# Most overpriced season passes



## deadheadskier (Oct 22, 2020)

I'm going to go with 

Shawnee Peak Maine - $795 for an adult
Gunstock - $769 after 11/1 for an adult


Not sure how aggressive their early bird deals are, but both seem pretty absurd to me as single mountain pass prices when you compare them to the multi area passes. 

I guess Shawnee feels they have a captive audience with the Portland market.  Not sure what Gunstock is thinking other than perhaps local lake house owners will ski there out of convenience.  Perhaps the latter is true.  Can't really touch a decent waterfront home on Winnipesaukee for under a million any more unless you buy island property.  I suppose if you can afford that, $769 isn't that big of a deal.



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## Harvey (Oct 22, 2020)

Somebody must be buying them. Are those places empty and/or struggling?


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## deadheadskier (Oct 22, 2020)

They both do quite well with weekend and holiday business as well as night skiing

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## VTKilarney (Oct 22, 2020)

Burke is $999 right now, which is just insane.

The Burke/Jay combo is $1,289.


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## Edd (Oct 22, 2020)

Fun fact: Gunstock plans to be open for Xmas this year. They’ve been closed that day normally for many years. When the new GM took over in the last year he decided pretty fast to change that.


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## VTKilarney (Oct 22, 2020)

Edd said:


> Fun fact: Gunstock plans to be open for Xmas this year. They’ve been closed that day normally for many years. When the new GM took over in the last year he decided pretty fast to change that.



I kind of respect a small ski area without a real bed base closing on Christmas.  I understand that Killington or Stowe can't do it, but it's a nice gesture to allow the employees to have the holiday at home with their families.


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## Edd (Oct 22, 2020)

VTKilarney said:


> I kind of respect a small ski area without a real bed base closing on Christmas.  I understand that Killington or Stowe can't do it, but it's a nice gesture to allow the employees to have the holiday at home with their families.



I get both sides but good point about bed base. I’m curious to see how it goes.


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## Newpylong (Oct 22, 2020)

deadheadskier said:


> I'm going to go with
> 
> Shawnee Peak Maine - $795 for an adult
> Gunstock - $769 after 11/1 for an adult
> ...



Those are definitely high for what those two places are. 

I will add $600 for King Pine. King Pine!? 350 vert.


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## VTKilarney (Oct 22, 2020)

Bolton Valley is $799.


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## x10003q (Oct 22, 2020)

Elk at $795 and closed Monday/Tuesday this season.


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## JimG. (Oct 22, 2020)

$1349 for a Windham only season pass.
$1499 for a Windham Ultra pass that includes an Ikon base pass.

Not sure why anyone would buy a Windham only pass that price must be a typo.


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## VTKilarney (Oct 22, 2020)

Jiminey Peak is $1,189.


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## VTKilarney (Oct 22, 2020)

JimG. said:


> $1349 for a Windham only season pass.


We have a winner!


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## Glade Monkey (Oct 22, 2020)

Lost Valley $595


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## JimG. (Oct 22, 2020)

VTKilarney said:


> We have a winner!



Jiminy is close though never thought a season pass there would be over 1K.


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## slatham (Oct 22, 2020)

Wow, Windham is brutal. And I thought Bromley was high at $1,080 currently ($925 early). 

Storm King podcast with Brian Fairbanks - he said they've kept the prices where they are because they keep selling passing due to loyal clientele. He implied all were at least flat to prior years and noted Cranmore was up 15%.

He also noted they've had discussions with multi-resort passes, and mentioned the Indy pass. Not sure if there would be issues given each of the three areas are near one or more Indy pass areas.


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## trackbiker (Oct 22, 2020)

VTKilarney said:


> Burke is $999 right now, which is just insane.
> 
> The Burke/Jay combo is $1,289.



Jay joined the Indy Pass this year. I wonder why they didn't add Burke as well. It would seem like a good idea to entice people to hit Burke on their way to Jay.


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## Zand (Oct 22, 2020)

VTKilarney said:


> Jiminey Peak is $1,189.



I don't understand the draw of the place considering how expensive is. Might be the most boring ski area layout in existance and always groomed flat as a pancake. 

Guess the village does it for some people though.


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## JimG. (Oct 22, 2020)

Zand said:


> I don't understand the draw of the place considering how expensive is. Might be the most boring ski area layout in existance and always groomed flat as a pancake.
> 
> Guess the village does it for some people though.



The night skiing too.

One of the few ski areas I know that is empty during the day and packed to the gills at night.


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## VTKilarney (Oct 22, 2020)

Zand said:


> I don't understand the draw of the place considering how expensive is. Might be the most boring ski area layout in existance and always groomed flat as a pancake.
> 
> Guess the village does it for some people though.



