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Are We Seeing the End of Regular Season Passes?

cdskier

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No, I'm talking about inviting Ikon passholders to season passholder parties or to season passholder opening day.

That's bullshit.

That I would agree with being BS (unless the mountain is outright owned by Alterra, in which case I'd be ok with it...but at K I totally see your point).
 

thetrailboss

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No, I'm talking about inviting Ikon passholders to season passholder parties or to season passholder opening day.

That's bullshit.

Agreed. As I said, Brighton the other day posted on FB that Ikon Passholders now can get the same discount on food and bev that was reserved for Brighton Passholders. Not good optics.
 

thetrailboss

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So THAT was it!

I didn't read this thread at all for 2 days. (granted I was a little "preoccupied" with powder surfing, the eastern kind the last 2 days too).

The bitching is reserved for non-skiing part of the year, or when there's no snow in the northeast. As of now, my interest in participating in the bitching had dropped significantly.

It's good entertainment though, when the powder finally got skied out.

So my comment about waiting for my Ikon pass was half-joking. I don't expect one. That said, five years ago passholders at Alta and Snowbird got four days at Park City, four days at Deer Valley, and four days at Alta or Snowbird (the one that you did not have a pass to). So those were twelve days we got. This season after the crowding in LCC what did passholders get? One day at Alta or Snowbird, one at Deer Valley, one at Brighton, and one at Solitude. So, at most, four days in Wasatch Benefit. That is 1/3 of the initial benefit.

My larger point though is pretty basic--Snowbird, Alta, and Brighton gave away the store to Alterra and Ikon. In return those resorts got their passholders absolutely nothing in return. Why would you make such a deal? This is certainly unprecedented because Alta/Snowbird are in the Mountain Collective and as part of that deal ALL passholders of those resorts get 50% off day tickets at the other resorts. Why not do that with the Ikon deal?
 

abc

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So, Alta/bird giving away the store to Ikon is an indication of the end of traditional season pass for the whole ski industry?

Aspen and JH pass holders are getting Ikon pass on top of their own mountain for no extra cost. Is that the end of traditional season pass? One may argue either way.

Stowe and Sugarbush pass holders simply got their pass at significantly lower price, whether they ski elsewhere or not. That’s really the opposite of “end of season pass”!
 

EPB

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My larger point though is pretty basic--Snowbird, Alta, and Brighton gave away the store to Alterra and Ikon. In return those resorts got their passholders absolutely nothing in return. Why would you make such a deal?

The PR team wouldn't like this rationale, but the deal was never for the pre existing pass holders - it was for whatever $$$ they were going to get back from letting Ikon pass holders ski at their mountains.

Sent from my VS988 using AlpineZone mobile app
 

thetrailboss

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So, Alta/bird giving away the store to Ikon is an indication of the end of traditional season pass for the whole ski industry?

Aspen and JH pass holders are getting Ikon pass on top of their own mountain for no extra cost. Is that the end of traditional season pass? One may argue either way.

Stowe and Sugarbush pass holders simply got their pass at significantly lower price, whether they ski elsewhere or not. That’s really the opposite of “end of season pass”!

No. Read the first post of the thread.
 

thetrailboss

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The PR team wouldn't like this rationale, but the deal was never for the pre existing pass holders - it was for whatever $$$ they were going to get back from letting Ikon pass holders ski at their mountains.

Sent from my VS988 using AlpineZone mobile app

Exactly. And one question is if they are focusing on the wrong thing.
 

abc

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No. Read the first post of the thread.
Your OP confused people who ski a lot with season pass holders.

All season pass holders ski a lot. But not all the people who ski a lot have ONE season pass and ski exclusively in where they have a season pass.

The latter have 1 or even 2 season pass in their "home" mountain and still travels to ski in other mountains. It maybe to chase powder, or for variety.

That was before the mega passes.

The multi-mountain "mega-pass" captures those who ski a lot AND want variety.

People who are satisfied skiing one mountain year in and year out, they're not tempted to buy the "mega pass" if it doesn't include their home mountain. And if the megapass do include their home mountain, they still won't bother to ski other mountains...

Sure, in some cases, they end up paying more for their passes. Or they ended up with more crowded slopes. But others end up paying LESS for the same pass too!

So my point being, it's NOT the "end of regular season pass". It has some impact, and it will change it to some degree. But no, it's not the end as you are so fearful of.

It's still and evolving landscape. But then, everything is (evolving), ski season pass is just like anything else.
 

thetrailboss

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Your OP confused people who ski a lot with season pass holders.

All season pass holders ski a lot. But not all the people who ski a lot have ONE season pass and ski exclusively in where they have a season pass.

The latter have 1 or even 2 season pass in their "home" mountain and still travels to ski in other mountains. It maybe to chase powder, or for variety.

That was before the mega passes.

The multi-mountain "mega-pass" captures those who ski a lot AND want variety.

People who are satisfied skiing one mountain year in and year out, they're not tempted to buy the "mega pass" if it doesn't include their home mountain. And if the megapass do include their home mountain, they still won't bother to ski other mountains...

Sure, in some cases, they end up paying more for their passes. Or they ended up with more crowded slopes. But others end up paying LESS for the same pass too!

So my point being, it's NOT the "end of regular season pass". It has some impact, and it will change it to some degree. But no, it's not the end as you are so fearful of.

It's still and evolving landscape. But then, everything is (evolving), ski season pass is just like anything else.

Your interpretation of my OP is incorrect. I was pretty thorough in laying out my logic on it. And I am not fearful of anything, just asking a question to spur conversation.
 

cdskier

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All season pass holders ski a lot.

Surprisingly the data says otherwise... (Only 9-14 days average per season passholder depending on the region with the northeast being at the high end of that range).
 
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