Cheap Lodging & Rentals?

[spil]

So I will hopefully be taking some friends up to A-Basin for about a week in late May, and we will be on a pretty tight budget. I'm looking for the cheapest hotel/hostel in the Summit/Clear Creek county area. The cheapest I could find so far is the Super 8 in Georgetown, which is about $75 a night for 4 people.

My friends have all never skied before, so they will need to rent skis, boots, and poles. A quick google shows that if I go to rentskis.com, I can get skis/boots/poles for $14 a day. Anyone know of anything cheaper than that?

Lastly, ski tickets. I have a season pass, which the website says gets "discounted tickets for friends and family." Is there a limit on how many tickets can get this discount, or are there any other coupons/deals to be had?

Any advice on how to do this on the cheap would be greatly appreciated! If anyone's still up in late May, just look for the hardbooter hanging out with a bunch of pizza-wedging guys in jeans and say hi!

[boostertwo]

I'm looking for the cheapest hotel/hostel in the Summit/Clear Creek county area. The cheapest I could find so far is the Super 8 in Georgetown, which is about $75 a night for 4 people.

At this time of the year you can get some excellent off-season deals on condos at Keystone (6 miles down the hill from the Basin). I've had good luck renting through VRBO:

http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/colorado/northwest/keystone

...ski tickets. I have a season pass, which the website says gets "discounted tickets for friends and family." Is there a limit on how many tickets can get this discount, or are there any other coupons/deals to be had?

I don't know what the season pass discount is for friends and family, but when friends come to visit in late spring I refer them to liftopia.com:

http://www.liftopia.com/results.php?ResortId=0&ResortGroup=&RegionCatId=R_3&NumberOfDays=5&NumberAdult=0&StartDate=2010-05-19

<img src="http://i39.tinypic.com/6zrj44.jpg" border="0" alt="Callan Chythlook-Sifsof, A-Basin, CO.">

Good luck, and have fun!

B-2

[Guest]

I hate to be the bearer of potential bad news, but A Basin hasn't specified a closing date yet. So I would make sure any reservations you make are completely refundable. The snow this year has been poor at best, so it is entirely possible they could close before late May. Also, even when they are open late, the beginner area (Molly Hogan) usually closes before the whole resort does, and only the upper mountain is open and you have to download on the chair to get back to the base. THere may not be terrain open that's apprioriate for never-evers, and since the snow has been lacking this year, its entirely possible that could be the case a month from now.

I'm not saying you're dead in the water, but I would make plans as late as possible and keep an eye on the A Basin website for when they post a closing date officially.

A Basin has $30 tickets now until the end of the season. I can't remember if you have to show another CO pass to get the deal, but I would guess it won't matter by late may. I'll be cheap. Good idea on the Keystone lodging idea.

[spil]

I don't know what the season pass discount is for friends and family, but when friends come to visit in late spring I refer them to liftopia.com

I'll definately point them toward that site, those are about like the kid prices listed on the A basin website, thanks.

As for weather closing, according to this, the closing date is "tentatively" set for June 6, so hopefully I'll be good... the last day we'd be skiing is may 25, so that gives around a 2 week buffer from June 6.