Crotched Mountain 12/26/2006

[tcharron]

I understand your feelings.

Skiing is a business though...consider that if you were to allow kids under 6 to ski for free because they don't really know how to ski, what do you say to the adult beginner who can't ski? Should they ski free too? Because you know someone would make that an issue.

And what would stop parents from bringing their under 6 year olds who can ski from going to the magic carpet area, taking a run, then sneaking off to ski the rest of the mountain for free? You know that would happen too.

My understanding is, even if you have, as in my case, a *FAMILY* season pass, you have to pay the extra 50$, in addition to the base cost. I COULD be mistaken here, that is merely the impression I got from the Crotched ticket counter. As I've said earlier, next year I'll find out for sure.

 

[JimG.]

I respectfully disagree wth you. At Crotched everyone must go get a lift ticket, even season ticket holders. Kids can't sneak onto the regular lifts because they check to see if you have a lift ticket, they could issue a different one for the bunny area like Bretton Woods does. If they are concerned about liability, charge $1 for the kids pass. Adults who learn to ski almost always get a sweet deal for that first time out. I did at Crotched last year. $59 for a ticket a lesson and rentals.

I'm not saying I should be compensated for my word of mouth advertising, I'm just saying that they should do whatever they can to ensure all positive word of mouth. And regarding the fact that Bretton Woods may be the only free learning area around. . . name another mountain that has enjoyed as much success as BW over the last 10 years or so. They have expanded terrain, brought in Bode Miller, offer one of the longest seasons around, are getting national recognition, and are packed all the time. One of the reasons for this is that they have fantastic word of mouth.

Then we agree to disagree. I worked at Hunter for 15 years as an instructor and coach. I've seen the abuses of services I mentioned, and everyone at Hunter is supposed to get a ticket too. But I must say I've never heard of a season pass that requires you to get a ticket each time you ski either. To me, that defeats part of the purpose for buying one...not waiting in a ticket line.

Considering the expenses involved with skiing, I just can't agree with you that charging $50 for a kid's season pass isn't a sweet deal. Yes, it's more than the $20 I pay, but it still seems like a sweet deal to me. And I don't have a ton of money to throw around either.

I won't say anything bad about BW...for what it offers, it's a great place. But they certainly make up for the "free" beginner skiing with higher prices on other services. Great marketing, but the reality of making profit in business is always the top priority, don't fool yourself.

So, you can pay me now or pay me later.

 

[JimG.]

My understanding is, even if you have, as in my case, a *FAMILY* season pass, you have to pay the extra 50$, in addition to the base cost. I COULD be mistaken here, that is merely the impression I got from the Crotched ticket counter. As I've said earlier, next year I'll find out for sure.

What is a "family" season pass...never heard of that before.

Does it mean any individual member of the family can use it, or does it mean that you can have the whole family ski on the same pass on any given day?

Because if it is the latter, I would have to agree that the extra $50 charge is wrong.

 

[mckay]

Good arguments Jim, I totally respect where you're coming from. With Crotched's policy I believe they are actually threatening their profits. I may not get a season pass there next year. Someone like you, who has worked in the industry may understand this policy, but I don't believe most regular skiers would agree with it.

I was talking about this at a Yankee swap on Christmas eve with a group of hardcore skiers. There were no less than 7 people there who have skied Tuckermans. They were appalled when I mentioned the policy at Crotched. Typical reaction was something like this -- "You mean to tell me they want you to pay extra so you can take Emma over to the bunny slope, even though kids under 6 are free with a regular lift ticket purchase?? That's ridiculous!".

We can agree to disagree here, and I probably will just pay up the next time I bring my daughter, and I probably will get another season pass next year. But with all the money I've dropped at that place since I started skiing, on lift tickets, rentals, food (rip off), season ticket, lessons, in the shop, etc. I really believe it isn't in their best interest to tack on this little extra fee.

 

[JimG.]

Good arguments Jim, I totally respect where you're coming from. With Crotched's policy I believe they are actually threatening their profits. I may not get a season pass there next year. Someone like you, who has worked in the industry may understand this policy, but I don't believe most regular skiers would agree with it.

I was talking about this at a Yankee swap on Christmas eve with a group of hardcore skiers. There were no less than 7 people there who have skied Tuckermans. They were appalled when I mentioned the policy at Crotched. Typical reaction was something like this -- "You mean to tell me they want you to pay extra so you can take Emma over to the bunny slope, even though kids under 6 are free with a regular lift ticket purchase?? That's ridiculous!".

