Steamboat Kids Can Ski Free Through Mid-December This Year, and No Adult Ticket Is Required

Last winter, a Steamboat kid got a free lift ticket at the resort only if a parent, grandparent or legal guardian had bought an adult lift ticket of five days or more before the season started. Season passes didn't qualify, and in-season purchases didn't count.

For the first 25 days of the 2026-27 season, none of those rules apply. From Opening Day on Saturday, Nov. 21, through Tuesday, Dec. 15, kids 12 and under can ride Steamboat Resort's lifts on a $0 ticket, and nobody in the family has to buy anything. That changes who the program serves. The year-round version works best for a visiting family that books a week of tickets in advance. The new window works for a family that lives fifteen minutes from the gondola and wants to ski on a Tuesday after school.

What changed in the fine print

The resort announced the change in its Oct. 22 season release, which Steamboat Radio published in full:

"Kids 12 and under have always had the opportunity to ski and rent for free at Steamboat with an adult purchase of 5 days or more, but this season kids can ski free from November 21 through December 15 with no purchase required."

The two versions now run side by side, and each has its own rules. Here are the details from the resort's Kids Ski and Ride Free page:

The season pass row matters most here. A parent with an Ikon, Ikon Base or Steamboat-only pass has never been able to get a child free days through the regular program. From Nov. 21 through Dec. 15, what the parent owns no longer matters.

How to claim the tickets

The free tickets are issued one day at a time, so plan them that way. Per the resort's page:

1. Go to the resort's lift ticket shop.
2. Select the ticket labeled "12 and Under Kids Ski Free Nov. 21 - Dec.15, 2026," which adds a $0 ticket to the cart.
3. For more days, change the date and add each day separately. The free tickets come as individual day tickets, not a multi-day product.

Parents can also redeem the free ticket at the ticket office, and lessons and rentals are available at a discount during the window. The page says families who had already bought kids' tickets for these dates can contact Central Reservations about a refund.

Opening Day is the first free day

The window opens on Opening Day itself. The resort's event page lists festivities at 7:30 a.m. and lifts spinning at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 21, with the Champagne Powder Snow Bell countdown, free Powder Day donuts, coffee and mimosas while supplies last, and a limited-edition Ohana-designed tee and Smartwool socks for the first 100 people on the mountain. Prizes will also be hidden around the slopes, with clues posted on the resort's Instagram.

A kid on a $0 ticket can ring in the season with everyone else.

The youngest skiers can start on free ground

For kids who aren't ready for a chairlift, the free options extend past the lift ticket window and run daily all season. The Steamboat Pilot & Today and the resort release both describe the setup:

• Buckaroo Carpet: on the snow near the Steamboat Gondola, next to the Creekside Locker Room. It's free and open to anyone from noon to 4 p.m. daily, with no lift ticket required. First-time riders sign a waiver.
• Free rentals for ages 3 and under: skis and snowboards from Steamboat Sports in Steamboat Square. Pickup is after 11 a.m., the gear is for use on the carpet, and it goes back to the shop by 4 p.m.

Put these together and a family with a 3-year-old and an 8-year-old can spend a December afternoon at the base for free. The younger child rides the carpet on free rental gear, and the older one rides lifts on a $0 ticket.

Once a child moves past the carpet, there's a new green run waiting. Barrow's Bend connects Rendezvous Lodge to the Sunshine Peak Lift in the Sunshine area. It's named for the late Steamboat Olympian Jim "Moose" Barrows. It doesn't add skiable acreage, but it brings the resort's trail count to 184. Whether it's open on a given early-season day will depend on that day's terrain.

Howelsen Hill opens a week later and keeps Sundays free all winter

The free resort window closes Dec. 15. Howelsen Hill's free day keeps going after that. The city-owned ski area downtown plans to open its 111th season on Saturday, Nov. 28, and run daily through Sunday, March 28, conditions permitting. Crews started making snow there on Oct. 7, according to the Steamboat Pilot & Today.

Ski Free Sunday returns too, with free skiing for locals and visitors every Sunday through closing day. According to the city's season release, if you bring the Ski Free Sunday ticket to Mountain Tap Brewery afterward, you get a free pint of select beer or a cauldron of popcorn. The Outrun Snack Bar also reopens with what the city calls affordable prices.

Between Nov. 28 and Dec. 15, a family has two free options on Sundays. After that, the Sunday at Howelsen is the one that keeps going.

For families who'd rather have the season covered, Howelsen's 2026-27 prices, which the city notes are subject to change, are:

The family pass covers one adult, a spouse and all children 18 and under living at home. It also includes three days at other ski areas, among them Bogus Basin and Snow King. Howelsen has 13 miles of Nordic, snowshoe and snow bike trails, and once daily operations begin, the ticket office can be reached at 970-879-8499.

The early-season calendar

Here are the dates that matter for a family planning the first month:

• Saturday, Nov. 21: Steamboat Resort Opening Day. Festivities at 7:30 a.m., lifts at 8:30 a.m., first day of $0 kids' tickets.
• Saturday, Nov. 28: Howelsen Hill's scheduled opening, conditions permitting.
• Sunday, Nov. 29: First Ski Free Sunday of the season at Howelsen, if the opening holds.
• Tuesday, Dec. 15: Last day of the no-purchase kids window at the resort.
• Every Sunday through March 28: Ski Free Sunday at Howelsen.
• Daily, noon to 4 p.m., all season: Buckaroo Carpet open to the public at no charge.

What changes on Dec. 16

After Dec. 15, the resort's kids perk goes back to the season-long rules: a free kids' lift ticket requires a parent, grandparent or legal guardian who bought a 5+ day adult lift ticket before the season, one child per paying adult. The things that stay free are the Buckaroo Carpet, the toddler rentals at Steamboat Square and Sundays at Howelsen.

Bashor Bowl is also worth watching for older kids. Maverick's Halfpipe there is being rebuilt on a raised base made from soil excavated for The Stockman project at the ski area base, according to the resort. Slope Maintenance director Jake Ingle told the Steamboat Pilot & Today that the new pipe should take about 750,000 cubic feet of snow, down from 1.4 million in past years. The resort says that reduction should let the pipe open earlier in the season.

If you're working out how Steamboat's ski calendar fits the way your family uses a home here, whether that's a weekday-skiing primary residence or a second home that fills up over the holidays, Kelly Conway is glad to talk it through. Let's Connect.