Mount Snow: Inside Track

[cdskier]

Leave pass prices the same for adults; just stop giving such huge discounts to 20-29 year olds. They ski cheaper than my 14 year old!

Explorer Youth and Drifter prices are both $399. Am I missing something?

The huge discounts to the 20-29 age range are actually quite a brilliant way to ensure that age range continues to ski and doesn't drop out of the sport. I think it is critical to long term viability of the sport. To be perfectly blunt, if Sugarbush had not started offering a cheap pass option in 2011 for that age range, I would probably not be a season passholder and condo owner there today.

 

[deadheadskier]

Explorer Youth and Drifter prices are both $399. Am I missing something?

The huge discounts to the 20-29 age range are actually quite a brilliant way to ensure that age range continues to ski and doesn't drop out of the sport. I think it is critical to long term viability of the sport. To be perfectly blunt, if Sugarbush had not started offering a cheap pass option in 2011 for that age range, I would probably not be a season passholder and condo owner there today.

100%

I have so many college ski buddies who dropped out of the sport within a couple of years of graduating college. If there was a cheap option in their 20s when they had student loan payments to make while making early career salaries, they might still be skiers and riders.

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[drjeff]

Leave pass prices the same for adults; just stop giving such huge discounts to 20-29 year olds. They ski cheaper than my 14 year old!

That changed a few years ago (Thankfully!!)

The college, post college, 20 something crowd getting their unrestricted passes cheaper than the age 7-17 group was a big oversight!! Especially for the couple of years when the 18- twenty something also got unlimited Stratton Access pre Ikon days!!!

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[drjeff]

Interesting feedback. Thanks.

I said this exact same thing to your boss, who's last name rhymes with "wisher" (as in he wishers the Mets and Jets were actually good some day ) over a beer in the Taproom about a month ago! I even offered to bring him over to the "short corner" of the bar and have about a dozen other Mount Snow regulars say the same thing......

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[deadheadskier]

The problem with the Peak Pass portfolio is they are trying to act like an inexpensive eastern focused alternative to Epic, Ikon, Boyne etc. The reality is they have a lot of feeder type hills that it makes zero sense to get that customer base to cash up to the MT Snow level while simultaneously cheapening access to their premier resort. They also have geography working against promoting this mix.


I'd probably price it something like this for adults.

The Platinum: $900 - all area access 7 days a week.

The Gold: $700 all area access 7 days a week with holiday blackouts at MT Snow.

The Silver: $600 all area access with Holiday Blackouts at Snow, Hunter, Attitash and Wildcat.

The Bronze: $400 All area access with midweek only access at Snow, Hunter, Attitash and Cat.

Pass benefit for all is 50% off walk up rate during blackouts.

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[Quietman]

The problem with the Peak Pass portfolio is they are trying to act like an inexpensive eastern focused alternative to Epic, Ikon, Boyne etc. The reality is they have a lot of feeder type hills that it makes zero sense to get that customer base to cash up to the MT Snow level while simultaneously cheapening access to their premier resort. They also have geography working against promoting this mix.


I'd probably price it something like this for adults.

The Platinum: $900 - all area access 7 days a week.

The Gold: $700 all area access 7 days a week with holiday blackouts at MT Snow.

The Silver: $600 all area access with Holiday Blackouts at Snow, Hunter, Attitash and Wildcat.

The Bronze: $400 All area access with midweek only access at Snow, Hunter, Attitash and Cat.

Pass benefit for all is 50% off walk up rate during blackouts.

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Where is the love for the Crotch in this setup?

 

[prsboogie]

I said this exact same thing to your boss, who's last name rhymes with "wisher" (as in he wishers the Mets and Jets were actually good some day ) over a beer in the Taproom about a month ago! I even offered to bring him over to the "short corner" of the bar and have about a dozen other Mount Snow regulars say the same thing......

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As a 45 year old who doesn't have unlimited disposable income, I really appreciate the ability to access passes for my family of four. My 10/12 year olds love to ski at Snow and before the Peaks pass we were unable to ski more than a day or two. Yes the crowds suck on a Saturday but they do most places in Vermont.

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[prsboogie]

Where is the love for the Crotch in this setup?

I believe the smaller areas are unlimited if I'm delving correctly into DHS mind set

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[thebigo]

I believe the smaller areas are unlimited if I'm delving correctly into DHS mind set

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Problem is crotch upper mountain becomes unskiable holiday and weekend afternoons - moonwalk is an absolute debacle, serious safety hazard. After thinking it over for a day, not as bullshit over the price hike targeted at crotched families, it at least speaks to the viability of the place. Something needs to be done about the skier density at both crotched and wildcat, i would blackout the drifter on the ranger schedule and stop selling the ridiculous sunday afternoon tickets.

 

[deadheadskier]

Yes, I was suggesting CM be in the Bronze $400 tier.

