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June, 2025

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What do you think resort life will be like in a few yrs when liftees are starting at 15$ an hour?

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dolanslebensraum
Posts: 5959 - Karma: -13,093
I think it will be awesome. I wonder if resorts will stop giving their employees a comp season pass tho. It would be a shame if they did. But i think 15$ an hour for every resort job will be fukn bananas. Employees will finally be able to afford to use some of the drugs they sell.
4 years ago
14 8
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WoFlowz
Posts: 8214 - Karma: 64,828
I think it’ll be good for resorts because most of these workers are seasonal workers and live in employee housing which is usually on the mtn or near which means more of a chance of the money going back into these towns or if they don’t hopefully the more income even if it’s just a few more bucks a month will give them a bit more spending freedom in these small tourist driven towns
4 years ago
3 5
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Mtuhockey33
Posts: 765 - Karma: -2,197
Aspen has already started trying to do this. The only problem is they don’t give returning employees the same raise as the newbies. A new kid can come in making $15/hr while you have guys that have been there 4+ years barely making $15 now and they won’t see a raise or anything. Aspen was also talking about taking away the employee end of season bonus to deal with offsetting the pay raise. I left when they took away free passes, 1/2 off passes, mental health days, jacked up healthcare and paid temp guys $18/hr while the guys working all year still made the $13/hr they started at.
4 years ago
9 2
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dolanslebensraum
Posts: 5959 - Karma: -13,093
WoFlowzI think it’ll be good for resorts because most of these workers are seasonal workers and live in employee housing which is usually on the mtn or near which means more of a chance of the money going back into these towns or if they don’t hopefully the more income even if it’s just a few more bucks a month will give them a bit more spending freedom in these small tourist driven towns

Yeah. I think it will be ok also because all resorts will be forced together by the gov to give the same min wage. Obv if one resort started paying 15 min to employees and other resorts were still jewing out9 bucks an hour the 15 $ resort would get crushed. But if its a fair game then its doable.
4 years ago
2 2
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ericforman
Posts: 722 - Karma: 6,213
Epic and alterra will increase the cost of tickets more than they would have otherwise. So skiing will be a bit more expensive and the workers will make more. Seems fine.
4 years ago
6 0
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dolanslebensraum
Posts: 5959 - Karma: -13,093
Mtuhockey33Aspen has already started trying to do this. The only problem is they don’t give returning employees the same raise as the newbies. A new kid can come in making $15/hr while you have guys that have been there 4+ years barely making $15 now and they won’t see a raise or anything. Aspen was also talking about taking away the employee end of season bonus to deal with offsetting the pay raise. I left when they took away free passes, 1/2 off passes, mental health days, jacked up healthcare and paid temp guys $18/hr while the guys working all year still made the $13/hr they started at.

Damn. Thats pretty crazy. Why does aspen want to have one timers (usually foreigners fwiu) instead of returning employees?
i get that resorts get better returning business when they hire young, good looking euros and south americans at their resorts but theres plenty of good looking americans you could choose from as well so i dont really get the biz sense of it.
4 years ago
1 2
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Dan-Man
Posts: 7490 - Karma: 3,631
How much is a Aspen season pass now days?

2K?
4 years ago
8 0
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BrightFrog
Posts: 593 - Karma: 1,679
I think it’ll be absolute trash. Minimum wage laws are a cancer.
4 years ago
10 14
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Mtuhockey33
Posts: 765 - Karma: -2,197
DolansLebensraumDamn. Thats pretty crazy. Why does aspen want to have one timers (usually foreigners fwiu) instead of returning employees?
i get that resorts get better returning business when they hire young, good looking euros and south americans at their resorts but theres plenty of good looking americans you could choose from as well so i dont really get the biz sense of it.

It’s cheaper to hire new seasonal workers, pay them minimum wage, no benefits, give them a season pass and call it a day than keep quality workers. Everyone learns that you get treated better and can make better money at literally any other job in the area and most will help out with the cost of a season pass.
Dan-ManHow much is a Aspen season pass now days?

