Reference: US Peak Lift Ticket Prices 07-08

[billski]

Average $ 61
Median $ 61





Resort Peak '07-08
Vail $ 89 * Beaver Creek $ 89 * Aspen /Snowmass $ 87
Buttermilk/Tiehack (Snowmass/Aspen) $ 87
Steamboat $ 85
Teluride $ 85
Stowe $ 84
Breckenridge $ 83 * Keystone $ 83 * Jackson Hole $ 81
Copper Mt $ 79 * Mammoth $ 79
Crested Butte $ 79
Killington $ 79
Winter Park $ 79 * Sun Valley $ 79
Deer Valley $ 79
Park City $ 79 * Stratton $ 78
Heavenly $ 78 * Okemo $ 74
Sugarbush $ 73
Mount Snow/Haystack $ 72
Kirkwood $ 72
Whiteface $ 72
Sunday River $ 72
Loon $ 69
Bretton Woods $ 69
Snowbird $ 69
Sierra at Taho/Boothcreek $ 68
Mt. Bacheor $ 66
Attitash $ 65
Durango/Purgatory $ 65
Mount Sunapee $ 64
Smugglers $ 64
Bromley $ 63
Taos $ 63
Squaw Valley $ 62 * Jay Peak $ 62
Hunter NY $ 62
Snow Basin $ 62
Waterville $ 61 * Windham Mountain $ 61
Ascutney $ 60
Cannon $ 60
Wildcat $ 59
Jiminy Peak $ 59
Gunstock $ 59
Bolton Valley $ 59
Alta $ 59
Burke $ 56
Magic Mountain $ 56
Suicide Six $ 55
Solitude $ 55
Mad River $ 54
Loveland $ 54
Butternut $ 50
Berkshire East $ 50
Pico $ 49
Wachusett $ 49
Pats Peak $ 49
Cranmore $ 49
Shawnee Peak $ 49
Bear Valley $ 49
Mt. Baldy $ 49
Silver Mountain $ 49
Crotched $ 48
Bellayre $ 48
Tenny $ 45
Sundance $ 45
Arapaho Basin $ 45
Saddleback $ 40
Dartmouth $ 40
King Pine $ 39
Middlebury $ 39
Black $ 39
Balsams $ 38
Beaver Mountain $ 38
Bosquet $ 37
Ski Ward $ 34
Cochran's $ 30
Granite Gorge $ 29
Black Mountain $ 20
Squaw (Big) Mountain $ 20
Sugarloaf n/a
Ragged n/a
McIntyre n/a
Mt. Hood n/a
Gore n/a

All day, adult, all area, full price, peak/holiday rate, for comparison only. Source: Resort Web Site. Any errors are my own. Please advise and I will make appropriate corrections.

Methodology: All of northern New England except for the starter hills. Larger (~+2000' vertical) in NY and Western US. Use this context and take caution when interpreting the median and average.

* - only multi-day rate published when these data were collected. Selected lowest number of days available and averaged.

Next message will be Northeast only. I'll post the whole sheet this weekend, including weekday rates and some interesting stats.

 

[billski]

Reference: Northeast US Peak Lift Ticket Prices 07-08

Average $ 54.24
Median $ 56.00






Resort Peak '07-08
Stowe $ 84
Killington $ 79
Stratton $ 78
Okemo $ 74
Sugarbush $ 73
Mount Snow/Haystack $ 72
Whiteface $ 72
Sunday River $ 72
Loon $ 69
Bretton Woods $ 69
Attitash $ 65
Mount Sunapee $ 64
Smugglers $ 64
Bromley $ 63
Jay Peak $ 62
Hunter NY $ 62
Waterville $ 61
Windham Mountain $ 61
Ascutney $ 60
Cannon $ 60
Wildcat $ 59
Jiminy Peak $ 59
Gunstock $ 59
Bolton Valley $ 59
Burke $ 56
Magic Mountain $ 56
Suicide Six $ 55
Mad River $ 54
Butternut $ 50
Berkshire East $ 50
Pico $ 49
Wachusett $ 49
Pats Peak $ 49
Cranmore $ 49
Shawnee Peak $ 49
Crotched $ 48
Bellayre $ 48
Tenny $ 45
Saddleback $ 40
Dartmouth $ 40
King Pine $ 39
Middlebury $ 39
Black $ 39
Balsams $ 38
Bosquet $ 37
Ski Ward $ 34
Cochran's $ 30
Granite Gorge $ 29
Black Mountain $ 20
Squaw (Big) Mountain $ 20
Sugarloaf n/a
Ragged n/a
McIntyre n/a
Gore n/a

All day, adult, all area, full price, peak/holiday rate, for comparison only. Source: Resort Web Site. Any errors are my own. Please advise and I will make appropriate corrections.

Methodology: All of northern New England except for the starter hills. Larger (~+2000' vertical) in NY. Use this context and take caution when interpreting the median and average.

n/a - not available

 

[bvibert]

Thanks for taking the time to compile all this info Bill! I'd be interested to see how the mid-week numbers compare.

