Vail raises single day lift ticket to $159
- Thread starter SamSandmire
- Start date
PeppermillReno
Active member
13286451:Drail said:
There isn't a ski destination in the USA that can't be done on a budget even Vail and Whistler.
Its all about being flexible and not entitled and thinking the total cost won't be triple over the holidays.
This is a business that only operates a third of the year. There are only 2 periods each year where a family can feasibly travel to a vacation ski destination without taking their children out of school. If they want to impress the other parents in their pta meetings and on the kids soccer teams they gotta suck it up and pay.
Drail
Active member
Ya, my point though is that it's not really news, nor does it matter to anyone.
Those that pay the money to ski at Vail are willing to and straight up choosing to. The motive behind their decision is irrelevant, it is their choice to do so.
If you think it's outrageous for a ski resort to charge $160/day to go skiing, you're probably not going to ski there.
If you want to talk about charging outrageous prices for things - lets talk about BC Ferries. That is a real issue and worthy of getting butthurt over. This Vail Resorts thing? Who actually cares? Anyone that was planning on skiing at Vail for a day would pay whatever they had to pay, and it probably doesn't even bother them. In fact - paying that much probably makes them feel even better about themselves for being so elite.
Those that pay the money to ski at Vail are willing to and straight up choosing to. The motive behind their decision is irrelevant, it is their choice to do so.
If you think it's outrageous for a ski resort to charge $160/day to go skiing, you're probably not going to ski there.
If you want to talk about charging outrageous prices for things - lets talk about BC Ferries. That is a real issue and worthy of getting butthurt over. This Vail Resorts thing? Who actually cares? Anyone that was planning on skiing at Vail for a day would pay whatever they had to pay, and it probably doesn't even bother them. In fact - paying that much probably makes them feel even better about themselves for being so elite.
DungeonMaster
Member
If you buy an Epic pass before the season gets into full swing, you can ski the season for less than $700 and it works at all of their resorts. It's a helluva deal. I love the day passes. I have had people straight leave when they find out how much the day passes were over Christmas(I work at the Ski Haus in Vail). The price keeps the crowds down and Vail still makes profit.
SpookyCat
Active member
13286470:PeppermillReno said:
Right, because mountains completely shut down during the summer months. There's no MTBing, zip lining, mini golf, frisbee golf, alpine slides, weddings (very expensive ones at that) or people just enjoying the nice weather on a weekend getaway. Yeah you're absolutely right. Mountain resorts are only good for skiing and are shut for 2/3rds of the year.
You're a fucking idiot.
PeppermillReno
Active member
13286539:JenniferGarner said:
Whats wrong with you calm down the income the mountains generate in the summer is minimal. Really you think that shit you listed turns a profit and is of any financial significance to the mountain? Go do a valium and calm down your violent outbursts are weird.
Skiing and overpriced real estate are the ONLY considerable sources of revenue. The latter is the primary one btw. Hordes of skiiers are why they have to hire so many people. Most ski area employees have no job at their mountain 7-8 months a year.
Mountains don't turn a profit from the shit you just listed it is just there as an amenity to make the resort attractive to tourists year round. (Same reason there is always a world class golf course (s) near major ski resorts.)
DrZoidberg
Active member
13285906:kshaughn said:
This is exactly the scam, sort of. Once you buy a lift ticket there's no rainchecks. They get their money earlier and if you decide the weather sucks and pass out, they didn't lose. They already got your money and you're sitting at your (likely very expensive) house. If it's raining or something nobody's going to the ticket window.
I'm sure people who are absurdly rich have no issues canceling, but having bought their tickets in advance for a cheaper price, Vail made some money instead of not making any because the guy didn't show up at the ticket window.
soup
Active member
13285556:Static said:
Its much like whistler though. yes there is the rich clientelle and yes there is a lot of them, but there are a ton of families on vacation that save up for a good couple years just to ski here. I meet them all the time. It is seriously unfortunate that a ski hill has now ostracized an entire economic demographic of people because they feel that they can.
it is not just about the rich and wealthy.
SpookyCat
Active member
13286564:PeppermillReno said:
Yeah except most smaller mountains (aka 90% of ski resorts in the U.S.) make most of their income through weddings during the summer.
How fucking stupid are you? Do you have any idea how much the reservation cost alone for a lodge is for a one-night celebration for a wedding?
