Slight bump to season pass prices next winter

Powder hounds eager for next winter can start saving — and paying — now for a 2014-15 season pass to Whitefish Mountain Resort.

The resort announced this week its early-season pass rates and payment options.

Adult season passes are priced at $610 through the end of September. Senior and college passes are $510, teens $335 and juniors $170.

The adult rate is a $15 increase over the 2013-14 price.

Even with the bump in price, Whitefish’s pass rates are below or on par with other regional resorts. A season pass to Big Sky Ski Resort next winter is priced at $1,199, Schweitzer Mountain in Idaho is $649 and Bridger Bowl is $599.

“We still want to be about value, that’s part of who we are,” said resort spokeswoman Riley Polumbus. “We try to keep it in the range where people can afford to buy a pass and go skiing.”

Whitefish is offering three payment options for early-season pass purchases. Pay over six months, pay half now and half later, or pay the full amount.

Perks with a 2014-15 pass include four reduced-rate lift tickets for friends and family, five free days of skiing at Red Lodge Mountain Resort and Homewood Mountain Resort in California, and unlimited scenic lift rides in summer 2015. Pass holders also receive discounts on dining, clothing, ski lessons and lodging.

Whitefish is planning a Dec. 6 opening for next winter.