Skiing in May: Would you pay a premium for it?

[snowman]

Lots of talk about the overall shortened seasons. Not a whole lot ski areas can do about October or early November lift serviced skiing. If it's not cold enough, it's just not cold enough. However, with some abundant snowmaking during the cold months, ski areas could certainly prep at least one run with enough snow to take them into May, barring any really bizarre warm-ups of course.

Given that, would you be willing to pay a premium for skiing in May? Say season passes expire on 4/30, would you be willing to purchase a lift ticket for May turns? What would you pay for a lift ticket to ski say something like Superstar, or Upper FIS, or even Hellgate-Upper/Lower Crossover at Hunter (run F-lift). $50? $60? $75? :-o I wonder if there could be a price point determined that would make this worthwhile for a ski area to attempt.

I would for sure, if I lived nearby. I think this is a very good idea. As opposed to ending season passes, you could charge a premium for April 1 or April 15 and on. Maybe a $49 to $99 add on? Nobody wants the hasstle of having to go and get a ticket if they're a pass holder. I have passes to places that don't even pay for themselves because I can't be bothered with the hassle of having to go get a ticket. If you do it this way, you then have a good idea of who wants it and what you have for a base budget to pay for blowing the extra snow on a trail or 2. The more people who want it, the more you can expand your late season trail selection and base depths. Day tickets would cover the day to day costs of late season. Sweet and simple plan. I know of a few places that stay open late that offer a late season pass. They start sales of them around March 1 and they're valid from April 1 on. That nets you more people from other areas who don't want to ski at your area all year, but would love to ski there all spring. It also gets you their names and addresses, that you can use to try and sell them full season passes for the next year.

 

[mattchuck2]

No . . .

But I'd pay a BIG premium to ski in August and September

 

[WWF-VT]

Another idea might be to open the May terrain to folks that buy their pass for the following season early, as well as anyone willing to buy a day lift ticket, but not current pass holders. I see no problem with having current season passes expire on 4/30.

I would not be happy if my season pass ended on 4/30 and the mountain was still open - very bad idea.

From Win Smith in the 2007 Alpine Zone Challenge:

"We stay open primarily to show our season pass holders value and as you say for "marketing" for the next season."

 

[Greg]

I would not be happy if my season pass ended on 4/30 and the mountain was still open - very bad idea.

From Win Smith in the 2007 Alpine Zone Challenge:

"We stay open primarily to show our season pass holders value and as you say for "marketing" for the next season."

I'm not saying to just apply an end date to, say, this year's season pass. You obviously would have to specify the terms prior to selling a pass. However, if your current pass expired on 4/30 and then you had an opportunity at a killer deal for next season's pass which also gave you May skiing, would you still be unhappy?

 

[ski63]

Paying a premium to ski in slush would be a hard sell.

 

[snowman]

I'm not saying to just apply an end date to, say, this year's season pass. You obviously would have to specify the terms prior to selling a pass. However, if your current pass expired on 4/30 and then you had an opportunity at a killer deal for next season's pass which also gave you May skiing, would you still be unhappy?

That's a good plan too. A sell point to get your pass money in earlier. I'd like to see how the pass add on would work for one season at K or the River etc though. See how many people would buy in to pay for snow beeing blown deep on a trail or 2 for June 1 skiing. I LOVE to ski in the spring. I'll take 50's over 0's any day. If I was within' 2 hours of the mountain I would be in for a pass and would visit atleast twice if I was within 4 hours.

 

[thaller1]

affirmative - I'll ski as long as I can

 

[WWF-VT]

I'm not saying to just apply an end date to, say, this year's season pass. You obviously would have to specify the terms prior to selling a pass. However, if your current pass expired on 4/30 and then you had an opportunity at a killer deal for next season's pass which also gave you May skiing, would you still be unhappy?

I already renew my pass at the earliest time to get the best deal for the next season. Many mountains currently sell the "next season" pass in the spring that offers skiing for that season.

