Winter Rush: Grab ski passes while you can.

There's a nip in the air and a bustle on the mountains as winter approaches and the resorts hurry to prepare. But the resort employees aren't the only ones getting ready for ski season. As any teen in Park City knows, the time to get ready to rip it up is now, before the crush of tourists and price-hikes. Kids everywhere are on the lookout for new gear and new passes, and of course they want the cheapest they can get. All sorts of tips and tricks abound to keep that cash in your pocket and your skis on the hill, and the devoted rider can save enough to even afford a lunch or two. Passes are the easiest . Academic or enterprising students can get discount passes, for everything from good grades to signing up early. Another much-looked-for option is a connection in the business. Anyone is worth getting to know if they can hook you up with a free or discount pass, whether it be relatives, neighbors or someone you meet on the street. There's also that rush for resort jobs, ski patrol for the lucky and lift-duty for the rest, that provide the best benefits: free passes. There are even kids who will try to use last year's passes, or photocopy someone else's pass, and invariably will not end up on the mountain anytime soon. But whatever you do, hurry up, because those deals are ticking down and tourists are planning their vacations. <i>To be sure you don't miss out, check out Andrew Kirk's story on discount passes in Saturday's Park Record (September 18th).</i>