Changes are coming to Liftopia

dlague · Aug 4, 2014

Evmo said:
Wow - this is a great discussion!

One of the best parts of this discussion is that pretty much everyone is asking the right questions as to whether this (and what we do at Liftopia in general) is good for the ski resorts. Building value on both sides is fundamental to scaling a business that serves an industry as we do.

We are always working to help resorts offer more value to consumers in a way that is still beneficial for their businesses. Frankly we only deserve to exist as a company if we deliver on that aspiration, which is why everything we build ties into our mission statement (Liftopia helps people spend more time doing the things they love by helping our partners run their businesses more effectively). This new option for consumers and everything we build is checked against that statement and we use data to inform whether or not we are delivering on that aspiration.

Thanks to any of you who are customers, and I hope we can continue to work to find ways of helping you spend more time on the snow that also benefit the industry that we are very fortunate to get to work for.

I think it will be interesting to see how the three tiers will work. My guess the lowest priced option will be the most popular however this varies on the difference in price between the three tiers. I have found based on my use of liftopia that there has not been significant advantages to purchasing way ahead. We have watched a price stay right up to the last minute which allowed us to know what the conditions were going to be like. Effectively, commitment was not an issue. The only time it was an issue when there were limited number of tickets at a real good price. Example: Jay Peak lift tickets at $10 in late January. We bought them! They also got sold fast because the gamble was worth the purchase and we ended up not going due to weather. Not big risk not big loss.

I like liftopia's concept in general but I find the resorts will continue to mix their sales tactics and some will drive consumers away from liftopia. Best of luck!

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dlague · Aug 4, 2014

bobbutts said:
Aren't you out in JH? So what are you going to do, comparison shop between Snow King and JH? You get what you get out there, captive audience. At least for me, there are some pretty damn similar hills that I'd be equally happy to go to (Gunstock, Sunapee, Ragged for example). In that case, a less expensive ticket via Liftopia isn't really giving anything up at all.
Also FYI your conceited attitude sucks. I know you are trying to look superior, but the effect is actually the opposite.

Glad some one had the balls to say it! Deal hunting is easy and being in central NH there are a boat load of options all within easy driving distance.

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Smellytele · Aug 4, 2014

bobbutts said:
Aren't you out in JH? So what are you going to do, comparison shop between Snow King and JH? You get what you get out there, captive audience. At least for me, there are some pretty damn similar hills that I'd be equally happy to go to (Gunstock, Sunapee, Ragged for example). In that case, a less expensive ticket via Liftopia isn't really giving anything up at all.
Also FYI your conceited attitude sucks. I know you are trying to look superior, but the effect is actually the opposite.

+1

spring_mountain_high · Aug 4, 2014

AdironRider said:
You guys make accountants look riveting. You wont ski unless you are getting off retail. Thats cool but 5 bucks is more important to you than skiing.

Liftopia is great, but Id rather ski where and when I please and not chase deals. Really sucks the fun out of things when you nickel and dime it.

must be awesome to be so loaded you don't have to be concerned with how much money you spend...the rest of us peeons have a finite discretionary budget and must attempt to maximize it as best we can.

mbedle · Aug 4, 2014

What I find interesting is if you pick a couple of resorts and look at the ticket prices from past years and calculate what they would costs in today's market, they fall pretty close to current ticket prices. In other words, we are basically spending the same on lift tickets back in the 90's that we are paying today.

Based on what most of you have been saying on this thread, I'm definitely looking into liftopia more this year. A vaguely remember checking them out last year, but didn't see any prices that were lower than what our local ski club offer.

VTKilarney · Aug 4, 2014

bobbutts said:
I know you are trying to look superior, but the effect is actually the opposite.

I don't know if that was his intent, but P.T. Barnum would have loved to meet someone who felt that saving 50% or more on the full retail price of a ski ticket was merely "nickel and dimeing it." He was, after all, the person who said something about a fool and their money, no?