We rented a timeshare unit this summer at Jiminey.  We got a STEAL on a two bedroom unit at the Club Wyndham Bentley Brook.  The village was definitely nice, but it wasn't THAT nice.  

I think Jiminey must get a lot of casual skiers who don't want to drive far - and are willing to pay a premium for the shorter drive.


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## dlague (Oct 22, 2020)

VTKilarney said:


> Burke is $999 right now, which is just insane.
> 
> The Burke/Jay combo is $1,289.



Being an Epic Local pass holder for 4 seasons and with Epic in New England now, I do not get those pass prices!

Edit: changed to I do not get!

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## VTKilarney (Oct 22, 2020)

dlague said:


> Being an Epic Local pass holder for 4 seasons and with Epic in Nee England now, I do get those pass prices



I think that they milk their captive audience as much as they can and don't even seriously try to sell passes outside of that circle.


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## p_levert (Oct 22, 2020)

Holiday Valley $1,025.00 ($1,081 if you include nights).

Bristol Mountain $895.00.

Actually, Bristol is a worse deal as the skiing really s*cks there.


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## Harvey (Oct 22, 2020)

I guess you guys are all saying you wouldn't pay $XXX for X mountain.

The price is only too high if ski area is not covering it's bills and it has unused capacity.

I'd never pay $50,000 for an Audi TT, but that doesn't mean it's over priced.

If you talk to the GM and skiers at Windham, they are quite happy thank you.

Maybe the thread should be called:

Places I'd never own a pass because the price is too high.

Question: who here would buy a pass at Windham if it was, I don't know $600?


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## JimG. (Oct 22, 2020)

Harvey said:


> I guess you guys are all saying you wouldn't pay $XXX for X mountain.
> 
> The price is only too high if ski area is not covering it's bills and it has unused capacity.
> 
> ...



$600 for a Windham pass would be a good value. But I still would not buy one.

I'm not trying to dump on Windham but an unrestricted Killington season pass is $1,000. $1,349 is highway robbery in comparison and I am not a price shopper.

But if someone loves Windham it is a small price to pay I guess.


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## Harvey (Oct 22, 2020)

JimG. said:


> $600 for a Windham pass would be a good value. But I still would not buy one.



Translation: you are not a Windham customer.  So your calculation of the value isn't really relevant to the pricing discussing that goes on in the board room. (Just using you as an example).

Most of us in a ski forum care about terrain and snow (and yea how close is it to home).  That is clearly not the equation at Windham. Those customers care about something else.

What did you spend on your wife's wedding ring? Did you buy a diamond or a cubic zirconia? Is the diamond worth 10x as much?  If you bought a diamond the answer is yes, for you.


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## Cobbold (Oct 22, 2020)

VTKilarney said:


> I think that they milk their captive audience as much as they can and don't even seriously try to sell passes outside of that circle.



Confused, people think epic passes are expensive?


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## ScottySkis (Oct 22, 2020)

p_levert said:


> Holiday Valley $1,025.00 ($1,081 if you include nights).
> 
> Bristol Mountain $895.00.
> 
> Actually, Bristol is a worse deal as the skiing really s*cks there.



For hoilday are those earlier season price from normal year
I think because they get a lot of Lake effect snow and being open 16 hours a day 7 day a week it be good deal to bad I live no where close to that hill


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## djd66 (Oct 22, 2020)

VTKilarney said:


> We rented a timeshare unit this summer at Jiminey.



You came to Massachusetts this summer? Did you quarantine for 14 days upon you arrival? (Those are the state rules for ANY out of state visitors)  And what about your return to VT - did you quarantine for 14 days?


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## VTKilarney (Oct 22, 2020)

djd66 said:


> You came to Massachusetts this summer? Did you quarantine for 14 days upon you arrival? (Those are the state rules for ANY out of state visitors)  And what about your return to VT - did you quarantine for 14 days?



That wasn’t the rule when we visited and it isn’t the rule now.  Travelers from COVID-19 lower-risk States are not required to fill out the Massachusetts Travel Form and do not need to quarantine.
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-travel-order#lower-risk-states-

And Vermont showed Berkshire County as a “green” county at the time.  So no requirement to quarantine upon our return.

It’s one reason why we chose the Berkshires.

“A” for effort, though.


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## JimG. (Oct 22, 2020)

Harvey said:


> Translation: you are not a Windham customer.  So your calculation of the value isn't really relevant to the pricing discussing that goes on in the board room. (Just using you as an example).
> 
> Most of us in a ski forum care about terrain and snow (and yea how close is it to home).  That is clearly not the equation at Windham. Those customers care about something else.
> 
> What did you spend on your wife's wedding ring? Did you buy a diamond or a cubic zirconia? Is the diamond worth 10x as much?  If you bought a diamond the answer is yes, for you.



I guess I should have read the title of the thread more carefully...overpriced is different from expensive which is where I was coming from.

