Most expensive lift tickets

[kingslug]

I have a better time out west
.much more terrain and vertical..not much rain..and ive skied a hell of a lot more true powder days out there..

 

[skiur]

I would think it's more expensive for eastern resorts than west, the most expensive thing is making snow and out west they do a lot less of that.

 

[kingslug]

Making snow can cost up to 1000nto 2000 an acrein a 24 hr period if the really crank it up..big pumps..big compressors..plus the crew

 

[abc]

I think eastern skiers clamor to ski out west because they have this mistaken notion that if they go out there they are guaranteed powder days and great conditions. Weather doesn't work that way...you don't get snow storms because you have a reservation to ski a week in Vail. It's great marketing though!

You’re quite mistaken on your accessment of WHY eastern skiers ski out west!

They don’t go west for “guaranteed powder” as you asserted. They go west for “guaranteed no refrozen cr*p”! The kind we have today!

You’re right to say “weather doesn’t work that way... because you have a reservation to ski a week (fill in any eastern mountain)”. It’s precisely because no one can guarantee the weather, the odds are infinitely better out west. The added expense are basically weather insurance premium for not having to deal with ice, rain, negative temperature... Powder days, if one is so lucky, are “just” the icing on the cake!

I’ve been going out west every year for the last 10 years. Only ONCE I had to deal with condition as bad as we have here on average (crowded groomer of man-made snow). That was last year. I ended up canceling the trip, paid the “change penalty” on my flight and went to Canada instead. That’s 1 out of 10 years! Tell me about the odd of someone from say, the mid-Atlantic area scheduling a week in Stowe?

BTW, has anyone started a weather speculation thread for next weekend yet? The big prez weekend, will we have yet another rain followed by a big freeze like we did in MLK weekend? (My pass is blackout, so I don’t care)

 

[abc]

Most expensive single day i ever had was when Denver airport closed..took a bus to Breck..150 lift..100 bus..and had a damn good day..
Thonk thats the only time ive paid full day rate

I have better luck when Jet Blue cancelled my flight AND wouldn’t provide a seat till 3 days later! I was skiing on a Rockie Mountain Super Pass (at the time only $400). So I turned around back to Copper and skied the next 3 days for nothing!

(And thanks for my friend who worked at Jet Blue at the time, I was given a special customer service link to get all my expense reimbursed — hotel+rental car. So my extra days of skiing was “free”. On the other hand, I lost the 3 day wages which is a lot more than the “expense”)

 

[JimG.]

I have a better time out west
.much more terrain and vertical..not much rain..and ive skied a hell of a lot more true powder days out there..

Are you heading out there soon?

We need more snow here in the east.

 

[gmcunni]

One benefit with the Ikon pass is you get up to eight discounted tickets if someone you're going skiing with needs to buy a ticket at the window. It's a 25% off discount, which softens the blow of the high prices a little. I think the Epic pass has something similar too. It's handy to use when you ski with someone that only skis a couple times a year.

Epic has the same. i think 6 buddy and 6 ski with a friend. i used them over the christmas break for my son's girlfriend to ski. it was still $120 for the day tho

 

[JimG.]

You’re quite mistaken on your accessment of WHY eastern skiers ski out west!

They don’t go west for “guaranteed powder” as you asserted. They go west for “guaranteed no refrozen cr*p”! The kind we have today!

You’re right to say “weather doesn’t work that way... because you have a reservation to ski a week (fill in any eastern mountain)”. It’s precisely because no one can guarantee the weather, the odds are infinitely better out west. The added expense are basically weather insurance premium for not having to deal with ice, rain, negative temperature... Powder days, if one is so lucky, are “just” the icing on the cake!

I’ve been going out west every year for the last 10 years. Only ONCE I had to deal with condition as bad as we have here on average (crowded groomer of man-made snow). That was last year. I ended up canceling the trip, paid the “change penalty” on my flight and went to Canada instead. That’s 1 out of 10 years! Tell me about the odd of someone from say, the mid-Atlantic area scheduling a week in Stowe?

BTW, has anyone started a weather speculation thread for next weekend yet? The big prez weekend, will we have yet another rain followed by a big freeze like we did in MLK weekend? (My pass is blackout, so I don’t care)

Totally get the going out west for generally speaking better conditions than in the east. Truly do. And it makes a lot of sense if you are going to drop major cash on a destination vacation.

