Season pass?

[awf170]

So where are you getting a pass next season?

I'm getting:
Wachusett Bronze: $209 (lots of blackouts)
Cannon/ Gunstock/ Sunapee: $229 (no blackouts)
Mad River Glen: $199 (no blackouts)

Yay for college discounts!

 

[riverc0il]

Where did you decide for a College? That MRG pass is a steal, lots of options for what it normally costs the average skier to get locked into just one mountain, nice setup.

I am very likely returning to Jay for a season pass with a Mad Card and some work day tickets at MRG, although other options are still on the table depending on how things work out this Summer.

 

[awf170]

Where did you decide for a College? That MRG pass is a steal, lots of options for what it normally costs the average skier to get locked into just one mountain, nice setup.

I am very likely returning to Jay for a season pass with a Mad Card and some work day tickets at MRG, although other options are still on the table depending on how things work out this Summer.

I'm going to Umass Lowell.

And yes, that MRG pass is a steal. I was going to get a Stowe pass until I saw that sick price. I have never skied MRG before but I think I may like it...

 

[nycskier]

Wow those are great deals. I would love to go back to college just to get those cheap season passes. Although in all fairness when I was in college I never got up early enough to ever make it to the slopes!

 

[riverc0il]

Cool, my Alma Matta. Gimme a holler if you have any questions about the area or the college. With quick access to Route 3, you should be able to save some substantial travel time compared to coming up from Lynn. You "may" like MRG, lol. Talk about an understatement, lol.

 

[DJAK]

I'm going to Umass Lowell.

Go Riverhawks. Only spent one semester there tho. Got an xmas break job at the Bush and stayed there for the rest of the season. Lowell was a bit of culture shock for me having lived in Vail/Steamboat for the previous 5 years. North Adams (where I transferred) was more the right pace (and distance to skiing).

I do remember the on campus dining was decent, so you've got that to look forward to, which is nice.

Would you be going to ULowell for the Atmospheric Science Program?

 

[Greg]

So where are you getting a pass next season?

I'm getting:
Wachusett Bronze: $209 (lots of blackouts)
Cannon/ Gunstock/ Sunapee: $229 (no blackouts)
Mad River Glen: $199 (no blackouts)

Yay for college discounts!

Sweet mix of passes. That is great. Knowing all the pics you like to take, I'll be looking forward to the MRG stoke next season.

 

[awf170]

Go Riverhawks. Only spent one semester there tho. Got an xmas break job at the Bush and stayed there for the rest of the season. Lowell was a bit of culture shock for me having lived in Vail/Steamboat for the previous 5 years. North Adams (where I transferred) was more the right pace (and distance to skiing).

I do remember the on campus dining was decent, so you've got that to look forward to, which is nice.

Would you be going to ULowell for the Atmospheric Science Program?

Nope, Civil Engineering. Coming from Lynn I will be right at home in Lowell. Coming from a school that is less than 50% white I really can't stand any rural or northern new england schools.


Steve: Did you live on or off campus?

 

[riverc0il]

Nope, Civil Engineering. Coming from Lynn I will be right at home in Lowell. Coming from a school that is less than 50% white I really can't stand any rural or northern new england schools.


Steve: Did you live on or off campus?

On campus. I was one of only four students on my floor as a Freshman at Leitch Hall to graduate, so good luck! I managed to get transferred to Concordia on South Campus the second semester of my Freshman year and spent my next three years in Sheehy. As a North major, South would be a haul but it is the nicer part of campus. What ever you do, find some friends and get yourself into a Suite, ASAP (assuming you are not commuting from Lynn, lol. If you are commuting, make friends with people in a Suite through activities ASAP as couches serve as beds at night!). There definitely is one weird thing about living up here and that is the lack of cultural diversity, no lack of that at Lowell, especially in the Engineering Department. Lots of folks from India and southeastern Asia are in the Engineering program at Lowell. Alright, hijack over, back to your normally scheduled thread.

 

[the original trailboss]

What is the age limit for college students???

The Trailboss is getting shut out at Burke Mountain because they now have a 24-year-old MAXIMUM age for full-time college students?? How many over 24 college students are there watching this forum?:evil:

 

[ski_resort_observer]

So where are you getting a pass next season?