2K?


It was like $2,499 2 years ago.... so probably $2,800+ now.
4 years ago
7 0
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WoFlowz
Posts: 8214 - Karma: 64,828
Mtuhockey33It’s cheaper to hire new seasonal workers, pay them minimum wage, no benefits, give them a season pass and call it a day than keep quality workers. Everyone learns that you get treated better and can make better money at literally any other job in the area and most will help out with the cost of a season pass.


It was like $2,499 2 years ago.... so probably $2,800+ now.


Wait does an aspen season pass get you to every aspen mtn or just ajax?
4 years ago
2 0
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Mtuhockey33
Posts: 765 - Karma: -2,197
WoFlowzWait does an aspen season pass get you to every aspen mtn or just ajax?


All 4 mountains - Aspen (Ajax), Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, Snowmass
4 years ago
3 0
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WoFlowz
Posts: 8214 - Karma: 64,828
Mtuhockey33All 4 mountains - Aspen (Ajax), Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, Snowmass


Don’t get me wrong that’s a metric shit ton of cash but fo unlimited skiing at all 4 it isn’t terrible especially if your skiing every day or almost and like to ski all different stuff. Might be cheaper to just go ikon at that point tho
4 years ago
0 0
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ColoradoDogfart
Posts: 2482 - Karma: 30,055
gonna be an absolute mess, every heard of inflation? you'll earn more but everything is gonna increase linearly, so instead of paying 15 bucks for a burger it'll be like 25
4 years ago
6 12
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Mtuhockey33
Posts: 765 - Karma: -2,197
WoFlowzDon’t get me wrong that’s a metric shit ton of cash but fo unlimited skiing at all 4 it isn’t terrible especially if your skiing every day or almost and like to ski all different stuff. Might be cheaper to just go ikon at that point tho


Here’s the catch; if you’re a local, have a job locally or know people, there are much cheaper options. I paid $500 for a season pass while working nights at a hotel and skiing all day. I made better money ($2+/hr) my first year at the hotel than I did at the end of 4 years at the ski co and I was able to ski every day. Working for the ski company is the biggest drain after a year or two but it’s a great way to get out there. They hook it up with employee housing your first year for cheap and close but after that you gotta find housing and even Glenwood (45 mins- 1 hour on a sunny, summer day) is getting to be $1,200+/month for rent...
4 years ago
1 0
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dolanslebensraum
Posts: 5959 - Karma: -13,093
ColoradoDogfartgonna be an absolute mess, every heard of inflation? you'll earn more but everything is gonna increase linearly, so instead of paying 15 bucks for a burger it'll be like 25


Ppl will just buy mini burgers then.

They will lose weight and cows will live longer.

everybody wins.
4 years ago
7 0
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T.L.
Posts: 4731 - Karma: 3,018
Gas will be $5+/gal, ramen will be $.50/packet, employee housing will increase to "cover costs", a gram of wax will double in price. Mountain towns will keep adding fractions of a percent to taxes every year until the whole town is a bike path made out of solar panels.

$15/hr. will be nothing by the time it gets here and people will already be asking for more before it does.
4 years ago
4 4
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kung_powpow
Posts: 1990 - Karma: 3,671
Yes aspen is terrible and the lift lines are longer then Vail, make sure to buy an ikon base pass instead

**This post was edited on Feb 12th 2021 at 12:59:06pm
4 years ago
7 1
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TOAST.
Posts: 7788 - Karma: 40,205
Bunch of lifties at my home mountain just quit because they increased starting pay for lifties but didn't increase pay for current/returning lifties, so you had new guys making more than people that have been there years. Now other departments have to help run lifts and snowmakers cant make snow because they are running lifts.
4 years ago
4 0
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X_MEMESWERVE_XX
Posts: 3945 - Karma: 33,361
I swear if they take away comp passes ill be pissed, thats literally why I'm a lifty, 15 would be cozy tho, I make 12.50 at my resort but it would just be that much better
4 years ago
2 1
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270on420out
Posts: 7525 - Karma: 51,354
T.L.$15/hr. will be nothing by the time it gets here and people will already be asking for more before it does.


