With all the deals and options at MRG it's not likely that many people are walking up to the ticket booth and paying $69.00.
BINGO!!!!
It is very interesting to read this thread - and get the perspecitve of the skiing community out there. Alpine Zone provides a great service in that regard.
You are correct that not too many folks actually pay the holiday rate. MRG has an unusually high percentage of skiers who have season passes or utilize our Mad Card ticket options. Our philosophy is that if you in some way commit to us in the pre-season we will reward your loyalty and you can ski at a very reasonable price (Mad Cards get you on the hill for only about $46 a day - 3 unrestricted tickets that are transferable - can't beat that with a stick!). If you "cherry pick" us when the skiing is great during a busy holiday period sorry you'll have to pay more and frankly $69 on a holiday still ain't all that bad in comparison to the other ski areas out there. On top of that we offer a ton of other great value options throughout the year. Any midweek day all season is only $39 a day, no coupons, no hassles, just everyday low prices (YIKES I sound like Wal Mart!). This on top of the special day where you can ski 2 for 1 and you can even ski on the last Tuesday in January for a mere $3.50 (our 1948 lift ticket price to celebreate our anniversary each season). Add to this the fact that we offer FREE season passes to kids age 12 and under with the purchase of a Family Mad Card or any season pass. I honestly can't imagine how much less expensive we could possibly make it for folks and still be remotely sustainable.
It is also interesting to hear the comparisons with other ski areas. Yes it is true that our overhead is lower than most, however we have very limited revenue streams. We make hay on tickets and passes; the food and beverage, rentals, ski school and ski shops combined represent a relatively small percentage of our total revenues. We don't own a single lodging unit, we have never sold any real estate, have never developed a fractional ownership scheme of any kind and simply must make it on tickets and passes. There are not too many examples of ski areas out there that must survive on the revenue streams that we are limited to.
We are trying to be sustainable for the long-term by bucking nearly every conceivable conventional wisdom in the industry - trust me we are not rolling in dough and gouging skiers to line our pockets. The ski industry is a VERY tough one and its competitive out there. Of course we look at what our competitors are doing and try to react accordingly, however our Co-opownership structure limits what we can do in many cases. Keep in mind that well over 2,000 skiers have banded together to buy MRG so that we can collectively protect and preserve the unique ski experience offered here at MRG. They didn't buy into it to get free skiing or make a killing on their "investment". MRG is a labor of love for our team here and for the skiers who call it home and we all work very hard to make sure that MRG will be here for generations to come.
As an aside I find it interesting that folks keep talking about our lift lines. Sure with our limited uphill capacity we do get lift lines from time to time. However a half hour lift line is a fairly rare occurance here outside of a few weekends a year. And yes very occaisonally the lift lines can approach the 45 minute level on the Single but again that is a once or twice a year occurance and generally that is only for peak parts of the day 10-12 and 1 to 3. Arrive early, ski late, eat lunch early or late and you can get more than your fill of skiing in on those few busy days. That being said one must also keep in mind that because of our limited uphill capacity your time on the trails is relatively secluded. For me (and for many of our fans) I'd rather wait a bit on a lift line so that I can have the trails to myself when coming down. I'd take that kind of experience over the human pinball I have experienced at other areas with all those fancy detachable lifts. My Mom always told me that "the best things in life are worth waiting for" and a large enough niche of skiers out there seems to agree with my dear Mother. You may not agree with that and that's OK, there are plenty of other wonderful ski areas for you to choose from, MRG is a niche area that doen't try to be everything for everyone. We know our strengths and try to stay within ourselves and offer the kind of skiing that our owners have asked us to deliver. Also keep in mind that 8 to 10 runs of 2,000 vertical feet of skiing on MRG's legendary terrain is more than many skiers want or can handle on a give ski day.
One other thing I would like to add is that despite the rumors that are out there the Single Chair is NOT a slow lift. It is in fact the fastest fixed grip lift in North America (REALLY!). A mere 9 minutes on one lift to the top to access 2,000 verttical feet. There are not too many areas out there that even have 2,000 vertical foot lifts any more, most mountains generally require that you to take 2 or 3 lifts to get you to the "top". On a typical day you can get a ton of skiing here at MRG and you'll be sipping your Single Chair Ale in the pub at the end of the day knowing you have enjoyed plenty of great skiing for a good value and have the knowledge that you supported a unique organization committed to protecting and preserving a very special place. I'll get off my soap box now!
I hope that you can come to Mad River Glen at some point this season. For those of you who have never been here I encourage you to come experience it for yourself. Whereever you ski I wish you an awesome season with a ton of snow! Take care and....
THINK SNOW!!!!
Eric
