Least, Most Expensive and Best Value Tix, Feb 2010

[billski]

Big Buck Boys
When nobody was looking, Vail goosed it's Peak Window Rate to $98 from $97 in November. Beaver Creek decided to reach for the stratosphere, raising their price from $90 last season to matched Vail at $98 and Steamboat raised prices 8% to $97.

Value King Dichotomy
It's interesting (but no surprise) that Wachusett peak lift price of $54 exceeds value-leader Saddleback's (Maine) $49 which has significantly more challenge and 220% more skiable terrain. Saddleback's 44 acres of glade is nearly half the size of Wawa's entire 103 acre terrain.

Economy Class
As ever, Cochran's $20 ticket remains the the least expensive.

Gee, I could ski five days at Cochran's or two days at Saddleback for the the price of one Vail ticket. Then again, it's hard to argue Vail's 5200 acres vs. Cochran's 15 isn't a better value. Didn't say inexpensive.

 

[speden]

Vail: $98 per day -- 2.84 cents/vert. ft. -- $0.51 per trail -- 2 cents per acre
WaWa: $54 per day -- 5.4 cents/vert. ft. -- $2.45 per trail -- 49 cents per acre
Saddleback: $49 per day -- 2.45 cents/vert. ft. -- $0.81 per trail -- 22 cents per acre
Cochran: $20 per day -- 4 cents/vert. ft. -- $2.50 per trail -- 67 cents per acre

Of course this ignores a significant part of the value equation, which is travel cost and lodging.

 

[billski]

Vail: $98 per day -- 2.84 cents/vert. ft. -- $0.51 per trail -- 2 cents per acre
WaWa: $54 per day -- 5.4 cents/vert. ft. -- $2.45 per trail -- 49 cents per acre
Saddleback: $49 per day -- 2.45 cents/vert. ft. -- $0.81 per trail -- 22 cents per acre
Cochran: $20 per day -- 4 cents/vert. ft. -- $2.50 per trail -- 67 cents per acre

Of course this ignores a significant part of the value equation, which is travel cost and lodging.

Of course, which most people know to figure out themselves. There is a huge range in travel cost, based on buy preference, which includes convenience, which makes it impossible to compare other elements.

 

[riverc0il]

Vail: $98 per day -- 2.84 cents/vert. ft. -- $0.51 per trail -- 2 cents per acre
WaWa: $54 per day -- 5.4 cents/vert. ft. -- $2.45 per trail -- 49 cents per acre
Saddleback: $49 per day -- 2.45 cents/vert. ft. -- $0.81 per trail -- 22 cents per acre
Cochran: $20 per day -- 4 cents/vert. ft. -- $2.50 per trail -- 67 cents per acre

Of course this ignores a significant part of the value equation, which is travel cost and lodging.

But how many of those acres do you ski during one day? Cents per acre is not really a good way of measuring things... especially considering how dubious the acre statistic number is for many ski areas, especially in New England.

One can only wonder if next year will be the year that we see triple digit lift ticket prices for the first time? That will be a sad day. I can not even imagine dropping a Ben Franklin for one day of skiing. Hell, I have a hard time even parting with a Grant for one day!

:smash:

 

[faceplant]

4 a.m?

were you just hitting the sack....or waking up early?

either way- dude you are 1 dedicatd AZer!

 

[thetrailboss]

Big Buck Boys
When nobody was looking, Vail goosed it's Peak Window Rate to $98 from $97 in November. Beaver Creek decided to reach for the stratosphere, raising their price from $90 last season to matched Vail at $98 and Steamboat raised prices 8% to $97.

Value King Dichotomy
It's interesting (but no surprise) that Wachusett peak lift price of $54 exceeds value-leader Saddleback's (Maine) $49 which has significantly more challenge and 220% more skiable terrain. Saddleback's 44 acres of glade is nearly half the size of Wawa's entire 103 acre terrain.

Economy Class
As ever, Cochran's $20 ticket remains the the least expensive.