Seattle would disagree.
4 years ago
1 5
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PNS
Posts: 5 - Karma: 32
ColoradoDogfartgonna be an absolute mess, every heard of inflation? you'll earn more but everything is gonna increase linearly, so instead of paying 15 bucks for a burger it'll be like 25


It's not linear at all, it's not like all of their running costs are purely employee salaries.
4 years ago
3 2
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WoFlowz
Posts: 8214 - Karma: 64,828
ColoradoDogfartgonna be an absolute mess, every heard of inflation? you'll earn more but everything is gonna increase linearly, so instead of paying 15 bucks for a burger it'll be like 25


Washington DC has a 15$ minimum wage and the most expensive item on a Taco Bell menu there is $3.90 I think burgers won’t jump 10-15$ if they do it’s just greed not because they need to
4 years ago
5 5
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T.L.
Posts: 4731 - Karma: 3,018
270on420outSeattle would disagree.


Over 20% of all US dollars to ever exist were printed in the last year. Inflation is coming to the shithole of seattle too.
4 years ago
6 1
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Poikenz
Posts: 1598 - Karma: 4,839
ColoradoDogfartgonna be an absolute mess, every heard of inflation? you'll earn more but everything is gonna increase linearly, so instead of paying 15 bucks for a burger it'll be like 25


Or you know, Lester Crown, Rob Kats, and other owners could be good guys and take the potential decrease in revenue to provide a better/ more enjoyable life for those who work for their companies. For an industry that has no money where resorts barely scrape by they certainly seem to be doing alright.
4 years ago
0 1
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itzPebbs
Posts: 91 - Karma: 186
It probably won't change because of how inflated the USD is getting
4 years ago
4 1
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270on420out
Posts: 7525 - Karma: 51,354
T.L.Over 20% of all US dollars to ever exist were printed in the last year. Inflation is coming to the shithole of seattle too.


Powell got us covered. Doesn’t matter till the banks charge interest lol
4 years ago
2 0
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dolanslebensraum
Posts: 5959 - Karma: -13,093
T.L.Over 20% of all US dollars to ever exist were printed in the last year. Inflation is coming to the shithole of seattle too.

Thats because us government is cancer, not because of raising the min wage.



union busdrivers in americas capital make 100-150k per year. And thats not a rarity. The us gov is full of cancerous shit like that. Like how the fuck is a senior engineer at apple making 100k per yr and a fucking busdriver making 150k.

thats like paying the hospital worker that changes bed pans 150k and paying the surgeon the contents of the bedpan and expecting the surgeons to continue showing up for work.

If all you did was raise the min wage from 10-15$ per hour it would probably result in 1-2% price inflation/economic cost. The real honey of american cancer is government agencies and government employees and government regulations suffocating the fuck out of the free market.

10-15$ min wage adjustment the economy would hardly notice
4 years ago
1 2
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Koshermilk
Posts: 515 - Karma: 1,915
DolansLebensraumI think it will be awesome. I wonder if resorts will stop giving their employees a comp season pass tho. It would be a shame if they did. But i think 15$ an hour for every resort job will be fukn bananas. Employees will finally be able to afford to use some of the drugs they sell.