Was not trying to take shots at Windham. Glad it works for those who ski there.


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## Harvey (Oct 22, 2020)

JimG. said:


> I guess I should have read the title of the thread more carefully...overpriced is different from expensive which is where I was coming from.
> 
> Was not trying to take shots at Windham. Glad it works for those who ski there.



I wasn't taking a shot a you Jim.  Not defending Windham either, just using it as an example.

Just saying that if something is overpriced, market pressure will bring the price down or the business will fail.


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## JimG. (Oct 22, 2020)

Harvey said:


> I wasn't taking a shot a you Jim.  Not defending Windham either, just using it as an example.
> 
> Just saying that if something is overpriced, market pressure will bring the price down or the business will fail.



Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder.


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## ss20 (Oct 22, 2020)

VTKilarney said:


> I think Jiminey must get a lot of casual skiers who don't want to drive far - and are willing to pay a premium for the shorter drive.



That's the idea.  I average 2 days a season there, less now than previous years.  Trails are pretty steep but as said everything is groomed flat.  Vermont is another 45 minutes.  Not worth it to some people I guess.  

I had a GREAT semi-powder day there last December.  It snowed maybe 4" over the course of the day.  Free re-fills and there were actually...SOME MOGULS which have always been rare but the past 5 years pretty much extinct from Jiminy.


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## ss20 (Oct 22, 2020)

I never understood the Windham hate.  It has it's steep sections.  I've always found a few bumped trails.  There's a good amount of glades marked and unmarked on the bike trails through the woods.  Really good glades.  Two different pods with 1500'+ vertical and fast lifts.  

I guess it's hated for being posh, flat, and over-groomed but I don't see it.  OK I do see the rich man's playground vibe but ffs who cares?


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## abc (Oct 22, 2020)

dlague said:


> Being an Epic Local pass holder for 4 seasons and with Epic in New England now, I do not get those pass prices!


I don't get why you don't get. 

You first pick a mountain you want to ski the most. Then decide how many days you'll ski it. Divide the pass with the day of ski, you get the price/day. Then you ask if that's acceptable. 

Do it again on another mountain that you want to ski next. 

If you can afford it, and use it enough, it's "right priced"! Whether that price is $100 or $1000. Just because another mountain has a pass for less is irrelevant. You only care about the mountain you WANT TO SKI!!!

Are any of them "overpriced"? For whom? And frankly, who cares???

To me, ALL of the season pass in the northeast are insanely expensive. I never bought a single season pass for a northeast mountain. My number of days skiing in the northeast just doesn't justify ANY pass! 

But I've been skiing on season passes for nearly 10 years now. They were all western mountain(s) passes. First the Rockie Mountain Super Pass, then MCP, then Epic and finally Ikon when Alterra bought out RMSP. Some of these passes has northeast mountain components, I would use them. But my purchase decision was ALWAYS based on which WESTERN mountain I want to ski. The eastern mountains were just "freebies". 

Last year, I was back on Epic. And the "credit" from the truncated season locked me into Epic this season. So I may spring for a Northeast Value pass only because it's cheap (less than $500 out of pocket). But if it weren't for the credit, I wouldn't bother. 

To put it bluntly. I don't ski enough days in the northeast to justify these thousand dollar passes. Not even the $600 ones (Epic). 

To me, even Epic Northeast is "overpriced"!!!


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## deadheadskier (Oct 23, 2020)

Harvey said:


> I guess you guys are all saying you wouldn't pay $XXX for X mountain.
> 
> The price is only too high if ski area is not covering it's bills and it has unused capacity.
> 
> ...


Thread mainly inspired by the two places I first listed and personal experience.

When I lived in Portland, I had an ASC pass. I'm sure you remember they were very inexpensive.  Shawnee Peak was the closest mountain to me and if the price was right, I would have bought a pass there to have the convenient option. Couldn't justify the price because the Shawnee pass cost more than the ASC pass and offered about 5% as much terrain.

Fast forward to today and the same story is true with Gunstock.  Closest 1k+ vertical hill to me. I'd buy a pass there for the right price too.  Can't justify it because a Gunstock pass costs more than my Northeast Epic Pass.

The Audi TT example is not the same as what I'm saying.  The example there would be, you own 7 cars, 6 of them a good deal nicer than the Audi TT.  You paid $45k for all those cars combined and yet Audi is asking $50k for the one TT.

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## Harvey (Oct 23, 2020)

JimG. said:


> Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder.



Jim not sure what this means, but I want to make sure you understand I'm not trying not trying to be a jerk.  I've watched this forum for years and have a lot of respect for you and dhs.

I am extra animated on this topic for reasons you might be able to guess.


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## VTKilarney (Oct 23, 2020)

When I think of "overpriced", I am thinking in terms of "value."

