When is a deal not a deal

[dlague]

I continue to poke around the internet in an attempt to find deals for the 2014-2015 season. Some of the deals out there are laughable such as $10 off a lift ticket. If it were against lift ticket prices for lets say Black Mountain in NH then it is a deal, but if it is against a lift ticket at Stowe, Killington or even Sunday River - I would say not.

Recently, Liftopia has been sending emails out regarding deals. Two years in a row I bought early season lift tickets 1 time to Ragged and another to Gunstock and found out when I got there that the early season rate was the same. So obviously the deal was not a deal. Sometimes on Liftopia you can get a lift ticket and $10 voucher for food (non alcohol) - is that a deal? Liftopia does have some good deals mostly mid week - then again most resorts do to and if I were to look closer some of the two fer deals at resort are probably not far off the deal on Liftopia. Many resorts hand out coupons at ski shows for a percentage off but most are midweek non peak.

If you are a mid week skier then you can score lots of deals - awesome for you!

There are some great deals out there The Ride and Ski Card, Ski VT 3or 5 pass, Fox 44 Ski Card, Irving Gas Skiing 2 fer, Mountain Sports Club, CT Ski Clubs (I am sure the same applies in other state too) - all where you can ski for 50% or less - those are deals!


Will they be Open on the11/30 if open on 12/06 is it a deal?

 

[conwayeast]

Want a good deal on lift tickets? You should join a ski club. www.aceskiandboardclub.com unfotunately the site is down right now, should be back up later today or tomorrow.

 

[dlague]

Want a good deal on lift tickets? You should join a ski club. www.aceskiandboardclub.com unfotunately the site is down right now, should be back up later today or tomorrow.

Yup why I mentioned

CT Ski Clubs (I am sure the same applies in other states too)

 

[bobbutts]

You could really lose if you bought ahead at Waterville Valley during one of their promotions where the ticket is priced like the score of the Patriots game or low temperature or whatever.
Another sure-fire way to lose 100% is to buy ahead and then not go. I have done that a few times :dunce:

I used liftopia for Ragged a few times for a good discount buying the day before I went.

 

[dlague]

You could really lose if you bought ahead at Waterville Valley during one of their promotions where the ticket is priced like the score of the Patriots game or low temperature or whatever.
Another sure-fire way to lose 100% is to buy ahead and then not go. I have done that a few times :dunce:

I used liftopia for Ragged a few times for a good discount buying the day before I went.

Did that last year myself!

 

[jimk]

Three years ago I went skiing on a Monday at Canaan Valley Ski area in WV. This is a quiet little state-owned ski area and quite inexpensive. They offered half priced weekday tickets for Mil/Gov and I got one for something like $15. Good deal, good day, good snow, zero crowds. My buddy and I had stopped there after skiing at another ski area and our car was filled with gear and leftovers from the weekend. It was a great conclusion to excellent weekend.

A couple days later I found out they had a little publicized discount running that day called Food Bank Monday and I could have had $10 lift tickets by donating one of the numerous cans of leftover food I had in the back of the car? This past winter I went back on the same Monday in the same scenario with three buddies and we donated two grocery bags of non-perishable food items for nice discounted skiing with even better conditions. A good deal is when you off-load last chair with a smile on your face!

 

[VTKilarney]

Mt. Abram seems to have some of the best deals on Liftopia right now.

 

[conwayeast]

Ace website is back up. These are any day use tickets with NO blackouts. Be hard pressed to find a much better deal than these.
http://www.aceskiandboardclub.org/2014-2015-ticket-sale/

 

[bigbog]

Nice pics Jimk...... Beautiful snow...

 

[BenedictGomez]

Ace website is back up. These are any day use tickets with NO blackouts. Be hard pressed to find a much better deal than these.
http://www.aceskiandboardclub.org/2014-2015-ticket-sale/

Those are great deals, though the website claims holiday blackouts may apply*.

For those not living in Mass, is this only through ACE or do other ski clubs offer this?

*

Vermont tickets have various restricted use dates usually at Christmas/New Year’s, Martin Luther King, Jr.weekend, and the February school vacation week.

 

[conwayeast]

Those are great deals, though the website claims holiday blackouts may apply*.

For those not living in Mass, is this only through ACE or do other ski clubs offer this?

*

You can still become a member of ACE even if you do not live in MA. If you are interested in membership you should contact Michele Grenier mgski@verizon.net and she should be able to answer any questions you have regarding membership.

 

[deadheadskier]

Does Ace no longer offer NH mountains? I thought they did when I was a member 6 years ago, but maybe I'm misremembering.

 

[conwayeast]

Does Ace no longer offer NH mountains?

ACE is able to get the VT deals thru skivermont, unfortunately skinh has changed how it operates and now deals directly to consumer. There is no deals for ski clubs.

 

[dlague]

Nice pics Jimk...... Beautiful snow...

No kidding that really gets you excited about this winter for sure!

 

[WWF-VT]

You can still become a member of ACE even if you do not live in MA. If you are interested in membership you should contact Michele Grenier mgski@verizon.net and she should be able to answer any questions you have regarding membership.

See the "How It Works" section of this page for addtional requirements:

http://www.aceskiandboardclub.org/membership/tickets/

 

[jimk]

No kidding that really gets you excited about this winter for sure!

You say you want pictures from good skiing deals...we got pictures, plenty of pictures:lol:
First week of March 2013 me and two others got three day passes off Liftopia to MRG for $74 each. Photos from those three days:
Chute

Paradise

MRG woods beneath double chair


Sorry for photo divergence

 

[dlague]

Ace website is back up. These are any day use tickets with NO blackouts. Be hard pressed to find a much better deal than these.
http://www.aceskiandboardclub.org/2014-2015-ticket-sale/

What ever you purchase add $30 to the total for overall costs due to the membership fee. So the objective would be to purchase more to diminish the membership fee across the tickets. If you get a membership and buy one ticket then not such a good deal, however buy three or more then the deal gets better and better .

 

[steamboat1]

What ever you purchase add $30 to the total for overall costs due to the membership fee. So the objective would be to purchase more to diminish the membership fee across the tickets. If you get a membership and buy one ticket then not such a good deal, however buy three or more then the deal gets better and better .

That would be if your only objective to belong to a ski club is to save money on lift tickets. There are far better reasons to belong to a good club.

 

[thetrailboss]

Personally I'd think that it is the wrong time to look. Right now they'd be more focused on season passes and other things. I'd say the best time for deals would be right after Presidents Week when most folks stop skiing. That's the time they are motivated to get folks out.


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone

 

[Smellytele]

That would be if your only objective to belong to a ski club is to save money on lift tickets. There are far better reasons to belong to a good club.

The only reason I would join is for ski tix discounts. I don't like skiing with groups of people nor staying in ski houses with said people. I can always find better deals on ski trips as well by myself for my family. If I was single and had only myself to buy for it may be different but ski club trips for 5 people are too expensive.