Gee, I could ski five days at Cochran's or two days at Saddleback for the the price of one Vail ticket. Then again, it's hard to argue Vail's 5200 acres vs. Cochran's 15 isn't a better value. Didn't say inexpensive.

Actually...the Lyndon Outing Club and the Northeast Slopes are tied for the cheapest at $12 per day.

http://www.skilyndon.com/

http://www.northeastslopes.org/Home_Page.html

 

[billski]

Actually...the Lyndon Outing Club and the Northeast Slopes are tied for the cheapest at $12 per day.

http://www.skilyndon.com/

http://www.northeastslopes.org/Home_Page.html

Good catch! Have you skied them?

 

[billski]

Powderhouse

Actually...the Lyndon Outing Club and the Northeast Slopes are tied for the cheapest at $12 per day.

http://www.skilyndon.com/

http://www.northeastslopes.org/Home_Page.html

Got me to wondering about Maine and all the small community areas. Turns out $5 per day is the cheapest, at Powderhouse Hill, in South Berwick. They have the smallest vertical of any operating, open to the public area in the NE, at 175'. They are powered by one rope tow.

It has by far, the best trail map in New England!

 

[BackLoafRiver]

Got me to wondering about Maine and all the small community areas. Turns out $5 per day is the cheapest, at Powderhouse Hill, in South Berwick. They have the smallest vertical of any operating, open to the public area in the NE, at 175'. They are powered by one rope tow.

It has by far, the best trail map in New England!

...I just spit out some of my cereal. That is great.

 

[thetrailboss]

Good catch! Have you skied them?

I was an LOC Passholder from 1993-1999 or so.

 

[billski]

...I just spit out some of my cereal. That is great.

That map is a serious contender for my PC wallpaper! :grin:
(If I can figure out how to do it.)

 

[SIKSKIER]

That map is a serious contender for my PC wallpaper! :grin:
(If I can figure out how to do it.)

On the programs upper task bar there is an icon 2nd from the left.(The first is to print)Click on it to save that file to where ever you want to and pull it up to make it your desktop.

 

[billski]

On the programs upper task bar there is an icon 2nd from the left.(The first is to print)Click on it to save that file to where ever you want to and pull it up to make it your desktop.

It won't work that way. It's a PDF file.

 

[deadheadskier]

Got me to wondering about Maine and all the small community areas. Turns out $5 per day is the cheapest, at Powderhouse Hill, in South Berwick. They have the smallest vertical of any operating, open to the public area in the NE, at 175'. They are powered by one rope tow.

It has by far, the best trail map in New England!

my sister and brother in law live in the neighborhood behind Powderhouse. It was volunteer run until this year. Now the town's recreation department runs it. Drive by there all the time. I think 175' is an exaggeration. No way that hill is as tall as a 15 story building.

 

[jrmagic]

It won't work that way. It's a PDF file.

Save it as a PDF and then when you open it, there should be a snapshot tool so you can copy it to the clipboard. If you paste it into the Paint program you an convert it to an image that you can use as your wall paper if you like.


BTW that is an awesome trial map lmao

 

[abc]

One can only wonder if next year will be the year that we see triple digit lift ticket prices for the first time? That will be a sad day. I can not even imagine dropping a Ben Franklin for one day of skiing.

I doubt it will go over into the 3 digit land for a while, given where the economy is heading. In the go-go 90's, gapers are dropping their Ben Franklin without a care. Those days are gone and not coming back any time soon.

Ski "resorts" would love to raise ticket price each year. All business do. But pretty soon they ran out of paying customers who feel like paying. At least paying the full price. So the more they raise the window price, the fewer customer will come to the window -- the peeps either figure out the discount/package game, or they quit skiing altogether!

Many ski hills got into the same over-extended spending spree as many home owners. Now many can't pay the mortgages. In the next few years, I can see a few resorts freezing their ticket prices and even a few going out of business. But the surviving ones will have to stay at the same price level or even get the bulk of their business for less (by way of massive discounts and packages). It's a simple supply and demand matter.