Welcome to the wonderful world lift tickets. I’ll assume that if you’re here you’re on the prowl for the best deals around, either for you or perhaps a friend or family member.
So let’s get something out of the way right now. A Sugarbush Quad Pack is the best deal. Right now, as of October 26th, Quad Packs are $449 ($112.25/ticket) and Midweek Quad Packs are $349 ($87.25). You will not find a better deal than that outside of a couple small exceptions. Starting November 1st, both Quad Packs will jump up in price a bit, and yet it will STILL be the best deal around. Those will stay on sale for a couple more weeks in November. If you know you’re going to ski this winter, I’m telling you get a Quad Pack.
Alright, with that caveat out of the way, let’s look at lift tickets proper. Perhaps you don’t need four tickets or perhaps you’re reading this when Quad Packs are already off sale. This guide will explore all your different options and show you that there are still ways to save before you find yourself in front of the ticket window.
If you want to explore our price calendar while reading through this, here’s the link to our different types of tickets. It should look just like below.
When you first click the lift tickets link, you’ll be brought to the above page. This year we have four different types of lift tickets: All Mountain, Mt. Ellen Only, Beginner, and Ikon Friends & Family.
All Mountain Tickets
All Mountain is your bread and butter ski anywhere ticket. Want to experience everything this place has to offer? This is the ticket for you. All Mountain ticket prices fluctuate based on the day, with a general rule of thumb being that busier days are more expensive. More on that later.
Mt. Ellen Only Tickets
Mt. Ellen Only tickets let you ski at only, and stick with me here, Mt. Ellen. They’re cheaper than your All Mountain ticket, but also offer less terrain. The most important thing here if you’re used to these tickets from past years is that this season we are only offering these tickets Monday through Friday, non-holiday from December 21st – March 12th. That means no weekend Mt. Ellen Only ticket most of the year. The reason for this is pretty straightforward: we are trying to protect the guest experience. On busy weekends and holidays, we’ve seen the Mt. Ellen parking lot fill up, requiring subsequent guests to have to park over at Lincoln Peak. They then have to take a shuttle from Lincoln Peak to Mt. Ellen just to ski. It’s not a great guest experience. The Mt. Ellen Only ticket is a great value option midweek at just $79 most days or in the second half of March for weekends at $89. And hey we’ll be offering another great Thursday deal this year with $49 Thursdays.
Beginner Tickets
Then you have the Beginner Ticket, offered daily (once we have beginner terrain open) for $67. This gets you access to the Welcome Mat and Village Quad at Lincoln Peak and the Sunshine Quad at Mt. Ellen. You could also consider this a park ticket since it nets you access to the terrain park lift at Mt. Ellen. It’s worth remembering here that this is a flat rate for all ages 5 and above. I think a lot of people didn’t realize we offered these. It’s a great deal if you’re planning to stick to those lifts.
Ikon Friends & Family Ticket
Finally, you have the Ikon Friends & Family Ticket, which all Ikon Pass Holders get each season. These are going to be less expensive than an All Mountain ticket but will still get you the same access to both mountains.
Lift Ticket Calendar
Let’s look at a few examples here. Our ticket pricing is dynamic, so as you’ll see below prices can change as a day gets busier. Avoiding weekends and holidays in peak season will always net you better deals.
It’s worth noting that the numbers in these charts below likely aren’t what you’re seeing now depending on when you’re reading this blog. Again, that’s why you want to buy as soon as possible to lock in the best deals! Prices are only going to keep going up.
So take a look below at December. The holidays are priced up at $189 but the weekend prior is $60 cheaper. It’s even less as you look back earlier into the month. Your schedule flexibility can go a long way to saving you some money.
Same with January. You can ski (at the time of writing) for as low as $109 in the middle of the week. And these are just All Mountain Tickets. Mt. Ellen Only tickets are even less midweek.
I won’t go through every month here, but the point remains the same all season long. The earlier you buy tickets, the better the deal you’ll find. But at the end of the day, like I said at the beginning, Quad Packs are still going to be your best value, so don’t wait on buying them! And no matter what, you should not walk up to the ticket window and buy a ticket straight up. That will be the most expensive ticket option we have, and you can always purchase online, even day of, to save a few dollars.
Hopefully this helps shed some light on what types of lift tickets we’re offering this year, and how to navigate their pricing. I’ll end with a final note and say that season passes continue to provide the best bang for your buck in this sport. If you’re planning to ski more than a handful of times here, passes are the way to go.