Photo: Station House Inn
The costs of skiing and riding your way through an entire winter can (and will) add up real fast. From getting your hands on new gear when you need it to securing a season pass, you’ll find yourself down a good chunk of change long before anybody fires up their snowmaking machines. Factor in gas money for day trips with friends, that $30 burger from the lodge you’re going to crave after two runs, flight costs when you decide to leave town and chase a storm, hotel stays, the list goes on — your winter tab is not cheap.
Among the most frustrating of costs is finding a place to stay, especially for spur-of-the-moment trips. Peak-season rates are offensive at any Airbnb or lodge. At best, you’re loaded and none of this matters. At minimum, you’re splitting costs with a group of friends then throwing “rock, paper, scissors,” for the right to sleep in your own twin-sized bed.
A hotel in South Lake Tahoe is remedying that stress by fixing the booking costs for skiers and snowboarders with a promotion no different than a season pass (and about the same cost, the way lift ticket prices go). For $5,000, the Station House Inn Black Pass offers unlimited stays throughout the winter — a promotion they’ve apparently run in seasons past (they have a similar promotion for the summer season, as well).
The pass includes the hotel’s Cozy King room, which is a little more than 200-square feet with a king bed, a shower/bath tub, dresser, and allows for dogs up to 25 pounds. For $20 more each time you call to lock in a stay, you can upgrade to a slightly larger room with two queen beds. With the exception of select blackout dates (the website doesn’t clarify which dates are blacked out but you can assume the basic Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years dates), there’s no limit on how many times you can call or email the hotel in advance and book a room between November 1, 2024 and April 30, 2025.
“No more scrambling for peak-season stays or feeling FOMO when your friends score the last slope-side room,” says the site.
For reference, the lowest rate for Station House’s king room during the season pass window is $109 but most nights are at least in the ballpark of $150 and up, currently. That will start to pay for itself if you’re planning on skiing a place like Heavenly at Tahoe in the ballpark of around 25 days. But the Blue and Green passes are similar deals with a fixed cost for a set number of nights. A $2,000 Blue Pass locks in 20 nights throughout the season and a $1,500 Green Pass is good for 10 nights.
The Station House Inn is in South Lake Tahoe, closest to Heavenly Ski Resort, a massive mountain in both California and Nevada owned by Vail. The Inn is about a 30-minute drive from Sierra at Tahoe, which is now open to Ikon Pass holders for the 2024-2025 season.