But for me and my situation it's a waste of money and effort. At least in terms of worrying about timing good conditions. I do miss the terrain and big mountain feel of western ski areas.

 

[Smellytele]

I have a better time out west
.much more terrain and vertical..not much rain..and ive skied a hell of a lot more true powder days out there..

Then you don’t ski many days in the east. Percentage wise you may have more but I have had times when I skied out west and then came back and had better snow here. You Living in NY I can see your point


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[deadheadskier]

Totally get the going out west for generally speaking better conditions than in the east. Truly do. And it makes a lot of sense if you are going to drop major cash on a destination vacation.

But for me and my situation it's a waste of money and effort. At least in terms of worrying about timing good conditions. I do miss the terrain and big mountain feel of western ski areas.

Same

I'm rarely so disappointed with what we have in New England that I want to deal with the travel hassle of going out West. That is only magnified now that I have a very young family.

Only the really bad years like three seasons ago have I ever felt that desperate for good snow. Almost all New England winters, the longest you have to wait for really good conditions to emerge again is 2-3 weeks. Often less. I have skied a ton out West, but I loathe the air travel so much that I'm content skiing crap here and waiting for the next refresh.

When my son and daughter are old enough to appreciate the experience, I'll take them out west for a few trips, but my personal priority heading out there is close to zero.

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[machski]

But is it?

Maintaining a ski resort is very expensive, especially for large Western resorts that have considerable infrastructure and have to deal with avalanche mitigation. People constantly complain about crowds ... but also complain about costs. Aspen costs what it does because they consciously are limiting uphill capacity and limiting crowds to make the guest experience better for the people who are willing to pay up. Should Aspen lower its prices and become more crowded? Then there's Vail at $209/ticket. Despite that, Vail is one of the busiest resorts in the country that experiences incredible crowds on weekends, holidays, and powder days. Obviously there is demand for what they offer at that price point.

The interaction between multiresort passes and day ticket prices is interesting. Having a multiresort pass encourages a resort to hike up day ticket rates, which makes the multiresort pass more and more valuable. As someone who skis a lot, what's bad about this? Even if Vail charged half of what they do for walk up tickets, I would be getting a huge amount of value out of the Epic Pass if Vail was where I skied. High day ticket prices help soak the tourists, or people who have enough money that they don't care about costs, and enable people like me to ski a ton for a very fair price. Given shorter winters and a more variable climate as time goes on, multiresort and season passes enable resorts to mitigate risk.

Vail is one of the busiest resorts because of ease of access for most (and very easy access for the Uber wealthy) and the Epic pass. Remember, that's where these insanely cheap multi resort passes started. I will grant you before Epic, Vail was still high prices but not to the extent a day pass is now. What Vail always had was that ease of access, high speed lifts everywhere and the back bowls which they marketed to the max.

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[abc]

Totally get the going out west for generally speaking better conditions than in the east. Truly do. And it makes a lot of sense if you are going to drop major cash on a destination vacation.

But for me and my situation it's a waste of money and effort. At least in terms of worrying about timing good conditions. I do miss the terrain and big mountain feel of western ski areas.

I understand your situation. I was just pointing out your assumption on others’ position was far off from reality.

Powder days have very little to do with where people choose to ski. If it were for powder days, Alta and Snowbird would have had the the biggest crowd and can charge highest price. But they don’t. Instead, people are drawn to resorts that has a lot of amenities, in regions with CONSISTANT snow record.

Not powder day record. Just average snow depth.

 

[JimG.]

I quite your situation. I was just pointing out your assumption on others’ position was far off from reality.

Powder days have very little to do with where people choose to ski. If it were for powder days, Alta and Snowbird would have had the the biggest crowd and can charge highest price. But they don’t. Instead, people are drawn to resorts that has a lot of amenities, in regions with CONSISTANT snow record.

Not powder day record. Just average snow depth.

Actually I think we are saying the same thing about the snow...you are seizing on my use of the word "powder", the point I was trying to make revolved around consistent snow conditions. But I am also quite certain that many eastern skiers do in fact go west powder hunting and I'm sure there are many who fly out on the drop of a hat to do so.

