No advice on cheaper options than the Rocky Talkies, but I do have a pair of Rocky Talkies as well as a pair of Baofeng UV82-HP which I have all of the FRS walkie talkie frequencies programmed into (can use with Rocky Talkies, motorola's, BCA Links etc) as well as emergency channels, SAR ad even area repeaters.
The Rocky Talkies are compact and pretty bullet proof. If you use the higher powered channels, reach is pretty good, but as always, terrain can be a huge variable in the mountains. I've had zero reception at a mere 800 feet of elevation difference on a 30 degree slope. Same with most any FRS radio, you're going to be limited to line of sight as they are legally limited in their power output. The claims of "35 miles" etc that you'll see on the packaging are a joke for any real world conditions, especially in the mountains.
I'd consider the size and layout of the ski resort, the vertical gain and if you are looking to communicate across the entire area etc.