Has the cheap season pass degraded the mountain experience?

[gageyk]

This quote from the Alpine or Squaw season pass thread got me thinking:

My point is that the very reason why we keep our pass
prices high is to make sure that the people who ride Squaw don't have to
deal with traffic, parking issues, long lift lines, and all the other
inconveniences that come with a super cheap pass. We like the fact that
you can come to Squaw on the busiest day of the season and park no more
than a 2 min walk from the lifts and never wait in long lift lines, or
wait in lines to hit features in our park. We could have pass prices
that weren't, in your eyes, such a joke but then there would be a whole
lot of other nuisances that most people probably wouldn't be laughing
about. That said, I do value your opinion. I'm not going to try to
convince you to buy a Squaw pass, but I can tell you that that pass
price is probably not going to get any cheaper any time soon and that's
no joke."

I will agree with this statement refering to cheap passes greatly diminishing the mountain experience. Ever since Mt Rose lowered its pass price and especialy since they added a high speed lift to the Slide side the mountain has been very popular with "look at me" crowd, California tranplants no doubt . I would love to see them add $200 to their pass price or even charge an annual fee to park on the Slide side. On some weekends both parking lots will fill up and there is a slow, 20-30 mph, line of cars heading up from Reno. Sunny powder days are no longer any fun, thank god for storm days. Prior to the high speed on the Slide side there was never any traffic and certainly no parking issues.In either 2007/2008 or 2008/2009 a new lodge is going to open on the Slide side. The crowds will no doubt increase even more. I'm sure the resort owners will be quite happy but those old crumrudgrons like me do not like the change .

Maybe then I'll buy a Squaw Valley pass to avoid the crowds

[Dug]

Way to make this sport more elitist and cloistered than it already is.

[Greydon Clark]

Way to make this sport more elitist and cloistered than it already is.

No shit. And Squaw Valley is crowded.

[EPSkis]

How would you like to pay $660 for a season pass to ski 600' of vert?

( www.skiliberty.com )

[robokill1981]

http://www.theyellowstoneclub.com/ is exclusively for rich old crumrudgrons such as yourself. Join up and you'll never have to ski with us common folk again.

[gageyk]

Way to make this sport more elitist and cloistered than it already is.

I spent less on skiing in 2006 than I spent in 1990 and I ski more now.

[grrrr]

Good Gawd, don't tell me you had to wait more than 10 minutes for the valet to park your car too. What is this sport coming to.

[freshies]

I don't buy their argument that more expensive pass = less crowds. That's BS. Every morning driving 89 to Alpine I pass the Squaw turn off, and their are usually cars lined up all the way back to the Alpine turn off, waiting to head up the road and park @ Squaw. And on busy winter weekends, the majority of bay area peeps head to Squaw, with about equal amounts hitting N'Star and Alpine (more families at N'Star). Is it really true that you can always park witin 2 minutes of walking to the village/gondola @ Squaw, even on the busiest days? Just curious....

[Spats]

Rose on a sunny pow day gets as crowded as I've ever seen any resort.

I talked to a mountain ops guy on the lift. He said they sold 10,000 value passes last year and expect to sell 15,000 this year

I'm guessing that's why they jacked up the price by $50...the parking lot fills up so often that there's no point in selling more passes.

[Buster Highmen]

I think it's Floyd Landis's fault. Or the french. Or the rich. Or the poor. Where's my twin tipped helmet when I need to feel Rad, even if she doesn't want to be felt?

[El Chupacabra]

Rose on a sunny pow day gets as crowded as I've ever seen any resort.

Unfortunately true.

But mid-week powder days there (like any other place I guess) are still worth the pass $.

[Squatch]

I paid 330 for a pass last season and i had fun every day i skied. suck on that, richie rich.

[Hutch]

Isn't that Bodhi's avatar?

[tarkman1]

Squaw is doing what they do for more reasons than reducing inconveniences to passholders. Revenue is price versus quantity. I'm sure Squaw has figured out that they can keep their revenues high enough from passes given a high price and lower volume. The resort has limited capacity. Less passholders on the lifts means more capacity for ticket buyers and all of the dollars that they bring.

I obviously do not have the revenue breakdowns for Squaw, but I don't find it's a stretch to say that ticket buyers are the real moneymakers for the resorts.