For example, Burke is overpriced at $999.  Their snowmaking is absolutely horrible and the pass only lets you ski one mountain.  There are MUCH better value options out there.  

Because the value is so poor, Burke has clearly resigned itself to targeting only their captive audience.  This may not be a bad idea, because if they dropped the price they would probably lose a lot more money from their captive audience than they would gain in additional pass sales.  But it also means that you aren't ever going to grow your base.  So it may be myopic from that perspective.

Ideally, Burke should join a collective.  A collective pass could be offered at a similar price, and Burke would reap additional hotel and F&B revenues.  I'm shocked that they haven't done this yet.


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## Boxtop Willie (Oct 23, 2020)

Ski Bradford. $699.  3000 vertical....inches (250 ft)


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## p_levert (Oct 23, 2020)

ScottySkis said:


> For hoilday are those earlier season price from normal year
> I think because they get a lot of Lake effect snow and being open 16 hours a day 7 day a week it be good deal to bad I live no where close to that hill



I think that's the 2nd price for Holiday Valley.  Although the price seems really high as compared to an Epic or Ikon pass, Holiday Valley really does have some special characteristics.  There's lots of runs and high speed lifts.  It's in a serious snow belt, so powder days happen on a regular basis.  It actually has a fairly cool ski town, Ellicottville, right next door.  So more than a few people will be willing to cough up the money.

Bristol Mountain is just overpriced.  No snow belt, no ski town, boring runs.  Lots of people here think that Elk is a waste of a good 1k vert mountain.  It's true, Elk could be better than it is.  But the real waste of a 1k mountain (actually 1.2k) is Bristol Mountain.  I can't imagine who would be foolish enough to pay Bristol's price as you're better off at Holiday Valley or Greek Peak.  But presumably someone buys these season passes or Bristol would price them lower.


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## dlague (Oct 23, 2020)

I find the pricing debate interesting.  Location location location!  There are many that are not will to make the drives that most on this forum do.  When I lived in Concord NH I had three easy options (today’s pricing) Pats Peak $489, Gunstock $669 and Ragged  $399 however none of them really appealed to me or my family.  They were good for a day here or there but that was it.  We were deal chasers when deals were to be had but when they tightened up we opted for Cannon $299 (wife $629) which was a little over an hour away.  Doing the math it was a no brainer.  Now along that route Waterville $897, Loon $1,049 (Ikon) which gives you other destinations across VT, NH and ME, Breton Woods $1029, and lastly IMO Epic Veteran Pass $579 (my wife gets this pricing too) which gets Wildcat, Attitash, Sunapee and Crotched in NH and a few in VT.

If I had to choose today, I would go either Cannon or Epic Veteran.  While I think most are reasonable I think Pats is high - imagine skiing there 40-50 days?  Waterville and Breton Woods are high as well considering Ikon or Epic Pass options give you more that one resort.

The point here is - it is not just the math, it has a lot to do with your will to drive, do you have more than one resort and if only one resort will it entertain you for the season.  $1000 for something close and has terrain that will keep you coming is not that crazy but that same price for something that will get you bored after 5-10 days is nuts!  IMO multi resort passes are the way to go now.  Anything priced above that is a hard pill to swallow for a family.


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## Harvey (Oct 23, 2020)

dlague said:


> The point here is - it is not just the math, it has a lot to do with your will to drive



QFT.

On this day, I woke at 2:30 am to drive six hours to make first chair on 500 feet of vert:












Lift tickets were $13. 

There were only about 10 of us skiing until about noon when the school kids showed up.

I would do it all again. Every single day.

Great Birthday.


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## dlague (Oct 23, 2020)

p_levert said:


> I think that's the 2nd price for Holiday Valley.  Although the price seems really high as compared to an Epic or Ikon pass, Holiday Valley really does have some special characteristics.  There's lots of runs and high speed lifts.  It's in a serious snow belt, so powder days happen on a regular basis.  It actually has a fairly cool ski town, Ellicottville, right next door.  So more than a few people will be willing to cough up the money.
> 
> Bristol Mountain is just overpriced.  No snow belt, no ski town, boring runs.  Lots of people here think that Elk is a waste of a good 1k vert mountain.  It's true, Elk could be better than it is.  But the real waste of a 1k mountain (actually 1.2k) is Bristol Mountain.  I can't imagine who would be foolish enough to pay Bristol's price as you're better off at Holiday Valley or Greek Peak.  But presumably someone buys these season passes or Bristol would price them lower.



The three mentioned seem to serve the Buffalo area and skiing New England is quite a drive.  Holiday seems to be where the party is at.


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## dlague (Oct 23, 2020)

Harvey said:


> QFT.
> 
> On this day, I woke at 2:30 am to drive six hours to make first chair on 500 feet of vert:
> 
> ...



Would you or did you buy a season pass there?


