By Alex Pasquariello, JetSetter — If you want to save on your ski trip this winter you better book your vacay ASAP. Alex Pasquariello outlines five strategies for getting the best deals on your lift tickets, hotel stays and après ski entertainment.

Ski Salt Lake City

It’s no secret that Utah offer’s the easiest access to big mountains and deep pow, with 10 superb ski resorts within an one-hour drive of Salt Lake City International Airport. But why even drive that far to pay resort-lodging prices? When you stay in Salt Lake City, a.k.a. Ski City, you don’t just save on pricey slopeside hotels—you also can save on lift tickets and transportation. The Beehive State’s buzzy capital is just a 30 minute bus ride to four of the top resorts in North America: Alta (2,200 acres), Brighton (1,050 acres), Snowbird (2,500 acres), and Solitude (1,200 acres). Buy the Ski City Super Pass for a discount on lift tickets to any of those four resorts ($246 for three day pass) including transportation on the Utah Transit Authority’s Ski Bus connecting Downtown Salt Lake City to Cottonwood Canyon. Your hotel options in this city are myriad, but we’re keen on Kimpton’s Hotel Monaco Salt Lake, which is located steps from city’s best restaurants and the sleek new Eccles Theater where the Winter 2017 schedule includes Matilda, Mama Mia, and The Lion King.