In recent years, dynamic pricing for lift tickets has been a hot topic in the world of America’s slopesport resorts. When a dynamic pricing structure is in place, the price of each lift ticket can vary, typically based on how many people are at a resort on a given day.

One reason some ski areas implemented the pricing model is to help with crowd control, with cheaper tickets providing an incentive for attendance on days when fewer people are at a resort while more expensive tickets on peak days help to prevent crowds from getting even worse. It also opens the door for shockingly low (or high) lift ticket prices on days when resort attendance is far from the norm.

Southwestern Colorado’s Purgatory Resort, located near Durango, is one local spot that utilizes the dynamic pricing model for their lift tickets, with tickets priced as low as $9 this season. (During our October 27 check of the website, the lowest we found was $10, including at least one Saturday date). Tickets under $20 aren’t hard to find, either.

“If [ticket prices] seem high, we’ll probably be busy that day. Purchasing your tickets early lets you shop for the best rates and get to the fun stuff even faster,” said the resort regarding the dynamic pricing system in the past.

While the dynamic pricing system can mean finding great deals and is meant to help improve the overall skiing experience by keeping a mountain at its ideal capacity, some American skiers have taken issue with the way it can result in ticket prices that vary wildly from day to day. For example, last season an Arizona resort saw prices spike to above $300 per single-day lift ticket on a day with good snow, while other dates on the mountain were priced at just $35.

Are you a fan of the dynamic pricing model? Let us know in the comments.

Regardless of if you’re a fan or not, the current deal at Purgatory is undeniably great – $9 for a day of skiing almost seems too good to be true. Find information about purchasing Purgatory Resort lift tickets here.