So I pose, why do ski resorts even offer a season pass? I would say it reduces the monetary risk by having cash paid before the season in the event of a poor snow year. Plus, one could also view it as a free source of financing.

[gageyk]

http://www.theyellowstoneclub.com/ is exclusively for rich old crumrudgrons such as yourself. Join up and you'll never have to ski with us common folk again.

I paid 330 for a pass last season and i had fun every day i skied. suck on that, richie rich.

This has nothing to do with being rich or an elitist. It's about how much a resort has changed after lowering the season pass price. In the past 3 years the crowds have probably tripled on weekends and close to doubled midweek, sorry El Chup, mid week powder days are just as bad as weekend pow days. I've been skiing Mt Rose for 20 plus years, the past 2 seasons have seen a dramatic rise in skier visits. When a place changes as drastically as Mt Rose has in the past 2-3 years it is hard for a long time skier to adjust.

People who ski to ski won't mind paying a couple of hundred extra bucks per season. Those who show up to be seen might not.

Now it's time to drink Johnnie Walker Blue Label on my yacht at the Lake

[Dromond]

Way to make this sport more elitist and cloistered than it already is.

No shit. Unless you're loaded you should never be able to ski more than 2 days a year. If you did that might inconvenience someone else.

[The Dad]

So I pose, why do ski resorts even offer a season pass? I would say it reduces the monetary risk by having cash paid before the season in the event of a poor snow year. Plus, one could also view it as a free source of financing.

Supposedly, a decent number of passbuyers never show up once during the season.

It's all about the profit maximization.

[MTT]

This has nothing to do with being rich or an elitist. It's about how much a resort has changed after lowering the season pass price. In the past 3 years the crowds have probably tripled on weekends and close to doubled midweek, sorry El Chup, mid week powder days are just as bad as weekend pow days. I've been skiing Mt Rose for 20 plus years, the past 2 seasons have seen a dramatic rise in skier visits. When a place changes as drastically as Mt Rose has in the past 2-3 years it is hard for a long time skier to adjust.

People who ski to ski won't mind paying a couple of hundred extra bucks per season. Those who show up to be seen might not.

Now it's time to drink Johnnie Walker Blue Label on my yacht at the Lake

Hey do you think the low Pass price has caused the increase at Mt. Rose? I think it has to do with opening the Chutes. And to some degree the high speed 6 on the east side.

I still notice that even if there is a line for the 8:30 start on a powder day, by the time I get to the bottom for my second run there is no line.

We both know what a powder day is like at Mt. Rose and for that reason I suspect it will just get woorse and woorse.

I think they could charge for for the pass but I don't think its gonna change the number of riders in the Eastbowl parking lot early on a powder day.

BTW gageyk, I always had you pegged as part of the SEE ME crowd.

[Dug]

People who ski to ski won't mind paying a couple of hundred extra bucks per season.

You're a moron.

[steve]

Well, when ASC came out with the A41 pass two seasons ago, K-mart had earned a reputation for being overly crowded, but regulars knew where to go to avoid the crowds. People complained that with A41, the crowds would be crazy.

What is it like today, after two years of A41?

K-mart still deserves a reputation for being overly crowded, but regulars know where to go to avoid the crowds.

(and I, for one, appreciate that I pay just $400 for a season pass)

[Greydon Clark]

Cheap Passes aren’t “ruining” powder days. It’s fat skis.

P.S. If you want to spend some extra $$$, buy some AT clamps and wide skins. That will set you back $500 or so.

[skiing-in-jackson]

Cheap Passes aren’t “ruining” powder days. It’s fat skis.

Ouch...Truth hurts. Everybody's a good skier now.

[Squatch]

Ouch...Truth hurts. Everybody's a good skier now.

Don't worry. I'm still terrible. But just you wait until the AK/big mountain snowlerblades come out, I'm gonna kick everyone's ass.

[skiing-in-jackson]

Don't worry. I'm still terrible.

1000+ posts and you're still terrible? I thought lots of posts here made one a true shredder. Misanthropic post make you land bigger air...

But just you wait until the AK/big mountain snowlerblades come out, I'm gonna kick everyone's ass.

I'm sure this is already on the horizon.

[Greydon Clark]

Everybody's a good skier now.

No. But these days everybody "skis the blacks".