Do not underestimate the lure of the best snow on Earth.

 

[abc]

Actually I think we are saying the same thing about the snow...you are seizing on my use of the word "powder", the point I was trying to make revolved around consistent snow conditions. But I am also quite certain that many eastern skiers do in fact go west powder hunting and I'm sure there are many who fly out on the drop of a hat to do so.

Do not underestimate the lure of the best snow on Earth.

Agree that we’re talking about different side of the same coin.

People who plan vacation months in advance go west to get good odd of ... just SNOW! They’re not primary looking for powder.

The “powder chasers” are not the ones planning their vacation months ahead. They only jump on a plane when they see a storm coming. It’s usually an expensive endeavor. But some are in the position to do so due to special circumstances (including being wealthy)

I was at one time a powder chaser, because I travel for work so much I can fly on frequent flier miles at the drop of a hat. Until I changed job and eventually used up all my miles (actually I sold some of them miles to finance my lift tickets). Now I’m a vacationer who plan trip in advance knowing full well I will have guarantee of plenty of snow but not looking for guarantee of “powder”.

I’ve been there, both sides.

 

[JimG.]

I’ve been there, both sides.

Me too.

I don't consider myself a powder chaser, those are the people who fly somewhere/anywhere for a few days to catch a storm. That's different from someone who drives to select areas in the same geographic region.

 

[thetrailboss]

My non-skiing wife is amazed at how expensive this sport can be.

Top 10 Most Expensive Lift Tickets In The USA [2019]:
1. Vail/Beaver Creek – $209
2. Breckenridge — $189
3. Deer Valley — $180
4. Steamboat | Aspen | Park City| Mammoth — $179
5. Copper Mountain | Whistler Blackcomb — $178
6. Winter Park | Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows | Keystone — $169
7. Heavenly — $164
8. Jackson Hole — $162
9. Northstar — $150
10. Sun Valley — $149


compared to 2016:
1. Vail/Beaver Creek- $175
2. Breckenridge- $164
3. Steamboat- $159
4. Aspen- $149
5. Winter Park/Copper Mountain- $144
6. Northstar at Tahoe- $140
7. Squaw/Alpine- $139
8. Keystone/Heavenly- $135
9. Jackson Hole- $130
10. Deer Valley- $126



https://unofficialnetworks.com/2019/01/02/vail-pass-200-top-10-expensive-lift-ticket/

I think we might have talked about this. This really is irrelevant since most folks don't buy regular day tickets anymore. Most, if not all, of these areas are part of a multi-mountain pass program. UN clickbait unfortunately.

 

[gmcunni]

figured out the % increase. deer valley wins!

Deer Valley 180 126 30%
Keystone 169 135 20%
Jackson Hole 162 130 20%
Copper Mountain 178 144 19%
Squaw Valley 169 139 18%
Alpine Meadows 169 139 18%
Heavenly 164 135 18%
Aspen 179 149 17%
Vail/Beaver Creek 209 175 16%
Winter Park 169 144 15%
Breckenridge 189 164 13%
Steamboat 179 159 11%
Northstar 150 140 7%

 

[abc]

I think we might have talked about this. This really is irrelevant since most folks don't buy regular day tickets anymore. Most, if not all, of these areas are part of a multi-mountain pass program. UN clickbait unfortunately.

Indeed, the walk up window price is as irrelevant as the “rack rate” printed on the door of hotels.

It’s rare anyone pays that rate. It’s primary function is to be used as the denominator on the “% off” of the price people actually pay.

 

[BenedictGomez]

No, the multi mountain pass was born and thus these ridiculous day rates

This; the folks doing 4D mental gymnastics trying to figure out the reason why ski resorts "need" higher prices of late, arent getting it.

The day rate is an artificial means to "force" people to the passes.

 

[BenedictGomez]

The question I've pondered, and interestingly I've never so much as heard this even postulated or discussed anywhere, is, has there been intercompany price collusion?

IPC is very difficult to prove, and given the ski industry isn't exactly telecom or something, I dont see much motivation to explore it, but I do find the uniformity and the timeline of this all odd enough to at least consider the possibility.