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## JimG. (Oct 23, 2020)

Harvey said:


> Jim not sure what this means, but I want to make sure you understand I'm not trying not trying to be a jerk.  I've watched this forum for years and have a lot of respect for you and dhs.
> 
> I am extra animated on this topic for reasons you might be able to guess.



Meaning was literal...for someone who enjoys skiing at Windham, who has social ties there, or who lives nearby the season pass price is mostly irrelevant. 

I think my original post in this thread about the pass price being expensive when the topic was if it's overpriced is the issue we are having, and you're not being a jerk. "Overpriced" is an opinion. And while I think Windham's pass price is expensive compared to where I prefer to ski, that math doesn't add up for the folks I've mentioned above.
All good.


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## JimG. (Oct 23, 2020)

Harvey said:


> QFT.
> 
> On this day, I woke at 2:30 am to drive six hours to make first chair on 500 feet of vert:
> 
> ...



Been there, about 4.5 for me each way. Great old school skiing.


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## ScottySkis (Oct 23, 2020)

Harvey said:


> QFT.
> 
> On this day, I woke at 2:30 am to drive six hours to make first chair on 500 feet of vert:
> 
> ...



Love Mccolley


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## Harvey (Oct 23, 2020)

dlague said:


> Would you or did you buy a season pass there?



I've not bought a pass at McCauley, I have maybe six (?) days there over the last 3 seasons.  Season pass is around $250 I think. Weekdays are $25 and weekends are $35.

Our plan is to build on our property near Gore and move up there in three years when I retire. Will very likely buy a pass at that time.  Big Mac is about 60 miles from our place although that often takes about 90 minutes. It's a windy road and often when you are making the drive you are right in a lake effect band, so you don't exactly make great time.

One thing I like about my Gore pass (in addition to the cheaper per day price) is that buying a ticket at Gore isn't a simple matter, if you are as first chair focused as I am. 99% of my days at Gore I am at the front of that line.  Gore really has struggles to selling tickets before first chair. If you want to be at the front of that line on a weekend you have to get in the line full dressed at 7:45 at the latest. They open at 8:30 and even if you are first in line you might not get your ticket until 8:40.  While lifts are supposed to go at 8:30 they often go early.  So basically forget first chair if you arrive on a weekend or holiday and you need to buy a ticket.  TLDR, even if I didn't get my 10 or 12 days in a season to make the Gore pass pay, I'd buy a pass.

McCauley is the complete opposite.  Be very unusual to wait in line for a ticket, and if the window hasn't opened when the lift starts spinning, they'll let you on the lift without a ticket and trust you to stop by and pay when you have a minute.

The other thing that is so cool about McCauley is that it is owned by the town, and any local kid under 18 skis for free.  I love that place and have no issue paying whatever they ask.  The Wednesday $13 ticket is nuts.

I said upthread that I assumed most of us here value terrain and snow.  I do too, but snow is most important to me. I'll take six inches of fresh at McCauley over groomers at Gore everyday. So yeah I'll get a pass.


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## Harvey (Oct 23, 2020)

JimG. said:


> Meaning was literal...for someone who enjoys skiing at Windham, who has social ties there, or who lives nearby the season pass price is mostly irrelevant.
> 
> I think my original post in this thread about the pass price being expensive when the topic was if it's overpriced is the issue we are having, and you're not being a jerk. "Overpriced" is an opinion. And while I think Windham's pass price is expensive compared to where I prefer to ski, that math doesn't add up for the folks I've mentioned above.
> All good.



Like.


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## abc (Oct 23, 2020)

dlague said:


> $1000 for something close and has terrain that will keep you coming is not that crazy
> ...
> 
> IMO multi resort passes are the way to go now.  Anything priced above that is a hard pill to swallow for a family.


There's a contradiction between those 2 statements.

If your mountain of choice is NOT on the multi resort passes, it really doesn't matter! 

Skiing, however passionate its participants may feel, is a hobby and non-essential. So keeping the lowest price while suffering less than desired objective doesn't exactly calculate. Most families continue skiing because they can afford whatever the cost it takes (pass, equipment, lodging, food, lesson...). Many of the mountains on the multi-resort passes have very high cost on the rest of that list. The low season pass cost is more seen as a "come-on" for fools, in the eyes of smart budgeters. 

Until Ikon (was MAX) came along, and Vail purchasing Peak's mountains, the only mountains in the northeast on "multi-resort pass" were the mega mountains jammed packed with weekend crowds. Who want to stand in lift lines for 1/2 hr each run, even if the price is lower??? Time is money too!


I've been buying daily tickets in places such as Plattekill despite having one of them multi-resort passes for many years. Though part of the issue was the drive distance. None of the mountain on the multi-resort pass was day-trip-able for me. So what's the point of "free" skiing when I have to pay more than the day ticket price on hotels???

