I paid $2,700 for a weekend of snowboarding in Italy’s Dolomites — and it was still cheaper than a similar trip to Aspen, Colorado

Monica Humphries

Rome: Skiers can access the Dolomites’ dozen resorts, including Cortina d’Ampezzo, with a lift ticket that costs 70 euros, or about $73, a day.

In Colorado, lift tickets at popular resorts are often triple that price. At Aspen Snowmass, for example, lift tickets cost $244 a day.

Some independently-owned resorts in Colorado offer lower-priced lift tickets, like Cooper Mountain, where weekday access is just $45 and weekend access is $110. However, if you’re looking for a town dotted with Michelin-starred restaurants, celebrity spotting, and luxury resorts in Colorado, you’ll also be paying a higher price to get on the mountain.

Snowboarding in Cortina cost me $145 versus the $488 it would cost in Aspen.

Whether it’s a snowboard or a pair of skis, Cortina d’Ampezzo had cheaper rentals than I’ve seen in Aspen.

In Cortina d’Ampezzo, rentals cost around $50. If booking in advance, options were even cheaper, with stores like Ski System Cortina offering a day rental of skis, poles, boots, and a helmet for $43 or $33 at Rightfeeling Ski Rent and Shop.

Finding rentals that cheap is hard in a place like Aspen. Christy Sports offers rentals in Aspen for $75 a day if you book in advance. In person, the cost is $90 for skis, boots, poles, and a helmet. Aspen Skis charges $60 a day online for a similar package.

Thankfully, I didn’t have to pay either of these costs since I own a snowboard, and checking it on my international flights didn’t have any added costs. However, if I did need to rent gear, I would’ve saved $54 by snowboarding in Italy.

If we compare Cortina d’Ampezzo to its North American twin, Aspen, lodging is another category in which the Dolomites were cheaper.

I spent $777 for a two-night stay at Camina Suite and Spa, a four-star hotel in Cortina. Here, I had amenities like a free breakfast, sauna, and free parking.

There were plenty of more luxe hotel options to choose from. I could’ve spent more than $1,500 a night to stay in Cortina d’Ampezzo’s nicest resorts like Hotel de Lën or Rosapetra Spa Resort.

Staying in Aspen’s top resorts, like The Little Nell or St. Regis Aspen, would cost more than $2,500.

Meanwhile, Cortina d’Ampezzo is home to many more affordable options. In the heart of Cortina d’Ampezzo, more than 10 hotels offer rates lower than $300 a night. If you want to stay in Aspen proper, there are just two hotels with prices lower than $300 a night.

If I wanted a similar four-star experience in Aspen, I would’ve had to pay about $1,000 a night. By traveling to Italy, I had a luxury stay for about $1,223 less.