA also has some great Deals every year. They are constantly evolving so be sure to check the website often.
You can also like Ski PA on Facebook to get up to the minute posts on what’s happening at the PA mountain resorts. Just in the time it’s taken me to write this post, I’ve totally procrastinated scouring both the site and Facebook page to see if any resorts are open yet and if there will be any skiing this weekend. (Forecast is mid to high-60s so not-so-much Whitney! Boo!)
They have a First Time Offer if you’re a newbie skier where you can get a beginner lift ticket, rentals and a lesson for crazy low prices.
Free to ski mid-week? Print out a $5 off your lift ticket coupon.
And if you’re itching to get out there like we are, you can bookmark and regular visit the Snow Reports page to see how the local resorts are doing and how much snow they have/when they will open.
By the way, living outside of Philadelphia, our favorite spots to ski are Bear Creek, Montage Mountain and Jack Frost/Big Boulder. Hope to catch some of you out there this season!
Happy skiing this season!
Disclaimer: This has been a sponsored post by Ski PA. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
