If ya want cheap (FREE!!!) skiing, try Crested Butte, located in Colorado and is known as one of the last REAL ski towns/resorts left. I know up until this past seson they offered free skiing from opening day (usually around Thankksgiving) until mid - December. Just call 800 information and ask them for the toll free number. I think they are listed as Crested BUtte Mountain Resort. And yes I am biased since I lived there for 8 years, up until recently, and it is a REAL ski town. Don't take or bring fur in this town. Fleece is their fur! KGreat locals and friendly too! If ya go there check out Kochevars (bar in town) for a real sense of the locals there. Oh yea and skiing/boarding is awesome - Crested Butte hosted the Extreme Games for several years and boasts some of the hairest, bad a$$ terrain to be found in the lower 50 states. There is nothing like having your breath taken away as you launch off of a 30 footer into pow pow (powder).
Also if you are into riding (snowboarding) only - call Toas b4 you go - last I heard they do not allow snowboarding and probably never will, since when the last owner died he wrote it into the contract with the resort to never allow snowboarding. The guy was a purist and I respect him for that, however he never thought snowboarding would actually saved the ski industry's a$$ one day.
Good luck in your search and hope it works out well for you. Overall you would really enjoy Crested Butte, cheap lodging, great atmosphere, genuine local feel and you can actually eat out for $10.00 a head in at least half of the restaurants there. Oh and the ridin' is unforgetable.
YeeHaw!!!!!!!!