NEWTON, Mass., Dec. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor^®, the world's largest travel site*, today announced its annual TripIndex Ski, a cost comparison of 25 popular ski destinations throughout the United States and Canada, revealing that on average, ski destinations in the West ($446) are 33 percent more expensive than Northeast slopes ($335).

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The TripIndex Ski takes into account the combined average cost of common ski trip expenses including a one-night hotel stay, a single-day lift ticket, a basic ski equipment rental package, and a meal at a local restaurant consisting of a burger and fries paired with a bottle of domestic beer.

Top Spots to Splurge and Save

• The 2013-2014 average cost of a North American ski trip is $422, up 3 percent year-over-year.
• Vail, Colorado is the most expensive destination in this year's TripIndex Ski at $784, 86 percent above the average.
• Durango, Colorado offers travelers the most affordable ski trip ($214), coming in at roughly half the average TripIndex cost and less than one-third the cost of a ski trip in Vail.

Destinations with the Largest Year-Over-Year Price Decrease:

1. Kingfield, Maine (-14%)
2. Mont-Tremblant, Quebec (-11%)
3. Whistler, British Columbia (-6%)
4. Big Sky, Montana (-5%)
5. Taos, New Mexico (-4%)

Destinations with the Largest Year-Over-Year Price Increase:

1. Sun Valley, Idaho¹ (+ 40%)
2. Steamboat Springs, Colorado (+14%)
3. Lake Tahoe, California¹ (+13%)
4. Park City, Utah (+9%)
5. Whitefish, Montana (+8%)

Cross-country Costs

• While the West is home to eight of the 10 priciest spots on the list of 25 ski destinations, travelers can also head towards the Pacific to save at the three least expensive destinations on the TripIndex: Durango, Colo. ($214); Bend, Ore. ($223); Taos, N.M. ($229).
• Kingfield, Maine is the most affordable Northeast location for packing down the powder ($244), followed by North Conway, N.H. ($247) and Stowe, Vt. ($370).
• Travelers crossing country borders will find little discernible difference between prices, as a Canadian ski trip averages only 1 percent more than in the United States.
• The most affordable Canadian destination is Banff, Alberta ($324), while Mont-Tremblant, Quebec is the costliest ($466).

"While ski trips in the Northeast tend to be more affordable than in the West, the TripIndex Ski identifies several West Coast destinations including Durango, Colorado and Bend, Oregon where travelers can shred and save," said Brooke Ferencsik, director of communications for TripAdvisor.

TripIndex Best Value North American Ski Destinations

TripIndex Most Expensive North American Ski Destinations

The full 2013/2014 TripIndex is available at http://www.tripadvisor.com/InfoCenter-a_ctr.TripindexSki_US_2013.

Notes to Editors

TripIndex Ski looks at 25 popular ski destinations across the United States and Canada. The list was editorially compiled using information from ski and travel experts, as well as TripAdvisor site data. Prices were collected through a variety of research methods outlined below.

Hotel prices shown reflect the average nightly rate of a hotel found on TripAdvisor within a five-mile radius of the destination. On average, 19 hotels were included in the total cost of each destination. Pricing information was sourced from partner booking sites for the winter travel period December 15, 2013 — April 15, 2014.

^[1]Hotel prices in Sun Valley and Lake Tahoe were taken from a 10-mile radius. In 2012, prices for these destinations were taken from a five-mile radius.

Lift ticket prices reflect the average cost of an adult lift ticket for one day to ski resorts in each destination.

Ski equipment rental prices specify the average cost of a basic ski equipment rental package (boots, skis, poles). The cost shown is the average price of three ski hire packages provided by suppliers in the destination.

Food prices shown reflect the average cost of a burger and fries sourced from three local restaurants.

Beer prices shown reflect the average cost of a bottle or draft of domestic beer sourced from three local restaurants. 

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor^® is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 260 million unique monthly visitors**, and more than 125 million reviews and opinions covering more than 3.1 million accommodations, restaurants, and attractions. The sites operate in 34 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to millions of monthly TripAdvisor visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 21 other travel media brands: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com,  www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com,  www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.virtualtourist.com, www.whereivebeen.com, and www.kuxun.cn. 

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, June 2013

**Source: Google Analytics, worldwide data, July 2013

©2013 TripAdvisor, Inc. All rights reserved. 

 

 

 

 

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/63172-tripadvisor-travelers-face-steeper-prices-for-ski-vacations-in-2013-14

SOURCE TripAdvisor