Starting last season, I had to contemplate between Hunter and Plattekill. One is "free" but with consistently long lift lines and inconsiderate & dangerous skiers. The other is $50 of peace and relaxation, with often time better snow to boot. I ended up only skiing in either a couple days each: Hunter on mid-week, Plattekill on weekends. I certainly wouldn't bother with a multi-resort pass if the primary "attraction" is Hunter & Mt Snow, for example. I have far more enjoyment in Plattekill & Belleayr, even though the verticals were inferior. I have brought "casual skier" friends to both Plattekill, and went with them to Hunter. The contrast is always glaring, even to casual skiers! 

While I quite enjoy the vast list of mountains the new Epic pass offers, I don't feel it offers what I want in the northeast. I can't stand the crowds in mega resorts. And if I have children, especially small children, I'd pay extra to keep them away from the mad house. (having said all that, I personally don't get Windham. To me, it's a mad house in its own way).


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## Harvey (Oct 23, 2020)

abc said:


> There's a contradiction between those 2 statements.
> 
> If your mountain of choice is NOT on the multi resort passes, it really doesn't matter!
> 
> ...



FKNA. Agree and like.


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## zyk (Oct 23, 2020)

Been considering McCaulley for this year.  Dropped Epic for the year and have been looking for options.  Walk up rate is low enough to not really warrant a pass and I've never been so its a bit of a gamble.


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## WJenness (Oct 23, 2020)

Burk isn't as reliant on Canadian visitors, Jay is.


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## VTKilarney (Oct 23, 2020)

WJenness said:


> Burk isn't as reliant on Canadian visitors, Jay is.



I am not sure what your point is.  Burke and Jay passes are nearly identically priced.


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## Cobbold (Oct 23, 2020)

Harvey said:


> FKNA. Agree and like.



Put my 2 cents in, love the epic pass, live in wmass, can ski snow,okemo,Stowe in vt,  and  I can ski Sunapee , crothched , attitash and wildcat in nh, never skied hunter but I will know with the epic pass, love these multi Mtn passes, gets boring skiing the same Mtn over and over. Also got the Indy pass to add even more variety,  variety is the spice of life as they say.


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## abc (Oct 23, 2020)

Cobbold said:


> love these multi Mtn passes, gets boring skiing the same Mtn over and over. Also got the Indy pass to add even more variety,  variety is the spice of life as they say.


While you're at it, aren't you going to add Ikon pass too?


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## Cobbold (Oct 23, 2020)

abc said:


> While you're at it, aren't you going to add Ikon pass too?



That’s the plan when I retire, ran into lots of retired people at Mt snow who had both, they had condos near Mt snow and it’s a short drive over too Stratton, plus short rides up to okemo, killington, pico,  hopefully when I get to retirement ikon, epic and Indy pass are still rocking.


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## slatham (Oct 23, 2020)

djd66 said:


> You came to Massachusetts this summer? Did you quarantine for 14 days upon you arrival? (Those are the state rules for ANY out of state visitors)  And what about your return to VT - did you quarantine for 14 days?



Ha I thought the same thing and then I thought further that there was no way in hell VTK would post that unless it was 100% ok.


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## dlague (Oct 23, 2020)

Harvey said:


> I've not bought a pass at McCauley, I have maybe six (?) days there over the last 3 seasons.  Season pass is around $250 I think. Weekdays are $25 and weekends are $35.
> 
> Our plan is to build on our property near Gore and move up there in three years when I retire. Will very likely buy a pass at that time.  Big Mac is about 60 miles from our place although that often takes about 90 minutes. It's a windy road and often when you are making the drive you are right in a lake effect band, so you don't exactly make great time.
> 
> ...



You are right stash is stash and when you find it for low dollars that is awesome!  Sounds like you have a good plan!


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## Tonyr (Oct 24, 2020)

Deer Valley has to be the most expensive, its $2850 for a season pass. Aspen is $2400 if you buy before mid November $2850 after but you get an ikon base pass too.


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## Terry (Oct 24, 2020)

For me it is about convenience. Shawnee Peak is 10 minutes from work so I can ski 7 days a week if I want to. Most times I ski tues, Wed, and thurs nights plus both days on the weekend. I get a lot of days  and nights with great conditions and some with not so good conditions. On those days I just quit early. Also have a great group of friends who ski there. The pass was also cheaper because we bought in the spring.


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## Dickc (Oct 24, 2020)

Its only a 200 vertical foot bump, but its less than an hour away from me, and with all the back issues I’ve had, its a good place to see if my back and legs will “firm” back up.  I’m 65 now, so the price is VERY much right.  https://www.mcintyreskiarea.com/tickets-passes/seasonal-passes/

$30 yes, one zero, for a 65 plus season pass.


