Forty-some years ago, a single-day lift ticket at Aspen Mountain would set you back $7, roughly the national average in 1969–70.  That year, a few resorts, including Stowe, Vt., which boasted a gondola, charged a whopping $10, prompting SKI to pose the question “Will the $10 lift ticket kill skiing?” We now know the answer. Last season, the average price of a single-day lift ticket in the U.S. was $77.