Even though there is not yet snow on the ground, now is a good time to buy your season pass before the prices go up.

If you want to ski at Copper Mountain, you have a couple of options:

The Copper Mountain Season Pass is $369 and entitles the purchaser to unlimited skiing and riding at Copper Mountain.  Your pass will also be loaded with 10 discount tickets that your friends and family may use.  A Copper Pass also entitles you to 20% of the window ticket rate at Park City, Killington, Boreal, Mt Bachelor, Las Vegas, and Pico.  Additionally, One Hit Wonder (safety) Sessions at Woodward at Copper are Buy 1 Get 1, Woodward Winter Camp Days are Buy 1 Get 1 50% off, and you receive 10% off Drop-in Skate/BMX/Air-Bag sessions at Woodward.

The Rocky Mountain Super Pass is $409 and entitles you to unlimited skiing and riding at Copper, Winter Park, and Mary Jane.  You also receive 10 discount tickets at Copper and 10 at Winter Park.

The Rocky Mountain Super Pass + is $459.  You receive the same benefits as the Rocky Mountain Pass with the addition of 6 unrestricted days at Steamboat.

Wells Fargo has a deal that combines a Copper Pass with opening a new account.  Students, faculty, and staff at colleges in Colorado and Wyoming are eligible to receive a 2-for-1 ADULT Rocky Mountain Super Pass voucher when they open a new Wells Fargo checking account with an initial balance of $100 by 12/11/11.  Voucher must be redeemed by 12/11/11 and student must provide proof of college enrollment when they open the account.  Students, staff, and faculty must provide college-issued ID cards to redeem the voucher.

The Rocky Mountain Super Pass + College Pass is $349.  You get unlimited skiing and riding at Copper, Winter Park, and Mary Jane plus 6 unrestricted days at Steamboat.  The only catch is that you must purchase this pass in person at either the Winter Park ticket office or Front Range Christy Sports locations.  To be eligible, you must be a full-time college student with a valid ID and a copy of your current class schedule.  You DO NOT have to be a student at a college in Colorado (but you DO still have to show your face at Christy Sports or Winter Park to buy it).

If you are on active duty in the military or retired from the military, the Patriot Rocky Mountain Super Pass + is $259.  Offers the same benefits as the Super Pass +s listed above (unlimited Copper, Winter Park, & Mary Jane with 6 days at Steamboat).  Must be purchased in person at the Winter Park ticket office or at Christy Sports locations in Denver.  If you wish to not have the 6 days at Steamboat, the Patriot Rocky Mountain Super Pass is $239.

Copper and Winter Park both offer 4-Pack tickets which is basically a pass that is valid for 4 unrestricted (WP/MJ does block out Dec 27 thru 31) days throughout the season for the purchaser.  The cost is $139 for Copper and $149 for Winter Park / Mary Jane.  New passes must be purchased in person at the resort or select Christy Sports locations

Steamboat Season Passes are $719 for full-time students and $1029 if you are not a full-time student.  PRICES GO UP ON AUGUST 15TH TO $1029 and $1239!!  If you are a parent, your purchase of an adult pass qualifies your child (age 12 and under) for a FREE Steamboat Pass.  For an additional $75, you can add unlimited riding at Winter Park, but the add-on must be purchased by December 17th or the first use of your pass, whichever comes first.  Adult passholders receive 4 discount tickets for friends and family and College passholders receive 2.

If you only plan on skiing 6 or 15 days this season, you can purchase a Steamboat PURE Pass for $519 or $819 respectively until August 15th.  After August 15th, you cannot purchase the 6 day pass and the 15 day pass goes up in price to $919.  Days do not need to be used consecutively.  Passholder is allowed to buy $39 tickets once they’ve used up the days on their PURE pass.  If you are the parent of a student attending the Steamboat campus and you enjoy skiing, a PURE pass may be cheaper than buying day tickets, as many areas charge $100 a day or more for a lift ticket.

For all of the passes above (except Wells Fargo), click here for more information.

I personally like Copper, but I know that other people like the Vail Resorts, so here is information about passes for those areas:

The Epic Pass is $649 for an adult.  It offers unlimited access to Vail, Keystone, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, A*Basin, Heavenly, and Northstar-At-Tahoe.

The Epic Local Pass (formerly the Colorado Pass) costs $499.  You receive unlimited access to Breckenridge, Keystone, and A*Basin.  You also receive 10 restricted days at Beaver Creek and Vail (combined… not 10 days each).  There are also limited restrictions on using the pass at Heavenly and Northstar.

The Summit Value Pass entitles you to unlimited skiing and riding at A*Basin and Keystone.  You can ski at Breckenridge with limited restrictions.  Cost is $409.

The Epic 7 Day costs $499 and gives you 7 unrestricted days at Vail, Keystone, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, A*Basin, Heavenly, and Northstar-At-Tahoe.

Click here for more information about these passes.

In my opinion, the Colorado Gems Card is an offer that one should not pass up.  At this time, their website does not provide any exact details for this coming season.  In the past, card holders have been able to ski free for a day in February at Ski Cooper and for a day in April at Monarch.  You also receive discounts on lift tickets and 2 for 1 deals at A*Basin, Echo, Eldora, Loveland, Monarch, Powderhorn, Ski Cooper, Sunlight, and SolVista.  My suggestion: Get a group of friends together, each buy a card (they have been $10 in the past), and have fun this winter exploring smaller ski areas in the state.  Click here for more information.

As of 9/5/11: The Gems Card is available for purchase. 
Purchaser is eligible for a free day of skiing at Ski Copper in February and at Monarch in April. 
2-for-1 tickets are available at Arapahoe Basin, Echo Mountain, Loveland Ski Area, Monarch Ski Area, Powderhorn, and SolVista Basin. 
Discounted lift tickets are available at Arapahoe Basin, Echo Mountain, Eldora, Loveland, Monarch, Powderhorn, Ski Cooper, SolVista Basin, and Sunlight. 
As one of my professors pointed out to my class the first year that I was out here, if you use the card once, you’ve made it worth the $10 that you spent.

If you would prefer to work at a resort and get your pass that way, now is probably a good time to work on a resume and start thinking about where you would like to work and what you would like to work as.

Volunteering with the Adaptive Ski Program at the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center is also an idea.  In exchange for you committing 3 days/month for the entire season, you receive a Breckenridge/Keystone/A*Basin pass.  While you do not make money doing this, it is more flexible than a resort job, and having volunteered with an organization that helps those with disabilities never looks bad on a resume.  In order to volunteer with the Adaptive Ski Program, you must be at least an intermediate skier or snowboarder and attend 6 training days (which are free).  If you do not agree to the 3 days/month for a pass offer, you will receive a lift ticket for the day you volunteer plus a lift ticket to use on a day of your choice later in the season.  Click here for more information.

This is by no means a complete list for all CMC campuses.  In Steamboat there is an area called Howelsen Hill and there is an area or two in Glenwood Springs.  However, being that I do not know anything about these areas (I’m not even sure on their names), I will leave it up to you to find information about these areas if that pertains to you.