College Ski Pass: New England

If your friends are anything like my friends, then no one has made up their mind about what ski pass to buy yet. You’re probably too busy figuring out how weird you can make your Halloween or that week of midterms that are coming up.

We at the Ski Monster like to provide the cold hard facts and we always strive to make things easy. So I have compiled a list of the various Ski Passes available in New England. Decisions, decisions, decision, hopefully this doesn’t make things harder in the long run.

The 4NH College Pass - $329 its valid at Cannon, Waterville, Bretton Woods, and Cranmore. There is no doubt that the 4NH is on your list if you go to school in New Hampshire, but its also a good option if you are coming home for winter break. You will break even with this pass just after 5.2 times out on the slope.

The New England Pass - $349 its good at Loon, Sunday River, and Sugarloaf. These three have always got good snow. Sunday River is always in the running to be the first open on the east coast, Sugarloaf snow fields will keep you coming back for more, and the Loon Park is always rated best in the east. If you can stand to make the long ride into Maine to make your turns, you will break even after 4.4 days out on the hill.

4.0 College Pass - $369 Killington, Pico, Okemo, and Sunapee
On their website it says that this pass is valid for current college students and 2013 graduates. Maybe its me, but this might be a loop hole for all those broke kids who graduated last May. 3 killer mountains in Vermont and another great one in NH makes this a great pass too. Only 4.6 days out will be your break even on this one.

Other College Ski Passes Include:

NH College Breakout Pass - $259 will get you in for free at Sunapee and Gunstock. Sunapee and Gunstock always seem to be a little under rated. The sun bowl at Sunapee and the night skiing at Gunstock will make this pass worthwhile. You will break even with this pass long before the grills come out on the Sunapee Snow Beach. You just need to ride 3.5 times to break even.

SOS College Pass - $315 Sunapee, Stratton, Okemo This can a very popular pass with UMass Students who are jetting up 91 on the weekend. There is a ton of fantastic terrain on these three mountains whether you want a small mountain without the crowds or a resort with more 6 person chairs than you’re used to. Break even on this pass is 3.5 times as well.

Live Ski & Ride College Pass - $259 Wildcat, Attitash, Crotched. This is definitely an under rated pass with UNH students. Lets face it, there is no easy way to east or west through New Hampshire and it can be annoying driving up route 4 every weekend. Wildcat and Attiash are a straight shot up rt. 16 and Crotched has midnight madness. Even if you only make it out once, its still pretty fun to say you caught the last chair at 3am. 3.7 times and you will break even on this pass.

Granite Gorge College Pass - $99 New England has many lost ski areas but Granite Gorge was one that came back. They initially made their mark with their signature green van that they turned into a rail feature in their park. There is no doubt that this is a small mountain, but don’t over look it for the price, especially if you go to school at Keene State College. You only have to make it over there 3 times to make it worth it.

As a general rule of thumb make sure you buy your pass before thanksgiving to ensure that they don’t jack up the price. Also keep your eye out at pre-season winter events like the Boston Ski Expo and the UNH Get Out of Bed and Shred. A lot of times the seasons pass office will send a crew to print your pass while you wait. There have been plenty of times when at that very same event they will sell you the pass for about $20 bucks less.