Season Pass Options/Considerations

[icecoast1]

Anyone buy a season pass lately?

debating adding the indy pass to my magic pass, probably going to be a good idea to spend more time at the smaller resorts this year than EPIC/IKONville

 

[thebigo]

Anyone buy a season pass lately?

Four epic northeast, condo rented in MWV nov - apr. Likely going to add two black passes for Saturday's, depending on vails operating plans. Goal is to ski 7 days/week.

 

[JimG.]

Goal is to ski 7 days/week.

Nice.

 

[Zand]

Almost feel like I have to add on the Indy pass this year at this point. Getting to the point where I'm not holding my breath on VT and ME allowing MA residents to come to those states unquarantined. Will hang onto the Ikon but that only gets you Loon in NH which isn't great. Figure Indy would get me days at Cannon, Black, and Berkshire East. Plus could use it at Snow King during a Jackson trip. I feel like I'm going to be getting on a plane more often than I'm going to be driving northward this winter.

 

[p_levert]

For the Ikoners, Eldora and Copper Mountain are going to require parking reservations:

https://www.eldora.com/culture/blog-and-news/blogs-and-news?page=5026

https://www.coppercolorado.com/plan...-winter-experience/parking-reservation-system

This seems a little awkward. Particularly at Eldora, where lots of folks drive up early and leave by noon. I wonder if the parking system will offer early/late sessions?

 

[BenedictGomez]

You people blessed enough to be midweek skiers will have to inform me how well my prediction that midweek skiing will be more "crowded" than ever before, goes.

 

[snoseek]

You people blessed enough to be midweek skiers will have to inform me how well my prediction that midweek skiing will be more "crowded" than ever before, goes.

There will be more people maybe but I doubt it will be all that bad. At least in northern nh.

 

[thebigo]

You people blessed enough to be midweek skiers will have to inform me how well my prediction that midweek skiing will be more "crowded" than ever before, goes.

I suspect wildcat will be slightly more crowded midweek but from an extremely low baseline. Currently crowded midweek means there is a single on the chair in front of you, majority of the time the chair in front and behind are empty. Even on milk or president day you wait max a few chairs.

Saturday around 11:00 bluebird with fresh natural is the only time you will ever wait 5+ minutes for a chair. It will surely be different this year but with a half dozen ski areas within 30 minutes of town and several more on the significantly more accessible 93 side, the crowd disperses.

 

[deadheadskier]

I don't believe midweek crowds will be appreciably bigger at most places. Maybe a little bit for dawn patrol and bag off work early turns for those who live close to the mountains and now have more flexible WFH schedules.

Ultimately the demographics of the sport is still dominated by families with M-F 9 to 5 jobs. That doesn't change much with more WFH or kids participating in remote learning.

I spend every weekend on my boat on Winnipesaukee. It's a really busy lake. Basically the Killington of lake destinations in New England. The handful of times I've gotten out midweek this summer it's been fairly quiet even on perfect weather days. This despite being easier for most families to take time off midweek during the summer.

I'd be shocked if the uptick in business midweek is more than 10% assuming a normal winter. Now if it's a big snow year and much of the fresh comes midweek, perhaps it's a bit higher due to folks getting shut out on weekend reservations.



Sent from my motorola one action using AlpineZone mobile app

 

[BenedictGomez]

There will be more people maybe but I doubt it will be all that bad. At least in northern nh.

Yeah. I didnt mean it would be over-run or anything. I'm sure it will still be total bliss compared with weekends, I just meant that I have a feeling it will be noticeably more people. The work-from-home boom alone should be responsible for allowing more people to ski midweek IMO. We'll see how it pans out, but it's interesting I think.

 

[jimk]

I live in the inner suburbs of Wash DC area. There has been a remarkable downturn in local weekday commuting patterns due to huge numbers of people WFH. Traffic intersections near me that were normally very backed-up during morning and evening rush hours are now much lighter than before covid. I read that ridership on our subway system is down 90% from before.
Despite this, when I go out for frequent bike rides the local bike trails are mobbed on weekends and fairly empty on weekdays. I'm not sure what to make of it. Are all these people that are WFH really glued to their home work stations during the week??? And are all the kids around here that are staying home and doing virtual schooling this fall that dedicated too??? Doubtful? Again, I don't know what to make of it.
It will be very interesting to see if our closer ski areas (equivalents to Wachusett) will be extra busy during the week or not this coming winter. My guess is that on weekdays the ski slopes for the closer ski areas to urban areas might be a little busier than before, but not crazy busy. The distant ones may continue to have very light skier numbers on weekdays. Overall, I think skier traffic will be lighter than past winters. Hopefully, not way lighter or our ski areas will suffer.

 

[thebigo]

Does anyone golf? Has there been a shift to midweek?

 

[snoseek]

Does anyone golf? Has there been a shift to midweek?

I work at a club. It really has been business as usual. Overall its maybe a little busier but the usual slow periods and evenings have been similar to any year.

Then again the local mtb trails have been super busy

 

[ss20]

I read that ridership on our subway system is down 90% from before.
Despite this, when I go out for frequent bike rides the local bike trails are mobbed on weekends and fairly empty on weekdays...

Overall, I think skier traffic will be lighter than past winters. Hopefully, not way lighter or our ski areas will suffer.

I disagree with ski traffic being lighter. It's an outdoor activity. No direct comparison to winter BUT this summer...

The RV/camper market is the hottest its ever been.
Biking is off-the-hook (my local Walmart is still completely wiped out of bikes).
Beaches were packed like business-as-usual.

