Post-Holiday Skiing Prices Schuss Down to Earth

Take advantage of the lull that sets in from New Year’s to mid-February at some of the world’s top schussing spots to ski off holiday pounds at bargain rates.

In the West:

* Through Feb. 11, Rocky Mountain Tours, telephone (800) 525- 7547, is offering cut-rate packages to some of the big names of the Rockies and Sierra Nevada. They include round-trip air fare, five nights’ lodging, a three-day lift ticket and airport transfers or a rental car with unlimited mileage. One ski package is at Jackson Hole, Wyo., for $605 (double occupancy) from Los Angeles.

* Canada’s Rockies are just as spectacular as the United States’ (sometimes even more so), and an air-land package good from Jan. 3 through the end of the month can give you a taste of their glories for much less than you might expect.

Ski Vacation Planners, tel. (800) 822-6754, Internet https://www.skivacationplanners.com, is running a special package based on midweek travel from various cities and built around a six-night stay at the Banff Caribou Lodge, with its whirlpools, saunas, and health club. It also includes four days of lift tickets in the Sunshine/Lake Louise/Norquay areas, and ground transfers from Calgary airport. From Los Angeles the cost is $690 (double occupancy), or $738 with trip cancellation insurance.

Overseas:

* In Europe during January and March only (February is pricier), a seven-night stay in the key ski resort cities of Austria, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, is as little as $946 to Kitzbuhel, $1,088 to Innsbruck and $1,221 to Salzburg. The package is run by a well-regarded outfit called DER, tel. (800) 549-3737, Internet https://www.dertravel.com, which also has somewhat pricier trips to the French, Italian and Swiss Alps.

* For France’s Chamonix--boasting Europe’s highest peak, longest run and steepest vertical descent--air-land packages cost just $1,072 to $1,092 during the second and third weeks of January. A bit to the east, over the border in Switzerland, the downhill and cross-country trails of Interlaken can be yours during the first two weeks of January for $1,132 to $1,175.

The seven-night packages include round-trip air fare from LAX, lodgings, transfers, and daily breakfast and dinner.

For more information, contact Central Holidays, tel. (800) 935-5000, Internet https://www.centralholidays.com.

For seniors:

Yes, senior-citizen discounts have hit the slopes too. One club trafficking in them, called the Over the Hill Gang, is based in Colorado Springs, Colo. It claims more than 6,500 members, age 50 and older, throughout the 50 states and in 13 foreign countries.

For a fee of $40 a year ($100 for three years), it offers not only a quarterly newsletter but a membership card that can yield substantial discounts on lift tickets and lodgings. The gang also runs its own outings, such as “Vail Value Week.” From Jan. 4 to 10, you get six nights at the Evergreen Lodge plus a panoply of extras such as lift tickets, parties, activities and many meals for $829 per person (if you’re over age 70) to $1,029 (under 70) from Los Angeles. For more details, tel. (719) 389-0022, Internet https://www.skiersover50.com.