 

[billski]

MidWeek Northeast Pricing

Average $ 46 Median $ 48

Resort Midwk 07-08
Stowe $ 79
Stratton $ 78
Killington $ 76
Sunday River $ 72
Okemo $ 69
Sugarbush $ 69
Loon $ 69
Bretton Woods $ 69
Mount Snow/Haystack $ 63
Jay Peak $ 62
Waterville $ 61
Mount Sunapee $ 60
Smugglers $ 60
Cannon $ 60
Attitash $ 59
Wildcat $ 59
Ascutney $ 58
Bolton Valley $ 55
Burke $ 54
Hunter NY $ 53
Jiminy Peak $ 52
Gunstock $ 49
Pico $ 49
Cranmore $ 49
Windham Mountain $ 48
Wachusett $ 44
Saddleback $ 40
Magic Mountain $ 39
Crotched $ 39
Bellayre $ 39
King Pine $ 39
Pats Peak $ 38
Suicide Six $ 36
Butternut $ 36
Mad River $ 35
Tenny $ 35
Shawnee Peak $ 34
Balsams $ 33
Cochran's $ 30
Black $ 29
Bromley $ 25
Berkshire East $ 25
Middlebury $ 25
Dartmouth $ 20
Bosquet $ 20
Ski Ward $ 20
Granite Gorge $ 20
Black Mountain $ 20
Squaw (Big) Mountain $ 20
Whiteface
Sugarloaf
Ragged
McIntyre
Gore



Methodology: If no specific midweek pricing is shown, I inserted the regular season (non-holiday) pricing.

 

[riverc0il]

What really stands out is something I have been noticing lately: the growing disparity between the highest and lowest priced lift tickets. A lot of people defend lift ticket prices with the mantra that "skiing is an expensive sport" or "skiing has always been an expensive sport" but the fact remains that a lot of REALLY GOOD QUALITY ski areas don't charge that much for lift tickets. Scanning the above list, we notice areas like Saddleback (almost 2k vert), Black, Dartmouth, Middlebury, Berkshire East, and Tenney all come in at or below $50 for the weekend end $35 or less for the mid-week... most of which are half as expensive as the bigger areas. Many smaller mountains are still even cheaper.

Here is the poop: People are willing to pay the prices posted so the prices are justified. As long as people pay for expensive skiing, skiing will be expensive. While some people will look at the above list and notice the top 1/3 of $60+ lift tickets, I immediately noticed the amazing number of ski areas charging $40 or less, many of them good quality and better for families than the top dogs.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Some people...myself included would rather pay 80 bucks to ski Stowe than 40 bucks to ski Middlebury...high speed lifts are a huge factor..along with snowmaking and terrain...The expensive places are expensive because they have alot of offer and on most ski trips..the lift ticket cost is only about 1/4 to 1/3 the total cost of the trip..

 

[riverc0il]

the lift ticket cost is only about 1/4 to 1/3 the total cost of the trip..

Only if you ski at the most expensive mountains Lift ticket cost can be 1/2 - 2/3 of your total trip cost if you ski at cheaper places. Interestingly enough, I have a spreadsheet going this year that calculates my "true" total cost of skiing including gas (and lodging if on the bizarre chance I pay for it). Should be interesting to see where the money goes.

But seriously though, the thread I just started really speaks to the point of who is actually paying $80+? Sure, Stowe is worth a premium compared to Middlebury. But would you actually pay $80+ to ski Stowe? I sure as heck will not even though Stowe is a great mountain. When it comes right down to it, I would rather pay $40 and ski Middlebury than pay $80 to ski Stowe. I refuse to pay that much to go skiing. That is over $100 for one day of skiing when you add in gas prices, almost double my threshold.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Only if you ski at the most expensive mountains Lift ticket cost can be 1/2 - 2/3 of your total trip cost if you ski at cheaper places. Interestingly enough, I have a spreadsheet going this year that calculates my "true" total cost of skiing including gas (and lodging if on the bizarre chance I pay for it). Should be interesting to see where the money goes.

But seriously though, the thread I just started really speaks to the point of who is actually paying $80+? Sure, Stowe is worth a premium compared to Middlebury. But would you actually pay $80+ to ski Stowe? I sure as heck will not even though Stowe is a great mountain. When it comes right down to it, I would rather pay $40 and ski Middlebury than pay $80 to ski Stowe. I refuse to pay that much to go skiing. That is over $100 for one day of skiing when you add in gas prices, almost double my threshold.

I don't value money as much when it comes to skiing..I can easily spend $100+ on a date or on a random bill so that much for an awesome day of skiing at an awesome mountain doesn't seem like so much. A round at Pebble beach is $400+ and I think of Stowe and Jackson Hole as the premier ski resorts of the East and West for hardcore skiers and riders and they;re under $100..I really don;t have a limit...I have money in the bank and a few credit cards so if I want to ski..I'll pay the money..sure I love getting deals..which are easiest to come by on Lodging and equipment but for premium..gourmet ski resorts like Stowe and Jackson Hole which offer little in the way of discounts except on multi-day tickets..I just suck it up and pay the $$$$..If I ever have a wife and kids and a mortgage..things might be different..but for now..after my rent and bills and car lease are paid for...the rest is for skiing, food, and beer..

 

[billski]

Sliced and Diced Data

The data have been sliced and diced.
Find it all here:

http://www.iabsi.com/public/ski/

TTGS!

 

[FRITOLAYGUY]

The data have been sliced and diced.
Find it all here:

http://www.iabsi.com/public/ski/

TTGS!

Cool link Bill lots of good info in there.

 

[bvibert]

The data have been sliced and diced.
Find it all here:

http://www.iabsi.com/public/ski/

TTGS!

Thanks for sharing your findings again Bill!

 

[LineSki15]

thanks for this info, it's good stuff!!

to weigh in on the prices discussion, I have to agree that a place like Stowe is NOT worth $80, but the truth is it caters to a lot of high-end clientele that will pay it happily, they get what they can.
I am not one of those those high-end clientele, so I won't pay it and I won't ski there unless I got like free lodging or something.