The $300 Lift Ticket Becoming Commonplace

[ChrisC]

These walk-up lift ticket prices are becoming completely out of control. What if you are just a casual skier who neglects to buy a pass or reduced pre-season day tickets? Talk about punishment.

Day lift tickets at U.S. ski areas will reach these peak rates this season:

$299: Park City, UT, Vail, Beaver Creek, CO
$289: Deer Valley, UT
$279: Palisades Tahoe, CA, Steamboat, Breckenridge, CO
$269: Northstar, CA, Keystone, CO
$259: Heavenly, Mammoth Mountain, CA, Copper Mountain, CO
$255: Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, WY
$249: Big Sky Resort, MT
$244: Snowmass, Aspen, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, CO
$229: Powder Mountain, UT
$225: Mt. Bachelor, OR, Telluride, CO
$220: Winter Park, CO
$219: Stowe Mountain Resort, VT
*Prices shared by The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast Twitter*

 

[EMSC]

And yet almost all the places on that list will be way overcrowded for most of the season...

That's where I agree with you, yet demand is still higher than can be acommodated especially on weekends at that list of places. Not sure what the right answer is.

 

[Sbooker]

These walk-up lift ticket prices are becoming completely out of control. What if you are just a casual skier who neglects to buy a pass or reduced pre-season day tickets? Talk about punishment.

Day lift tickets at U.S. ski areas will reach these peak rates this season:

$299: Park City, UT, Vail, Beaver Creek, CO
$289: Deer Valley, UT
$279: Palisades Tahoe, CA, Steamboat, Breckenridge, CO
$269: Northstar, CA, Keystone, CO
$259: Heavenly, Mammoth Mountain, CA, Copper Mountain, CO
$255: Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, WY
$249: Big Sky Resort, MT
$244: Snowmass, Aspen, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, CO
$229: Powder Mountain, UT
$225: Mt. Bachelor, OR, Telluride, CO
$220: Winter Park, CO
$219: Stowe Mountain Resort, VT
*Prices shared by The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast Twitter*

Is Park City a better ski experience than Snowmass? Or Beaver Creek better than Mammoth?
Prices seem all over the place to me.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Is Park City a better ski experience than Snowmass? Or Beaver Creek better than Mammoth?

Trying to key pricing to the mountain's actual skiing value is a red herring. For anyone ready to pay $250+ for a day ticket, I'd argue that money is not an actual concern.

 

[Harvey]

I doubt the crowding is a result of the purchase of too many $300 lift tickets. Those are mostly passholders of some kind.

I have a 24% interest rate on my only credit card. It doesn't matter because I never carry a balance. Not once since 1988. The only thing I need is card with no annual fee. The annual fee is like the pass, and the interest rate is like the cost of a walk up day ticket.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Why does the Europe model -- doing a huge walk-up business by pricing their day tickets reasonably (for the U.S., let's say under $100) and cashing in on F&B -- not work in the North American megapass world?

 

[Harvey]

Because people do the math and the passes are "cheaper" per day (if you only look a lift ticket cost).

The passes get your money upfront, and WEATHER is not a factor. If everyone buys day tickets, you are screwed in a year like 15/16.

 

[ChrisC]

Why does the Europe model -- doing a huge walk-up business by pricing their day tickets reasonably (for the U.S., let's say under $100) and cashing in on F&B -- not work in the North American megapass world?

I think the European resorts are heavily government-subsidized. The village/province/national governments will contribute to lift/resort infrastructure. And then lift operating companies manage and run the infrastructure. I even believe ski pass price ranges are included in contracts since the lift companies were not able to pass on higher energy costs in recent years.

The mountain resorts managed by Compagnie des Alpes are located exclusively in the French Alps. They are among the biggest and most renowned in the world (La Plagne, Les Arcs, Tignes, Val d’Isère, Méribel, Les Menuires, Serre Chevalier, Grand Massif, etc.) and make Compagnie des Alpes one of the world’s leading mountain resort players. The Group also has a stake in the Megève, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Avoriaz, Rosière and Valmorel resorts.

Compagnie des Alpes operates its mountain resorts under long-term concession contracts (Public Service Delegations), and helps develop the attractiveness of the regions by working closely with its various stakeholders: elected officials, socio-professionals, tourist offices, ski schools, accommodation providers, etc.
Compagnie des Alpes employees are tasked with designing, developing and managing natural spaces in order to offer high altitude skiing and leisure experiences in a protected and secure environment.
The Group’s main area of expertise involves equipping, maintaining and operating ski areas: CDA is gradually reducing the number of ski lifts (now down to 415) as part of an initiative to streamline its facilities and reduce its environmental impact.
It also secures and grooms some 4,000 hectares of slopes, 40% of which are equipped with artificial snow.

