Article on "mega pass" being bad for the sport

[snoseek]

If the money was used to expand lots and beef up the bus system this would have been great but its not so this is bullshit. The traffic going up those canyons is a real problem and this won't fix much.
Those bus lots are going to fill even faster now. There isn't enough space for everyone to shuttle up...they know that.

 

[BenedictGomez]

If the money was used to expand lots and beef up the bus system this would have been great but its not so this is bullshit. The traffic going up those canyons is a real problem and this won't fix much.
Those bus lots are going to fill even faster now. There isn't enough space for everyone to shuttle up...they know that.

I really sympathize for these locals. Especially the families with children for whom $10 or $20 a pop each & every time you ski is a big expense. Honestly, a huge bonus of even being a local is you can show up and ski for 1.5 hours or 3 hours or whenever you have a chance or desire, and now that's going to cost them more. Intentionally dropping this on them after they're non-refundably paid is evil.

 

[AdironRider]

I really sympathize for these locals. Especially the families with children for whom $10 or $20 a pop each & every time you ski is a big expense. Honestly, a huge bonus of even being a local is you can show up and ski for 1.5 hours or 3 hours or whenever you have a chance or desire, and now that's going to cost them more. Intentionally dropping this on them after they're non-refundably paid is evil.

A family skiing Solitude as locals, requires at a minimum, $2600 bucks a year plus gear. They can swing the 10 to 20 to park.

Or take a bus, that already exists, for free. I personally hate the bus, but paid parking has been a fact of life for me for the past 12 years and it really isn't that big of a deal ultimately. It does do its job promoting car pooling and bus usage.

Evil is not the right word for a business charging for an extremely in demand service / amenity. There are free alternatives already so take advantage of them.

 

[fbrissette]

A family skiing Solitude as locals, requires at a minimum, $2600 bucks a year plus gear. They can swing the 10 to 20 to park.

Or take a bus, that already exists, for free. I personally hate the bus, but paid parking has been a fact of life for me for the past 12 years and it really isn't that big of a deal ultimately. It does do its job promoting car pooling and bus usage.

Evil is not the right word for a business charging for an extremely in demand service / amenity. There are free alternatives already so take advantage of them.

If you ski 40 times per year (as many pass holder do), this is an extra 400-800$ to swing. This is not an insignificant increase.

 

[AdironRider]

And........ there is already a free bus you could take instead. That 4-800 is a matter of pure luxury.

Nevermind this hypothetical family of locals getting squeezed would only pay $5 to park given Solitude's pricing structure, so like 200 bucks. And what were pass prices themselves pre-Ikon? Higher. Acting like this is a massive increase over previous years is disingenuous.

Now crowding on the other hand, that is the real travesty.

 

[tumbler]

Skied there last March on their busiest day (according to all the locals- IKON!) when LCC was closed after a dump. Cars parked down the road. Very crowded until about 11:30 then lifts were 5-10 chair wait. Found freshies in Honeycomb all afternoon. Empty all afternoon.

 

[slatham]

Wow, text book case of how to piss off your clientele!!!! They need to give season pass holders a “pass” (pun intended) for this year on parking. Only fair way to deal with this.

 

[BenedictGomez]

A family skiing Solitude as locals, requires at a minimum, $2600 bucks a year plus gear. They can swing the 10 to 20 to park.

How do you know what they can afford?

While the Utah economy is booming, incomes there are still somewhat meager versus C.O.L.

I could be wrong, but I'd speculate that the sole reason many from the SLC area choose Solitude over Alta/Bird is in fact 100% driven by lower cost. If I lived there & could afford it, I sure as hell would have an Alta/Bird pass rather than a Solitude pass. Cost is literally the only reason I can think of to ski Solitude if I lived there.

Evil is not the right word for a business charging for an extremely in demand service / amenity.

Frankly, if Solitude wanted to charge $200 to park, it's up to them and I couldnt care less. The way they intentionally & deceptively went about doing this, however, was evil. They locked everyone into a non-refundable contract, then only when they had the money locked in the bank, they spuriously dropped this additional not-insignificant expense on them.

Nevermind this hypothetical family of locals getting squeezed would only pay $5 to park given Solitude's pricing structure, so like 200 bucks.

Nope. The $5 fee is only if you have 4 people, so it would need to be Mom & Dad & 2 kids in that example. Still, if you go 40 times a year that's still $200.

And if a Mom or Dad wants to show up with their kid on a Sunday morning? That's $20. This is not an uncommon scenario.

 

[machski]

If you ski 40 times per year (as many pass holder do), this is an extra 400-800$ to swing. This is not an insignificant increase.

And for those locals who go this often, they are offering a $175 season parking pass. One $175 fee for everyone going in your vehicle all year. That is not horrible and likely brings the total season pass price for a family to still less than a stand alone Solitude pass used to be.

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[jaytrem]

Maybe a good idea to pick up people who are walking in from the free road side parking. Save them a walk and you some money.

