Every year it seems the cost of a family ski vacation is getting higher and higher. Once you add up your accommodation, lift tickets, ski rentals, a couple of lessons for the kids and airport transfers (plus not to mention daily meals and compulsory après!), the yearly ski vacation is starting to look a lot less appealing.

This is where Scout comes in - we've put together our top tips for scoring the best ski deals and saving you the most on all the important things when it comes to a ski holiday.

1. Book Early - the BEST ski deals on offer each season are released in the first half of the year (think, February through August). You can save up to 30% on accommodation across the major ski resorts, plus many hotels offer Stay Pay deals (and discounted nightly rates) to encourage early bookings. Best of all, most have very flexible booking and cancellation policies, so you're not out of pocket if travel plans change down the track.

2. Lock in a season pass - Epic Pass and Ikon Pass are popular for a reason! Their overall value is unbeatable for those taking multiple ski trips each season, or staying a little longer at one resort (think 7+ nights). The lowest price for these passes is to book before March/April, with the cost increasing as the year progresses. Not only do you receive heavily discounted ski access (compared to regular resort lift tickets), you can take advantage of extra offers like 20% OFF ski rentals, lessons, lodging, and dining. Plus even more like deep 'renewal' discounts.

To give you an idea - a 6 day lift ticket at Steamboat is USD$1,506 (including 40% OFF deal) while the Ikon Pass is only USD$1,329 and gives you unlimited ski access. It's a no brainer!

3. Be Flexible! - if you can plan your ski trip avoiding the peak holiday dates, you can save BIG across the board. Enjoy a pre-Christmas ski trip this season, or travel the first week of January or either side of President's Weekend instead, when the nightly hotel rates and lift ticket pricing is kinder to the bank balance. Many great Early Bird Deal also have blackout dates across Christmas and NYE.

4. Kids Ski Free - we LOVE those three magical words. While the kids are still young (12 and under) consider one of the many ski resorts that offer Kids Ski Free. Think Aspen Snowmass, Keystone, Steamboat, and Jackson Hole, or Sun Peaks, Panorama, Revelstoke (and many more!) in Canada. Bundle up with Kids Rent Free and you'll be sitting pretty.

5. Book via a travel agent - in this day and age, it is easy to book a ski trip online. Trust us - you will save more booking via Scout. We have access to exclusive ski resort and hotel deals each season that aren't available when you book online (or if you book via a third party). We have spent over 10 years building strong relationships with the ski resorts and hotel teams which means we are able to offer our clients the very best deals.

Check out how we saved this Aussie family over USD$8,000 on their Aspen Snowmass ski trip!

6. Avoid booking via a third party website - we love a good deal more than anyone, and private rentals and third party websites (Booking.com, VRBO, etc.) are a great way to save on accommodation. However, hidden charges (whether it's a booking fee or international currency exchange fees), and confusing cancellation policies can add up. Not to mention the lack of real support when you're actually on vacation when something might go wrong.

7. Do book via Scout! - (okay, this one we added in here just for us). However, it's not just great deals you're getting when you book via Scout. Our experienced team love helping our clients to book their family ski vacations and are there from the first enquiry to post-travel. We've spent the time on-snow exploring the best ski runs, walked the endless hallways to find the best hotel rooms, and travelled across the globe to gain first-hand knowledge of the ski resorts. That in itself is priceless.

There are many ways to keep the costs down when it comes to skiing - get in touch with the team at Scout and let us help you to Dream, Find, Book, Ski AND SAVE on your next family ski vacation.

Scout