Link

 

[ChrisC]

The increased Parking Fees are making the Passes less attractive. Almost all the major Western and Eastern (Stowe) resorts are now charging for parking.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

I think the European resorts are heavily government-subsidized. The village/province/national governments will contribute to lift/resort infrastructure. And then lift operating companies manage and run the infrastructure. I even believe ski pass price ranges are included in contracts since the lift companies were not able to pass on higher energy costs in recent years.

You're probably right. I wonder if the government support extends all the way down to small community ski areas.

Tony noted a while back how (counter-intuitively perhaps to us) the on-mountain F&B in the socialist Alps is significantly better than free-market North America, which depends on Adam Smith's invisible hand.

 

[ChrisC]

Is Park City a better ski experience than Snowmass? Or Beaver Creek better than Mammoth?
Prices seem all over the place to me.

Pricing is more governed by market positioning and perceived value. Not so much size or number of lifts.

The high-end resorts (Deer Valley, Beaver Creek, Vail, etc.) are going to price to indicate an exclusive, destination, premium experience.

However, that does not explain everything. There can be little rhyme or reason. For example, Powder Mountain - despite ownership by a tech, Burning Man, crypto cult "Davos For Millenials"- is not really a $200+ mountain. It's mostly a local mountain with some fun cat and bus rides allowing backcountry access.

 

[jasoncapecod]

It was fun while it lasted...
Thank goodness for MTB.. equally exciting and free..
and now , I am ashamed to say Golf...James don't say a thing

 

[jamesdeluxe]

and now , I am ashamed to say Golf...James don't say a thing

You saw it here first!

 

[Sbooker]

The pricing model in the US makes it hard for travellers like me to go for an impromptu ski trip to the States. I’ve really got to plan 9 months in advance. To be fair I do that anyway to get reasonable air fares.
My last trip to Oregon worked out ok with the Mt Bachelor $314 (from memory) spring pass.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

The pricing model in the US makes it hard for travellers like me to go for an impromptu ski trip to the States.

That's one of the top reasons I fly east more than I do west these days: flexibility to make game-day decisions depending on conditions and my general mood. The most recent example was how I ended up at the 3 Vallées despite having no intention of going there.

 

[Harvey]

I think the European resorts are heavily government-subsidized.

Skiing socialism! I like it.

It's like highways, for the good of all!

We have it in the US but it's not nearly egalitarian.

(Is that a word?)

 

[ChrisC]

Val d'Isere has a reputation for being pricier than most resorts. However, for $300 USD you can almost buy a 5-day lift pass. That's now a day at Park City, Vail, etc (add those taxes in).

Also, lift tickets in the NorthWest USA and Canada are more reasonable. Regions I like to ski.

For me, it’s hard to justify any 'Pass' product because:
1. I do really not live within day-trip distance to any Epic/Ikon resorts.
2. I can generally ski for free in Telluride

It's pretty easy for me to keep my total lift ticket spend well under $1k pass price - sometimes well under $500-750

 

[Tony Crocker]

he village/province/national governments will contribute to lift/resort infrastructure. And then lift operating companies manage and run the infrastructure. I even believe ski pass price ranges are included in contracts since the lift companies were not able to pass on higher energy costs in recent years.

Yes, I saw an article earlier this year commenting that the local mayors in French ski resort towns want day/week lift ticket prices kept low as a means of keeping visitation up.

And remember in Europe skiing is a more broad based activity that many people do for just their one week school holiday weeks. Meanwhile the North American ski market has more fanatics like some of us on this forum who drive down per day costs a lot with the multiarea season passes, tseeb being the most conspicuous example.

 

[ChrisC]

Thought this comparison to European 5-Day Passes would be appropriate:

Note: 22/23 Pricing Here

Updated 23/24 Pricing for 6 Days Here

	Resort	Country	Cost of adult six-day lift pass	Price per km
1	Dolomiti Superski	Italy	€373	€0.31
2	Port Du Soleil	France	€292.50	€0.49
3	Sauze D’Oulx	Italy	€223	€0.56
4	Les Trois Vallées	France	€360	€0.60
5	Les Arcs	France	€330	€0.78