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This ski season, perhaps more than any other in the recent past, finds Lake Tahoe ski resorts offering unprecedented savings to skiiers and snowboarders.  In this article, you'll find the best ski lift deals, specifically at Alpine Meadows (map).  The ticket prices are discussed here in order from most expensive to least expensive.  Another variable to these ticket options is flexibility; some tickets may be limited by what days they can be used and by whom.  This article looks solely at the price of an adult full day lift ticket.  It does not take into consideration lodging, or other vacation-related expenses.

A regular Adult Full Day lift ticket is $69 at Alpine.  If you plan to visit Alpine during a 'Holiday Period' (12/26/09-1/2/10; 1/16-1/17; 2/13-2/14), you'll pay $74 for a full day ticket. If you're paying these prices, you're paying top dollar.

Alpine, the resort, offers the 'Alpine Club' membership as a means of reducing their lift ticket prices.  It costs $15 to join the 'Alpine Club'.  Members are entitle to various benefits, including five ski lift ticket options. As an Alpine Club member, you can purchase your lift ticket at the resort for $65 on non holidays, and for $69 during Holiday Periods.

The Ski Tahoe North Interchangeable Lift Ticket is the best lift ticket deal you'll find at Lake Tahoe, taking into consideration both price and flexibility.  Offered in 3 to 7 day packs, these tickets average to about $66 per day, any day, holiday or not, and they are transferrable.  They are good at seven popular North Lake Tahoe ski resorts.  They are so flexible that you can literally wake up in the morning and decide which resort you choose to use one of the vouchers at that day.  You can even share the vouchers with friends, even if they live in an area which would preclude them from buying these special tickets themselves.  In fact, who may purchase these tickets is the only significant limitation; most folks living in Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area cannot purchase them.  Check here for details.

At Snowbomb.com, you have the option of buying a 'Tahoe Card' for $39.  As long as you purchase online and at least one day in advance, the Tahoe Card entitles you to $10 off the $69 lift ticket rate.  On your fifth day of skiing or boarding at Alpine, the Tahoe Card discount on Alpine lift tickets starts to 'pay off'.  Each Adult all day ticket will then be $59.

For $59, Alpine Club members can purchase a full day ticket, even during Holiday Periods as long as the ticket is purchased in advance and online.  Taking into consideration the $15 dollar Alpine Club membership, this option starts to be attractive on your third day of skiing or boarding at Alpine.

You can purchase Adult Full Day tickets from the Ghiradelli Square Concierge.  This offfer includes an hour of free parking at Ghiradelli Square.
 
Alpine Club members may also choose from a 6 day pack, for $295 and a 4 day pack for $220. The six day pack amounts to paying $51 per day, including the price of membership; the four day pack amounts to $58.75 per day.  An Alpine representative confirmed these tickets may be used any day throughout this season; they do not need to be used consecutively.  These tickets are not, however, transferrable. 

On certain days, randomly selected by Alpine, throughout the season, members can purchase a lift ticket for $44 for a full day.  Members receive an email letting them know which days were selected for this price option.

For the skiier or snowboarder that plans to ski 15 days, or more, at Alpine Meadows and/or Homewood Mountain Resort this season, the season pass entitled 'Tahoe's Unfiltered Alpine Homewood Passes' is the best deal for you.  At  the price of $999, this pass is quite an investment. 

If you know you're not planning the ski or snowboard on the blackout dates,  Dec 26, 2009-Jan 2, 2010; Jan 16-17, 2010; Feb 13-14, 2010, the 'Tahoe's Slightly Filtered Alpine Homewood Pass' might be your best option.  As long as you plan to ski at one or both of these resort for 10 or more days this season, and not on the black out dates, this is the least expensive option for you. 

The 'Midweek + Sunday Alpine Meadows Season Pass', at $599, has the same blackout dates as the pass above, adding Saturdays to the blackout dates.  If you plan to ski or board nine or more days, only at Alpine, only Sundays and not on the black out dates, this is the least expensive pass for you.