I'm getting:
Wachusett Bronze: $209 (lots of blackouts)
Cannon/ Gunstock/ Sunapee: $229 (no blackouts)
Mad River Glen: $199 (no blackouts)

Yay for college discounts!

Iteresting package you got there. So, it's Sat morning, your going skiing, of course, how do you decide which hill to head for?

The Trailboss is getting shut out at Burke Mountain because they now have a 24-year-old MAXIMUM age for full-time college students?? How many over 24 college students are there watching this forum?

That sucks....the resorts I know you just have to be able to document being a fulltime college student, grad, undergrad..whatever, no max age requirement.

I think a professional quality letter to the the head cheese at Burke would be in order. Ya know...like a lawyer would send on behalf of a client. :wink: :wink: Perhaps they are unaware that 24 yo's can be college students. I would also point out that many fulltime college student that are attending on the GI Bill are over 24yo.

 

[riverc0il]

SRO has a good point. On the other hand, I don't see anything wrong with a ski area setting a maximum age on a college season pass. While there are many folks out there that extend their education past a bachelors, most people going for masters degrees of study have full time jobs. The obvious reason for having a student based season pass is to provide affordability to those that can not other wise afford it (and also build brand loyalty young). I can understand the ski area taking percussions to minimize abuse of the system by those that have full time employment or have secured funding (e.g. perhaps by being married with a spouse supporting the family working full time) that otherwise could afford or should be paying for a full season pass. SRO's advice is on point though, take it up with the mountain. Perhaps this is a different perspective, but seems like a silly sore spot to hold a grudge against as this seems like a reasonable decision.

Flame away... just my two cents for what they are worth.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

When I went to grad school I had a part-time job so I could eat and have a roof over my head. Okay..maybe a couple of bucks for a beer now and then...:wink:

Although probably a perspective Burke has I think the affordabilty point doesn't work IMHO cause there are plenty of undergraduate college kids in Vermont and other places that drive fancy cars and could certainly afford a full priced pass.

I just think if your going to offer a discounted pass for fulltime college students then that should be it. Once you start adding an age thing you are starting to travel down a very slippery slope.

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

I'm going to Umass Lowell.

Steve: I get the feeling we're being followed!

OK, it was University of Lowell and the team was the Chiefs. Actually, aren't they due to change the name of the school again soon?

back o track, I don;t know if I'll get a pass next season. I'll see what comes up for deals and possible patrol gigs.

 

[thetrailboss]

The Trailboss is getting shut out at Burke Mountain because they now have a 24-year-old MAXIMUM age for full-time college students?? How many over 24 college students are there watching this forum?:evil:

That sucks....the resorts I know you just have to be able to document being a fulltime college student, grad, undergrad..whatever, no max age requirement.

I think a professional quality letter to the the head cheese at Burke would be in order. Ya know...like a lawyer would send on behalf of a client. :wink: :wink: Perhaps they are unaware that 24 yo's can be college students. I would also point out that many fulltime college student that are attending on the GI Bill are over 24yo.

SRO has a good point. On the other hand, I don't see anything wrong with a ski area setting a maximum age on a college season pass. While there are many folks out there that extend their education past a bachelors, most people going for masters degrees of study have full time jobs. The obvious reason for having a student based season pass is to provide affordability to those that can not other wise afford it (and also build brand loyalty young). I can understand the ski area taking percussions to minimize abuse of the system by those that have full time employment or have secured funding (e.g. perhaps by being married with a spouse supporting the family working full time) that otherwise could afford or should be paying for a full season pass. SRO's advice is on point though, take it up with the mountain. Perhaps this is a different perspective, but seems like a silly sore spot to hold a grudge against as this seems like a reasonable decision.

Flame away... just my two cents for what they are worth.

Gentlemen:

I appreciate the original trailboss commenting about this here. As he knows, the Burke pass situation is a real sore spot with me. It has been handled poorly I will say, but here are the facts…out in the open…no :flame: I may start another thread entitled “looking for a new home” or something.

