Steamboat is one of the most popular winter destinations in the World, largely due to its impeccable slopes and round the year cover of frost. Also known as Ski Town USA, this Colorado city is one of the best places to experience the Rocky Mountains.
The snow has forced people to turn innovative for years. People have been compelled to come up with alternative means of walking, transporting their goods and livestock in addition to the ways to keep warm and shelter themselves from the cold. Things such as skis, snowboards and sledges that seem like tools of winter fun to most, not too long age were essential to survival. Yet, it was this very snow that brought Steamboat on to the world map as a skiing spot. With the development of the city, a lot of new feature came in to make life more comfortable for the traveler as well as the native. One such feature, without which the winter-industry in Steamboat would collapse, is the ski lift. Although it may sound ridiculous, Steamboat Springs was acknowledged as a legitimate ski town only after the first ski lifts were installed.
Steamboat Springs has all the basic ways to get people from the bottom to the summit of a slope, from rope lifts and magic carpets to ski lifts and chairlifts to the highly luxurious gondolas. The city was the first to introduce the “kids ski free” program that allows children in the age group of 6 to 12 years, to access the ski lifts and slopes free of charge as long as they are accompanied by adults. The adults of course, even if they are senior citizens, have to pay their way in. The system, which functions on the principle of “1 free kid per paying adult”, has become the standard over the United States for ski-lift operators. However, children under the age of five, in any number always ski free in Steamboat. The general way to buy lift tickets is purchasing them for one day at a time. However, if travelers are certain to ski continuously for many days, they should go in for deals such as five-day/ten-day booking plans which offer free bonus days of skiing. Unless specified otherwise, multiple day tickets are meant for use on consecutive days and will not be transferred once the date is passed.
Other than purchasing ski tickets in Steamboat Springs after arrival, they can be booked online. The city’s official ski coupon website and many other online travel agencies offer this service. Pre-booking also guarantees great discounts and bargains for the traveler. On an average an adult can access the ski lifts and slopes for approximately $55 a day in off-seasons and $75 a day in the peak times.