 

[jimmywilson69]

sounds like a case to build the Wassatch 1 or whatever the gondola network was. They actually have a unique situation where they could connect all these places, Europe style, and create something special.

Build garages at the base of the Cottonwoods and in Park City and every takes a gondola or tram or whatever... Limit cars up the cottonwoods to guests staying on site only. everyone else takes the public Gondola. I'm sure some of the tourist taxes already in place could easily fund this.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Maybe a good idea to pick up people who are walking in from the free road side parking. Save them a walk and you some money.

I read a post on FB about a guy thinking you can now make money running a small 12 or 15 person passenger van up the canyon. lol

sounds like a case to build the Wassatch 1 or whatever the gondola network was. They actually have a unique situation where they could connect all these places, Europe style, and create something special.

While ONE Wasatch itself claims it's not dead, it seems like the eco-extremists are winning. And IIRC they're trying to make deals and/or land acquisitions to put the final nails in that coffin. Which is really sad, because I think if you had a ski connection between all those mountains it would confer an industry marketing advantage that would be worth untold millions of dollars annually to the local economy.

 

[jimmywilson69]

a ski connection between all those mountains it would confer an industry marketing advantage that would be worth untold millions of dollars annually to the local economy.

Without a doubt. This is where the US fails... I mean there is no way that the areas between the cottonwoods and Park city are this pristine wilderness being that close to major metropolitan area and next 2 6 world class ski areas already.

It would solve the damn problem of overcrowding!

 

[abc]

I can see a couple of ways to beat it:

1) on weekdays when there's not much demand, people may choose to park at the mouth of the canyon and take the bus?

2) on weekend when the bus is likely to be full, drivers with empty seat may swing by the park n ride lot to fill the car up? (I've seen this done in the Jackson remote lot, cars came by asking people to jump in so they can get into the carpool lot)

Either way, probably very few cars in the $20 lot. Or maybe even the carpool lot will be fill all the way to the road?

 

[AdironRider]

How do you know what they can afford?

Because your poor hypothetical family already dropped 2600 bucks on passes, plus gear, etc. 200 bucks to park is less than an 8% increase in cost just on passes alone, less than 5 if they are really frugal with gear, less than 3 if they buy ski gear like most ski families do. That is basically inflation level price increases. Plus, Solitude passes were more expensive pre-Ikon. This family is saving money compared to prior ownership.

$175 is a steal for a parking pass if you ski a bunch. They run 550+ here in Jackson, and that lot still requires a short bus ride. Vail? Hah, if you have to ask you can't afford it. Amongst their competitive set, Solitude's parking is affordable.

 

[machski]

Don't forget, Solitud is supposedly launching a ride share app that will allow skiers/riders a chance to link up to car pool up. You don't even need to hunt out the roadside cars, there'll be an app for that!

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[thetrailboss]

Don't forget, Solitud is supposedly launching a ride share app that will allow skiers/riders a chance to link up to car pool up. You don't even need to hunt out the roadside cars, there'll be an app for that!

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Too bad Snowbird beat them....

https://www.snowbird.com/ride/

 

[thetrailboss]

Especially the families with children for whom $10 or $20 a pop each & every time you ski is a big expense. Honestly, a huge bonus of even being a local is you can show up and ski for 1.5 hours or 3 hours or whenever you have a chance or desire, and now that's going to cost them more. Intentionally dropping this on them after they're non-refundably paid is evil.

And guess what? Folks who pay to park are going to make damn sure that they ski every minute because folks here are frugal at best but mainly cheap. So the lot will not turnover.

 

[thetrailboss]

A family skiing Solitude as locals, requires at a minimum, $2600 bucks a year plus gear. They can swing the 10 to 20 to park.

Or take a bus, that already exists, for free. I personally hate the bus, but paid parking has been a fact of life for me for the past 12 years and it really isn't that big of a deal ultimately. It does do its job promoting car pooling and bus usage.

Evil is not the right word for a business charging for an extremely in demand service / amenity. There are free alternatives already so take advantage of them.

So good to see that Mr. KIA is back (know-it-all).

A few comments. First, way to go on the generalizations there as to cost. A lot of folks don't buy the full Ikon, but the entry-level pass. It is (was) cheaper than that. And those kiddos were free BTW for renewals, which were most folks. Small detail. And, as said, you have no idea how folks live or what choices they make.

Second, you clearly can't read because SEVERAL folks here have already said that "take the bus" is not a feasible option because they are already full. You even said it twice. That also goes to the point being made that the $$$ are NOT going to more busses but to Alterra's bottom line.

Third, the "free alternatives" doesn't really work because this change was made AFTER folks bought passes. Sure, they can use their days at other places, but that is capped.

So moral of the story is stay in your lane. :roll:

 

[thetrailboss]

Maybe a good idea to pick up people who are walking in from the free road side parking. Save them a walk and you some money.

:lol: