The downsides of these cards? No variety. Since you have the discount card, you wind up always skiing at the same resort. Also, if you're going to wind up skiing only a few times, it may be cheaper to pay as you go.

Alternately, some mountains offer passes that can be used at a handful of resorts (usually if they're owned by the same parent company). These passes are especially popular in Colorado, and are well-worth investigating if you plan on skiing more than a few times in the same region. Each ski resort's Web site will tell you all the details of its frequent skier programs, if it offers any. For example, a pass good for unlimited days at Colorado's Breckenridge, Keystone, and Arapahoe Basin, and 10 days at Vail and Beaver Creek, costs $349 at snow.com/.

Scout out the local scene

Oftentimes, newspapers in proximity to ski resorts post coupons and special offers. These are aimed at getting locals out to the resorts, but anyone (including tourists from out of state) can take advantage of them. So, newspapers in Denver are where to look for specials in Breckenridge, Vail, or Winter Park; newspapers in Salt Lake are where to find savings in Park City or Snowbird, and newspapers in Burlington, Vermont, are where ads for Stowe, Sugarbush, or Smuggler's Notch are likely to pop up.

The best chances for finding these coupons and offers are in a paper's Travel sections (usually on Sunday, but some have Wednesday editions too). Can't find these papers in your town? Newsstands in big cities and huge bookstores like Barnes & Noble and Borders usually have a wide selection of newspapers from around the country. Libraries are often stocked with newspapers from all over as well.

Gas stations, ski shops, and supermarkets are also sources of discounted lift tickets. Once you're in the vicinity of a ski mountain, ask around to see if tickets can be bought outside the resort to save money.

Look into a ski package

Almost every resort offers a number of lift-and-lodging packages. At the beginning and end of ski seasons, these packages are the best bargains on snow. It is not unusual to find a early winter or late spring ski package with accommodations and lift passes at a per-night price that in mid-February would have barely paid for a single-day's lift ticket. So check each resort's Web site (do a google search if you don't have Web addresses) for the latest promotional packagesespecially in fall and spring.

Several discount travel operators sell ski packages that combine a lift ticket with lodging, car rental, airfare, or all of the above. Packages are oftentimes (but not always) an easy way to save money. Shopping around is necessary to figure out which way is most budget-friendly.

Reputable ski packages

A few packagers that tend to have decent prices: