Colorado Vail and Beaver Creek hit $219 window ticket price

[Sibhusky]

Those prices are why we keep breaking skier visit records.

 

[KingGrump]

They have enough money that it doesn't make any difference. I doubt if many of those you saw in those lines rode the bus from downtown SLC to DV.

I beg to differ.
Some may be in Bogner but their boots and skis are rental. They are more clueless than anything else.

 

[Bill Miles]

Then you also get to pay for parking.

 

[KingGrump]

Free parking at DV.

 

[dbostedo]

A 5 of 8 days pass for Vail starting on Dec. 26th bought right now online costs $825, or $165/day. Still a bit crazy, but a lot less than window ticket rate.

 

[David Chaus]

I cannot imagine paying $150 and up to $219 for a day of skiing. That’s almost cat-skiing prices. And that’s without line cutting privileges.

Here’s the thing: for many road trips I could easily have a great time at a number of locally owned resorts in WA, Idaho and MT for not a lot of money, with or without the Indy Pass of any reciprocal agreements.

What the multi-resort passes do for me is to bring the cost of major resorts in line with mom and pops, and predetermines a selection of resorts I will travel to, much more in advance than I otherwise would. So a strange side effect of raising lift tickets prices to such high amounts at “premier” resorts is to limit the day tickets sales at small resorts, by means of sales of multi-resort passes. Here’s an example: I was going to visit Lookout, Discovery and Lost Trail on my way to the Gathering, and then I realized as affordable as those places are, it would cost me less to use my Ikon Pass at Big Sky.

 

[Ski&ride]

Except even the tourists aren’t paying window price either. They’re either getting their lift tickets as part of lodging package, or they’re buying multi-day tickets, or group price if they’re going to a conference.

 

[Karen_skier2.0]

I'm always baffled by how many holiday skiers pay for day tickets.
If you're going skiing with your family for a week during Christmas vacation, you can easily pay for an Epic Pass.
I wonder how these vacationers don't know about the pass deals.

I think they find out about it when it's too late to take advantage of it--even the Epic multi-day pass. We definitely don't come from the same perspective as a one week a year skiing family, so I'm not sure what they think. They're probably booking their lodging out in advance, but not thinking about tickets yet. And what incentive does a property have to tell them about this awesome way they can save money on tickets now?

 

[Nathanvg]

I'm always baffled by how many holiday skiers pay for day tickets.
If you're going skiing with your family for a week during Christmas vacation, you can easily pay for an Epic Pass.
I wonder how these vacationers don't know about the pass deals.

For the record, I have a pass this year and many years in the past but I think many people overlook the complexities of getting a pass. Some common reason people don't have a pass:

* possible/likely new job (location, financial, vacation issues)
* injury and unclear recovery time
* children, i.e. maybe my son will hate skiing after the first day, what a waste a pass would be for both of us
* pregnancy
* family medical (e.g. sick parent)
* family conflict (e.g. if son makes basketball team, we can't go skiing much)
* Will we still be dating this winter and if not, will I ski solo?
* Person added to the trip at last minute (e.g. bring my friend)

The list above is partial and these things happen all the time. A few of them are covered by insurance but that's a pain and costly (e.g. going to the doctor for a sprain is unnesasry costly and might not quality) Many of the items are not covered.

The second problem I have with the pass analysis is that it pays for itself in a few days. The comparison should be how much it costs to ski a day at a comparable area, where comparable is defined by the purchaser. The Epic areas are nice but there are a lot of comparable areas IMO. There are a ton of nice ski areas that sell day passes for 100 or less a day, some for under 50 a day. To me, it's an easy decision to go elsewhere. The biggest problem is social: one of our friends has a pass and you have to decide if you dump him or eat the high price and go with him.

 

[amlemus]

Last year we had this thread about Vail breaking the $200 window price for a lift ticket during the holidays.
This year they're surpassing it by a tad more at $219/day ticket at Vail and Beaver Creek, as reported by Vail Daily.

You can pay for an Epic pass pretty quickly if you ski a handful of days.

Whew! And I thought Disney was pricey!

 

[Seldomski]

If you're only skiing is 3-4 days a year in the Christmas/New Years time frame (@ Vail/BC), then a pass doesn't make economic sense. You need the $1,000 pass to cover those days (holiday blackouts), so the walk up rate is cheaper and it gives the flexibility to not ski if weather sucks or you don't feel like it (yeah, I know, blasphemy to most on this forum).

You might also be booking hotel or airfare on points, so where you go might depend more on the lodging/air. So the 'epic for everyone' style tickets may not work either if you can't decide on a location in advance.

I have family that goes to Vail in early Dec and to Winterpark in March for the past decade or so. Each trip is 3-4 days of skiing. They never buy a pass product -- they buy the advance online tickets, but not enough for every day they may ski. They are traveling with young children. If the kid doesn't want to ski during the trip, that Epic Pass and advanced tickets are worth approximately $0.

 

[SKI-3PO]

If I was more patient...and nice, I’d go up to one of those poor people in line and give them one of the friends and family discounts that I don’t use. It’s the thought that counts, right?

 

[David Chaus]

Maybe when we’re at the Gathering, we can each offer to gift a Friends and Family discount to a random stranger.

 

[KingGrump]

If I was more patient...and nice, I’d go up to one of those poor people in line and give them one of the friends and family discounts that I don’t use. It’s the thought that counts, right?

Maybe when we’re at the Gathering, we can each offer to gift a Friends and Family discount to a random stranger.

Just remember - No good deed goes unpunished.

 

[cantunamunch]

A 5 of 8 days pass for Vail starting on Dec. 26th bought right now online costs $825, or $165/day. Still a bit crazy, but a lot less than window ticket rate.

Meh - that's one evening of a la carte sushi in Adams Morgan.

 

[dbostedo]

Meh - that's one evening of a la carte sushi in Adams Morgan.

Maybe... but personally, I don't want to eat sushi 5 of 8 days.

 

[fatbob]

For friends and family discount do you mean the "do our marketing for us and drag someone else along on the promise of a material discount then watch their gratitude turn to hatred as they realise they aren't even saving the price of an overpriced lodge burger" discount?

 

[cantunamunch]

Maybe... but personally, I don't want to eat sushi 5 of 8 days.

Soy packets are freeeeee

 

[DanoT]

Maybe when we’re at the Gathering, we can each offer to gift a Friends and Family discount to a random stranger.

Instead of random strangers there might be Ikon 5 day pass holders looking for a cheap extra day or two.

 

[Coach13]

Funny thread-I know I’m simplistic but Vail & BC can clearly readily get that price or they wouldn’t charge that much, and some folks are clearly willing to pay that price, or they wouldn’t buy at the walk-up price. I’m not sure “why” even matters.