Ski.com predicts the best week of the winter season for a ski or snowboarding vacation

There’s no perfect science to picking the perfect ski or snowboarding vacation, but ski travel retailer Ski.com thinks it has a handle on when you should go. After grinding some data, the Colorado-based company says the second week in January may be the sweet spot for a “low-cost, crowd-free, powder-filled” getaway this winter season.

Ski.com looked at vacation prices at popular U.S. resorts such as Aspen and Beaver Creek in Colorado. It found ski package prices Jan. 9 to Jan. 14 as much as 45% lower than December holidays, spring break or Presidents Day weekend, according to a news release.

I decided to test this by checking availability for ski packages at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area in Mammoth Lakes, Calif. Prices for the week of Jan. 9 ($1,888 for six nights) were lower than the following week of Jan. 16 (which includes Martin Luther King Jr. Day, $2,221 for six nights). Costs include a one-bedroom condo for two at Mammoth Mountain Inn and lift tickets for two each day.

As for crowds, Ski.com looked at arrival data for more than 25,000 recent ski vacation reservations and found the Jan. 9 week to be one of the least busy. In fact, the number of people who travel at that time was on average 44% lower than any weekend in February.

But what about snow? OpenSnow forecaster Joel Gratz says early January is a good time to go because resorts have built up their base depths and most of their terrain is likely open, the release says.

But will Jan. 9 really will be the week of magical skiing? You’ll just have to go and find out for yourself.

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