SRO and riv: I DID contact Burke management several times after pass prices were announced. I contacted one of my contacts twice. That person referred me to Dave Gwatkin, the sales guy. I Emailed him and got an E-mail a week later. He basically said:
“Gesh, we like you and your business, but sorry, $525 is the price for you if you want. We have a payment plan.” He claimed that the pass program was getting abused by others. What does not make sense is that they are punishing someone who has given them a lot of business (see below) He said he’d be willing to speak with me via phone and left his #. I’ve called twice and left them several E-mails to follow up. No response.

Some points overall about student passes:

• The market is students who have limited income and who ski midweek in general. VT/NH have several undergrad and grad programs.
  
  ASC/SB/MRG as well as Ascutney, Whaleback, Sunapee, Okemo, and Stowe ALL actively market at Vermont Law School and other grad students. They get a lot of passholders. In 2005, I contacted Burke to see if they would have liked me to sell student passes at Dartmouth and VLS for them. No response to that proposal.
  
  In 2007-2008, Burke will be the resort in VT and NH with the strictest student age requirements. Burke has imposed an age limit of 24. As the original trailboss pointed out, not all college students are under 24. In fact, there is a significant population of non-traditional students at LSC (Burke’s primary market). Also, there are a significant number of folks who are in the G.I. Program who may be in VT. They are in college and are older. Why cut these folks out? In my research, only Okemo/Sunapee have an age restriction. In 2005 it was 24. They upped it to 29. So Burke is going against the trend.
  
  It is now cheaper for me to ski at Stowe than Burke. Easier as well. The standard, as SRO pointed out, is to produce a valid ID and valid certification. Though Mr. Gwatkin says that they were “abused,” I will say that I have always provided more than enough credentials (ID and certified letter from the registrar) for my pass. I am by no means cheating the system. In 2002, I went to Jay for a pass as an undergrad. I produced a certificate and ID. They laughed “wow, you really are a student. An ID was more than enough…” The guy said that they sell passes to almost anyone…it is the business and $$$ that matters.

Here are the requirements from other places:

• 
  ASC: Certification from school; purchase from reps at school and pick up at mountain with ID. No age restriction.
  
  Sugarbush: ID and certification. No age restriction. In fact, they offered a “college plus one” program for graduating students, so that as “adults” they could get one more year of discount prices.
  
  Mad River Glen: Certification, ID, no age restriction.
  
  Jay Peak: No age restriction, ID only.
  
  
  Cannon/Sunapee/Gunstock: Certification, ID, No age restriction, cheaper pass than Burke, no blackouts.
  
  Stowe: ID, Certification, NO age restriction.
  
  Loon/WV/Cranmore: ID, Certification, NO age restriction.

So this is a sample of what the marketplace offers. Many other good resorts who would like my business. I told some folks about this whole thing a month ago, one person’s advice: vote with my dollars. Hate to do that, but will if need be.

I know it is a business. I know it is about the $$$. I think that the best thing would have been to strengthen the requirements to get a pass. Require a certified letter from a registrar. That would solve the abuse problem. Instead they punish someone who refers a lot of business to them and spent a lot of $$$ up there.

How much? This season we were planning on having my fiancée buy at Burke. She is “an adult,” so we would have bought for her up there. So combined we represent $750-800 in revenue there…if it was just me, that amount (last season it was $199).

Last season, my contribution, direct and indirect, to the mountain was in the area of $1,500. How do I get that? Well, I represent more than just the season pass price ($200 last year). We had skis tuned, ate food, bought souveniers, bought beer, etc. Whenever I made purchases, I did so because I want to support the mountain. In some cases, those prices were higher than at other places, but we did it. Whenever I presented my credit card to these mountain vendors, not one of them gave me a guilt trip because they lost money. In fact, all welcomed the business. When it rained, I skied there. When there was no snow, I was there too when nobody else was.

The biggest contributor to that $1,500 was the referrals I made. On my own I steered many folks from here to the mountain. The marketing department had no problem with this. They helped by sending me maps, brochures, stickers, and coupons to entice serious people in going. I PM’ed folks on my own time. Lots of people read my reports and PM’ed for info. I did it because it is my home mountain. People know me, I know them. I wanted to see them do well. I brought with me 15-20 people on my own. They bought tix, ate food, bought goods. At this one outing I know that lots of $$$$ was spent by my guests on tickets and food. The GM/VP saw me and my guests. He smiled. The impact is real. Beyond those folks, I know at least 4-6 people who came on their own because of me sending them info.

