Do you have a fourth-grader? Now is the time to get them on the slopes using the 4th grade ski passport.
If so, this is your year to get outside, starting this winter and continuing through summer.
First: Thanks to a program by the Minnesota Ski Areas Association, fourth-graders can ski for free at member ski areas during the winter season.
Simply sign up for the 4th Grade Passport Program. Passports, which are mailed, do cost a small fee for shipping and handling and take about two weeks to arrive. (You’ll need to upload your kid’s most recent report card and a digital photo for the application.)
Passports entitle fourth-graders to at least two free lift tickets (not ski rentals) at all participating resorts. Some resorts (such as Wild Mountain in Taylors Falls) are offering unlimited lift tickets for passport-holding fourth-graders.
What ski hills does the 4th grade ski passport work at?
| Area | 2023/24 Season Offer |
| Afton Alps | Unlimited lift tickets
Not valid with group reservations or school field trips |
| Andes Tower Hills | Limit 2 daily lift tickets for season. Not available for school, club or other group trips; not valid with any other offer, special or coupon. |
| Buck Hill | 3 Daily Lift Tickets for the pass holder only. 1 ticket available per day. Cannot be combined with another discount, special or programs. |
| Buena Vista Ski Area | 3 Daily Lift Tickets for the pass holder only. 1 ticket available per day. Cannot be combined with another discount, special or programs. |
| Chester Bowl | Unlimited daily lift tickets, no daily rental available |
| Coffee Mill Ski Area | 3 Daily Lift Tickets for the pass holder only. 1 ticket available per day. Cannot be combined with another discount, special or programs. |
| Detroit Mountain Recreation Area | Unlimited daily lift tickets. Not valid for D Team events |
| Elm Creek Winter Recreation Area | 3 Daily Lift Tickets for the pass holder only. 1 ticket available per day. Cannot be combined with another discount, special or programs. |
| Giants Ridge | Unlimited number of lift tickets for the pass holder |
| Hyland Hills Ski Area | 3 Daily Lift Tickets for the pass holder only. 1 ticket available per day. Cannot be combined with another discount, special or programs Blackout Presidents Day & Martin Luther King Day |
| Loppet Foundation | Unlimited daily lift tickets per passport holder – alpine ski & snowboard only |
| Lutsen Mountains | Lutsen Mountains Offer: Passport is valid for 3 days at Lutsen. Saturdays require a 2-day minimum for redemption. The holiday periods of 12/26/23 – 12/31/23 and 1/13 – 1/14/24 require a 3-day minimum for redemption. The passport is not valid for redemption 2/17 – 2/18/24. Reservations are required, please click here to view reservation policy. |
| Mount Kato | 3 Daily Lift Tickets for the pass holder only. 1 ticket available per day. Cannot be combined with another discount, special or programs. |
| Mount Ski Gull | Unlimited daily lift tickets per passport holder – blackout 12/23 to 1/2 & Race Days |
| Mt. Itasca | 3 Daily Lift Tickets for the pass holder only. 1 ticket available per day. Cannot be combined with another discount, special or programs. |
| Powder Ridge | 4 daily lift tickets, valid Monday – Friday. |
| Spirit Mountain | 2 lift tickets per season (no blackout dates) Add on a rental for the 4th grade passport holder for $5 Parents/Siblings $10 off full-day lift ticket Add on Spirit Kids – two-hour beginner group lesson for $18 or a 4 hour full day Spirit Kids lesson for $36 (does not include lunch) (Advanced reservations required for lessons. Mention 4th Grade Passport when registering. Lesson specials only valid on Saturdays and Sundays) (Please call the Snow Sports Center at 218-624-8516 for a promo code before reserving tickets or lessons online.) |
| Welch Village | Passport holders will be issued 3-days at Welch Village Season, Monday – Friday ONLY (non-holidays )with the exception of the the following black out dates below: Tuesday, Dec 26 through Saturday, Dec 30, 2023; Monday, January 15, 2024 and Monday, February 19, 2024. |
| Wild Mountain | Unlimited number of lift tickets for the pass holder only (1 ticket available per day). Not available for roving ski schools or D team events |
| The Alpine Factory |
50% off lessons for the pass holder (group or private rate), and 25% off for immediate family (group lesson rate; must be in same lesson group as pass holder). Offer valid between Dec. 11, 2023 – May 26, 2024, except for Blackout dates: Dec. 21, 2023 – Jan 1, 2024; Jan. 15, 2024; Feb. 19, 2024 and March 11-31, 2024. |
Related Article: Skiing for all
Meanwhile: Fourth-graders — and their families — are also eligible for free entry into all national parks (and federal lands/waters) through Aug. 31.
Passes cover admission for the whole family, even at sites that charge entrance fees per person (or per car). In the case of per-person fees, the pass covers all accompanying children age 15 and younger and up to three adults.
Learn more at Every Kid in a Park and the National Park Service.
