Stratton leads pack with $72 lift ticket

[Greg]

Wow!

Stratton leads pack with $72 lift ticket
December 11, 2002

The Associated Press

STRATTON — Some lift tickets at Stratton Mountain resort are up to $72 this year, the highest in the nation — surpassing even the top resorts in the Rockies.

The price, announced on Stratton’s Web site last week, applies to Saturdays and holidays after Dec. 20. Until then, skiers and snowboarders are being charged $59 a day.

Last year, Stratton charged a “walk-up rate” of $64 on holidays and $62 on weekends. This year, a Sunday ticket will cost $69. The $72 Saturday and holiday ticket marks the highest one-day lift ticket price in industry history, surpassing Vail and Beaver Creek in Colorado, which in October announced a top one-day ticket price of $71.

The average lift ticket price nationwide is $49.44 a day, according to the National Ski Areas Association.

Stratton, which catapulted from the 17th best to fourth best resort in the East in a ranking this year from Ski magazine, offers many discounts, meaning only someone making a last-minute decision to ski on a Saturday or holiday would pay the record rate, said Myra Foster, a Stratton spokeswoman.

“Its still a great value for a great day on the slopes,” Foster said. She added that a selection of discounts is available, including a $95 “Express Card,” which cuts weekend and holiday rates by 25 percent and weekday rates by 50 percent or more.

Other discounts include lodging or the option to ski either at Stratton or Vermont’s Okemo resort.

The record ticket price is a function of supply and demand. Saturday is the busiest day at resorts across New England each winter, Foster said.

Source

B.C. here I come