You can book your lift pass at the same time as your holiday, and some places have a choice between a local lift pass (for the nearby slopes) and an area lift pass (for the wider ski area or neighbouring resorts). It’s unlikely you’re going to cover an entire ski area on your first holiday so stick to a local lift pass, which is typically much cheaper. In some resorts, you won’t need a lift pass on the nursery slopes where you’ll start learning – if this is the case, it’ll be included in the resort info and your ski instructor will tell you when you need to get your lift pass.