Season Passes

[Breeze]

Going to be the same for Granite passholders at Wildcat, too. Hassle factor.

Breeze

 

[Charlie Schuessler]

It's their way of preventing season pass fraud your photo shows up on their screen when they swipe your card...

 

[bvibert]

It's their way of preventing season pass fraud your photo shows up on their screen when they swipe your card...

That may be, but it still totally negates one of the big advantages to having a pass.

BTW - Good to see you back around more often Charlie!

 

[Breeze]

Yes, Charlie, in fact it is to prevent ticket fraud. However the issue is that Peak doesn't have compatible scanning/ticketing/computer systems across the board, hence the hassle factor. Understanding the issue isn't the problem.

Breeze

 

[severine]

It's their way of preventing season pass fraud your photo shows up on their screen when they swipe your card...

How is that an improvement over employees scanning passes before one gets on the lift? At least you're going to the lift line regardless and when the employee scans your pass, they're supposed to look at the picture on it for verification.

 

[Charlie Schuessler]

I've never been impressed with the remote scanners on the mountain; apparently they're not either... I try to think of it from the operations point of view, besides pass security they want to get the pass holder in the building closer to the other revenue stream sources… remember the season pass holder’s true convenience is in the cost discount of the season by the number of visits and really nothing else…

I have enjoyed just skiing to the chair for many years with mountain operations not really knowing if I was there, put the pass in the sleeve holder and go… many times we made a game of it with the scan process, get to the mountain early enough and with the lifties busy with other things and didn’t have time (or wouldn’t bother) to scan us or the scanner just didn’t work, we would make it up to the higher elevation chairs where they never scanned… not a very effective tool at that point.

I wouldn’t consider the absence of the remote scanner system as absolutely inefficient, they chose paper tickets and wickets over the equipment/maintenance/operation costs of the remote scanners, they must have crunched those numbers and made their decision and went with what works best for them, much to the chagrin of a select few…

I guess if it's too much of hassle for a season pass holder to get a day pass at the window, it's probably time to do something else...

 

[billski]

I've never been impressed with the remote scanners on the mountain; apparently they're not either....

Whatever happened to the stated reason of tracking skier behavior and adjusting operations in response? It was supposed to "improve things."

Only from my observation, you get a lot of theft of service issues at areas the closer they are to a metro area, and the more they attract the teen scene. I always seem to see someone getting pulled aside for a ticket issue, and always hear about equipment theft at the feeder hills. So this doesn't surprise me about Crotch. What does Wawa or Pats Peak do?

If you look at a place like Stowe, which I go to more than most, they scan you, but nobody's putting a face to a card for example.


I think the Granite pass issue is temporary for this year, since the P&S didn't come until the season was about to begin - no time to get real systems in place.

 

[gmcunni]

At least you're going to the lift line regardless and when the employee scans your pass, they're supposed to look at the picture on it for verification.

does this work? i've often wondered... i mean, helmet, goggles, facemask and jacket buttoned up to your chin, how can they tell who's behind all that stuff.

 

[bvibert]

does this work? i've often wondered... i mean, helmet, goggles, facemask and jacket buttoned up to your chin, how can they tell who's behind all that stuff.

It's definitely far from perfect.

 

[john1200c]

This is the second year that we have had the granite pass. We buy in the spring so its pretty reasonable. We have a place in the MWV so bought it mostly for Attitash, we also hit Crotched on many of the weekends we have to stay home as its only about an hour or so from home. Looking forward to skiing Wildcat too. We definitely get our money's worth vs. buying day passes. The ticket counter deal at Crotched doesnt really slow us down too much as its usually well staffed and we go inside to get the kids into their boots anyway.

 

[bvibert]

remember the season pass holder’s true convenience is in the cost discount of the season by the number of visits and really nothing else…

I disagree with that. Not having to wait in a ticket line is a huge convenience to me. I'll bet there's a lot of people that just break even on a pass (or maybe not even), but still get one just so they don't have to wait in a ticket line. I'm really surprised there wasn't a big backlash from the customers when they switched to that system.

I hope they at least have a separate line for pass holders that moves quickly???

 

[WakeboardMom]

Other mtns are good, but you really should truck on up and give the Loaf(anywhere) and Saddleback's trees a try...Marie.
January's kind of rugged for temps on SL, but with Brackett Basin added(trees) = should be a nice alternative to its exposed frontside.

Thank you! Big LOL...I'm too old and scared for tree-skiing, but the rest sounds good. I would really love to try SL in the spring. Every year we say we're going to do it, but life gets in the way. THIS YEAR!!! ; )

 

[bvibert]

I have enjoyed just skiing to the chair for many years with mountain operations not really knowing if I was there, put the pass in the sleeve holder and go… many times we made a game of it with the scan process, get to the mountain early enough and with the lifties busy with other things and didn’t have time (or wouldn’t bother) to scan us or the scanner just didn’t work, we would make it up to the higher elevation chairs where they never scanned… not a very effective tool at that point.

