Powdr is going FastPass at Copper, K, Snowbird and Bachelor

[NYDB]

From WSJ article 10/9/21

Snippet

Resort operator Powdr is launching dedicated fast-access lanes at four of its mountain resorts this season: Copper Mountain in Colorado, Killington in Vermont, Mt. Bachelor in Oregon and Snowbird in Utah. To access the lanes, which will be located at the most popular lifts at each mountain resort, guests will need to purchase a daily Fast Tracks pass. They will start at $49 a day, but have dynamic pricing based on the mountain, peak periods, holidays and day of the week, and go on sale Nov. 1.

I guess they have already been doing this stuff at copper for a while? They release more details 10/12. I wonder who has to pony up the extra $. I'm sure Ikon is on the list. Are premium season pass holders going to have to pony up more dough?

 

[abc]

You’re right, they’ve been doing that for quite a few years at Copper, my most frequented mountain. Very rarely seen anyone using the fast lane. So I’m guessing not too many people pony up the premium.

That said, Copper is nowhere near half as busy as K. So who knows.

 

[skiur]

K tried doing this around 5-10 years ago and it was a total failure and they scrapped it after about a month.

 

[Edd]

I’m surprised this isn’t more widespread. Not the same thing but, at the BW gondola, members of the Bretton Woods Ski Club have their own line. Members can walk ahead of fifty other skiers.

 

[PAabe]

Blue Mountain has had a VIP line for season passholders. They get pretty crowded. Nobody really knows how much KSL is going to change things up though now.

 

[machski]

SR demoed the idea back about 4 seasons ago I think. It was so reviled they didn't even try doing a paid premium line as planned the following season. Perhaps they will try again with the new Jordan 8 next season.

 

[thetrailboss]

From WSJ article 10/9/21

Snippet



I guess they have already been doing this stuff at copper for a while? They release more details 10/12. I wonder who has to pony up the extra $. I'm sure Ikon is on the list. Are premium season pass holders going to have to pony up more dough?

That will go over like a fart in church at Snowbird.....

 

[thetrailboss]

I’m surprised this isn’t more widespread. Not the same thing but, at the BW gondola, members of the Bretton Woods Ski Club have their own line. Members can walk ahead of fifty other skiers.

Snowbird already had this. It is called "Seven Summits Club". I imagine that the folks who pay Snowbird a SHIT TON of extra money each season for this club and the line-cutting privileges will now REALLY love John Cumming.

 

[BenedictGomez]

I love this! The cognitive dissonance between the virtue signaling social messaging of some of these mountains against "let rich people jump the line" is completely fantastic.

 

[ss20]

I'm honestly not against it when mountains require you to pony up massive $$$ to pull this shit. If you're family of 4 is paying $10k a season for a fancy private locker room, club house, and line cutting privilege's...sure, go for it. Cap it at a few hundred members. The $$$ generated is tremendous and you'll see someone get in front of you in the lift line what....2-3 times a day maybe? And that minor inconvenience is going to pay for a few extra days of snowmaking before the budget runs out, or getting a new groomer in the fleet, etc.

Open it to the masses...no thanks. It pretty much comes down to I think we'll all agree we hate the concept. And if it must exist, we'd rather have a few select people putting in crazy $$$$ rather than a decent number of people paying a comparatively small amount of $$$.

 

[jimmywilson69]

Do you really think a lot of people will pay this? I have done this at amusement parks, particularly Cedar Point where a 2 hours line is pretty regular for their premiere roller coasters. Skiing is already pretty expensive and while there can be long lines, its always been part of the game. As been stated here and on KZone, they tried this at Killington a few years ago and it flopped after 3 weeks.

 

[kingslug]

We shall see....wealthy people pay to have light bulbs changed in their houses.

 

[NYDB]

An extra $300 for a family of four on a busy holiday powder weekend day might be worth it for some. I guess it depends on which lifts the pass works on and how late in the reservation system you can buy them.

 

[deadheadskier]

I see this model working ok at West, but flopping in the East. Wealthy families who only ski out west 1 week a year and are already spending 5 figures, probably won't care if they spend an extra few hundred. Eastern skiers who drive to a place like Killington many times a season will more than likely just tolerate the crowds and hope for a better experience the next visit.

 

[ss20]

Do you really think a lot of people will pay this? I have done this at amusement parks, particularly Cedar Point where a 2 hours line is pretty regular for their premiere roller coasters. Skiing is already pretty expensive and while there can be long lines, its always been part of the game. As been stated here and on KZone, they tried this at Killington a few years ago and it flopped after 3 weeks.

Yes they will. Skiing is still skewed towards top earners who have plenty of $$$ to spend. Even the middle class...if I spend $5k to ski Snowbird for a week with my family and pay $400 a night to stay slopeside, eat out every night for $150 minimum for the table, and get everyone $800 season passes...what's another $200...$300...$400 to skip the lines for the week or at least part of it?

The K experiment failed because of massive massive pushback from passholders. Three weekends was too soon to be able to gauge if there was demand or not.

 

[NYDB]

I thought that 'out west' the well to do just book a full day private lesson to skip the line

 

[snoseek]

I thought that 'out west' the well to do just book a full day private lesson to skip the line

This does all that without the labor

 

[kingslug]

I've done that at JH..sign up for an expert lesson..gets a guide for the day..usually only 1 or 2 will be with you..then you give the guy a big tip..everyone happy.

 

[thetrailboss]

I'm honestly not against it when mountains require you to pony up massive $$$ to pull this shit. If you're family of 4 is paying $10k a season for a fancy private locker room, club house, and line cutting privilege's...sure, go for it. Cap it at a few hundred members. The $$$ generated is tremendous and you'll see someone get in front of you in the lift line what....2-3 times a day maybe? And that minor inconvenience is going to pay for a few extra days of snowmaking before the budget runs out, or getting a new groomer in the fleet, etc.

Open it to the masses...no thanks. It pretty much comes down to I think we'll all agree we hate the concept. And if it must exist, we'd rather have a few select people putting in crazy $$$$ rather than a decent number of people paying a comparatively small amount of $$$.

This. Cumming will now piss off his Seven Summits crowd at Snowbird who pay at least $10k for the perks. They now will be royally pissed and bitch and a good many will leave. Again, why fuck with that source of revenue?

Can someone please give John Cumming a project to focus on other than fucking up Snowbird?

 

[thetrailboss]

Yes they will. Skiing is still skewed towards top earners who have plenty of $$$ to spend. Even the middle class...if I spend $5k to ski Snowbird for a week with my family and pay $400 a night to stay slopeside, eat out every night for $150 minimum for the table, and get everyone $800 season passes...what's another $200...$300...$400 to skip the lines for the week or at least part of it?

That was the Snowbird model pre-Ikon. Now those folks buy IKON passes, stay in SLC, maybe do Snowbird a few days, and go to other areas. The $1,000's of revenue that Snowbird used to get is now reduced to about $18.00 credit from Alterra per IKON pass per day. Why, why a business do that? I guess the desire to be with cool kids is strong.