I sat down and a conservative estimate for this season was $2,500 or so in business from me. To lose potentially $2,500 for an age requirement is not good business. That’s just me. The other folks who were legitimately in this program and were above 24 are now gone, not to mention the other potential customers at Dartmouth or elsewhere. Burke needs business, but cutting people out of your market is not how to get it. Given the fact that regular adult rates just went up, and what has happened, Ms. TB is probably looking elsewhere.

It is not too late to get my business and the continued, essentially free, PR I provided.

 

[thetrailboss]

Another "brilliant" idea from some bean counter .. I was 30 before I could go to college full time on the GI Bill. So now they are going to discriminate against veterans who are going to school full time and are older than 24. They most likely served in Iraq and Afghanistan too. I was thinking about paying a few visits to Burke this season. Not Now .. with this policy in place.
:flame:

I really hope that nobody is locked out like this at Burke. It would be really bad for all.

 

[thetrailboss]

Folks, have started a new thread on finding a new home if things don't work out...feel free to continue there....will see if I can split this discussion off from here and insert it there.

 

[andyzee]

The Trailboss is getting shut out at Burke Mountain because they now have a 24-year-old MAXIMUM age for full-time college students?? How many over 24 college students are there watching this forum?:evil:

If you ask me, that's descrimination plain and simple. If anything, affording a pass is even harder for an older person because chances are, they aren't living with their parents.

Trailboss not only turned me on to Burke this past season, and he's been after me for the last two years to go, but he was the perfect ambassador. He made sure we got to see everything that he felt suited our abilities and needs. I liked the mountain a lot and with the Killington (home mountain) pass prices up in the air this, I considered Burke as an alternative. Even if I got a Killington pass agian this year, I would still like to go to Burke again at least a few times. After this policy and Trailboss getting the treatment he's gotten, I'm changing my mind on this.

 

[Marc]

You'll see the light and switch to mechanical.


Hopefully we can do a lot more touring next year, as long as you're going to stick around the area. Let's just make sure there are no more toe issues, k?

 

[wa-loaf]

Last season, my contribution, direct and indirect, to the mountain was in the area of $1,500. How do I get that? Well, I represent more than just the season pass price ($200 last year). We had skis tuned, ate food, bought souveniers, bought beer, etc. Whenever I made purchases, I did so because I want to support the mountain. In some cases, those prices were higher than at other places, but we did it. Whenever I presented my credit card to these mountain vendors, not one of them gave me a guilt trip because they lost money. In fact, all welcomed the business. When it rained, I skied there. When there was no snow, I was there too when nobody else was.

The biggest contributor to that $1,500 was the referrals I made. On my own I steered many folks from here to the mountain. The marketing department had no problem with this. They helped by sending me maps, brochures, stickers, and coupons to entice serious people in going. I PM’ed folks on my own time. Lots of people read my reports and PM’ed for info. I did it because it is my home mountain. People know me, I know them. I wanted to see them do well. I brought with me 15-20 people on my own. They bought tix, ate food, bought goods. At this one outing I know that lots of $$$$ was spent by my guests on tickets and food. The GM/VP saw me and my guests. He smiled. The impact is real. Beyond those folks, I know at least 4-6 people who came on their own because of me sending them info.

I sat down and a conservative estimate for this season was $2,500 or so in business from me. To lose potentially $2,500 for an age requirement is not good business. That’s just me. The other folks who were legitimately in this program and were above 24 are now gone, not to mention the other potential customers at Dartmouth or elsewhere. Burke needs business, but cutting people out of your market is not how to get it.

It is not too late to get my business and the continued, essentially free, PR I provided.

Have you shown them this cost analysis? Or is that the plan if you ever get a meeting?

Who owns the mountain? You can craft a lawyerly letter and send it to the owners/shareholders. If they are not aware of what the management is up to you could possibly stir up some real trouble. :wink: