It’s a hot August afternoon and I’m planning out my ski season pass/ticket set up for the coming winter season. Of course.

Why now? Because while snow shouldn’t be falling for a while and we don’t want to rush the seasons, ski season pass purchases, for the most part, tend to go up in price after Labor Day.

One might argue the biggest change in ski travel and ski life in recent years is the need to think ahead – way ahead – when it comes to where and when you’ll ski. This is the best way to make the sport more affordable .

So here I sit on this hot August night thinking of cold winter snow.

My decisions are based around our plan to spend much of the winter in one spot, and in the ski company of our children and grandchildren (dreams come true!). I need to figure out the best pass for each of us along with the best for our location. It’s work, yes, but it saves a lot of money.

In most cases: If you are walking up to a ticket window mid February and buying a day ticket, you’ve made skiing just about as expensive as it can be. Tickets and passes purchased now are going to be exponentially cheaper.

There are other benefits to buying now too. Many season passes come with special add-ons like discounted additional tickets and other things. The earlier you buy, the more deals you get. Here’s a run down of some of the most popular pass programs and ticket deals this coming season. Take those first steps now.

Epic Pass introduces Epic Friends Program: Epic Pass (https://www.epicpass.com/) is the well-known Vail resorts pass that offers all kinds of options for skiers and riders. From full passes that give you access to 80 resorts worldwide to regional passes, military pricing, senior passes and multi-day passes that, purchased now, come with “Epic Friend” tickets – a chance to purchase up to six tickets at 50% off whatever the window ticket price is the day your friend accompanies you.

That not only gives you savings, it gives you back some of the flexibility we’ve lost to the sometimes shocking day ticket pricing. Now, even last minute, if you talk a friend into playing hooky on a powder day, you can help them get a decent ticket price. Cooler still: They can apply the full price of that day ticket to their own pass for the coming season,

Epic Pass also offers multiday tickets that are flexible and super affordable. Depending on how many resorts you want access to, you can purchase seven day tickets – to be used on any day you please – for as low as $48 a day for adults and $25 for kids. Prices rise a bit if you want to include a few peak dates (you can find them on their site), but still come in way below window prices. For anyone planning on skiing at least a few days but not enough to justify a full pass, its a no-brainer to purchase those day passes now.

Mountain Collective: As is the case every year, the super popular Indy Ski Pass (​​https://www.indyskipass.com/) is completely sold out. But there’s good news: they’re adding more resorts and whenever they add more resorts, they open up the waiting list for some additional passes to be sold. Go to indypass.com and sign up now and you may get lucky enough to score one for this season.

Even if luck isn’t with you, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy skiing around for a decent price. Mountain Collective (https://mountaincollective.com/) is a pass that offers two days of skiing/riding at each of 27 destinations. In New England, that includes Sugarloaf and Sunday River, as well as other resorts across America. An adult pass comes in at $669, meaning if you can get in eight ski days this coming season, you’ll come in at just over $80 a day, a bargain for the most part in today’s prices.

Ikon Pass: The Ikon Pass (ikonpass.com) takes you to resorts across North America and around the world. While their next price increase date isn’t announced yet, historically the prices climb monthly as the season draws near. Now is the best current price – though earlier spring, like other passes, is the lowest price time.

With your pass – depending on which level you choose – you’ll get a 25% discount on friends and family tickets (up to 12 tickets a season) , discounts on food and products on site at resorts and private access to first track skiing multiple days each season. There are also discounts for car rentals, The North Face, Blenders glasses and even for that bucketlist heliskiing day.

Ski school ready: You’ll also want to find out the registration date for any ski school programs you want your kids in. They fill up fast, so find out the day registration opens and mark your calendar.

It’s hot, sure, but think how cool you’ll feel when you’ve saved for the ski season already.

Attitash Mountain Resort in New Hampshire is on the Epic Pass, which has introduced added benefits. (Photo Moira McCarthy)
Stratton Mountain Resort is on the Ikon Pass, which has lower prices now, but will go up soon. (Photo Moira McCarthy)