The NEW Magic Mountain

[Do Work]

lol...I like Magic but that policy irks me completely.

Before anyone says "Well if you don't like the policy don't ski there on a Thursday powder day!!" to which I respond..."ok".

Anybody who cost themselves a day of skiing pow at Magic for the $30-something has really done themselves a disservice. Even at full price it's still the best deal going on a pow day- more fresh to ski, fewer people to share it with and you're supporting a very important local entity just by showing up. I understand the chapped cheeks when you're expecting a deal AND a killer day but we really do have to make the fairweather fans pay. Heck, get a 4-pack next time and use one of those! On your next visit, come find me and I'll make sure you get your money's worth if you're concerned, which I totally understand! Magic has many secrets, and once you know them it is a bargain top to bottom- even at full price.

 

[Do Work]

I just don't understand how on the Throwback Thursday's if it's a powder day they charge full price. So if it snow's 4" (I've been there when it has on Thursdays) you pay $29 or whatever...but if it had snowed 7" they charge the full rate of $70+...for the same cafeteria, same lifts, same overhead had it been a non-powder day.

See weekend rates vs. weekday deals. Same thing. You've got to make money where you can! It's still a heck of a lot cheaper than getting a day ticket at some steamrolled resort like Okemo or Stratt where you barely even see fresh pow, it's just fluffy diamond baby bumps everywhere by 10.

Still though, many deals exist on our website. From 4 packs to whiteout passes to season pass bundles, there's a bunch of ways if you start figuring it out more than a few days before the snow hits.

 

[bdfreetuna]

Could do an extra $5 per inch over 5 inches of fresh

4 pack for $189 huh. Is that going to stay available at that price? Could be an option for this winter.

 

[makimono]

I think the wording of the Throwback Thursday is what maybe puts some people off. It's a sort of negative incentive. The Throwback Thursday pricing, instead of being looked at as a discounted price, gets viewed as the normal Thursday price, that makes the powder day pricing look like an extra "unfair" surcharge. If it was worded more that the full price was the normal price and that any Thursday that didn't get 6"+ the night before they would offer a special Throwback Thursday Discounted price, maybe that would be viewed differently?

I'm not saying that should be done, I don't think it matters, I don't really care, it's all the same thing to me. I'll be on my 3rd year with a Throwback Card anyways which I think is the hidden gem of Magic deals.

 

[urungus]

I'll be on my 3rd year with a Throwback Card anyways which I think is the hidden gem of Magic deals.

Agreed. And my understanding (never put to the test) is that if you have the card on a Powder Thursday you would get the $29 price that is not available to walk ups. Correct?

 

[bdfreetuna]

I'm going to rely heavily on Ride and Ski New England Card again this year. Works great for my needs with 50% many Vermont ski areas (Killington, Pico, Jay, Sugarbush, Burke and Bolton have the best discounts).

Magic was on there last year for $10 any full price ticket. Better than nothing I guess but would be nice to see Magic get in on that 50% off action (or do like Bolton does @ $39 with the card). Most of the other resorts are 25% off Saturday and 50% weekdays/Sundays. At least in Vermont.

At least for me that would = definitely a few more visits per season

Not sure if I mentioned this already.... but I was just checking the Ride and Ski card site and they said in the process of negotiating 2018/2019 deals

 

[makimono]

Agreed. And my understanding (never put to the test) is that if you have the card on a Powder Thursday you would get the $29 price that is not available to walk ups. Correct?

Yup! I put it to the test 3 times last year

 

[AdironRider]

Wait, let me get this straight, Magic charges MORE on a powder day than a day with no new snow? Magic either needs to get its shit together and price correctly, or once this whole lovey dovey things tapers off, which it inevitably will, they are going to get hosed ..... again.

That shit would never fly out here. Jackson is pricey, but its not based on random weather events.

It is also illegal in some states, like NH, but apparently not VT.

 

[skithetrees]

Wait, let me get this straight, Magic charges MORE on a powder day than a day with no new snow? Magic either needs to get its shit together and price correctly, or once this whole lovey dovey things tapers off, which it inevitably will, they are going to get hosed ..... again.

That shit would never fly out here. Jackson is pricey, but its not based on random weather events.

It is also illegal in some states, like NH, but apparently not VT.

One day a week. Lol. One day. They aren’t open Monday-Wednesday unless it is a powder day. If it is, they charge the regular full rate. Moreover, if you buy in advance or any of the packages mentioned here, it doesn’t effect you. Your options are closed mountain or the cheapest full price ticket in Vermont on a mountain with a fraction the traffic and 6+” of snow. Doesn’t seem that hard. Thursday is going unique because they run crazy deals to get, frankly, a small number of people on the hill. Yes, they charge full price in accordance with their weekday powder policy. As do work said, half the people there on a powder day never ski the mountain on a non-powder day. I don’t feel so bad for them and they obviously aren’t that unhappy given the smiles and whooping coming from the trees. Goes to show that no matter what you do someone will complain. The cons I suppose of no longer being Vermont’s best kept secret. That said, need the place to survive so I will take it.

