The parking conundrum at resorts

[Bill Miles]

I have only ever paid (reluctantly) for parking a few times, at Vail, which I never skied much, and at Jackson where I had not yet figured out the situation (after the first day I parked in the remote lot).

I don't have much problem parking in a remote lot with a shuttle (Aspen, Beaver Creek, Copper, Jackson, etc.). It is interesting that Solitude apparently does not even offer this option.

Statements that paid parking is for such things as environmental reasons is, at worst, an out and out lie, or, at best a pathetic excuse for ripping off the customers.

 

[ella_g]

@wyowindrunner your post really cracked me up. You don’t have to pay to park @ sk. You don’t even rlly need to get a lift ticket, no one is paying much attention! They did build an amazing snow castle this year though on the bunny slope .... Resort is a whole other ball game , I have 3 kids so we always can park free at rancher but the nearby lots, village Cody and crystal springs are I’m pretty sure gasp $30. Maybe $20 during the week and $30 wknds and holidays? Not cheap. The new app is amazing w parking, tells you the percentage of spots still available at each lot. Heads up a ton of little ussa racers are coming your way this coming wknd. We cant wait to get back to targhee ....

 

[John Webb]

Haven"t been over the pass to ski JHMR in several years- last time I was there parking cost 8 bucks. Heard yesterday it's up to 15 bucks now. Wonder if Snow King is affected yet?

They need to set up ‘Slug lines’ in town where skiers/drivers can meet up so they can form carpools to get in close in lots for free.

South of DC in Virginia weekday commuters line up for impromptu carpools to Washington so they can enter carpool express lanes on I-95. Prez of former ski club one day was a ‘Slug” but the car crashed on way to work and she got bruised up bad.

 

[John Webb]

Vail is the new evil empire. I don't go to one of the local ski areas anymore due to the changes they made to what was a great family run area.

Vail AFAIK has wrecked Kirkwood. Up priced everything, cut the season short, and won’t replace decrepit slow lifts that badly need to go.

 

[John Webb]

Utah Transit Authority run the buses up BCC and LCC. I think it is $5 each way, half price for seniors. Last season, if you had a Ikon pass the UTA bus was free. However you had to go in person to Guest Services at Solitude in order to validate/activate the Ikon pass for free UTA bus rides.

My first 2 days I went to Alta/Bird, showed the bus driver my Ikon pass and told him that I hadn't yet made it to Solitude for Pass Activation, both days, coming and going there was no problem.

3rd day I get on the bus to Solitude, show my pass but the driver insists that I pay $2.50 senior rate.

Thanks @DanoT for a tip I’ll definitely use this year or next. That’s if Solitude continues it. These areas have to do something when they fill parking lots with condo crap.

 

[wyowindrunner]

@wyowindrunner your post really cracked me up. You don’t have to pay to park @ sk. You don’t even rlly need to get a lift ticket, no one is paying much attention! They did build an amazing snow castle this year though on the bunny slope .... Resort is a whole other ball game , I have 3 kids so we always can park free at rancher but the nearby lots, village Cody and crystal springs are I’m pretty sure gasp $30. Maybe $20 during the week and $30 wknds and holidays? Not cheap. The new app is amazing w parking, tells you the percentage of spots still available at each lot. Heads up a ton of little ussa racers are coming your way this coming wknd. We cant wait to get back to targhee ....

Always thought Snow King had some of the best groomed ice around.

 

[ella_g]

@wyowindrunner they ice it for races! Its an art, takes hours ... The problem is when the kids try to race at someplace like targhee and theres too much snow and everything is delayed or cancelled .... I personally am excited for for the skiing, the ample free parking, and the bison noodle soup.

 

[Idahosnow]

This thread makes me appreciate my home mountain (Sun Valley). Yes, tickets and passes are ridiculously expensive but parking is easy (quick walk or short shuttle, free), low traffic drive, and rarely more than a minute or two lift lines. Hoping it stays that way (fingers crossed). Also wishing we got more snow. I'd trade a bit of hassle for more fluffy stuff.

 

[aubergine]

Thanks @DanoT for a tip I’ll definitely use this year or next. That’s if Solitude continues it. These areas have to do something when they fill parking lots with condo crap.

It only took a minute to get our Ikon activated at Solitude. Our hit rate with getting charged on the buses was only about 50% before that anyways. The UTA buses are a tremendous resource for locals & visitors, if you are in the right location. Only bummer is getting a seat at peak times.

 

[Wilhelmson]

Its not a big issue in the northeast. Given that traffic is a common annoyance paid parking is the easiest way to reduce volume.

 

[aubergine]

This thread makes me appreciate my home mountain (Sun Valley). Yes, tickets and passes are ridiculously expensive but parking is easy (quick walk or short shuttle, free), low traffic drive, and rarely more than a minute or two lift lines. Hoping it stays that way (fingers crossed). Also wishing we got more snow. I'd trade a bit of hassle for more fluffy stuff.

The man made stuff at Sun Valley is pretty impressive though. I love how easy everything at SV is to deal with - parking, lines, hotels. Unfortunately I'm the only one in my family who really likes to ski there. The others all - for one reason or another - find some reason why we should pick other places.

The Best Western by the River Run base - which is walkable - is a real gem for a modest but lovely hotel imo.

 

[raisingarizona]

At our local hill we have a couple of slopeside lots just below the upper lodge. These are the locals parking lots and convenient as it can get. Over the last few years lodge food and beer prices have shot through the roof spawning an ever growing tailgating culture in those lots. It’s the only way a lot of us can afford to ski any longer here. I could see them eventually charging for those lots, forcing us to pay one way or another but unfortunately that will price me out of skiing.

 

[Andy Mink]

At our local hill we have a couple of slopeside lots just below the upper lodge. These are the locals parking lots and convenient as it can get. Over the last few years lodge food and beer prices have shot through the roof spawning an ever growing tailgating culture in those lots. It’s the only way a lot of us can afford to ski any longer here. I could see them eventually charging for those lots, forcing us to pay one way or another but unfortunately that will price me out of skiing.

Is this at AZ Snowbowl? I can't imagine that area on a really busy day! Park in the mud at the bottom of the hill and bus up I guess?

 

[fatbob]

I find it entertaining that google is serving me an ad for 3D Mammograms at a facility called Valley View with this thread.

There's a joke in there somewhere about Northstar mgt but I'll let you find it.

 

[Spnole]

Haven"t been over the pass to ski JHMR in several years- last time I was there parking cost 8 bucks. Heard yesterday it's up to 15 bucks now. Wonder if Snow King is affected yet?

I Paid $20 to park in the ranch lot a week ago Sunday....

 

[SSSdave]

I'm posting in this parking thread because I found a county master plan document for Northstar with the below map showing resort expansion plans that includes 6 new lifts including a transport gondola from the Castle Peak parking area we are now having to take shuttle buses from to Northstar Village. I have some doubts that will ever be built because the current shuttle buses are frequent enough that it is only a modest inconvenience as long as one doesn't need to return to their vehicle for gear like changing clothes or skis. Even with that gondola, it would still require riding 3 lifts to get back up high enough on the mountain to ski anything interesting so has limited value.

https://skiliftblog.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/northstarmasterplanmap.png

Only 4 of the proposed lifts create new skiing zones and each is in zones that are currently usually closed unless snow conditions are deep enough to allow such. And all those 3 of those areas are at lower elevations below 8k, so fresh powder would infrequently have lower water content. Two of the areas would currently require a snow cat at the bottom to bring skiers back to lifts. More likely the plans are carrots for buyers of their extensive real estate development, unlikely to ever see reality.

This last couple weeks this old advanced skier skied Northstar for the first time in about 2 decades and have been impressed by what it now offers for my own interests in skiing. Although it does not have double black diamond terrain, that is not an issue for this person as I don't seek such challenging terrain. Northstar does have plenty of black diamond terrain including moguls. More importantly for me as I begin to study its trail map (mediocre graphic) and the 7.5m topographic map, it has more deep forest than any other Tahoe resort that given storms with lower than average snow levels, offers more untracked powder skiing than anywhere else, since the majority of visitors on powder days avoid going off trails into trees, and there are many obscure areas out of sight from lifts and cut trails. That noted, after our more common balmy storms, I would still choose to visit one of our 3 higher elevation Tahoe resorts.

 

[tball]

Eldora had an uproar about parking last season but rolled it back when it caused quite an uproar. Now I think they reserve the front half of the lot for carpoolers but there isn't paid parking.

Eldora rolls back new $20 parking fees after skiers complained

Eldora ski resort answered pushback by rolling back a new limited pay-to-park policy that had been set to take effect this weekend.

theknow.denverpost.com

I saw Eldora's updated parking policy for next year posted with their pass prices:

2020/21 WINTER SEASON PARKING FEES FOR SINGLE-OCCUPANCY VEHICLES: At the behest of the Boulder County Commissioners, a $10 parking fee will be instituted for single-occupancy vehicles (SOVs) arriving at Eldora on weekends and holidays, as well as weekdays that see 10 or more inches of new snow. Eldora will not charge vehicles with two or more riders at any time, nor will it charge any vehicle at all on non-holiday weekdays that do not see 10+ inches of snow. Prior to the start of the 20/21 winter season, Eldora will offer a $99 SOV season parking pass, with details to be announced prior to opening day.​

https://www.eldora.com/plan-your-trip/tickets-passes/lift-tickets-passes/alpine-season-passes

​

Seems pretty reasonable to me.

Even better, Boulder County finally approved the parking expansion!

The plan will add 805 parking spaces to the resort 21 miles west of Boulder, at a cost of more than $6 million.​

Eldora gets county approval for parking expansion, agrees to limited pay-to-park plan

Parking for single occupancy vehicles on peak days and big snow days next season at Eldora will cost $10, as a condition for the unanimous approval granted Tuesday by Boulder County commissioners f…

www.dailycamera.com

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$6 million, yikes! I don't see that Eldora has committed to expanding the parking by next season. I hope so!

 

[Tony]

Court orders Northstar had to refund unused pass for person who sued over parking changes that were announced and implemented after passes sold.

Northstar ski resort plaintiff prevails in parking fee dispute

Vail Resorts’ Northstar ski resort was taken to court late after regulars were told they’d have to pay to park. One plaintiff prevailed against the company in court.

thisisreno.com

 

[Unpiste]

Court orders Northstar had to refund unused pass for person who sued over parking changes that were announced and implemented after passes sold.

Northstar ski resort plaintiff prevails in parking fee dispute

Vail Resorts’ Northstar ski resort was taken to court late after regulars were told they’d have to pay to park. One plaintiff prevailed against the company in court.

thisisreno.com

This is actually rather interesting to hear. I'm literally in the same situation, and can safely say I would have used my pass in November/December at the very least had the parking terms not changed.

I do wonder whether Vail has any power to retaliate over this, though (e.g. by barring this person from ever purchasing a pass at one of their resorts in the future). I hope there's more follow-up.

 

[markjs]

Vail AFAIK has wrecked Kirkwood. Up priced everything, cut the season short, and won’t replace decrepit slow lifts that badly need to go.

As a buddy of mine once said: "Kirkwood is a 1st world mountain with a 3rd world lift system"