Buddy passes are for 2019-20 season use only. In my experience, the buddy and SWAF are only good for last minute single day use. If you can buy a week or 2 in advance and are getting more than 1 day, the prices are pretty even.
The option for buying on the day of skiing is actually really valuable for your buddy that is an occasional skier window ticket buyer; more than you make it out to be; considering how quickly ski conditions change.
Other typical scenarios for a window ticket buyer:
If you friend is locked in for a 3day advanced ticket, and it's windhold except for 2 or 3 lifts with marginal conditions; your friend may decide that $100+ is better spent on something else like fancy dinner or night on town.
Or your friend is a casual skier and, skis day1 out of the three, and is now super tired and can't ski day2 or day3, they would be wishing you had the option of day-of decisions.
Or maybe traffic or parking is terrible (as you have to compete now for resort access) or travel plans have changed and your friend can't even make it up to ski.
Non-skiers are notorious for flaking out to join in on ski trips esp. if it requires committing to purchasing stuff beforehand. If you have buddy pass, it's easier to get them to come when they don't feel they are ripped off for not purchasing early. They'll justify oh i'll plan ahead next trip and get Adv. purchase then come, but that never happens to get them to shell out money weeks early, so they miss the deadlines, never join the trip and never ski with you
If it's just for you and your regular ski crew already is settled on epicpasses and a bunch of you already have access to buddy passes, it is not important to get a whole ton more of buddypasses, you won't be using too many of them, just occasionally just for the last minute friend who joins.
Re:
@John Webb /rant.
I understand the frustration, but I think VR is very fair in their written description. The poor Cust service guy working for $11/hr and a free season pass, may not have explained it best with all the edge cases and his statement is 99% correct for Adult tickets. Perhaps he didn't want to insult you by assuming your age.
Buddy passes is flat rate, it is often going to be cheaper, and considerably so in peak periods; but mainly for full-fare Adult tickets, but not always.
They even indicated on their graphic (at least in prev years) that had SWAF with a zigzag graph compared to buddypass with a flat line, to illustrate that sometimes other option will be cheaper.
It's a bit of an drastic escalation to characterize the short interaction as They Lied, considering you were pointing out an edge case of a Senior tickets versus regular adult;l and during end of season and when they're in a season pass war with Alterra for passholders.
Any non-Adult ticket is not a standard case: , e.g. child ticket is always less than buddy rate, always.
Never makes sense to use buddy ticket for a Child as another clear example.
If you aren't a passholder yet, youd actually be better off in getting today's daypass money towards next years pass and doing that deal, and fighting to get hidden secret bonus day for this spring.
There are also other unique rare promos where buddy tickets will not be cheapest option but really rare/unique and off-main season, since VR does not do promos.
Overall, the savings for Adult often will typically be $10-$30 over SWAF, greater savings if you are skiing during peak. and maybe negative only in early WROD /extended season or unique conditions. Enough to pay for lunch or beer, but not life-changing or dramatically different over SWAF.
Both SWAF and buddy options are juuust enough for you to convince a person to ski with you at your home VR versus having to buy two tickets at a noncorporate independent cheaper feeder resort; if you're that genrous to subsidize your buddy and partially pay for his ticket.
All this being said, feel free not to give VR any money, do your own calculations on the pass by itself and your thoughts on them; don't base your purchases on the buddy passes offer.
The value in the buddy passes is For Your Buddy that would utilize them (Adult who may join you in main season), it is not a direct benefit to you.
Buddys always flake out, they say "I'll ski with you next year", but it rarely lines up, don't spend money or make decisions on their behalf, especially if they didn't ask you to do so for them
