Yesterday, my 13 yr old daughter went skiing for the first time, in the Lancaster area (we live in the So.CA Santa Clarita Valley). SHE LOVED IT & is a natural....and of course, wants MORE. However it is pretty expensive, huh? Any suggestions of great places to ski w/in a 1-2-3 hour driving distance & if it is possible to get discounts, the best times to go, and other info. Tx. very much.

If u want to save a few bucks, look around in ur area for a Ski Club to join. Usually they have group trips & u can sometimes save a few bucks.

l started skiing when l was 11 & we did not have a lot of money. l went on ski trips with my school & scout troop the first few years & rented my equipment. l did not get my own skis until l was in High School.

l still did not have a lot of money then.so l did just about anything l could to get discounts. If 6 proof of purchases from Pepsi got me a $20 lift ticket, l brought the cans to the hill. My mom would get deals through AAA, We'd look all over for Buy-one-get-one-free deals.because almost every resort has them.you just have to look around.

If she really has the bug & wants to stick with it, getting a season pass BEFORE the season starts is a good way to save some dough. Use seasonal rentals on the equipment until she stops growing. It saves money over the course of the season.and over the long haul too.

When u r ready to buy, buy at the end of the season or find a ski swap in ur area. End of season sales r great.

Once she gets old enough she can get a job working at the mountain. A lot of places will take 15 year olds as junior instructors. Sometimes it is a non-paying job.but she will get to ski for free where she works & she might get discounts on other places too.

Same thing if she gets a job at a ski shop. They usually have comp tickets or shop passes to a ski area close by.

Unfortunately u will have to squeak by these next two years or so unless the local mountain has something for 13 year olds to do. Ask around though.Pico Mountain & Sugarbush in VT allow kids as young as 12 to work with the Disabled Skier Program. All of the instructors & helpers get to ski for free the day they r working with the clients & then get a comp ticket to use later in the season for a free day. You might have something like that in ur area.

Ski areas love quid-pro-quo help & most of them have some sort of volunteer program.

Good Luck!

Welcome to the crazy world of skiing
There r a few places to ski near LA. Big Bear/Snow Summit, Wrightwood has Mtn High&Sunrise aswell as Waterman & SnowCrest & least we forget Mt Baldy just across the LA county line in San Bernardino Co. Here is a pretty good link http://skicalifornia.com/
Midweek is always the best time to go skiing. Avoiding the crowds means less time spent waiting for the lift & more time on the slope, also less skiers mean the snow conditions hold up better=less ice. Nothing deters a beginner skier more than ice, once she becomes more adapt at skiing ice just becomes a ski condition(a condition that Socal resorts r notorious for) not a harrowing experience.
From a cost perspective pick a hill that is easy to get to & purchase a season pass. Do this early in the season Oct/Nov to get the preseason discount. With her being a teenager this should only cost about $300-$350/year. Buy her the best pair of skiboots ur budget allows, do not waste alot of money on skis, her skiing ability will constantly outgrow the skis & buying top of the line skis from the getgo will hurt her development. Used skis r probably the best way to go or buying at either the end of the season or getting last years models(after the new models come in) in late Nov. is the most cost effective way to go.
Do some research on ski maintainance & teach her to maintain her equipment properly. This will ensure that her equipment performs & lasts..this will cut down on the cost & be an invaluable skill when she gets older & skis at a racing level or just if she becomes someone like me who skis daily