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## p_levert (Oct 24, 2020)

abc said:


> While you're at it, aren't you going to add Ikon pass too?



Lots of people in CO have both.  Ikon Base and Epic Local together are about $1400, depending on when you buy.  Ski 20 days, that's $70/day.  There's really nothing extravagant about doubling up.


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## Tonyr (Oct 24, 2020)

p_levert said:


> Lots of people in CO have both.  Ikon Base and Epic Local together are about $1400, depending on when you buy.  Ski 20 days, that's $70/day.  There's really nothing extravagant about doubling up.



I did the full Epic pass since we need to ski on the black out dates and added the Mountain Collective which came out to around $1400 as well with no black outs. We will easily get our moneys worth on both passes this year. If I lived in CO I probably would have bought both base passes instead.


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## ss20 (Oct 24, 2020)

p_levert said:


> Lots of people in CO have both.  Ikon Base and Epic Local together are about $1400, depending on when you buy.  Ski 20 days, that's $70/day.  There's really nothing extravagant about doubling up.



I'm surprised more people don't do this here on the East Coast.  I'm on a cook's salary yet I could still find $700 disposable income pretty damn easy if I had 4-6 months to save up for it.  For the families tho, I understand that's a lot of $$$.


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## BenedictGomez (Oct 24, 2020)

Tonyr said:


> *Deer Valley has to be the most expensive, its $2850 for a season pass.*



I'm surprised they can still operate like that in the age of mega-passes.  Especially in a place easy driving distance from 8 other legit ski resorts.  I wonder if their season pass holders are just comprised of stereotypical uber-rich Park City folk?  The other odd thing about it is, if I lived in Park City & bought a local season pass, I'd rather it be Park City/Canyons.


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## cdskier (Oct 25, 2020)

p_levert said:


> Holiday Valley $1,025.00 ($1,081 if you include nights).
> 
> Bristol Mountain $895.00.
> 
> Actually, Bristol is a worse deal as the skiing really s*cks there.







p_levert said:


> I think that's the 2nd price for Holiday Valley.  Although the price seems really high as compared to an Epic or Ikon pass, Holiday Valley really does have some special characteristics.  There's lots of runs and high speed lifts.  It's in a serious snow belt, so powder days happen on a regular basis.  It actually has a fairly cool ski town, Ellicottville, right next door.  So more than a few people will be willing to cough up the money.
> 
> Bristol Mountain is just overpriced.  No snow belt, no ski town, boring runs.  Lots of people here think that Elk is a waste of a good 1k vert mountain.  It's true, Elk could be better than it is.  But the real waste of a 1k mountain (actually 1.2k) is Bristol Mountain.  I can't imagine who would be foolish enough to pay Bristol's price as you're better off at Holiday Valley or Greek Peak.  But presumably someone buys these season passes or Bristol would price them lower.



Sorry, I just don't understand the love for Holiday Valley or the hate on Bristol (unless something has seriously changed from 15-20 years ago when I lived in Rochester). Bristol was a quick 45 minute drive away for what I felt was pretty good skiing. Holiday Valley (or Greek) were 2 hours away. I don't see either being that much better to justify a drive that is over twice as long. The whole "Holiday valley has a cool ski town nearby" argument is irrelevant for me.

That said, I do agree $895 is overpriced for Bristol when you compare it from a value perspective to other passes (like Ikon). However for people in the Rochester and Finger Lakes area that want a "local" option, there aren't a ton of choices. So for them it is hard to say it is "overpriced". I think their price is largely based on having a pretty captive audience due to limited choices.

Maybe my opinion today would be different if I skied them, but I still think it is easy to understand Bristol's price for people within an hour drive.


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## Harvey (Oct 25, 2020)

BenedictGomez said:


> I'm surprised they can still operate like that in the age of mega-passes.



Translation: I am not their customer and I don't understand the motivation of their customer.


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## jaytrem (Oct 25, 2020)

Tonyr said:


> Deer Valley has to be the most expensive, its $2850 for a season pass. Aspen is $2400 if you buy before mid November $2850 after but you get an ikon base pass too.



The pass is really only $1000, the other $1850 is the "no snowborder fee".


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## BenedictGomez (Oct 25, 2020)

Harvey said:


> Translation: I am not their customer and I don't understand the motivation of their customer.



Who makes up the overwhelming preponderance of Deer Vail season pass holders geographically, and what is their motivation?


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## Tonyr (Oct 25, 2020)

BenedictGomez said:


> I'm surprised they can still operate like that in the age of mega-passes.  Especially in a place easy driving distance from 8 other legit ski resorts.  I wonder if their season pass holders are just comprised of stereotypical uber-rich Park City folk?  The other odd thing about it is, if I lived in Park City & bought a local season pass, I'd rather it be Park City/Canyons.



