The most affordable ski resort in the US is right here in New York — and fans call it ‘awesome’

At least there’s one thing in New York that’s still affordable.

Skiers looking to save a bundle need not leave the Empire State — where a resort called “awesome” by die-hard fans was just ranked the cheapest in the country.

Vacation rental aggregator HomeToGo crunched the data — like so much fresh powder — on popular hills from coast to coast, with Gore Mountain in The Adirondacks schussing effortlessly into first.

Located in the tiny town of North Creek in Warren County, Gore — which bills itself as New York’s largest ski resort — is one of three hills in the state owned by the public and operated by the Olympic Regional Development Authority, a state agency.

Whiteface, further north near Lake Placid, and Belleayre in The Catskills are the other two.

The survey authors said that Gore’s combined lift ticket price of $107 per day for an adult and a night in a vacation rental at $88.02 per person, on average, was the cheapest out of scores of resorts sampled — for a total of $195.02 per day for one cost-conscious skier.

The average daily cost of a lift ticket at resorts included in the survey was $188.15, the snow scouters said.

The median cost for a vacation rental, per person, per night, was $164.41.

Gore, with a 2,537 vertical drop, is located approximately an hour and a half from Albany.

Snowmaking on the mountain’s 115 trails is done with water from the Hudson River.

Fans are known to leave glowing reviews of the destination on sites like On The Snow, where one skier said that Gore “never disappoints.”

“From the steeps to the cruisers, the skiing is awesome,” they gushed.

“I finally feel like I am getting something for all the taxes I pay to live in New York,” they mused.

In second place on the list is Washington’s Mount Baker, mere miles south of the border near Vancouver, B.C.

Located inside national park lands, a lift ticket costs $94.27, according to the survey, while accommodations come in at $106.65 per person, for a total of $200.92.

The resort, at its highest point, goes as high as 5,089 feet — nearly as high as Denver, Colo.

Whitefish, Montana is one of the country’s hottest — and increasingly pricey — mountain towns, but the Whitefish ski resort takes the bronze as the third most affordable, for a total sum of $223.02 per day.

Maine and New Mexico contributed two spots apiece to the Top 10, while ski hotspots Vermont and Colorado offered up just one each. Oregon occupied the final spot.

The most affordable ski vacations in the US for 2024

1. Gore Mountain, New York
2. Mount Baker, Washington
3. Whitefish, Montana
4. Sugarloaf, Maine
5. Ski Santa Fe, New Mexico
6. Sunday River, Maine
7. Purgatory, Colo.
8. Jay Peak, Vermont
9. Angel Fire, New Mexico
10. Mount Bachelor, Oregon

The list was released as survey compilers noted a significant year-over-year increase — 29% — in interest in ski region stays, according to Eleanor Moody, a travel expert at HomeToGo.

“While traditional favorites remain popular, our data reveals a growing interest in hidden gem destinations like Mount Baker and Whitefish, which rank highly for affordability, suggesting that travelers are seeking more budget-friendly options for ski trips,” Moody said.