 

[AdironRider]

It doesn't matter, that is the literal definition of price gouging. If any other place tried to do this in your day to day life you would be pissed.

 

[Newpylong]

That is not price gouging by any definition.

Price gouging would be jacking the price up on a Saturday morning to $150 because of epic snow conditions that exist nowhere else. Even then not really because skiing is not a necessary service, good or commodity.

Deciding to open and charge normal rate on an unscheduled day is in no shape or form gouging.

 

[jaytrem]

It doesn't matter, that is the literal definition of price gouging.

Subjective at best...

1. The practice of raising prices on certain types of goods and services to an unfair level, especially during a state of emergency.

 

[urungus]

I have no problem whatsoever with the policy ... It shouldn’t be any big surprise, the policy is widely posted in advance and if you are unhappy with the undiscounted walk up price of $69 you can always head 10 miles down the road to Stratton to pay $115 for an inferior experience.

 

[urungus]

Are you complainers also outraged that the weekday discount lift ticket rate at most resorts is not valid on holidays? How is “Thursday rate does not include powder days” any different than “weekday rate does not include holidays” ?

 

[ShadyGrove]

Wait, let me get this straight, Magic charges MORE on a powder day than a day with no new snow? Magic either needs to get its shit together and price correctly, or once this whole lovey dovey things tapers off, which it inevitably will, they are going to get hosed ..... again.

That shit would never fly out here. Jackson is pricey, but its not based on random weather events.

It is also illegal in some states, like NH, but apparently not VT.

A random Thursday in January at Jackson is $133 (if you pre-buy, otherwise it's $147). Random Thursday at Magic is $29, unless it qualifies as a powder day - then it's $74.

Now I'm not comparing the skiing (or the experience) at Magic to Jackson but come on, I don't know that the management is relying solely on 'this whole lovey dovey thing'.

 

[AdironRider]

That is not price gouging by any definition.

Price gouging would be jacking the price up on a Saturday morning to $150 because of epic snow conditions that exist nowhere else. Even then not really because skiing is not a necessary service, good or commodity.

Deciding to open and charge normal rate on an unscheduled day is in no shape or form gouging.

Its not the unscheduled days that are the problem (well they are in the sense that any successful ski area doesn't close down half the week, but that is a separate debate), it is that they have a regular Thursday rate and a rate for when the demand is higher, that is completely random based on weather.

That is straight up price gouging. Don't confuse VT having a specific law that covers fuel during states of emergency as if that definition applies to everything. I'm also saying it is not illegal in VT, just pretty shitty of them. Name one other ski resort that could do that? It doesn't exist.

This would however be illegal in NH, for any business, regardless of the situation or product. You advertise a price, you honor that price. Doesn't matter if you regret doing so after the fact. Got a screaming deal on a new truck once that way.

 

[ShadyGrove]

Are you complainers also outraged that the weekday discount lift ticket rate at most resorts is not valid on holidays? How is “Thursday rate does not include powder days” any different than “weekday rate does not include holidays” ?

A closer corollary is that the Thursday during a holiday week at almost any resort is not the 'weekday' rate, but the 'holiday' rate. No one seems to have an issue then.

 

[urungus]

A closer corollary is that the Thursday during a holiday week at almost any resort is not the 'weekday' rate, but the 'holiday' rate. No one seems to have an issue then.

Exactly.

 

[AdironRider]

Except the holiday rate is a given, before they even open for the season.

Plan a trip to magic and it snows, your family trip just got 200 bucks more expensive, completely unplanned and you wouldn't know until what, two hours at best before they open?

Lots of other folks would be getting in a car that morning. I wouldn't be thrilled to show up and the price just jumped over 100%.

Magic isn't good enough to pull this indefinitely. Hence why they have closed how many times?

 

[mbedle]

Its not the unscheduled days that are the problem (well they are in the sense that any successful ski area doesn't close down half the week, but that is a separate debate), it is that they have a regular Thursday rate and a rate for when the demand is higher, that is completely random based on weather.

That is straight up price gouging. Don't confuse VT having a specific law that covers fuel during states of emergency as if that definition applies to everything. I'm also saying it is not illegal in VT, just pretty shitty of them. Name one other ski resort that could do that? It doesn't exist.

This would however be illegal in NH, for any business, regardless of the situation or product. You advertise a price, you honor that price. Doesn't matter if you regret doing so after the fact. Got a screaming deal on a new truck once that way.

When did NH enact a price gouging law? And besides the states with price gouging laws 99 percent of them only apply during a SOE or disaster so I doubt that it would even apply to Magic's pricing schedule.