Tricks ski resorts have up their sleeves...

We usually purchase the Epic Pass from Vail Resorts and wait for the last minute to pay for it. Well not quite the last minute.

If we buy it now, we get 2 buddy passes at $97 each (ha, ha! what a discount) and we're allowed to ride the lifts that are open for free, during summer. Besides, we only have to pay $49 now and the balance is only due by early September.

What Vail Resorts infers, though, is that we shouldn't wait and should commit now, when in fact the real cut off date for that deal is on May 28.

Of course, that date it's not published and nowhere to be found on their website, which goes a long way in showing how manipulative these resorts really are.

That I expected!