How to Split a Ski Day Trip from Provo (Without Losing Friends)

One of the best perks of going to school in Provo: you're 20 minutes from Sundance, an hour from Brighton, and 75 minutes from Park City. A ski day trip is one of the easiest weekend plans you can make.

It's also one of the easiest plans to turn sour when money gets weird. Someone has a season pass while everyone else is paying $80+ for day passes. The driver spent $40 on gas. One person rented gear and another brought their own. And then there's the post-ski Betos run where someone orders for the whole car.

Here's how to split it all fairly.

Where You're Going (and What It Costs)

Here are the most popular options from Provo, with real 2025-26 season prices:

Most BYU/UVU students gravitate toward Sundance (it's closest and cheapest) or Brighton (bigger mountain, worth the drive). Park City is the splurge option—usually reserved for when parents are in town.

The 4 Expenses That Cause Arguments

1. Gas Money

Sundance is about 25 miles round trip from Provo—barely $5 in gas. Brighton is about 110 miles round trip—closer to $15-20. Park City is 140 miles round trip—$20-25 depending on your car.

The fair split: total gas cost divided by everyone in the car, including the driver. The driver isn't doing you a favor by paying for gas—they're doing you a favor by driving. Factor in wear and tear if you want to be generous: add $5-10 for the driver on longer trips.

2. Season Pass vs. Day Pass

This is the big one. If two people in your car have Ikon passes and two don't, the day-pass people are paying $85-150 while the pass holders paid $0 (well, they already paid $600+ for the season).

The rule: don't split lift tickets. Each person pays for their own access to the mountain. A season pass is a personal investment—the holder shouldn't subsidize day passes, and day-pass buyers shouldn't subsidize the pass.

Log each person's lift ticket as their own expense on PartyTab (or don't log it at all if everyone pays individually). The only exception: if someone buys a group discount pack or a buddy pass, log that shared purchase and split it among the beneficiaries.

3. Gear Rentals

Rental shops in Provo (like Utah Ski Gear or Christy Sports near University Pkwy) charge $30-50/day for a ski or snowboard package. On-mountain rentals are $50-80+.

Like lift tickets, rentals are personal. Don't split them across the group. The person who owns their own gear shouldn't subsidize rentals for someone who doesn't.

4. Food (The Betos/Rancherito's Stop)

The unwritten rule of skiing from Provo: you stop for burritos on the way home. Whether it's Betos, Rancherito's, or the Taco Bell on University Ave, someone inevitably orders for the whole car at the drive-through.

This is where expense splitting actually matters. If one person puts the whole order on their card, log it on PartyTab and split among everyone who ate. Simple.

On-mountain food is pricier ($12-18 for a burger and fries), and usually everyone pays individually. But if someone grabs a round of hot chocolates in the lodge, that's a shared expense worth logging.

What a Real Ski Day Costs (Per Person)

That gap between $26 and $155 is exactly why you don't split everything evenly. Split the shared stuff (gas, food someone buys for the group). Keep personal costs personal (lift tickets, rentals).

How to Track It Without Being That Person

Nobody wants to be the one pulling out a calculator in the parking lot at Sundance. Here's the low-friction approach:

1. Create a PartyTab before you leave. Takes 10 seconds. Text the link to the group chat.
2. Log shared expenses as they happen. Someone fills up gas? 15 seconds to log it. Someone orders food for the car? Log it.
3. Don't log personal expenses. Your lift ticket and gear rental are your problem. Only log things that involve other people's money.
4. Settle up on the drive home. Check the tab, Venmo whoever is owed, done before you get back to Provo.

Planning a Multi-Day Trip?

If your group is doing an overnight in Park City or a weekend cabin in Heber, the expenses get bigger: lodging, multiple days of food, maybe hot tub snacks. The same principles apply—split shared costs, keep personal costs personal—but with more transactions to track.

Check out our ski trip budget guide for the full breakdown on multi-day trips.

The Bottom Line

Skiing from Provo is one of the best things about living in Utah County. Don't let money math ruin it. Split gas and food, keep lift tickets and rentals personal, and use a tracker so nobody has to play accountant.

See you at Betos on the way home.