I just think it's way too complicated to have an end date to a season pass

 

[Hawkshot99]

By the time comes around that this would truly affect me, I just don't have the time to be going up to Vermont. Would i love to? Yes, I would be very interested if it was just 30 mins away, but at 3+ hours, just to get to the first resorts in Vermont, that is a hard sell for the conditions that will exist. If Hunter or Bellayre could do it, then I would be more interested, but at that time of the year even 1.5 hrs is hard to drive.(Although this past year i ended my season at Bellayre last week of April some time, on some nice fresh snow. )

 

[bvibert]

At this point I'd have to say no, I wouldn't pay a premium. Mostly because I'd have a hard enough time justifying driving up there to begin with, let alone paying more for less. If I had more disposable income and/or area's able to offer May skiing were closer, I guess the answer would be yes.

By May I've already pretty much used up my skiing budget (both money and time spent away from the family).

 

[tcharron]

I think the normal ticket price itself in late season might be the breaking point. Anything higher, and it will deter people from coming. Personally, I might consider paying full price/premium IF, and only something special was rolled in, say, lunch! :-D Which, of course means, not at Killington this year...

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

I think the normal ticket price itself in late season might be the breaking point. Anything higher, and it will deter people from coming. Personally, I might consider paying full price/premium IF, and only something special was rolled in, say, lunch! :-D Which, of course means, not at Killington this year...

Some golf courses include lunch with greens fees but I've never seen a ski area include lunch with a lift ticket...it seems like a decent promotion..I don't see any ski areas charging a premium for late season skiing..that's the time when lift tickets are the cheapest. A big reason I ski Stowe in April is the discounted tickets. Early April cost me $227 for a 5 day ticket but by late April, it was about $100 for a 3 day,,,as Larry David would say..pretty good..pretty pretty good..lol

 

[ski63]

How about skiing in the morning and golf in the afternoon in May.
I've always wanted to try this and never had the right timing.

 

[Greg]

This was an interesting read. Do any of you feel differently?

 

[deadheadskier]

I think Killington had the best concept for late skiing revenue. I'm not certain the last time they did, but I can recall in High School that they offered a past for like $199 from the middle of March on I believe it was. I used to get it most years as after my local Hill closed (Okemo), Killington would be open for at least another month.

They were pretty savy about selling it to. I recall going up to the lift ticket counter to purchase a four day ticket one season when Easter was quite early. I think the four day ticket was about $130-$140. They simply asked if I would like to upgrade for a pass good through the end of the season.

I would do something like this again in a heart beat, but I wouldn't pay a premium. If I thought I'd be able to spend 8 more days on the hill for $199, then I'd do it.

My feeling haven't changed much, though I would've gotten burned on this pass deal this year as I'd only be able to use it 3/4 times. Even at that, Killington is almost three hours from where I live, a bit out of day trip range. I'd do a Wildcat pass every season though if they had one for $200 from March 1st on.

Actually, just checked out Wildcat's next years option for season passes and their mid-week or six-day a week pass become full season passes beginning in April and up until Christmas Eve. Might be worthy of a look.

 

[Warp Daddy]

I wouldn't pay more in May too many OTHER sports going o that time of year for me

 

[Geoff]

I do pay a premium for it. I bought at Killington mainly for their extended spring skiing. Other'n Stowe, any other mountain I might have considered has lower housing costs.

 

[snoseek]

How about passes that expire on maybe apr 15 then 50 per day after. Also a steep discount for passholders to that area, maybe 1/2 price. That could keep everyone happy imo.

I still feel strongly about this. I would pay whatever it takes to make the ski area profitable.

+1 for bumping a thread with the great genious we know as Snowman. Snowman you out there lurking?

 

[gmcunni]

I do pay a premium for it. I bought at Killington mainly for their extended spring skiing. Other'n Stowe, any other mountain I might have considered has lower housing costs.

i imagine this is a source of angst for many people, especially those near a resort which has recently changed ownership. it is easy enough to not purchase a season pass if you are not happy with the way a resort is run but when you've spent 100s of 1000s of $$ i'd imagine you are locked in to some degree.

 

[Vince]

I would pay more. This closing early stuff has pushed me into going a few times recently when it was not so good. If K mart still cranked like the old days I would be happy to sit out this rainy stretch.

Bromley has a lift ticket and lunch at their sit down restaurant for $35 on Tuesdays.

Next year Easter is very early April 4th.

I would like to see a ski area try charging on a variable rate. If it snows 12 inches on a Saturday charge $120. If its lousy on a weekday charge $15.