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Lift ticket prices getting too high?

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gfanuckaa
Posts: 536 - Karma: 314

Looking at ticket prices for killington in the east (which i thought was a total rip-off!!!) I checked a few other major resorts for the prices of tickets for today fri 12/30-  are they ever going to stop going up?

Killington- $86!! this wknd

Mammoth- $96!!!! this wknd

Park City- $100!!!! this wknd

Vail- $102!!!!!

Dec 30 2011 9:57AM
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danbrown
Posts: 11932 - Karma: 21,775
yeah i saw pc was up to 100 now, so ridiculous. place is always so packed i cant imagine how much their profit margin is.

gfa still run mount snow or what?
Dec 30 2011 10:07AM
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Jacobsen
Posts: 112 - Karma: 18
Wow, that really is expensive. I'm from Norway, which is considered a really expensive country in general, but a full day of skiing is about 60 bucks. (which I still find to be alot, being a student)

At least your gear is alot cheaper, considering that a pair of AK JJ's at retail(just the skis) in Norway costs almost 1200 bucks. (compared to 700 at backcountry.com)
Dec 30 2011 10:36AM
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[J_Gasper]
Posts: 2983 - Karma: 1,594
only place that has cheap lift tickets is baker. i think its like 37 for the day or something
Dec 30 2011 10:38AM
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*SNO*
Posts: 2575 - Karma: 925
my indoor hill is £40 for 4 hours.
or £27 for 4 hours with a park
Dec 30 2011 10:39AM
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gfanuckaa
Posts: 536 - Karma: 314

hah nah man most of crew left the game for college/ wknd warriors when not hungover

only day we tried to film last yr haha-  http://vimeo.com/18284510

Dec 30 2011 10:39AM
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danbrown
Posts: 11932 - Karma: 21,775
haha word homie i hit that weaver high rail last year too, wolcott the year before. thats legit though, everybody moves on and returns eventually
Dec 30 2011 10:46AM
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a_pla5tic_bag
Posts: 9210 - Karma: 5,357
thats fucking ridiculous. 100 dollars for a lift ticket.
Dec 30 2011 10:51AM
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SassySloth
Posts: 3753 - Karma: 2,095
my local hill which has one of the best parks is normally 40



















Click for larger image
Dec 30 2011 10:55AM
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zagfan5
Posts: 2608 - Karma: 144
38 if your a youth on weekends and holidays, 52 for an adult
http://www.mtbaker.us/1011/prices/lift-tickets/
52 is still worth it for baker pow tho.



my home mt is 45 a day for an adult.  id say a reasonable price for a ticket is in the 40 to 60 range. anything more than that is too much for a day of skiing IMO,




Dec 30 2011 11:13AM
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GORILLA.
Posts: 1112 - Karma: 70
holy fuck.

the most i've ever paid for a lift ticket is like $60
Dec 30 2011 11:21AM
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Midwestoverdose
Posts: 833 - Karma: 45
ONly have to have 43 or 33, but also the runs take about 30 seconds-2 minutes to finish the run...welcome to the midwest..

That sucks though
Dec 30 2011 11:25AM
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rareison
Posts: 10263 - Karma: 218
Lololol my hill's lift ticket is like $22, but my hill sucks ass.
Dec 30 2011 11:43AM
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brhisawsome
Posts: 141 - Karma: 88
PA mountains are usually 40-- Big Boulder is 15 on college days..

but seriously, do have you spoiled children even care? we all know your parents buy your tickets for you
Dec 30 2011 12:50PM
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Stickity
Posts: 7750 - Karma: 769
i think 7 springs is around 60
but let's say it is 60, and if you ski for 6 hours that day, it's only 10 an hour which really isn't that bad
Dec 30 2011 12:51PM
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reverendwrong
Posts: 3145 - Karma: 142
no some of us are in college and are not living off our parents dime and have to scrounge for food, work rediculous hours, and sell drugs to be able to ski
Dec 30 2011 12:53PM
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Grobot
Posts: 115 - Karma: 13
that horseshit. i get that there is no snow this season, and the whole industry is really hurting, but paying 100 dollars for a day of skiing is absurd. i wish the mountains wanted to make it easy for people to go skiing, not easy for them to make money. i could buy new skis for the price of 4 days of skiing.
Dec 30 2011 12:56PM
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250r
Posts: 2274 - Karma: 1,020
yup $96 a day here in whistler...1800 for a pass...and our passes dont get us into other mountains like down in CO or somehwere
Dec 30 2011 1:01PM
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dirty.
Posts: 736 - Karma: 69
this. and yeah lift ticket prices are way too high, no mystery
Dec 30 2011 1:05PM
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Parks.
Posts: 5612 - Karma: 1,093
ya mammoth has gotten pricy...good thing i have never payed to ski there once...and i have been going there for 16 years..../claim
Dec 30 2011 1:07PM
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thebeesknees
Posts: 3660 - Karma: 160
some of ct.'s rails are prime
Dec 30 2011 1:08PM
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fragglemuffin
Posts: 3312 - Karma: 444
$54 for a 4hr with ONE SLOPE open at a hill near me...
Dec 30 2011 1:14PM
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SnowRidgeParks
Posts: 2146 - Karma: 88
I do agree that lift ticket prices are very high nowadays, that's unquestionable. The thing everyone needs to understand is how much money it costs to actually run a resort. Take Breckenridge for example: Just the construction of the halfpipe and freeway cost the resort millions of dollars (I've been told an estimate of over 5 million). Throw in the costs of snowmaking all over the mountain, running lifts, payroll, uniform costs, etc. etc... The costs are astronomical. Yes the resorts are busy right now, and yes they bring in a lot of money, but their operating costs force them to charge these prices. Plus you have to remember that they are businesses and their objective is to make money. Supply and demand, they have the goods people want, and as long as people keep coming to their mountain they'll charge as much as they can so they can make the most money possible. This is the world we live in, if you don't want to fuel the big wigs in the industry then ski at small local mountains with more reasonable prices, odds are you won't get the same returns you'd get at a bigger, more expensive resort...