Most ppl do it for the free pass
4 years ago
0 1
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SendyMcSendyface
Posts: 3192 - Karma: 29,035
Fuck min wage raises. When they bumped it from $11 to $15 in Ontario a few years ago, it fucked everything up. Gas went up, groceries went up, so your net pay stayed the same. The large corporations didn't give a fuck, but it really fucked over small businesses, cause they had to raise their prices by the same percentage to deal with the wage increase, and lost customers. My old boss ran a bakery for 20 years, and prided herself on selling her goods for very cheap (often as cheap or cheaper than the grocery stores), so that everyone could afford healthy shit. Min wage raise fucked all that, and she had to lay all her employees off and shut it down cause her margins were so slim even before the wage increase. Tons of people have thought very hard about economics, there's gotta be a more equitable way than "aight lets just raise min wage and call it a day".
4 years ago
4 0
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Poikenz
Posts: 1598 - Karma: 4,839
SendyMcSendyfaceFuck min wage raises. When they bumped it from $11 to $15 in Ontario a few years ago, it fucked everything up. Gas went up, groceries went up, so your net pay stayed the same. The large corporations didn't give a fuck, but it really fucked over small businesses, cause they had to raise their prices by the same percentage to deal with the wage increase, and lost customers. My old boss ran a bakery for 20 years, and prided herself on selling her goods for very cheap (often as cheap or cheaper than the grocery stores), so that everyone could afford healthy shit. Min wage raise fucked all that, and she had to lay all her employees off and shut it down cause her margins were so slim even before the wage increase. Tons of people have thought very hard about economics, there's gotta be a more equitable way than "aight lets just raise min wage and call it a day".


Min wage is $14.25. Grocery and gas prices didn't increase due to a minimum wage increase. Grocery prices are always increasing and are based on many factors. If gas prices were to increase based on a minimum wage increase that would be illegal. If a business can't afford to pay it's employees a decent living wage without going under then it is an unsucessful business model. The cost of living in Canada is certainly skyrocketing but it isn't because of minimum wage. Best buckle up, it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better.
4 years ago
1 3
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RudyGarmisch
Posts: 25444 - Karma: 13,856
I'm concerned. Skiing might become a rich white guys sport.
4 years ago
8 1
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dolanslebensraum
Posts: 5959 - Karma: -13,093
RudyGarmischI'm concerned. Skiing might become a rich white guys sport.

Thats why park skiers use rap music in their edits. Its their way of giving back to the community.
4 years ago
1 0
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Mtuhockey33
Posts: 765 - Karma: -2,197
RudyGarmischI'm concerned. Skiing might become a rich white guys sport.


Skiing might become? Dude have you ever been to a big resort?


hint: you’re not finding a family of 5 from the Bronx at Aspen or Vail...
4 years ago
0 4
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b0ss
Posts: 822 - Karma: 6,377
$15/hr is cool and all but what about universal healthcare. Im a proud republican which means I care about my fellow citizens, I want to pay for my neighbour's healthcare because they would do the same for me.
4 years ago
0 0
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b0ss
Posts: 822 - Karma: 6,377
Municipal007I think it’ll be absolute trash. Minimum wage laws are a cancer.

I agree, we should just get free healthcare.
4 years ago
1 0
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Granby_killdozer
Posts: 2536 - Karma: -15,045
most of them deserve it. $15 means different things to different people and it's really dependent on the cost of living near the resorts. I think it's fair to say the expenses of living in a mountain town are comparable to that of a big city though and a $15 minimum wage makes sense for most cities. The plan is also to gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2025 which, if done right, should be fine. Inflation will be handled by the fed raising interest rates in conjunction with wage increases. I'm all for that considering what the stock market and housing market look like right now. The only thing I'm worried about is unemployment in rural areas where the cost of living is low so hopefully, the government comes out with a plan to help those businesses out.
4 years ago
0 0
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RIP_leos_shack
Posts: 718 - Karma: 3,369
$15 won't make any difference to the standard of living because rent prices will just go up to match, and you're left with the same $50 from your paycheck. What we really need is rent control and laws against short term rentals.
4 years ago
2 0
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poofartpee
Posts: 7436 - Karma: 1,540
This has been Canada for a few years now. Dont think it changed much, $15 an hour is still pretty hard to live off of.
4 years ago
2 0
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itzPebbs
Posts: 91 - Karma: 186
RudyGarmischI'm concerned. Skiing might become a rich white guys sport.


Lol what do you consider it to be now?
4 years ago
0 0
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