Downhill skiers have a new option for saving money on season passes: buy early.

The former "buddy system" has been replaced with an "early-bird special." If you buy your season pass before Nov. 2, you pay only half the cost.

Hogadon Ski Area manager Gary Vantrease said the change will make buying season passes easier and more convenient than it was last year.

But, he said, an adult ski pass for $180 is only available until Nov. 1, when the price increases to regular season fees and an adult will pay $375.

This will encourage people to buy their passes early, he said, as many skiers wait until they "feel winter is really coming."

"I don't know why they wait, because winter always comes in Wyoming," he said.

Vantrease said he's not sure how the new program will work, but he thinks the "buddy pass" system wore out its welcome.

The earlier deal required people who wanted a deal on a ski pass to bring in friends and buy in groups, the larger the group, the cheaper the tickets, to a point. But, instead of friends recruiting friends, skiers would go to the Casper Recreation Center to buy their tickets and wait around for other skiers to come and buy together.

It also meant the many skiers waited until the last possible minute to buy passes and created havoc in the office for several days.

Now, as long a skiers come early, they can easily purchase their tickets at a discounted fee.

Casper City Council member Joel Burdess said he isn't sure how it will work since it's the first year, but he thinks it's a good idea.

"I hope this will actually encourage more use in the long run," he said. "It will also help us gauge how many users we will have for the upcoming season."

The city of Casper subsidizes the ski area every year, Vantrease said. This year, Hogadon has a budget of more than $600,000 and hopes for more than $250,000 in passes and ticket sales.

The Casper City Council voted recently to raise some of the day-use rates between 50 cents and $2.

The more season passes and day-use tickets the area sells, Vantrease said, the fewer subsidies are needed.

Weather in recent years hasn't cooperated, and as a result, the ski area has earned less revenue than planned.

"We live and die by the weather," he said.

Hogadon workers need the weather to stay consistently cold, Vantrease said, and between zero and 15 degrees to make snow.

Plans call for opening day the day after Thanksgiving - on Nov. 28 - weather permitting.

Contact Christine Robinson at (307) 266-0639 or christine.robinson@trib.com