I think overall visits will be flat. For every person who's been barricaded inside their house and hasn't seen the light of day in a public place since March there's someone who will see booting up in the car and skiing as probably the safest thing you could possibly be doing right now.

 

[Edd]

Gunstock’s ski shop had a Labor Day sale. Word is very long line out the door and they sold a ton. I agree about heavier crowds this year. COVID is going to make this winter suck I expect. I feel lucky to have skiing at my disposal.

 

[jimk]

I disagree with ski traffic being lighter. It's an outdoor activity. No direct comparison to winter BUT this summer...

The RV/camper market is the hottest its ever been.
Biking is off-the-hook (my local Walmart is still completely wiped out of bikes).
Beaches were packed like business-as-usual.

I think overall visits will be flat. For every person who's been barricaded inside their house and hasn't seen the light of day in a public place since March there's someone who will see booting up in the car and skiing as probably the safest thing you could possibly be doing right now.

Gunstock’s ski shop had a Labor Day sale. Word is very long line out the door and they sold a ton. I agree about heavier crowds this year. COVID is going to make this winter suck I expect. I feel lucky to have skiing at my disposal.

Maybe the crowds at day-tripper mtns will be strong, but I suspect destination resorts will see a down turn in skier-days because of concerns about using airplanes and hotels.

 

[2planks2coasts]

Almost feel like I have to add on the Indy pass this year at this point. Getting to the point where I'm not holding my breath on VT and ME allowing MA residents to come to those states unquarantined. Will hang onto the Ikon but that only gets you Loon in NH which isn't great. Figure Indy would get me days at Cannon, Black, and Berkshire East. Plus could use it at Snow King during a Jackson trip. I feel like I'm going to be getting on a plane more often than I'm going to be driving northward this winter.

I'm getting an Indy pass as well, Seasonal rental in Campton, near WV. but I am hoping to squeeze at least 10 days out of Ikon base. 5 at Loon and if Grafton County, NH covid numbers hold steady, it will stay on the VT green list, meaning I can ski Sugarbush and Killington.

If your county is unlikely to make the green list, maybe a Ski Cooper pass instead of Indy? 3 days each at Black, Whaleback, McIntyre and Dartmouth plus heaps of other resorts around the country including Snow King for $350

 

[drjeff]

Does anyone golf? Has there been a shift to midweek?

I work at a club. It really has been business as usual. Overall its maybe a little busier but the usual slow periods and evenings have been similar to any year.

Then again the local mtb trails have been super busy

I golf quite a bit, and short of the different rules that each state and club has now about what you can/can't do with the flagstick and other items such as bunker rakes, divot mix boxes, water coolers on course and ball washers, it's really close to the same now, and in particular for the course that I belong to, we've picked up just under 50 new members this season and the course has had more play than I have ever seen in the close to 15 years that I've been a member.

As for the random rules that I've seen, my course is in CT, in the town in the Northeast Corner of the state that borders both RI and MA. For my course, since mid June, we have been able to take the flagsticks out, there is no pool noodle in the cup to prevent the ball from going to the bottom of the cup, with have bunker rakes in all the bunkers and both bottles of divot mix to carry with you as well as boxes of divot mix at each tee marker on our par 3's. We don't have the ball washers out (no biggie) or the multiple water jugs that are usually spread around the course (that's been the #1 thing most of us are missing at my club for sure).

Now if I go 3 miles East into RI or 5 miles North into MA to play, You can't touch the flagstick, there are pool noodles in the cup to prevent the ball from going to the bottom of the cup, no bunker rakes are out on the course, no divot mix available anywhere, no ball washers or water jugs either. This has also applied when I have played in VT at the courses at Stratton, Mount Snow and the Hermitage over the last month or so.

When I have been playing not at my home course, the courses have seemed to certainly not be lacking in volume of play. Some courses have had beverage carts out, some haven't. And honestly when I played at the Mount Snow course this past weekend, while the course was in very good shape, with the greens rolling as fast and true as I have ever seen them in the 15 or so years I have been playing there a few times a year, Vail in its operations plan for it this Summer had the most "restricted" feel to operations of any course that I have played this Summer.

 

[jaytrem]

And honestly when I played at the Mount Snow course this past weekend, while the course was in very good shape, with the greens rolling as fast and true as I have ever seen them in the 15 or so years I have been playing there a few times a year, Vail in its operations plan for it this Summer had the most "restricted" feel to operations of any course that I have played this Summer.

Not exactly following the quarantine rules eh? Didn't look like many other people were either.

 

[drjeff]

Not exactly following the quarantine rules eh? Didn't look like many other people were either.

I actually live in a "yellow" on the VT map last week, so my family and I hadn't dome anything more than go to work and back home the previous week, and we all had had negative tests withing the last week (kids were tested prior to one of their only day back on their highschool campus and my wife and I get tested bi-weekly for work purposes these days), so while not verbatim to the "yellow county" travel restrictions we were pretty close ;-) . Now some of the other folks who we saw this weekend up in the Valley, they weren't playing by the quarantine rules for sure.

I figure that many a second home owner, will likely be getting more requests from their skiing/riding friends this winter, if the same red, yellow, green county VT has now system is in place this winter and they want to stay over, since apparently the hotels are required to check where folks are traveling in from to make sure it's OK for them to stay. That's something a second homeowner won't have to worry about, as even my condo association is reminding owners about it, and telling us that enforcement is on the "honor system" as of now atleast....