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Article on "mega pass" being bad for the sport

thetrailboss

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I got that email & was JUST coming here to post that! Knew you would love it.

As you have said, this year is going to be the test for the pass. If it is an average snow season, we shall see if it really is conditions that drive people. However, we’re already now slightly ahead of average so far. It is still pretty early out here but no problems yet with crowding. I still feel that it is an issue of too many people using this too good to be true pass and taking advantage of it at the expense of folks who commit to one mountain.


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drjeff

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As you have said, this year is going to be the test for the pass. If it is an average snow season, we shall see if it really is conditions that drive people. However, we’re already now slightly ahead of average so far. It is still pretty early out here but no problems yet with crowding. I still feel that it is an issue of too many people using this too good to be true pass and taking advantage of it at the expense of folks who commit to one mountain.


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Regardless of how good or not so good weather wise the next 2 weeks leading into the Christmas to New Year's week is, that week, and in particular the Friday the 27th through Monday the 30th long weekend in the middle of it, will really give an idea as to the roll of the mega passes has on crowding as that's when the "less than 10 days a season" mega pass crowd will likely be out in full force in addition to what has been out already this year which is more like the more dedicated 20+ days a year mega pass crowd. My hunch is if some of they formerly day/multi day ticket buying crowd that shows up primarily during Holiday times (and is often getting credits to future days since they tire out after 2 days and don't want to ski that 3rd or 4th day) are now on the mega passes, they may be more likely to go out for few more days during a Holiday week, but just for less hours each day, and then hence more folks on the hill each day....

Guess we'll find out in a few weeks

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FBGM

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Just want to let every known that this still makes skiing cheaper. Do I need some picture graphs and colorful shapes and lines? Derp derp
 

trackbiker

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Just want to let every known that this still makes skiing cheaper. Do I need some picture graphs and colorful shapes and lines? Derp derp

Maybe. But does it make it better?
And when the independent areas go under, do they then jack the rates?
 

abc

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Just want to let every known that this still makes skiing cheaper.
Maybe. But does it make it better?
A Yugo is "cheaper" than a Corolla.

If the skiing experience remain the same, it's cheaper.

If the skiing experience is worse, it simply means a lower price for a different product.

Just because it's the same mountain doesn't make it the same. A McDonald in the same building that used to be a steak house will cost you less. But will you still go there?

Having said that, I think it's still too early to tell.
 

BenedictGomez

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I think it's still too early to tell.


It really isn't. You're conflating the ski experience (which is a valid concern), which the price of skiing.

If we merely focus on price:

For avid skiers, it makes skiing cheaper.
For the average skier as defined per NSAA data, it makes skiing more expensive.
 

abc

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It really isn't. You're conflating the ski experience (which is a valid concern), which the price of skiing.
I'm not "conflating" the two.

One is the price, the other is the product. They have an inherent correlation.

You can't "conflate" the price of a burger and the taste of them. In fact, I think there's some "conflating" when you compare the price of two things that aren't the same, and say the inferior one is "cheaper".

Unless, you're only interested in "having" it but not really care about actually enjoying it.
 

abc

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I mean, combining things rather than separating them is literally the definition of conflation.
There's a difference between "combining" with "correlating".

When two things are correlated, they need to be look at together, not separately.

We have opposite understanding of the concept. I don't see any benefit of taking this any further. Shall we agree to disagree?
 

abc

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I believe trailboss was being ironic.

Everybody park on the shoulder instead of paying to park in the lot.

I’m so glad I didn’t get Ikon for the 19/20 season. Give them a year to sort out the madness.
 

nhskier1969

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Figured that..looks like a bit of a walk...wish i was there now though..hearing good reports

I can't comment on Parking situations in Utah, but I know that is a huge issue for the I70 resorts in Colorado. I am currently out here now, take a look at my pics on the trip board. Every mtn charges for parking on the I70 resorts, they encourage skiers/boarders to take buses out of Denver. every ski area is run by either Ikon or Epic.
My family were long time season pass holders. We changed to the Ikon pass this year. I like the fact you can ski my different ski areas instead of skiing the same runs over and over every season at the same resort.
 

machski

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I can't comment on Parking situations in Utah, but I know that is a huge issue for the I70 resorts in Colorado. I am currently out here now, take a look at my pics on the trip board. Every mtn charges for parking on the I70 resorts, they encourage skiers/boarders to take buses out of Denver. every ski area is run by either Ikon or Epic.
My family were long time season pass holders. We changed to the Ikon pass this year. I like the fact you can ski my different ski areas instead of skiing the same runs over and over every season at the same resort.
That is not true, skied Copper last Friday and we did not pay to park. In fact they have several free skier lots. All require a shuttle bus to the slopes, but the shuttle buses ran frequently and were rather nice. I know they do have pay lots closer to lift bases, but it wasn't mandatory. Vail, now that's a different story. Least expensive option I heard from locals was to park in Minturn and take the $8 bus.

In Solitude's case, all their actual parking lots are fee lots this season. This the access road situation. Utah will have to do what NH did this summer in Franconia Notch and cone/rope prohibit parking on the road.

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jimk

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That paid parking at Solitude is working out really well....

View attachment 25823


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Ouch. I parked out there on the street (Big Cottonwood Canyon Rd) last April for Solitude's closing day when it was real crowded. That was the only day I skied Solitude last year. Not too bad a walk from where I was, but I understand parking continues to be a problem at Soli this year. I guess that's because it's the only unlimited mtn in UT on IKON and it must really be attracting a lot of people, both locals and visitors?
I ski Snowbird a lot and can still get convenient, free parking there almost every time. There were a couple powder Saturdays last winter when I decided not to go up to Snowbird in the morning because traffic was terrible. There was one snowy weekday when I left at 1:30 in the early afternoon to avoid an expected downhill traffic jam at 430PM. I still favor free parking in LCC, but can see that paid parking there may be in the cards for the future. The problem is that the UTA buses don't have the capacity to take tons of additional riders for a cheap transport up BCC and/or LCC.
 

jimk

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That is not true, skied Copper last Friday and we did not pay to park. In fact they have several free skier lots. All require a shuttle bus to the slopes, but the shuttle buses ran frequently and were rather nice. I know they do have pay lots closer to lift bases, but it wasn't mandatory. Vail, now that's a different story. Least expensive option I heard from locals was to park in Minturn and take the $8 bus.

In Solitude's case, all their actual parking lots are fee lots this season. This the access road situation. Utah will have to do what NH did this summer in Franconia Notch and cone/rope prohibit parking on the road.

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Pretty sure Keystone still has free parking. And I thought there were a few free places at Vail such as Frontage road on the other side of I70. Breck has the free airport parking lot. A-Basin is free. Isn't Mary Jane parking free? And outer lots at Winter Park? Free parking at Aspen too, it's just at many of these places you have to park far away for free and ride a shuttle to lifts.
 
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