Wealthy does not necessarily equal stupid. Lots of people here can afford full retail prices.

Smellytele · Aug 5, 2014

VTKilarney said:
Wealthy does not necessarily equal stupid. Lots of people here can afford full retail prices.

A lot of poor stupid people as well.

jimk · Aug 5, 2014

WWF-VT said:
I have never used Liftopia to shop and compare lift ticket prices across multiple mountains for a given time I plan to ski. I have only purchased via Liftopia to get a deal for tickets a few days in advance of when I plan to ski at a specific mountain.

I have used liftopia as a significant factor in planning several ski vacations, particularly ones where I am hitting multiple resorts. Even if I don't ultimately use liftopia for all ski days because I found something better, availability of them as an option has impacted my itinerary choices and I keep them as plan B if ticket needs evolve as trip date approaches and weather changes.

Nick · Aug 5, 2014

Side note: Liftopia owner Evan Reece is the one that introduced me to Greg about AlpineZone

Smellytele · Aug 5, 2014

Nick said:
Side note: Liftopia owner Evan Reece is the one that introduced me to Greg about AlpineZone

So it is his fault... :lol:

steamboat1 · Aug 5, 2014

VTKilarney said:
Wealthy does not necessarily equal stupid.

Smellytele said:
A lot of poor stupid people as well.

I'd much rather be rich & stupid than poor & stupid!

Tin · Aug 5, 2014

I had MRG tickets for what was supposed to be their last day which got rained out and since the mountain never opened I got a full refund. It's tough buying tickets weeks out but paying attention to the weather section on here can help.

dlague · Aug 5, 2014

Tin said:
I had MRG tickets for what was supposed to be their last day which got rained out and since the mountain never opened I got a full refund. It's tough buying tickets weeks out but paying attention to the weather section on here can help.

Unless the price is too good to pass up, then we generally will purchase as close as we can to the actual day we plan on going. This way we pull the trigger based on good forecasts. If the price is significantly lower < 70% of normal price I will take the gamble and buy anytime since those will move quickly.

We will not buy early season tickets since we have gotten burned a couple time where the resorts widow rate was an early season rate and lower then what was offered on liftopia ( happen twice ).

I think as people use liftopia they will learn how to use it with out getting a losing proposition.

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SIKSKIER · Aug 5, 2014

Here's a NH deal promo I just saw today.

[h=1]Ski NH ANYWHERE, ANYTIME LIFT ticket packages[/h]

[h=1]ON SALE AUGUST 11th at 9am![/h]

[h=1]Package Details ...[/h]Skiers and snowboarders can customize a mix of 6 lift tickets to their favorite ski areas; tickets are broken down into five price categories of $18, $28, $45, $56, and $67 per ticket.

- Packages begin at a minimum of six lift tickets and can be purchased in any increment above that.
- Select tickets from only one ski area if you choose, or purchase a mix of areas.
- Print your tickets from home when you order, or at a later date.
- Can't use your ticket, share it with your friends. Ski NH Anywhere, Anytime tickets are fully-transferable lift tickets that are valid every day of the 2014-15 ski season.
[h=1]SKI AREAS INCLUDE:[/h] $67- Bretton Woods & Loon Mountain
$56-Cannon Mountain, Gunstock Mtn Resort, Mount Sunapee,
Ragged Mountain, and Waterville Valley
$45-Cranmore and Pats Peak
$28-Black Mountain, Dartmouth Skiway, Granite Gorge,
and King Pine Ski Area
$18-McIntyre Ski Area
- See more at: http://skinh.com/deals/anytime-anyw...gnoreMobileRedirect=true#sthash.DXUJLL8g.dpuf

dlague · Aug 5, 2014

SIKSKIER said:
Here's a NH deal promo I just saw today.

[h=1]Ski NH ANYWHERE, ANYTIME LIFT ticket packages[/h]
[h=1]ON SALE AUGUST 11th at 9am![/h]
[h=1]Package Details ...[/h]Skiers and snowboarders can customize a mix of 6 lift tickets to their favorite ski areas; tickets are broken down into five price categories of $18, $28, $45, $56, and $67 per ticket.

