Can I Buy Your Pass? No.

[ski_resort_observer]

Steeze....you must be Jonezen to dig this thread up...from April.

Yeah...please someone post one of those awesome "beating a dead horse" flash pics.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Steeze....you must be Jonezen to dig this thread up...from April.

Greg likes when members reserrects old posts..

 

[deadheadskier]

I was guilty of this charge back in college. I found many people liked $10 cash instead of an old lift ticket on their Nevica coat.

guilty as charged as well. when I was young and more broke than I am now, I as well hung out in the parking lot looking to clip tickets from those who were leaving for the day.


I honestly don't have a problem with it. The ticket is good from opening to close. If someone chooses to not take advantage of the full 8 hour day, then where's the waste and disrpect for allowing someone else to finish out the day?

If mountain's really wanted to prevent this type of thing, which I only see increasing with rising prices, not to mention the new zip tie wickers instead of the old metals ones, they'd charge by the hour and make their lift tickets transferable.

If someone comes up to me next winter in the parking lot and offers me $10 for my ticket when I know I'm done for the day, I'd gladly give it to them.

 

[skiNEwhere]

Yeah...please someone post one of those awesome "beating a dead horse" flash pics.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

Cool...guess that's the Palm Springs version....:wink:

 

[ComeBackMudPuddles]

guilty as charged as well. when I was young and more broke than I am now, I as well hung out in the parking lot looking to clip tickets from those who were leaving for the day.


I honestly don't have a problem with it. The ticket is good from opening to close. If someone chooses to not take advantage of the full 8 hour day, then where's the waste and disrpect for allowing someone else to finish out the day?

If mountain's really wanted to prevent this type of thing, which I only see increasing with rising prices, not to mention the new zip tie wickers instead of the old metals ones, they'd charge by the hour and make their lift tickets transferable.

If someone comes up to me next winter in the parking lot and offers me $10 for my ticket when I know I'm done for the day, I'd gladly give it to them.

Perfectly said. I agree 100%. Sometimes, when I don't have a full day to ski, I don't hit the slopes at all because of the prohibitive pricing. Half-day pricing is a joke at most areas.

I'd only add that the mountain sold a pass for the full day to one person. The original purchaser skiing 6 hours and the other skiing 2 hours changes nothing from the area's perspective. It's still just "one" person skiing for the full day.

Not allowing transferability is the area disrespecting the customer, not the other way around.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

Perfectly said. I agree 100%.

I'd only add that the mountain sold a pass for the full day to one person. The original purchaser skiing 6 hours and the other skiing 2 hours changes nothing from the area's perspective. It's still just "one" person skiing for the full day.

Not allowing transferability is the area disrespecting the customer, not the other way around.

You couldn't be more wrong in your assessment of the resort's perspective. Just one point is your not buying a tik by the hour it's for the whole day. Whether you ski the whole day is your choice, plain and simple.

If transferability was allowed you think it's ok to go into the lodge and give your tik to your buddy so he can take a run while your eating. This is just one of the problems the resort's would be faced with and as a result of all the problems it would cause the resorts would have to raise prices to make up for the lost revenue. Does that work for you? Allowing transferability would cause so many problems for the resort you probably wouldn't even begin to understand.

If you sold your used tik to some one in the parking lot not only would the resort lose out but in Vermont you will be arrested plus the poor sap who bought it and was convinced it was okay. I didn't make up these laws, they do exist. It's called Theft of Service.

Also please explain how "Not allowing transferability is the area disrespecting the customer, not the other way around" plus how you would prevent people from abusing it?

 

[millerm277]

If you sold your used tik to some one in the parking lot not only would the resort lose out but in Vermont you will be arrested plus the poor sap who bought it and was convinced it was okay. I didn't make up these laws, they do exist. It's called Theft of Service.

To be fair, the odds of you being arrested for doing that are about the same as you winning the lottery, unless you're holding it up in the middle of the lodge and yelling "who wants a ticket? 10 bucks!"

 

[ComeBackMudPuddles]

You couldn't be more wrong in your assessment of the resort's perspective. Just one point is your not buying a tik by the hour it's for the whole day. Whether you ski the whole day is your choice, plain and simple.

If transferability was allowed you think it's ok to go into the lodge and give your tik to your buddy so he can take a run while your eating. This is just one of the problems the resort's would be faced with and as a result of all the problems it would cause the resorts would have to raise prices to make up for the lost revenue. Does that work for you? Allowing transferability would cause so many problems for the resort you probably wouldn't even begin to understand.

If you sold your used tik to some one in the parking lot not only would the resort lose out but in Vermont you will be arrested plus the poor sap who bought it and was convinced it was okay. I didn't make up these laws, they do exist. It's called Theft of Service.

Also please explain how "Not allowing transferability is the area disrespecting the customer, not the other way around" plus how you would prevent people from abusing it?

A basic philosophy of mine is the more consumer choice, the better. I suspect ski areas could come up with pricing schemes that allowed for greater flexibility, which would lead to getting more people on the mountain, which would be good for everyone. There's more than one business model out there. Clearly, with people selling their tickets to people near the end of the day, there's money to be made by the ski area if they could figure out how to exploit the market.

Ski areas are client driven, aren't they? Why not put more choices out there? Say, add a $5 or $10 surcharge to make a ticket freely transferrable. Would that cause "problems"? Not clear to me. More and more ski areas scan tickets before lift rides. The information is instantly available to the area. What could be abused?

Regarding your point as to it being illegal in Vermont to sell your ticket after you've had your fill of skiing, who do you think pushed for that law? Skiers or ski areas? I'd guess ski area lobbyists convinced state legislators that the law was a good idea. Just because something is a law doesn't make it "right" and some other approach "wrong". I think laws like these oftentimes come down to who has more money to spend to get their voice heard in the legislature. I could go on, but I'm trying not to cross the "no politics" line.

What's wrong with having a buddy take a run on the pass you paid for in your place? I just don't understand what's so shocking. It's still just one butt on a lift and one set of skis or one board carving the slopes.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

At Blue mountain they off morning 7:30AM-12:30PM weekends..8:30AM-12:30PM weekdays...Afternoon tickets, Twilight, and night tickets. You get scanned in at a psedo gate by security and the lifties don't check tickets. So in theory you can buy a morning pass and take an 11:30AM lunch and go back out and ski till 2:00PM..that's what I did in my pre-season pass days. Was I cheating the ski area? Yes...but I'm about to buy my 6th unlimed season pass there this season and I give them so much free PR over the net.

I always thought the one butt on a lift with each ticket theory. A ski resort operator would say that transferring tickets is bad because the ski area expects a single one day skier to only spend 4-5 hours out of the 7-8 hour ticket actually skiing so transferring would add more wear and tear on the facilities. A few ski areas sell a late afternoon pass for the last hour or two..I think more should do that for late arrivals to a ski resort. That could help curb some of the transferring of passes in the parking lot.

At Jackson Hole which is one of the most expensive ski resorts in North America. A Day pass went for $72 last season. Alot of vacationing skiers get a package with a lift ticket good for 5 or more days and the mountain kicks their butt so they take a rest day or go to Yellowstone and then they realize that they have one extra day that will go unused. So the morning they depart..they hang out in the parking lots and sell their final day. The going rate is about $50 but you can haggle down..most wouldn't turn down $35-40..and the money you save you can get a good steak dinner at the Gunbarrel. In my mind it would be a shame for an entire day on a multi-day ski pass to go unused but I bet unused days total in the thousands. Crazy

 

[Breeze]

At Blue mountain they off morning 7:30AM-12:30PM weekends..8:30AM-12:30PM weekdays...Afternoon tickets, Twilight, and night tickets. You get scanned in at a psedo gate by security and the lifties don't check tickets. So in theory you can buy a morning pass and take an 11:30AM lunch and go back out and ski till 2:00PM..that's what I did in my pre-season pass days. Was I cheating the ski area? Yes...but I'm about to buy my 6th unlimed season pass there this season and I give them so much free PR over the net.

I always thought the one butt on a lift with each ticket theory. A ski resort operator would say that transferring tickets is bad because the ski area expects a single one day skier to only spend 4-5 hours out of the 7-8 hour ticket actually skiing so transferring would add more wear and tear on the facilities. A few ski areas sell a late afternoon pass for the last hour or two..I think more should do that for late arrivals to a ski resort. That could help curb some of the transferring of passes in the parking lot.

At Jackson Hole which is one of the most expensive ski resorts in North America. A Day pass went for $72 last season. Alot of vacationing skiers get a package with a lift ticket good for 5 or more days and the mountain kicks their butt so they take a rest day or go to Yellowstone and then they realize that they have one extra day that will go unused. So the morning they depart..they hang out in the parking lots and sell their final day. The going rate is about $50 but you can haggle down..most wouldn't turn down $35-40..and the money you save you can get a good steak dinner at the Gunbarrel. In my mind it would be a shame for an entire day on a multi-day ski pass to go unused but I bet unused days total in the thousands. Crazy

I just love this. Visit Alpine Zone Forums to learn about how SOME hard-scrumming, dedicated skiers find ways to rip off the industry they swear to depend on for life and liberty. Find out how they get their steeze for less-$$$$ -than-the -average-bear. Learn to decipher right from wrong from their perspective..

I'll stick around to learn more! Bring it ON!

Breeze

 

[2knees]

ohhh such drama. you should email the feds and have his ip address tracked down.

 

[Breeze]

you suggested that direction, are you volunteering?

Maybe we should let you foot the bill for snowmaking before Thanksgiving. Sorry we can't afford it this year. Too many folks sniped us last March, ya know.

What are they thinking when they resell used tickets in the parking lot. Don't they know it just takes weeks off the season?

Nah. They don't care. Obviously oblivious.


Breeze

 

[deadheadskier]

A basic philosophy of mine is the more consumer choice, the better. I suspect ski areas could come up with pricing schemes that allowed for greater flexibility, which would lead to getting more people on the mountain, which would be good for everyone. There's more than one business model out there. Clearly, with people selling their tickets to people near the end of the day, there's money to be made by the ski area if they could figure out how to exploit the market.

