Help out a fellow skier

[mgalluzz]

Hey everyone,

I'm working on a project for one of my marketing classes at school, and if you could take one minute and fill out this survey it would really help me out:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CGGWQKH


Thanks!

 

[deadheadskier]

Done

and if that 10 smaller market mountain season pass for $850 were availabe, I'd buy it this second.

 

[Puck it]

Done, I would buy that pass too!!!!!!

 

[wa-loaf]

Done and ditto!

 

[WakeboardMom]

Done.

Done

and if that 10 smaller market mountain season pass for $850 were availabe, I'd buy it this second.

We used to buy the SkiNH Gold Pass and that achieved a similar end. We'd split the package with friends and it always ended up being a good deal; the passes were totally transferrable.

They no longer do that. Now the purchases are structured such that the prices are 20% off weekend/holiday rates. Not a bad deal if you're willing to lock in those rates.
http://www.skinh.com/anywhereanytime.cfm

 

[deadheadskier]

I've looked into that and it is a decent deal, though not as good as the $850 season pass he proposes. If I'm fortunate enough to get out 26 times this season like last, that works out to $32.69 per day. The NH places I'd mainly be interested in; Ragged, Cannon, Wildcat are all $53 a ticket on the skinh deals.

Adding Smuggs and Burke in VT to that deal would be gravy. I'm someone who prefers mid sized ski areas to full on resorts, so what he/she is proposing is like my dream pass. Even though I could get Boyne Pass for $700, I'd much prefer having the 10 mid sized areas at $850.

 

[4aprice]

One thing I would really like to see would be a pass that included my local mountain and several other resorts around the northeast. I've always wanted to see Camelback team up with some other mountains. It would definately drive me to ski those mountains.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

 

[deadheadskier]

One thing I would really like to see would be a pass that included my local mountain and several other resorts around the northeast. I've always wanted to see Camelback team up with some other mountains. It would definately drive me to ski those mountains.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

might happen someday. I believe Blue has reciprical ticket deals with some VT areas. Stowe perhaps?


Think last season Sundown had some deals going with Sugarbush as well.

Poconos are tough; definitely a large geographic spread from there to Northern New England resorts.


The 10 area pass in New England I think would be really competitive against the Big Boys / Resorts even at $850, which is higher than a number of season pass prices for the majors. Real Estate owners / renters will still stick to the big guys, but for someone like me who prefers variety, I'd pay that extra premium to ski 'lesser' mountain.

Now I'm dreaming. Smuggs, Burke, Magic, Bromley, Ragged, Cannon, Wildcat, Black, Mt. Abram, Shawnee Peak for $850. That deal would do very well in the Boston Market.

 

[NYDrew]

I would totally buy that pass but I would rather see more regionalized stuff.

Something like local "small market" mountains with no blackouts and larger mountains with blackouts and/or a small daily fee ($10-$20?) I would pay quite a bit more for that.

 

[severine]

Think last season Sundown had some deals going with Sugarbush as well.

Also had reciprocal deal with Okemo. It was for half-priced tickets on weekdays, and $x off on weekends, IIRC. I used the Okemo deal for my last ski day of the season.

 

[Madroch]

Done-- my interest on a smaller mountain pass would hinge on having some options "local" to me-- CT- I usually ski a good bit with my family and I would not get north enough with the family to justify a pass - but if I had a local option that would work.

 

[4aprice]

might happen someday. I believe Blue has reciprical ticket deals with some VT areas. Stowe perhaps?


Think last season Sundown had some deals going with Sugarbush as well.

Poconos are tough; definitely a large geographic spread from there to Northern New England resorts.

I don't find the geographic spread to be that bad. Maine and parts of NH can be a long drive (sometimes I make that drive to escape the NJ/NY crowd) but No NY and really all of Vermont is fairly easy thanks to I-87. From my stately manor here in NNJ I can make Jay, Smuggs, Stowe and Sugarbush in 5-6 hours, Whiteface, Gore, So Vermont and the No Berkshires in 3-4 hours, the Catskills in 2-2.5 hours and of course the Pocono's >1-2 hours. Many of my fellow Pocono skiers take 1 or 2 trips up north during the season. The Pocono's not only serve the NNJ/NY market but the Philly to DC markets as well. It would seem to me that that is a lot of potential customers to the northern resorts. Camelback does quite well and it would seem to me that they would be a great partner to any resort up north willing to team up with them. I hope to see it happen someday.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

 

[gmcunni]

Also had reciprocal deal with Okemo. It was for half-priced tickets on weekdays, and $x off on weekends, IIRC. I used the Okemo deal for my last ski day of the season.

and Bromley but i can't recall the details (though i took advantage of it this past season)

 

[deadheadskier]

I was thinking more going the opposite direction. Not many New England folks would bother heading down to the Poconos short of visiting friends / family in the area.