For comparisons sake, take golf courses. Playing one round, maybe 5 hours of your time, at one of the country's premier courses could cost you anywhere from $200-$500. When you compare that to a day at one of the country's premier ski areas, up to 9 hours of your time at $100, it doesn't seem that bad does it?

Just my two cents, I don't like paying $100 to ride somewhere either, but if we want to keep skiing at these big resorts that's exactly what we'll have to do...
Dec 30 2011 1:26PM
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chuck_testa
Posts: 1469 - Karma: 52
Click for larger image
but seriously come to mount ellen at sugarbush or mad river, they are like 40-60 bucks
Dec 30 2011 1:32PM
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montanan
Posts: 1787 - Karma: 1,346
100 bucks is alot. but for a montana kid whos never been to park city id pay it. for people in that area that seems a lil steep , but for comparison, my home moutain in 42 bucks a day and it has two lifts and no terrain park at all, sooo yeah.
Dec 30 2011 1:33PM
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cmo
Posts: 2325 - Karma: 1,085
good points for sure...these kids also dont understand that most resorts make hardly any, to no money on ski pass sales and the majority of resort profits come from real estate and resort owned properties that are leased out to local businesses ie. ski shops, restaurants, hotels, ect ect ect
Dec 30 2011 1:33PM
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cmo
Posts: 2325 - Karma: 1,085
its not myth that pretty much the second any tourist gets out of Denver International Airport and drives to Summit County or any Vail Resort Inc. owned resort, everything along I70 is essentially owned by Vail Resorts
Dec 30 2011 1:36PM
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freestyler540
Posts: 13046 - Karma: 18,292
How about half assed ski resorts: Like Mont St Anne, 71$. Their park is nowhere near resort level, their snow quality sucks, and they groom once a day.

Their food is so expensive :17$ for a burger/coke/fries, their beers are more expensive than a bar and nightlife is dead. I think there is some gauging going on

The only reason I go is the variance in terrain.You can ski almost any terrain in a day.
Dec 30 2011 1:41PM
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ironic
Posts: 735 - Karma: 104

Telluride (2 of 3)- $202

Whistler Blackcomb- $96

They're really great resorts though.. if you can get beyond the price.

Dec 30 2011 1:53PM
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Static
Posts: 8494 - Karma: 4,068
this.

Dec 30 2011 1:59PM
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Turnup_swiperigh
Posts: 990 - Karma: 108
Midwest prices are crazy, 60-70$ for small hill, less than 50 trails that are very similar to each other. absolutely ridiculous
Dec 30 2011 2:05PM
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SnowRidgeParks
Posts: 2146 - Karma: 88
I've never been to St Anne, so I can't speak too much on the quality you get there, but you said it yourself, you go there for the terrain. That's their competitive advantage and as a business they're going to take full advantage of it. At the same time, as stated above, the resort isn't making their money off these lift tickets, they probably have to charge those prices just to cover their costs. The only time I can really fault an owner is when they are taking the income for themselves that should be going back into the mountain in the form of upgrades and basic upkeep. The only reason I feel this way is because I'm so passionate about the sport and the industry itself, any outsider looking at the situation would just say he's trying to get the most money possible out of his business and that's just their way of doing so... I'll get off on a rant if I keep talking about that though.
Dec 30 2011 2:13PM
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californiagrown
Posts: 9794 - Karma: 2,014
only once a day? noooooooooooooooooo!