BTW - that scenario just shows an ineffective system. What's to stop someone who doesn't have a pass at all from doing the same thing??

 

[neil]

If a liftie isn't checking your pass then they probably aren't checking your "ticket" either. That whole system is seriously flawed.

 

[Breeze]

Kewl beans Charlie. Thats a great attitude for everyone in Guest Services to adopt.

No more dealing with GUESTS, just point to the door. don't like it---> see ya-- NEXT!!!!!!!!!!

LOLOL !


Breeze

 

[gmcunni]

If a liftie isn't checking your pass then they probably aren't checking your "ticket" either. That whole system is seriously flawed.

RFID? gate don't open unless you have a ticket... of course, i imagine those are hackable

 

[bvibert]

RFID? gate don't open unless you have a ticket... of course, i imagine those are hackable

I don't know if you've been following the Blue thread[/thread], they've installed some of those for this season. Should be interesting to see how it works out. That still doesn't stop one from using someone else's season pass, which is what Crotched seems to be trying to avoid. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how it works out for Blue.



Seems awfully impersonal to me though. Kinda like herding sheep...

 

[RootDKJ]

I don't know if you've been following the Blue thread[/thread], they've installed some of those for this season. Should be interesting to see how it works out. That still doesn't stop one from using someone else's season pass, which is what Crotched seems to be trying to avoid. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how it works out for Blue.



Seems awfully impersonal to me though. Kinda like herding sheep...

Cattle...not sheep

 

[bousquet19]

(snip) ...

Now I live in DC, so I bought a discount card ($89 --> 40% off, every 6th day free) to the three local hills for nights and quick weekend sessions, but I again plan to do my other skiing at a wide variety of destinations.

I will say this: I miss having a good pass option. There's something really cool about the psychological freedom of being able to go ski a few runs no matter how late in the day you get there, how bad the conditions are, etc. It just hasn't made sense lately, unfortunately.

If there is a pass option that does make sense for you, go for it. You will not regret it.

Good points ta&Idaho. This is my third year having a SnowTime pass (Liberty-Roundtop-Whitetail in south-central PA). In the winter, I can usually arrange a weekday morning open when I can ski and beat the crowds. Whitetail is just under an hour's drive, which means that I can get in a few hours' worth of morning runs and be at work or back home in the afternoon. Liberty is 75 minutes away, so I spend time there, too. A full day at WT or Liberty might get boring, but I break it up with meals, sometimes a lesson, and even a bit of semi-mindless work I bring along. Kind of nice to feel like you're doing work while relaxing in a ski lodge on a weekday.

Having a choice of 3 areas on the same pass also provides variety, which is esp. important at our smaller (1000' vert and under) mid-Atlantic ski areas. One perk that the SnowTime pass includes is discounts at 12 other ski areas that are part of the Mountains of Distinction (MOD) group: http://www.getskiing.net/resorts.asp There's just a small discount on weekends but you pay only half-price on weekdays. I don't think I'd buy the pass w/o the MOD discount. Among the NEast peaks included are Windham, Jiminy, Okemo, Jay, and Sunapee.

Ski pass holders get other perks, too, and I try to take advantage. Liberty offers preferred parking for pass holders closer to the lodge on weekdays. Then once March rolls around, ski areas tend to roll out their deals for passholders from other mountains ... I've gotten free skiing at Hunter and Camelback this way, plus 50% discounts at Saddleback and elsewhere.

Since I ski only about 15-25 times per year, I don't "clean up" on a season's pass financially like some on AZ do. But ta&Idaho's point about the psychological freedom that a season's pass brings is truly a selling point for me. Before the season starts, my skiing is already paid for. I don't have the guilt about drawing down the family treasury several times a month for this expensive sport ... did it once for the pass, got it over with. And taking just a few hours' worth of runs some mornings becomes not only guilt-free but also a good thing ... I'm getting my money's worth out of something I paid for already.

Works for me.

Woody

 

[AdironRider]

Ive had passes my entire skiing life. Nothing beats the cost effective nature and the ability to ski whenever you want for however long you want.

Ive had passes to a bunch of places, never once regretted buying one, even the Loon/Waterville/Cranmore Threedom which just isnt my cup of tea anymore, but back in the day when I was a low intermediate, it was awesome.

Ive also never had less than 30 days on a pass, so its a no brainer.

Season passes:

Waterville
Cranmore
Loon
Sunapee
Cannon
Gunstock
Bretton Woods
Whiteface
Gore
Snow King
Grand Targhee
Jackson Hole

Most of these were combined together in some form.