It could provide a competitive advantage for Camelback over other mid-Atlantic areas as if they were to offer cheap tickets to a Northern area when other mid-Atlantics could not; you might get more folks willing to buy a season pass at Camelback over say Blue.

Seems like a no brainer for Northern resorts to partner up with mid-Atlantic places. Means that they become the long weekend / holiday vacation destination of choice for Camelback skiers.

I'm sure the biggest challenge is deciding on how to split pass revenue.

 

[deadheadskier]

and Bromley but i can't recall the details (though i took advantage of it this past season)

pretty certain Jay Peak has a lift ticket special for season pass holders to any other mountain. Think Saddleback did as well this past season. Makes sense for those areas to offer an incentive to 'go the distance' for folks who may have never been there.

I bet Gore/Whiteface would benefit greatly from such a program. I'd love to ski at those mountains, but it's a major haul for me to get there. If there was a $100 weekend ticket for a day at each resort, I'd be much more motivated to go than to travel all the way over there for rack rate.

 

[wa-loaf]

Now I'm dreaming. Smuggs, Burke, Magic, Bromley, Ragged, Cannon, Wildcat, Black, Mt. Abram, Shawnee Peak for $850. That deal would do very well in the Boston Market.

Add Saddleback to this list!

Wachusett is part of the Mountains of Distinction, which give discounts at Okemo, Stratton, Jay (50%), and even Alta (where I was getting $35 this winter!) and some others I'd have to look up.

 

[4aprice]

I was thinking more going the opposite direction. Not many New England folks would bother heading down to the Poconos short of visiting friends / family in the area.

It could provide a competitive advantage for Camelback over other mid-Atlantic areas as if they were to offer cheap tickets to a Northern area when other mid-Atlantics could not; you might get more folks willing to buy a season pass at Camelback over say Blue.

Seems like a no brainer for Northern resorts to partner up with mid-Atlantic places. Means that they become the long weekend / holiday vacation destination of choice for Camelback skiers.

I'm sure the biggest challenge is deciding on how to split pass revenue.

Oh come on DHS I know your just itching to get down here and ski some Pocono pavement.:-D Actually I think you would enjoy a day of mogul skiing down here but I totally understand your point. I was just thinking of the potential # of customers.

I know the Poconos are technically the Mid-Atlantic (so is NY) but I like to think of us as the bottom of the northeast and anything below us as the Mid-Atlantic. The Pocono's have more of a New England feel to them then W PA, WV, Maryland and Virginia. Just one of my stupid personal hang ups. I like to think of myself as a Northeast skier.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

 

[deadheadskier]

I'd totally enjoy hitting up Camelback, Elk, Blue etc. I lived in the Mid-Atlantic for a couple of seasons and was a Snowshoe, Wisp and 7 Springs skier. I could see myself skiing a lot of those areas and the Catskills when I retire next century and have the time to make it over there. Always enjoy exploring new areas no matter how big or small.

I'm sure Camelback blows away my 'home' mountain Ragged at bumps :smash:

 

[riverc0il]

I think there would be a lot of interest in that type of season pass because it is a really good deal for the consumer. Which I suspect would be a really bad deal for the individual resorts. These are all mountains that charge on average $400-600 per season on a pass. How would they split up $850 and still make it profitable? Also, let's not forget that not only would the return per pass be less but skiers would ski at each mountain less so they would spend less on food, merch, etc.

We don't see many multi-mountain season passes and I suspect there is a reason for that (i.e. profit). The multi-mountain passes we do see are special exceptions such as same ownership, college, and mid-week.

Recently we saw the Jay/Burke reciprocal get cut back. Used to be full reciprocal. Then mid-week. Now its half price any day. Considering Jay already has a $40ish rate for other mountain's pass holders, this is essentially just a perk for Burke to get a few extra visits from Jay as Burke pass holders don't benefit more than a few bucks.

Are there any non-shared ownership, non-college, and non-mid-week full mountain combo season passes in New England any more? I can't think of any.

 

[deadheadskier]

SOS pass?

Stratton Okemo Sunapee