are you serious?
Dec 30 2011 2:33PM
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manutdsaol
Posts: 906 - Karma: 56
Oh shit Wilmont's that much this year, I think I'd rather drive to sunburst or tyrol for the same price
Dec 30 2011 3:32PM
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speedin
Posts: 731 - Karma: 131
While I do agree with you that it costs a lot of money to construct a terrain park, and half pipe. There is no way that halfpipe and the freeway costs over 5 million just to construct. Not even close. While I do agree it does cost quite a bit. The biggest expense in the park is going to be water for snowmaking, and while it does cost a lot, its def no were near 5 million bucks.
Dec 30 2011 3:39PM
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S_Jenk
Posts: 345 - Karma: 92
West coast concrete anyone?
Dec 30 2011 3:48PM
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jblaski
Posts: 5561 - Karma: 1,027
straight from Twitter:

"#Vail's single-day, walk-up lift ticket hits $116"
Dec 30 2011 3:56PM
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.Duncan.
Posts: 1375 - Karma: 459
your forgetting so much though, think about cost for gas, new and upkeep on the kats, payment for park crew, setting up all the shit for dew tour...

while it may cost 5 million, i bet they easily make it up and get quite a good deal of money for it's initail costs.
Dec 30 2011 4:14PM
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jblaski
Posts: 5561 - Karma: 1,027
.....I'm pretty sure it's the EXACT same demographic.
Dec 30 2011 4:15PM
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TheDavisMobile
Posts: 149 - Karma: 14
Skiing is for rich white people.......
Dec 30 2011 5:01PM
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GORILLA.
Posts: 1112 - Karma: 70
.

except that most golfers are in the 40+ category while skiing is more kids than older folks
Dec 30 2011 5:05PM
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Mike-O
Posts: 14593 - Karma: 1,089
This is Talma, my local hill.

Click for larger image.

Elevation: 55m

Day ticket: 40 dollars.

Too much.
Dec 30 2011 5:05PM
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GoggleT@n
Posts: 89 - Karma: 10
I'd just be glad you had snow.
Dec 30 2011 5:06PM
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shawk
Posts: 473 - Karma: 41
Prices are ridiculous, but I worked at a shop part time and always seemed to find a way to get a cheap pass or ticket or know someone who worked at a resort. Now that I have a "real job" the discounts are over and most of my friends don't work at resorts anymore, I must suffer full price of a pass or ticket. I think it the prices are ridiculous, but certainly worth it.

I don't understand why more resorts don't have better discounts for high school, college, and grad school students. If you hook them for a few years, they will be coming back for the next 30+ years with their families. Additionally, these are the people who are scamming the resorts since they have no money to begin with.

As I thought more about it, I thought it would be interesting to look at Vail Resorts Financials ( publicly traded MTN)

Vail Resorts Financials for last year:

Revenue: 1.2 Billion
Profit: 34.5 Million
Profit Margin: 2.96% which basically means for every 100 dollar lift ticket you buy, they only profit $2.96

That is a tremendous operating cost and when it comes down to it, and not a lot of wiggle room on the lift tickets unfortunately. I feel many resorts are overstaffed and more extravagant than they have to be, but then again, they are not catering to people like myself.


Dec 30 2011 5:17PM
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S.C
Posts: 3068 - Karma: 2,281
My home mountain beaver creek just peaked at $116!!!!!

so glad i have a season pass that was under $600
Dec 30 2011 5:25PM
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Ben.
Posts: 21463 - Karma: 683
Wahhhhhhhhhh.


Skiing is expensive. Get used to it.
Dec 30 2011 5:28PM
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I.B
Posts: 8137 - Karma: 24,354
for the 5 million it took them to make that half pipe I would have done it for 1 million, hand shoveld the dirt, and made the snow by putting water in my butt and squirting it out at high speeds
Dec 30 2011 5:30PM
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theWIZARD
Posts: 935 - Karma: 76
I am no businessman or know to much about resort management but I would think they are so high because its vacation week, which is their busiest time of year. Therefore increase the ticket price to make profit, because regardless people are going to ski. Also the resorts that you chose aren't necessarily the cheapest ones. PC and Vail are pretty big tourist destinations.
Dec 30 2011 5:31PM
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bobs
Posts: 4801 - Karma: 869
Its effed that a college seasons to some places would only buy 2 day tickets at some of those resorts
Dec 30 2011 5:36PM
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DutchhGutss
Posts: 896 - Karma: 124
Holy christ $102....
Dec 30 2011 6:16PM
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ski0
Posts: 2321 - Karma: 5,370
it could easily be 5 million.

the labour for their park staff and cat operators is probably easily a million.
the equipment, maintaince, rails,snowmaking equiptment is super expensive
the water used to build park features is super expensive.
putting on large scale events is also really expensive.
Dec 30 2011 6:31PM
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