I don't think think either CM or Cat gets skied off any worse than most New England mountains by afternoon. Almost every ski area has boilerplate surfaces in high traffic areas after say 1PM.

I definitely will give you that Moonwalk gets treacherous. I've thought about that and this is likely an unpopular opinion with some, but they could benefit by adding a beginner trail beyond Jupiter's that circles around and returns to the top of the Valley chair. Yes, I know that means loss of some side country trees, but it's a worthwhile trade off given so many lower level skiers get into trouble on Moonwalk.

As for Cat, I'm fine with the cheap Sunday afternoon ticket, but maybe restrict it to NH residents only. It's a good offering for lower income locals to still be able to get some weekend turns in at an affordable price. The weekend and holiday afternoon snow surfaces will always be a challenge there. Been that way long before Peak bought them. Recommendations I've suggested over the years is cutting on map glades between Polecat and Lynx as well as Upper Wildcat and Upper Catapult. I also think they should restore snowmaking on Upper Lift Lion and make that a groomer. Also would be unpopular with some, but having a fourth groomed option off the top would take pressure off the other 3. It also gets so wind blasted it's rarely a great natural snow trail, certainly never as good as Top Cat and Upper Wildcat.

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[Newpylong]

Too many natural features to make Lift Lion a groomer ie an unrealistic amount of snow would need to be made. But the snowmaking is functional.

Restoring snowmaking on Upper Wildcat might be a better option as it's more mellow.

 

[skiur]

As a 45 year old who doesn't have unlimited disposable income, I really appreciate the ability to access passes for my family of four. My 10/12 year olds love to ski at Snow and before the Peaks pass we were unable to ski more than a day or two. Yes the crowds suck on a Saturday but they do most places in Vermont.

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I have been to most of the mountains in VT on a saturday and snow has the worse crowds. With the cheap pass prices and it being the first decent mountain coming up from NYC/CT it always will be. The only way to change that is to raise prices or expand.

 

[deadheadskier]

Too many natural features to make Lift Lion a groomer ie an unrealistic amount of snow would need to be made. But the snowmaking is functional.

Restoring snowmaking on Upper Wildcat might be a better option as it's more mellow.

I respectfully disagree. They'd have to remove the old gondola footings, but from the ladies T down would not be bad. Even getting a groomer track wide entrance from the top on skiers left wouldn't be a massive endeavor. There are tons of snowmaking trails in New England that require far more snow to open than Lift Lion.

And Upper Wildcat skis beautifully as a natural snow trail. You would anger far more clientele blowing snow on it than you would Lift Lion. It's also about five times the acreage and would require much more snow to open overall.

I know you work in the business and have great knowledge of operations, but my views come from being a Cat regular who has about 100 days there in the past five years. These are the snow conditions observations and conversations I'm having with Cat regulars every day on the lifts and in the lodge. The top trails I hear wishes for snowmaking on are Lift Lion and Schuss so it lasts further in the spring. Hardly ever hear calls for snowmaking on Upper Wildcat.

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[Newpylong]

I can respect all opinions, obviously - I haven't even been to Wildcat in the past 5 years, and before that, twice a year maybe? And that's formerly in the business too

I just don't see them grooming LL, even with snowmaking. It could be like Organgrinder, but would need some work. But considering they don't currently really make snow on any black terrain albeit the random Black Cat/Starr Line if allows, if I was a Wildcat regular I would be screaming to get a base on something and have them leave her alone for bumps. LL would be killer...

 

[deadheadskier]

I can respect all opinions, obviously - I haven't even been to Wildcat in the past 5 years, and before that, twice a year maybe? And that's formerly in the business too

I just don't see them grooming LL, even with snowmaking. It could be like Organgrinder, but would need some work. But considering they don't currently really make snow on any black terrain albeit the random Black Cat/Starr Line if allows, if I was a Wildcat regular I would be screaming to get a base on something and have them leave her alone for bumps. LL would be killer...

The challenge with LL as a bump run is for whatever reason it gets totally wind blasted. You can have perfect packed powder bumps on Topcat next door, but LL is a wind scoured mess.

I do agree on having a bump run with snowmaking base. That's what I'd hope for with Schuss. It would be awesome in spring as it gets sun in the morning. But as an all natural snow trail, that sun melts it out and it's often closed before spring break season gets going.

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[FBGM]

Woah forgot about this thread. I thought the place just closed or something.

 

[Smellytele]

Woah forgot about this thread. I thought the place just closed or something.

We need it to stay open. It is the Vermont skiing version of the sink drain strainer.

 

[MountSnow]

CLOSING DAY ANNOUNCEMENT:

Mount Snow will be open through this Sunday, April 7th. We will then be closed Monday-Thursday, before reopening on Friday for our closing weekend of April 12-14th.

 

[drjeff]

The post they put up on their FB page says that reopening for Easter Weekend if mother nature cooperates is a possibility as well....

 

[elks]

Seems earlier than last year, no?