Ski Clubs..

[SKIQUATTRO]

worth it? With a fam of 4, buying tix at the window gets pricy..we do use vouchers I get from attending Warren Miller films, vouchers we get when we rent the girls boots for the season and deals from liftopia....

wondering your thoughts on Ski Clubs..we're down on Long Island...what are the positives and negatives to joining or not

 

[Angus]

I've probably saved 40% on tickets this season - couldn't afford otherwise. We day trip most of the time living in the Boston area. Have you thought about one of those ski houses? I remember posting something here about a ski house/club of NYers up in Sugarbush area.

 

[deadheadskier]

I was a member of Ace last season. If I recall correctly, I got 1 ticket to Stowe, 2 MRG, 2, Smuggs, 1 Burke, 2 Pico for about $240 including membership dues.

Positives: Great savings, 50% or more, especially at the smaller areas.

Negatives: No special pricing for kids, black out dates.

 

[playoutside]

Lots of threads on this in the past. Ski clubs offer numerous things -- discounts, houses, comraderie, etc. If you are mainly concerned about getting cheaper tix, then there are a number of inexpensive clubs that give you access to discounted ticket buying. That seems like a no brainer if you are buying tix for a family. Some clubs require decisions in late summer about which tix you want, others who are members of ski councils (NJ and CT have councils) offer tix throughout the season. The NJ Ski Council club I belong to offers tix 3 times during the season, mainly VT offers, no blackouts, prices set in the early fall. I'm sure most cluibs in the councils handle this similarly.

Another club I beling to in MA, has set deals for almost every Sat or Sun -- schedule is set in the early fall, tix are usually 50% or so of window rates. You only decide in the week prior whether to participate or not. You drive yourself and ski...it's not really a club activity as much as a club for group buying.

Look for the earlier thread...lots of good tips and club recommendations in there.

 

[tmcc71]

whats the mass clubs name?

That sounds intriguing.

 

[HowieT2]

There are 2 ski clubs, NJ and Onandaga, with large houses on rte. 100 between Killington and Sugarbush/MRG. I think the North Shore (LI) ski club house is in rochester, which is closer to SB/MRG than the other 2.

 

[playoutside]

CMSG is the MA club

That sounds intriguing.

Central mass ski group

http://www.skicmsg.com

Check the skier appreciation days for those that remain this season.

They also have established discounts with Sunday River, Stowe, Wildcat, Okemo, others...check the discount tickets option

They also do some really inexpensive weekend trips...have done sunday river, stowe, sugarloaf with them in the past.

 

[billski]

Each club has a different spin, you have to see what is right for you. First step is to look at what resorts you are interested in. Then find clubs that handle those resorts. The clubs with houses tend to generally be for empty nesters or singles, require a time commitment, focus on resorts near to the house- sounds like they won't be for you.

Some clubs arrange trips with transportation - often can be party buses, that may not be your cup of tea for a family.

Don't expect clubs to meet your every need. I belong to ACE, which buys bulk tickets, though the number you can buy may be limited. Being a club member gives you general discounts at places like Stowe, Whiteface, Okemo, and Butternut for example. I compliment what I can get from a club with other sources I regularly troll for on this board. I've also found Liftopia to be a great place to get ticket discounts when I need like seven tickets for a single day.

Best list I've seen:
http://skisite.com/Clubs.cfm

 

[Smellytele]

CMSG worked great for me. A family membership was 20 clams. I really only used it twice. I used it for ski club appreciation day at burke - $10 tickets for the whole family and also ski club appreciation weekend at Stowe - 2 day ticket for 61 smackers. As noted above the other discounts are great as well. Liftopia is awesome. I have only skied 1 day out of 35 this year at full price.

 

[Mildcat]

SKIQUATTRO, here's a good link that lists a lot of different clubs.
http://www.skisite.com/clubs.cfm
The site lists if the club has a house, if it's 21 plus, club fees, and even provides links if the club has a website.

CMSG worked great for me. A family membership was 20 clams. I really only used it twice. I used it for ski club appreciation day at burke - $10 tickets for the whole family and also ski club appreciation weekend at Stowe - 2 day ticket for 61 smackers. As noted above the other discounts are great as well. Liftopia is awesome. I have only skied 1 day out of 35 this year at full price.

I almost joined that club because their bus trips looked pretty cool. I ended up joining a ski house instead.

 

[NJSkiBabe]

Check out the NY Metropolitan Ski Council. That will give you a listing of all of the NY clubs and then you can see what each one of them offers. Some clubs are family clubs and some are 21 and older only. All get good discounts on lift tickets depending on where you are looking to ski.

 

[mike h]

SKIQUATTRO, I belong to the Garden City Ski Club, we have an 11 bedroom lodge in-between Sugarbush and MRG. http://www.gardencityskiclub.com/Site

Good discounts on lift tickets, some trips and of course the lodge. Check it out.

 

[riverc0il]

I was a member of Ace last season. If I recall correctly, I got 1 ticket to Stowe, 2 MRG, 2, Smuggs, 1 Burke, 2 Pico for about $240 including membership dues.

Positives: Great savings, 50% or more, especially at the smaller areas.

Negatives: No special pricing for kids, black out dates.

One other negative is the possibility of not getting a chance to use all of your vouchers in a given season if one month turns into a complete wash out. :-o

I jest a bit here as rarely is March so bad (and especially so bad two seasons in a row). But if you pre-purchase a lot of prepaid vouchers, one negative is being tied into using them in a given time and running the risk of poor end of season weather and getting left holding an unused voucher at the end of the season.