- Packages begin at a minimum of six lift tickets and can be purchased in any increment above that.
- Select tickets from only one ski area if you choose, or purchase a mix of areas.
- Print your tickets from home when you order, or at a later date.
- Can't use your ticket, share it with your friends. Ski NH Anywhere, Anytime tickets are fully-transferable lift tickets that are valid every day of the 2014-15 ski season.
[h=1]SKI AREAS INCLUDE:[/h] $67- Bretton Woods & Loon Mountain
$56-Cannon Mountain, Gunstock Mtn Resort, Mount Sunapee,
Ragged Mountain, and Waterville Valley
$45-Cranmore and Pats Peak
$28-Black Mountain, Dartmouth Skiway, Granite Gorge,
and King Pine Ski Area
$18-McIntyre Ski Area
- See more at: http://skinh.com/deals/anytime-anyw...gnoreMobileRedirect=true#sthash.DXUJLL8g.dpuf

Yup that same sort of "deal" they have every year. Not a great deal in my book! But better than paying full price if you are interested in those ski areas and have no other options.

AdironRider · Aug 5, 2014

bobbutts said:
Aren't you out in JH? So what are you going to do, comparison shop between Snow King and JH? You get what you get out there, captive audience. At least for me, there are some pretty damn similar hills that I'd be equally happy to go to (Gunstock, Sunapee, Ragged for example). In that case, a less expensive ticket via Liftopia isn't really giving anything up at all.
Also FYI your conceited attitude sucks. I know you are trying to look superior, but the effect is actually the opposite.

Nevermind those three options could result in 100 miles in extra driving depending on your point of origin.

Only cheapskates get defensive about spending for the other folks (like the guy who only will ski if he's getting a deal). I'd rather spend some additional cash and enjoy my day than wait for all the stars to align and save a couple bucks.

mbedle · Aug 5, 2014

In AR defense, I can understand where he is coming from with just going skiing, if you can save some money great, if you can't, go skiing anyway and enjoy it. As far as some of you, I can also understand that if you don't have the money or just enjoy looking for the cheapest deal on lift tickets, great for you. Hell, I've got friends down here that will spend hours researching online, looking for the best deal on everything. It does seem like a lot of you ski all different areas throughout season. I'm guessing that is because most of you are from the northeast. So for you, going to Cannon, Wildcat, Suppee or Loon is not much different than me heading to my local ski hill on Saturday morning. When I am up in Vermont, going to a bunch of different resorts is not something I've done, nor really want to. I kind of like to park my ass at the nice hotel and not have to drive everyday to a different area.

I for one, tend to ski my local hill on a season pass, take a trip out west, which costs a lot and I don't really care what the tickets cost or head to Stowe for February and ski for $32/day for 5 days and $62/day for the rest of the month (thanks God for ski clubs!). No hassle for me, just fill out the form, mail in the check, get them in the mail and head to the slopes.

VTKilarney · Aug 5, 2014

Can I make the bold suggestion that there it's up to the individual and there is really no point in judging how someone else spends their money as long as they aren't being reckless?

One thing that people may not realize, is that some of us actually derive enjoyment from deal hunting. The hunt in and of itself is a rewarding experience.

hammer · Aug 5, 2014

FWIW I can get some decent deals on occasion but in the past few years I've ended up paying close to window price in many cases. When I read about people getting out during the season for an average of $20 per ski visit I do wonder what that takes...

mbedle · Aug 5, 2014

I agree, good point VT.

VTKilarney said:
Can I make the bold suggestion that there it's up to the individual and there is really no point in judging how someone else spends their money as long as they aren't being reckless?

One thing that people may not realize, is that some of us actually derive enjoyment from deal hunting. The hunt in and of itself is a rewarding experience.

Changes are coming to Liftopia

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