A Budget-Friendly Guide to Winter Carnival

Save big on skiing and participate in one of DU’s favorite traditions without breaking the bank.

Winter Carnival, one of DU’s most beloved traditions, is back for its 65th year, and students have plenty of ways to join the fun—both on campus and in the mountains—while staying within their budgets. Organized by the University of Denver Programming Board (DUPB), this year’s festivities run Feb. 16-22. 

Students can enjoy an entire week of free on-campus events, from Mellow and Mallow on Monday, where students can get their skis waxed for free while enjoying a cup of hot chocolate, to the student-favorite Sip and Paint on Saturday. See the full schedule here.

Winter Carnival also gives students a once-a-year opportunity to go up to the popular Winter Park Resort for a community-oriented weekend of skiing, tubing, and other winter adventures. Going to the mountains isn’t cheap, but DUPB is continuing its tradition of offering students discounted lift and tubing tickets and more to ensure everybody who wants to can go.

The basics: Transportation and lodging

Getting up to Winter Park for all of the fun snow-filled activities is the first hurdle, especially for students who don’t have a car on campus. But DUPB has you covered with an affordable and reliable transportation option. 

Riley McCarthy, DUPB’s traditions co-chair and a second-year majoring in psychology and religious studies, says, “We’re happy to offer $15 bus tickets to take students to and from the mountain each day of Winter Carnival weekend and eliminate worries about transportation.” 

Other transportation options include Colorado’s Bustang bus service and Amtrak. Bustang has a quick and direct way to Winter Park via the Craig-Denver route, starting at just $34 per ticket when purchased in advance online. To get to the pick-up point for Bustang, students can use their MyRTD pass to take the light rail E-line from the University of Denver station to Union Station. Amtrak offers departures from Union Station, too, starting at just $9 each way. Learn more about Amtrak departures, arrivals, and policies here. Get more information about all the transportation options on CrimsonConnect.

Securing lodging is the next step. Bright Mleta, program coordinator of student engagement and a DUPB advisor, lays out an easy solution. “We are continuing our partnership with Vintage Hotel this year, and students will get discounted rates for the Winter Carnival weekend,” he says. Prices and availability of rooms vary; check out the special link here.

Save on the ski-tivities and rental gear

Thanks to DUPB’s collaboration with Winter Park Resort, skiing, snowboarding, and tubing are much cheaper than the usual prices. As it has in past years, DUPB is offering discounted lift tickets costing $50 and tubing tickets for a mere $15. 

Without the DU discount, lift tickets typically cost around $200 for a day pass and tubing tickets run $30-$50, depending on the time of purchase. Purchase DU-discounted tickets and get more details here.

On top of that, DUPB has teamed up with Nathan Page, assistant director of DU Outdoors, to help students save on ski rentals. As Mleta explains, “The work with KMC has allowed [DUPB] to prioritize using the resources we already have to make these things more affordable for students and expand our partnerships with campus organizations.”

Students can rent their skis for about $25 from the on-campus Basecamp location on the corner of Asbury Avenue and University Boulevard; rentals are available Thursday-Sunday, 3-7 p.m. If students have ski rental questions, they can email Nathan.Page@du.edu. 

An extra boost 

Once transportation, lodging, and ski rentals are covered, there still might be some additional costs that students can’t afford comfortably. DUPB is aware of this and is working with the Financial Aid Office to provide scholarships to sponsor student trips. The application deadline is today, Feb. 16, at 11:55 p.m.; and is available here.

McCarthy is proud of the ongoing work that DUPB has done to make Winter Carnival as affordable as possible. The experience is quintessential to DU, she says. “We want to encourage students to get outdoors, enjoy the Colorado mountains, and make connections with classmates.”

Aimee Harling, marketing coordinator for DUPB and a third-year studying business management, agrees. “By having more accessible options for the off-campus portion of Winter Carnival, we are allowing students to feel a part of something bigger than 'just another campus event,’” she says. “Winter Carnival is often the only time that some DU students get to experience being in the mountains in Colorado, so it’s great that we get to help make that become a reality.”

For more information, check out DUPB’s “How to Winter Carnival” website and check your email for a special DUPB edition Winter Carnival Newsletter. For specific questions, reach out to DUPBTraditions@du.edu. See you out there!