*Note what the hotel includes.
Room rates typically cover breakfast, dinner, and tax, so you might want to ask for a breakfast-only rate (about $25 less). Many properties are four-star "wellness" resorts on the outskirts of town with heated pools, spas, and large restaurants. If such features don't matter to you because you're planning to spend your off-piste time strolling in town, sightseeing, and sampling different eateries, save $50 to $100 by choosing a small three-star hotel downtown.

*Buy a package.
If this all sounds like too much homework, leave the planning to an expert who knows the ins and outs of Alpine skiing and can customize a money-saving package for you. My stays at each resort were too short to qualify for discounted rates and multiple-day lift passes. If you have a week, however, you can buy an economical package combining airfare, hotel, and transfers. Www.Ski-Europe.com's packages for this winter include a week in Chamonix for $829 and a week in Cortina for $909 (both in three-star hotels). The expert to contact at www.Ski-Europe.com is Dorothea Rasser (800-333-5533; dorothea@ski-europe.com).

*Think Innsbruck.
It's still my favorite European ski destination. With six mountains to choose from—one a glacier with year-round skiing—you're always assured of decent snow. The restaurants, shopping, nightlife, and architecture are first-rate. Stay in the historic four-star Goldener Adler in the Old Town (www.bestwestern.com; doubles, $162) and take the efficient free ski bus to a different mountain each day.