Having endured a relatively warm and rainy start to the season, and continuing to deal with an economy in which consumers are budget-conscious and seeking deals, ski areas and retailers that sell ski equipment are taking some innovative steps to keep business robust.

“We try to appeal to every level of income,” said Paul Von Maffei, owner of Action Sports, which has stores in Branford and Old Saybrook.

In this economy, some shoppers are more budget conscious than in the past, he said, though overall business has remained strong. “We keep an eye on appealing to the people without the huge budget,” as well as those who have more money to spend, he said.

Due to their popularity, the store this winter began running its bus trips to Okemo Mountain Resort, Mount Snow and Killington — three popular ski areas out of state — on Saturdays and Sundays. The trips, which are taken to a certain ski area depending on the date, previously ran just one day a weekend in past years, Von Maffei said.

For $80, skiiers get round-trip bus transportation and a lift ticket. A growing number of skiers want to take advantage of the deal, Von Maffei said, so he began running a second one each weekend.

Rainy weather put an early damper on business, he said, but interest in skiing grew once snow started falling in Connecticut last month. “It helps us a lot in Branford when we have some white stuff on the ground,” he said. “Then everybody thinks of skiing. When winter finally comes and the snow flies, it definitely reinforces (business).”

So far this season, business is “up a little from last year,” he said, crediting that in large part to the products and customer service Action Sports offers.

“I think most of the shops are experiencing a positive year, if they are doing everything right,” he said.

At Woodbury Ski Area, owner Rod Taylor said the slopes opened Nov. 10 — earlier than others in the state — but the rain and warmer temperatures early on took a toll on business. “That really hurt our start,” he said.

The warmer weather also meant he had to spend more money making snow, he said. The area took another hit on Dec. 26 and Dec. 27 when many people wanted to ski but Woodbury Ski Area shut down its chair lift due to high winds that accompanied the snowstorm that hit Connecticut.

But Taylor said, overall, he is optimistic about the ski season being a successful one for the business. “This year is the best conditions we have ever had” when it comes to snow, he said. “We were pretty aggressive in making snow.”

Though it is costly to make snow, he said, he expects the investment to pay off. Weekends have been very busy at the ski area, he said, though weekday business has been slow.

Connecticut ski areas are competing for consumer dollars that remain tight as the economy struggles to recover.

Last winter, in 2009-10, visits to ski areas in the Northeast fell by 2.3 percent from the previous year, even as visitation increased at ski areas nationwide, according to the National Ski Areas Association.

The United States ski industry had a near-record year, with 59.8 million visits last winter, the second-best season ever, according to the Colorado-based trade group for ski area owners and operators. But the Northeast was the only region in the country that saw visitations decline.

Like many other businesses, Taylor at Woodbury Ski Area has noticed skiers being price-conscious this winter. “It seems like everybody’s looking for deals,” he said. “They’re really looking for those deals now.”

Another Connecticut ski area, Ski Sundown in New Hartford is offering visitors a Ski Sundown Savings Card. The card, which sells for $89, gives holders the opportunity to save up to 50 percent on certain lift tickets whenever they use the card throughout the season.

At Woodbury, a benefit of the struggling economy, Taylor said, has been an influx of skiers from New Jersey and New York opting for Woodbury as opposed to heading to Vermont or New Hampshire.

“We are getting a lot of out-of-staters,” he said. “They’re not spending the money on the gas to go up north.”

He’s also seen a 30 percent increase in people taking ski lessons, he said.

To entice those who don’t ski, Woodbury offers snow-shoeing and tubing. This year, for the first time, the ski area will offer tubing year round.

The challenging economy has given the area a chance to get more creative and innovative with its business, Taylor said, and he’s generally optimistic it will be a strong winter.

“We’re pretty happy but it’s still too early to tell,” he said.

Call Cara Baruzzi at 203-789-5748.