We can agree to disagree here, and I probably will just pay up the next time I bring my daughter, and I probably will get another season pass next year. But with all the money I've dropped at that place since I started skiing, on lift tickets, rentals, food (rip off), season ticket, lessons, in the shop, etc. I really believe it isn't in their best interest to tack on this little extra fee.

I totally understand your situation.

I agree that the policy that kids under 6 ski free with a regular lift ticket purchase but kids under 6 whose parents have season passes pay $50 is at odds with logic. It sounds like they made a policy and wound up painting themselves into a corner. I seem to spend alot of my time here at work correcting similarly poor policy decisions. I know how annoying it is for the customer.

I just checked Hunter's policy for lift tickets for kids under 6...it's $10 for a day ticket. Makes me realize even more that the $20 season pass is a steal. But I must admit I would have been a bit pissed if the day tickets were free. My guess is you would feel better if Crotched charged $10 for an under 6 day ticket. I would agree with you.

Don't just suck it up and pay if it bothers you. Write letters...reference this site and this thread. Mention Hunter's policy. Make some noise. You have a legitimate gripe.

 

[mckay]

Thanks, man. Great job with this site too. The trip reports are awesome.

What makes it really aggravating is that my wife does not have a season pass. 90% of the time she will be with us, she will buy a lift ticket, and our daughter will get the free one no prob. But for those rare occasions where I just want to shoot up there with my daughter, might only be 2 or 3 times all year, I have to pay up.

I have talked with the GM at Crotched who seems to agree with me, and I'm awaiting a reply from Peak Resorts. In the meantime, I plan on getting maximum value out of that season pass of mine. And again, Crotched, IMHO, is a fantastic small ski area with amazing snowmaking and grooming, great trail layout and variety, friendly staff, and never too crowded. If this is all I've got to complain about, there are doing pretty well.

 

[JimG.]

And again, Crotched, IMHO, is a fantastic small ski area with amazing snowmaking and grooming, great trail layout and variety, friendly staff, and never too crowded. If this is all I've got to complain about, there are doing pretty well.

I'm glad this conversation brought you back to what is most important.

 

[hammer]

And I'm not aware of any ski area besides BW that offers a free learning area...

I can think of a few in NH...

• The beginner's area at Pats Peak is free, and Pats is close to Crotched
• Cannon's Brookside area is also free

I'm surprised that Crotched charges full ticket prices for the use of the magic carpet area...when that was all that my daughter went on I didn't like it at all.

Fortunately, it's no longer a factor for me...and at this point I'd go there and pay anyway because their conditions are about as good as I can get without driving several hours and paying much more for a lift ticket.

 

[shreddie better]

Free Kids Pass

Every so often, you could get lucky and get someone who is buying a ticket to get you your free children's ticket, but they really should change the policy...at least a $5 or $10 children's pass. After all, a free kids pass can turn into a lifetime of season passes as the child grows.

 

[tcharron]

I received a response from Chris on this very subject, please feel free to check it out at the new thread:

http://forums.alpinezone.com/12572-crotched-mountain-under-6-season-pass.html

 

[mckay]

Thanks tcharron. That's the same reasonable response I got from Chris about 6 months ago. The problem is that when I actually tried to explain that to someone at a ticket window I got a big hassle.

Also, Chris seems to argue that given how unbelievably awesome Crotched is in every way, that no season ticket holder has any right to complain about anything. That turns me off. If Crotched is truely offering more value than the competition they can and should raise their season ticket prices. That is basic economics. He seems to be quoting the competition price of nearby Sunapee which charges much more, and offers much more than Crotched. Sunapee has almost twice the vertical, a high-speed quad, several lodges which are all much nicer than the one at Crotched, a learning center that is half as big as all of Crotched, 3 times as many trails, more varied terrain, etc.

Don't get me wrong. Crotched is doing a phenominal job. I've been 5 or 6 times this year and it has always been very good. I am very happy with the value I am getting for my season ticket price. I just don't think Chris should act like season ticket holders at Crotched are the luckiest skiers in the world. As shreddie better points out, they could be jeopardizing a lifetime of season passes.

I solved my problem. My 14 year old babysitter said she would go up with us anytime. I buy her lift ticket and we take turns teaching my daughter how to ski, and getting in some skiing of our own. Because I am buying a lift ticket for the babysitter, I get the free one for my daughter.