TripAdvisor TripIndex Ski Reveals Northeast Slopes One-Third Less Expensive Than West Coast Ski Destinations

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Dec 19, 2013, 06:00 ET

NEWTON, Mass., Dec. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor^®, the world's largest travel site*, today announced its annual TripIndex Ski, a cost comparison of 25 popular ski destinations throughout the United States and Canada, revealing that on average, ski destinations in the West ($446) are 33 percent more expensive than Northeast slopes ($335).

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TripAdvisor reveals its annual TripIndex Ski, a cost-comparison of North American ski destinations. (PRNewsFoto/TripAdvisor) (PRNewsFoto/TRIPADVISOR)

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The TripIndex Ski takes into account the combined average cost of common ski trip expenses including a one-night hotel stay, a single-day lift ticket, a basic ski equipment rental package, and a meal at a local restaurant consisting of a burger and fries paired with a bottle of domestic beer.

Top Spots to Splurge and Save

The 2013-2014 average cost of a North American ski trip is $422, up 3 percent year-over-year.
Vail, Colorado is the most expensive destination in this year's TripIndex Ski at $784, 86 percent above the average.
Durango, Colorado offers travelers the most affordable ski trip ($214), coming in at roughly half the average TripIndex cost and less than one-third the cost of a ski trip in Vail.

Destinations with the Largest Year-Over-Year Price Decrease:

Kingfield, Maine (-14%)
Mont-Tremblant, Quebec (-11%)
Whistler, British Columbia (-6%)
Big Sky, Montana (-5%)
Taos, New Mexico (-4%)

Destinations with the Largest Year-Over-Year Price Increase:

Sun Valley, Idaho¹ (+ 40%)
Steamboat Springs, Colorado (+14%)
Lake Tahoe, California¹ (+13%)
Park City, Utah (+9%)
Whitefish, Montana (+8%)

Cross-country Costs

While the West is home to eight of the 10 priciest spots on the list of 25 ski destinations, travelers can also head towards the Pacific to save at the three least expensive destinations on the TripIndex: Durango, Colo. ($214); Bend, Ore. ($223); Taos, N.M. ($229).
Kingfield, Maine is the most affordable Northeast location for packing down the powder ($244), followed by North Conway, N.H. ($247) and Stowe, Vt. ($370).
Travelers crossing country borders will find little discernible difference between prices, as a Canadian ski trip averages only 1 percent more than in the United States.
The most affordable Canadian destination is Banff, Alberta ($324), while Mont-Tremblant, Quebec is the costliest ($466).

"While ski trips in the Northeast tend to be more affordable than in the West, the TripIndex Ski identifies several West Coast destinations including Durango, Colorado and Bend, Oregon where travelers can shred and save," said Brooke Ferencsik, director of communications for TripAdvisor.

TripIndex Best Value North American Ski Destinations

	Destination	Hotel	Ski Gear Rental	Lift Ticket	Food	Beer	Total
1	Durango, Colorado	$96.81	$28.33	$77.00	$8.98	$3.25	$214.37
2	Bend, Oregon	$99.95	$29.67	$79.00	$10.97	$3.67	$223.26
3	Taos, New Mexico	$122.07	$28.00	$63.25	$11.00	$4.92	$229.24
4	Kingfield, Maine	$111.62	$34.00	$83.00	$11.31	$4.08	$244.01
5	Salt Lake City, Utah	$124.18	$26.65	$79.00	$10.33	$4.63	$244.79
6	North Conway, New Hampshire	$137.18	$33.33	$63.83	$9.23	$3.67	$247.24
7	Whitefish, Montana	$169.66	$29.00	$69.00	$10.25	$3.33	$281.24
8	Jackson Hole, Wyoming	$177.83	$39.65	$76.50	$13.65	$4.90	$312.53
9	Banff, AB, Canada	$183.64	$43.65	$76.98	$13.85	$5.93	$324.05
10	Stowe, Vermont	$220.90	$36.00	$98.00	$11.90	$3.37	$370.17