It's funny but I rarely think about the cost. DH is a volunteer National Ski Patrol at our local hill, so we've been getting family passes for free for years now. Five more years and we get lifetime passes. It's also just a really important way for us to have fun. If we had to buy all out tickets though, that would change how we budget. I live in an region where there are still quite a few resorts with $35 or so tickets though. If Mammoth or Vail were the only option with no volunteer options, yikes, not sure how we'd manage. I get a lot of gear through deals: I picked up a brand new pair of Tele boots for $149 at the swap this year...you can't beat that.