Agreed

In a sport where skier visits have been flat or on decline for 25 years (I believe 1982 is actually the year the US had the most skier visits), I think resorts need to re-visit how they attract skiers. As others have mentioned, half-day pricing is clearly a joke. You get maybe a 20% discount on price, but the reduction in ski time is over 50% considering most places, the half day rate starts at 12:30 and a lot of lifts shut down at 3:30.

Skiing has become more and more prohibitively expensive over the past 20 years. It's always been an exensive sport, but it has gotten worse. This is especially true for locals as they tend to have less disposable income.

Perhaps the moutain should just take advantage of the situation and offer a 'broker' service for transferring lift tickets. Have an exchange counter where if someone is willing to buy your ticket, the mountain will give you a $5 an hour discount for tickets returned after 1 and then re-sell them for $10 an hour. In this case, everyone wins. The original purchaser ends up paying $50 for the day instead of $65, the afternoon skier gets to ski for $30 instead of $55, and the mountain ends up making $80 off of that ticket instead of $65.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

A part of me is glad that skiing is so expensive. A die-hard skier with a modest income will always find a way to scrape together enough money for ski trips or a season pass. If skiing was 10 bucks..imagine how crowded it would be at the ski areas. The combination of flat skier visits(visits are actually up a little since the late 90s) and lots of new lifts means more bang for your buck. It's all relative..life is expensive. Go to the local bar and have a burger and a few micros and it's easily $20..Go to an amusement park, golf course, sporting event, movie theater. How much is a night at a decent hotel??? The industry is doing well on selling condos to Baby Boomers..unfortunately those Baby Boomers don't ski as much as they used to..and the Newschoolers are taking over...Holla

 

[deadheadskier]

A part of me is glad that skiing is so expensive. A die-hard skier with a modest income will always find a way to scrape together enough money for ski trips or a season pass. If skiing was 10 bucks..imagine how crowded it would be at the ski areas. The combination of flat skier visits(visits are actually up a little since the late 90s) and lots of new lifts means more bang for your buck. It's all relative..life is expensive. Go to the local bar and have a burger and a few micros and it's easily $20..Go to an amusement park, golf course, sporting event, movie theater. How much is a night at a decent hotel??? The industry is doing well on selling condos to Baby Boomers..unfortunately those Baby Boomers don't ski as much as they used to..and the Newschoolers are taking over...Holla

One has to experience skiing first, to become a die hard skier. I'm not suggesting lift tickets should be $10 or even $20 for that matter. However, the ONLY way mountains are going to be able to sustain themselves in the long run is by attracting more riders. Eventually, prime real estate on mountain owned land dries up and they have to get revenue elsewhere.


and I'm sorry....'the Newschoolers are not taking over' maybe at the neighborhood hills down in PA, but not at the larger resorts.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

One has to experience skiing first, to become a die hard skier. I'm not suggesting lift tickets should be $10 or even $20 for that matter. However, the ONLY way mountains are going to be able to sustain themselves in the long run is by attracting more riders. Eventually, prime real estate on mountain owned land dries up and they have to get revenue elsewhere.


and I'm sorry....'the Newschoolers are not taking over' maybe at the neighborhood hills down in PA, but not at the larger resorts.

But the growth in the ski industry is among the twin tippers...they're the ones along with the boarders who are out in the early and late season and are more than happy to session a picnic table all day..That's why resorts are catering more and more to them...and alot of them have wealthy parents..

 

[deadheadskier]

...and alot of them have wealthy parents..

....if the resorts did a better job catering to the not so wealthy parents out there, then even better growth would be realized and more people could experience and grow the sport.


aggressive late afternoon pricing is the way to do this. It basically expands upon what is already available in after school programs. Giving people a cheap option after 1 PM is a no brainer. For one thing, the good surface has already been enjoyed by the wealthy who can afford the full days past, so you're not pissing them off by over crowding the slopes.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Do you think alot of people would wait to ski until 1:00PM for a much cheaper pass price??? Don't ski resorts prefer wealthy patrons to middle class patrons since they spend more money of food, gear, lessons, and lodging???

 

[deadheadskier]

Do you think alot of people would wait to ski until 1:00PM for a much cheaper pass price??? Don't ski resorts prefer wealthy patrons to middle class patrons since they spend more money of food, gear, lessons, and lodging???

I'm sure there are plenty that would. As a personal example, my local hill is Shawnee Peak. It's a nice mountain to go out and make turns on and is nearby, but it's nothing that excites me all that much. Sunday afternoon, noon to 4:30 for $23. A full day ticket is $47. For me, the $23 represents a better value to me as I typically ski 5 -6 hours in a day. So, I'd be paying $24 more for an hour and a half of skiing. Are the conditions better early in the morning? Sure, but the terrain doesn't excite me enough to pay that much more for premium conditions.


Guys like me is not my point though. To answer your question, yes, mountains obviosly prefer wealthy patrons. However, you never know which kids or poor college students are going to become wealthy adults. I do believe that aggressively reduced prices after 1, will bring in more of this level of clientele, without disturbing the experience of the wealthy who get there early in the morning.