Seriously. Me and 3 friends going from AUS to DEN or Reno. I'm pretty sure about the plane tickets (co) but not lodging in Heavenly. Any clues for that area (Heavenly)?

For Tahoe, go during the week and stay at one of the cheap Casinos (e.g. The Horizon) or one of the no-tell places on the California side of Stateline. But I wouldn't do Tahoe if you can go anywhere in Colorado for the same $$$. There's a reason they call the snow in Tahoe "Sierra Cement."

Does anyone know of ski in-ski outs at Heavenly? For me I just want the easiest booking. Bueller? Anyone?

Ski in / ski out and "cheap ski trip" are contradictory terms. Heavenly has a gondola that leaves from a parking lot in the Casinos area in Stateline. Stay around the casinos if you are looking for the best mix of inexpensive and convenient.

At DEN you can get great deals through Priceline on a car rental (just not SUVs) for around $20/day or less then either stay in DEN and drive up to the mountains (like the locals!) -- about 1.5 to 2 hours drive -- or stay in Frisco/Dillon/Silverthorne. Some of the hotels here are part of Hotwire/Priceline and good deals can be had on those as well.

As the rjque mentioned, for ski-in / ski-out lodging you will pay unless reserved far in advance. Check the websites of the major resorts for mid-week deals and don't be afraid to look at "secondary" resorts that are not the typical tourist destinations (Crested Butte, Winter Park/Mary Jane, Copper, Loveland, Steamboat, Eldora, etc.). Obviously Heavenly, Breckenridge, Vail, Aspen, Keystone and other heavily market resorts will be charging up the nose.

My favorite cheap way to get some great skiing in is to go to Salt Lake City, stay in the south end of town in a cheap hotel, and take the public bus up to the Cottonwood Canyon ski areas. As an example, you can stay at the La Quinta at 7231 Catalpa Rd, Midvale, Utah for around $80 per night; take the ski bus for $6.50 round trip from just outside the hotel to either Solitude/Brighton or Snowbird/Alta, and then ski for $53 at Brighton or $59 at Alta. You can also get discounted tickets at various places in Salt Lake. If you have a lot of people, rent a basic condo, and it will be even cheaper.

"Cheap ski trips - how do you do it?"

Live in Salt Lake City and ski the backcountry. Seriously.

Otherwise your best choice is to watch for cheap ticket, get a place with a kitchenette and a fold out couch, stuff 4 people in it and cook your own meals. As for tickets, ski the smaller resorts or ski the backcountry. As for transport as was mentioned take the bus.

I agree with all the other posts, but living in SF, I've learned to love Sierra cement.

One semi-budget ski-in/out accommodation at Heavenly where I've stayed and which I've found pretty reasonable is the Concept Sierra condo complex--they're rented by owners--on the CA side. Not the most luxe of condos, but the units I've rented have been more than respectable, and they turn up on the Craigslist vacation home listings in the bay area (so you deal with owners--maybe not as easily booked as you wanted, but you have to give on something here). Full disclosure--not necessarily ski-in/out to your door--there's usually a little walking across a parking lot--but no driving and 5 min walk max.

There are a bunch of ski in/out condos (or close to it) on the Nevada side, up Kingsbury Grade. They can be pricey, but many are timeshare units that can be rented pretty cheaply on ebay.

I have done several cheap ski trips: Jackson Hole (7 days, transportation, lodging, ski tickets, food for about $450), Austria (significantly more, but still under $100 per day including airfare, and am headed to Colorado this winter. We are staying in Silverthorne, which is about 10 minutes from Keystone, 20 each from Breckenridge and Copper, and about 15 from Arapahoe Basin. I would recommend staying there (we got a $66 a night rate for the first week in January off Priceline), and driving/taking the bus to the resorts.

Arapahoe Basin will be your cheapest option for skiing, make sure you get a Colorado Gems card to save more. PM me for info on how we do it.

I am currently planning a trip to Japan and we intend to also do it for under $100 per day and should be successful.

I've been skiing the Colorado area, Tahoe area, and Salt Lake area for many years. There is no cheaper place to ski than the greater Salt Lake area. Houses and condos are ridiculously inexpensive, as is the transportation. Hotels are cheap compared to other cities. You can find some great skiing for not much money also. Altaskier's recommedation of the Midvale area is dead-on. I've been staying out there for over 20 years. 15 minutes from Alta, the greatest snow on earth....(well, except for right now..everything's bare out west!)

From Austin they have a ton of great ding! fares on southwest to Denver and other ski destinations...
$69/each way to denver...

Flyer_70,

Check VRBO.com. You can usually find a decent condo and save some $$'s. I have used this website to book inexpensive accomodations for Breck., Park City and Whistler. (Not to mention a trip upcoming to Kauai ) Also, check this website out and ask these folks about some of the accommodations in the Tahoe area, www.epicski.com I've never skied Tahoe if that is in fact your final destination, but the skiers at epic will have local beta for you on not just where to stay but where to ski and where to eat.

WOW! Just checked out VRBO.com. What a fantastic resource! I just found the house I want to rent when we return to San Miguel de Allende Mexico. And now I'm looking for new places we've wanted to go. Great! Thanks for posting that!