Everything here comes from skivermont.com — no aggregator sites. The program has run more than twenty years, and the price really is the best in the country. The catch is what makes it plannable.
Grade: fifth, and only fifth — the narrowest eligibility of any program we've verified. Access: three lift-ticket vouchers at each participating alpine area, and up to three at each participating cross-country area — more than 90 days across 40-plus areas. Price: $35. Residency: none required — open to any currently enrolled fifth grader, regardless of state or country.
The adult needs a valid ticket or pass
Passport holders must be accompanied by an adult with a valid lift ticket, trail pass, or season pass. That single line separates the eastern programs from the western ones. Colorado's and Utah's passports require no adult purchase — Epic states outright none is required — and Idaho only asks that a parent be present. Vermont requires the adult to buy in. So a "free" ski day at Stowe or Killington comes with an adult lift ticket attached, and those aren't cheap at Vermont destination resorts. The sticker price describes the child's cost, not the trip's.
That said — if you were going to ski anyway, your fifth grader skis free at forty places for thirty-five dollars, which is genuinely excellent. And if you already hold a Vermont season pass, this is close to free money.
Sales for 2026-27 open in September. The 2025-26 program has closed; applications reopen in the fall. Approval takes two to three business days, not counting weekends — if anything's missing, Ski Vermont emails you and holds the application until you supply it. Watch your spam folder for the approval email, and log into your account anytime to see whether your passport is pending or active.
Read this before you drive somewhere. Vermont doesn't have one process — it has a process per resort, and getting it wrong means standing at a window that can't help you.
Killington & Sugarbush
Vouchers are not valid at the ticket window. Killington: redeem at killington.com/redeem, then reload or pick up a One Pass RFID card at any kiosk. Sugarbush: redeem online and pick up your media on arrival.
Stowe (and others)
Stowe accepts vouchers at all windows, but on limited-inventory days only guests who reserved a voucher in advance are honored. If a date is no longer selectable in the Ski Vermont portal, third-party inventory for that day is gone — even if Stowe still sells regular tickets. At least one other area carries a daily cap too.
Several others
Just present the voucher at the ticket window to be scanned. At least one participating area carries no blackout dates at all.
💡 The practical rule: check your specific resort's redemption method and reserve your date in the portal before you commit to a trip. This is not a program you can decide on over breakfast.
Blackouts are set per resort, not program-wide, and they cluster on the obvious weeks: late November, the Christmas–New Year stretch, the mid-January holiday weekend, and Presidents' week in mid-February. Last season's dates ran roughly December 20 through early January at some areas, with Killington also blacking out late November and several areas closing off February 14–21 or 22. Confirm the 2026-27 dates when sales open in September — they move every year, and the set differs by mountain.
- Vermont season-pass holders with a fifth grader — you're already paying for your own skiing; $35 adds forty mountains for your kid.
- Families already planning a Vermont trip — the adult was buying a ticket regardless.
- Anyone with a fifth grader up for cross-country — the passport covers Nordic areas too, and an adult trail pass costs a fraction of an alpine lift ticket. That's the cheapest honest way to use it.
- Less good for a family wanting to ski free without an adult buying in — Colorado or Utah is the better answer there.
How much is the Ski Vermont Fifth Grade Passport?
$35 — 90+ days across 40-plus areas.
What grades qualify?
Fifth grade only.
Do we have to live in Vermont?
No — any enrolled fifth grader, any state or country.
Does a parent have to buy a lift ticket?
Yes. The passport holder must be accompanied by an adult holding a valid ticket, trail pass, or season pass. This is the catch the roundups omit.
When can I apply for 2026-27?
September 2026. Approval takes 2–3 business days.
Can I just show up at the ticket window?
Not everywhere. Killington and Sugarbush are online-only; Stowe and others cap daily inventory and require reserving your date in the portal first.
Vermont's price wins, but the adult-ticket rule is the fine print. The alternatives: New Hampshire is $59 for 30+ mountains at one day each (and sells out), Colorado stacks to 96 days for $77–$82 with no adult purchase, Utah is 45 days at 15 resorts for $79, and Idaho is the cheapest at $29. See the full side-by-side comparison.
🔎 How we verified this: every price, date, restriction, and redemption step came from skivermont.com — no aggregator or coupon sites. Blackout dates cited are from the most recently published season and will change for 2026-27; confirm terms when sales open in September.
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