BILLIONAIRE businessman Kerry Stokes paid for Senator Stephen Conroy's ski runs when the pair met in an up-scale US ski resort.

The Sunday Herald Sun can reveal that Mr Stokes, half-owner of the Seven Network, provided a free pass to Communications Minister Senator Conroy - a passionate skier and snowboarder - when the pair met in ritzy Beaver Creek in Colorado in January.

Last week, the Victorian senator told the Sunday Herald Sun that the Colorado trip was a private holiday "which was fully paid for by me".

But Seven has now confirmed Mr Stokes provided a ski-lift pass to Senator Conroy.

The pass was available because Mr Stokes is a life member of two exclusive ski clubs. That entitles him to lift passes.

The revelation that Senator Conroy accepted Mr Stokes's hospitality - less than a month before announcing a $250 million tax cut to the free-to-air TV operators - will put further pressure on the Rudd Government when Parliament resumes this week.

Senator Conroy did not declare the lift pass in his register of senators' interests, despite declaring other gifts during the month of January. Parliamentary rules state all gifts valued at more than $300 must be declared.

The value of the ski lift pass is not known.

Mr Stokes is a member of two exclusive clubs - the Beaver Creek Club, which has an "initiation fee" of $89,000, and the Vail Mountain Club, which charges initiation fees of up to $309,000, plus hefty annual fees.

Senator Conroy has refuse to answer questions about whether he accepted any hospitality from Mr Stokes.

Asked directly last week if Mr Stokes had provided him with ski-lift passes, he replied: "Any items that require disclose will be disclosed under the rules of Parliament."

Asked yesterday to explain why he did not declare the freebie publicly - and instead claimed he had paid for the entire holiday - Senator Conroy's spokeswoman said the Minister stood by his earlier comments.

The Sunday Herald Sun understands that Senator Conroy used his ski equipment for the two ski runs with Mr Stokes.

Senator Conroy visited Beaver Creek - which boasts the slogan "not exactly roughing it" - a month before he gave the $250 million tax-cuts to the free-to-air TV operators Seven, Nine and Ten.

He said the tax break was to protect local content.

But it failed to include any binding clause for the money to be spent on local content.

Pay TV operators including Foxtel (part-owned by News Ltd, publisher of the Sunday Herald Sun) claimed free TV had been given an unfair advantage. Senator Conroy then said the tax-cut decision was made before Christmas.

Senator Conroy - already under fire for lobbying for a $450,000-a year-job for his mate, former Labor MP Mike Kaiser - has been reluctant to spell out what went on at his meeting with Mr Stokes.

He said his meetings with Mr Stokes were "entirely appropriate" and that he met regularly with senior media representatives, including from News Ltd, Foxtel and Austar.

Originally published as Conroy's skiing freebie