What to Look For in a Ski-in/Ski-out Vacation Rental

Ski-in/ski-out rental properties offer real advantages that will contribute to a perfect ski vacation. The ability to quickly access groomed ski slopes directly from your vacation lodging is not only convenient, but also allows you to avoid shuttle transportation, parking, and ticketing congestion, which can be frustrating and time consuming, particularly if you are skiing as a family or with a group of friends.

Of course, the convenience of being able to immediately ski on your schedule also means that you can be among the first skiers to enjoy a pristine powder morning, or you can come home for lunch without the need to waste time or money at crowded mountain restaurants.

Perhaps the best part of a ski-in/ski-out property is that at the end of your ski day you can leisurely return home to enjoy a soothing après ski experience while others must spend a considerable amount of time and effort to get themselves and their equipment back to their hotels. For those who are looking for the most relaxing and enjoyable ski vacation imaginable, ski-in/ski-out lodging is definitely the way to go.

Consider Before Making Reservations

Of course, because of these indisputable advantages, many lodging providers are quick to try and market their property as "ski-in/ski-out." If you are expecting to walk out your door, click on your skis, and glide down to the nearest lift, there are a few questions you should ask and things that you should know before you book a lodging reservation.

Some properties are not completely adjacent to the ski slope. This may mean that you have to access the slope via pathways, icy steps or even roadways. Be sure to find out how far your accommodations are located from the ski slope access point, and specifically ask about the actual conditions of access.
Some properties may have ski-in access or ski-out access, but both types of access are not convenient. For example, because of the property’s location on the ski slope you may need to walk or even hike up hill in order to access ski lifts. Be sure to ask about convenience of access both when skiing in and when skiing out. You should also ask about which ski lifts are directly accessible from your lodging property in order to make sure that the location is conducive to the skiing abilities of those in your party.
Some homes or other lodging accommodations are accessible to the ski slope only via private trails originally cut by the property developer. If the ski resort has no responsibility for maintaining the trails or if the trails are too narrow to be maintained by a snow-cat, they may be difficult or even impossible to safely use. Make sure that the property owners have made arrangements for grooming and/or maintaining the private access trails during the time period you will be staying at the property.
Depending upon snowfall, some properties may not be accessible to the ski slopes at all times during the winter ski season. During low snow years, many resorts artificially manufacture snow on certain popular ski runs. If your accommodations are not on those runs, or if the snow is otherwise insufficient to access the property, you may be disappointed. Be sure to ask about this, particularly if you are planning your ski vacation between the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays or after the first of March.

Selecting a Property

As you consider your next ski vacation, please keep in mind that "true" ski-in/ski-out properties usually come at a high price, or are associated with extremely high-density accommodations. If you are willing to make a few concessions, however, you can often find convenient access at a much lower rental cost. For example, The Caledonian, Lift Lodge and Town Lift are all located on Historic Main Street in Park City, Utah but are also immediately adjacent to the Park City Mountain Resort Town Lift and Town Bridge. Skiers can therefore access all the nightlife, shops, museums and restaurants of Park City without the higher cost of rental properties located directly on the ski slopes. At the same time, however, they still enjoy many of the advantages of other ski-in/ski-out properties.

Ski-in/ski-out lodging is a great way to eliminate stress and get the very most out of your long-awaited ski vacation. By doing a little research and knowing the questions to ask in advance, you can avoid any surprises and can ensure that your ski-in/ski-out accommodations provide the perfect location for your perfect vacation.