There are alot of homes up in the Deer Valley area if you own one I guess the owners feel compelled to buy a season pass just like you would if you owned a home in Aspen, Jackson Hole or Telluride ect. I would assume people factor in the season pass costs into their annual expense maintaining their properties in those areas. Jackson's pass is pretty expensive too at $2400 for the season and it has sold out already.


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## Tonyr (Oct 25, 2020)

BenedictGomez said:


> Who makes up the overwhelming preponderance of Deer Vail season pass holders geographically, and what is their motivation?



There are plenty of households out there that can spend 8k to 10k on season passes for the family without thinking twice. Deer Valley attracts those type of households. I agree with you though, I'd rather ski at Park City.


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## Harvey (Oct 25, 2020)

BenedictGomez said:


> Who makes up the overwhelming preponderance of Deer Vail season pass holders geographically, and what is their motivation?



No idea.

I assume those passes sell. Who buys them?


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## BenedictGomez (Oct 25, 2020)

Tonyr said:


> *There are plenty of households out there that can spend 8k to 10k on season passes for the family without thinking twice. *Deer Valley attracts those type of households. I agree with you though, I'd rather ski at Park City.



No doubt.  But are there really that many people to sustain an entire season pass base?  It makes me wonder how many SPH they have.  I also think Deer Valley is far more of a vacation destination than the average ski resort (i.e. maybe they dont care so much).


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## andrec10 (Oct 25, 2020)

Windham Ultra Pass. 1499. Nope... Are they f@cking high?


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## BenedictGomez (Oct 25, 2020)

andrec10 said:


> Windham Ultra Pass. 1499. Nope... Are they f@cking high?



Really?   I think we have our winner.


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## andrec10 (Oct 25, 2020)

BenedictGomez said:


> Really?   I think we have our winner.



It does include the Ikon pass, but still, are they high?


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## BenedictGomez (Oct 25, 2020)

andrec10 said:


> It does include the Ikon pass, but still, are they high?



Oh, well that's a bit different.  Is it the fully blown expensive IKON?


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## andrec10 (Oct 25, 2020)

BenedictGomez said:


> Oh, well that's a bit different.  Is it the fully blown expensive IKON?



Base Ikon pass. Like I said, they are high!


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## abc (Oct 26, 2020)

BenedictGomez said:


> But are there really that many people to sustain an entire season pass base?


Have you seen the slope side houses? 

Canyon full pass used to be right up there too, until Vail bought it and combined to form the new Park City. But you wouldn't know it if you see their pass holders. 

I used to ski Canyons a lot because my buddy has a full pass, at about $1000, and I got to use their buddy pass.  I just don't think of them as "rich". However, they got so much perk in their job they're like living for free. So their income, which is rather ordinary, can easily afford the season's pass. 

Bottom line, there're a lot of people who can afford it. Get used to it.


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## EPB (Oct 26, 2020)

BenedictGomez said:


> No doubt.  But are there really that many people to sustain an entire season pass base?  It makes me wonder how many SPH they have.  I also think Deer Valley is far more of a vacation destination than the average ski resort (i.e. maybe they dont care so much).


I bet the model works for them. At ~3x the normal rate, that means they need ~1/3 the pass base. Those people are paying for a somewhat limited access experience. There are a LOT of incredibly posh residences on site that easily have the cash to drop $10k/year on passes they might not even use much. DV probably does an OK day business given they at least used to be quite a bit cheaper than PC when I was there in 2016 (subject to what I assume are more stringent limits than you would see at other resorts in a non-COVID environment).

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## Blurski (Oct 29, 2020)

Has anyone ever seen what a Black Pass costs at Snowbird, jaw dropping cost!  But their is always someone with the disposable income to spend.


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## FBGM (Oct 29, 2020)

Now the thing with the Buck (deer valley) is you pay for more then skiing. It’s the experience. And people love it. They make so much in other avenues besides just skiing. 

Now with that being said, you pay $2800 for the shortest season in Utah. They open later (but almost always with more terrain then the rest) and they close earlier. 

Buck is my favorite resort. I ski there my 5 days on Ikon. Pick the sunny bluebird days and make it an expletive. (Or sneak a pow day in if I can - 2’ blower there is a good time). I will rip grommers all morning, eat my $40 lunch and drink on ski beach. Cruise a bit more and then hit up St Regius or Stiens. It’s the rich experience and it’s totally amazing a few days here and there. 

Also every lift is high speed. Quality is 10/10. Experience is 10/10. 

Don’t get me wrong, Jackson or Alta pow day and beers in parking lot are Fucking great. But that half chub all day at the Buck is real.


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## ScottySkis (Oct 29, 2020)

Blurski said:


> Has anyone ever seen what a Black Pass costs at Snowbird, jaw dropping cost!  But their is always someone with the disposable income to spend.



Plus snowbird is usually open to June


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