Drail
Active member
13286639:soup said:
They didn't ostracise any demographic though. If a family is planning and saving for years to do a trip to Vail, they most likely have done enough research to clue in to the Epic Pass. If they didn't buy an Epic Pass but saved and planned for years... well - who gives a fuck about them?
GayWolf420
Active member
13286451:Drail said:
this this this fucking this. no one is forcing you guys to ski Vail Resorts. I almost wanna side with them on this one seeing as how fucking stupid the average consumer is.
PeppermillReno
Active member
13286644:JenniferGarner said:
Its nothing compared to the property tax on all the condos dickhead.
Not all mountains are the same some are far from hotels and don't have the lodge booked for a wedding every if an weekend. And some are 365 day a year resorts operating around 40% capacity who clearly can host that kind of thing.
But dude you really are a moron for screaming about weddings people do not do vacation weddings they are rare guests do not like them people want to go to a wedding for an afternoon not a 4 day trip and often if they do a get away wedding its somewhere like Vegas (easy to get to) or Hawaii (small only a few people.) Choosing a ski place to get married at is not necessarily a huge wedding with tons of guests.
Its not a lifeblood of mountain resorts generating equal income to what skiing does stop being stupid.
Casey
Active member
13286679:DeebieSkeebies said:
They probably came to the conclusion that there are hundreds of people at Vail every day that would probably pay 20 dollars per beer and buy 100 dollar steaks for lunch without batting an eye. The people that want a high end experience but are conscious about money will find a way to pay less and the people that don't give a shit will pay whatever the price happens to be.
SPskier543
Active member
Vail is not a budget ski vacation destination, a huge percentage of the families and people that go there overlook what they're paying for lift tickets anyway. The "higher end" resort of the vail operations has the higher prices, not rocket science. Not sure why everyone is hating on vail, epic passes are the same prices for the "locals." If you didn't get one and you ski there regularly you're just fucking stupid and can't blame anyone but yourself. I think vail expanding and taking over more resorts is awesome, the more mountains I can ski on my $400 pass the better.
GayWolf420
Active member
13286693:Casey said:
yeah, pretty much that as well. People on vacation at vail resorts really don't care about price tags, they are going to shell out however much is needed to make sure their families have a good time, which includes 160 dollar day tickets.
just buy a fucking seasons pass, people. youre essentially skiing for free after a certain amount of times. you guys are really gonna sit here and get upset knowing that there are better ways to budget your skiing out? fuckin eh.
howlongcanausern
Active member
13286639:soup said:
yeah, seriously. those poor canadians. going to whistler. only to find $109 lift tickets.
what a bummer.
geez how is intrawest gonna be able to stay in business????
PeppermillReno
Active member
13286694:SPskier543 said:
Exactly your a local getting hooked up with the sweet deal and if a tourist family wants to come to your already crowded mountains and get in your lift line they can pay full whack to the hill in addition to whatever else they spend off it.
Vails giving anyone who lives in Denver, SLC, or the Bay/Tahoe a good deal the high day tickets are a good thing for their core customers and will push crowds to smaller less busy places.
Ive tried telling gaper 50 year old east coast dudes about the Epic pass and what it is they don't believe me. "No fucking way man I did a season in Vail in the 80s and my pass was 1500 you can't do that for 650."
KyroChi
New member
Ready for the hard truth? If you can't afford it... they honestly don't really want you there.
There are people out there who will pay $159 for the ticket and rack up a hefty bill at the lodge/bar, maybe buy some new over priced gear at the shop and literally not give two shits about how much they are paying. THAT is who Vail wants coming to their resort, not some whiney college student who wants a cheap pass and is bringing a sack lunch to the hill.
In a way, Vail is telling your broke ass to ski somewhere else, its not worth their time to cater to you. I would recommend finding a new place to ski, or if you are dead set on skiing Vail buy an Epic Pass (at $729, if you buy late in the season, you only need to ski at Vail 5 times to make up the difference. Less if you buy the pass in August)
There are many sites offering discounted tickets, many shops offering discounted tickets, if you are buying tickets at the window I don't know why you are complaining, its your own damn fault for not exploring other options.
Resorts can't grow money on trees, and operating cats, lifts, snowguns, shuttles, paying employees, paying managers, paying the lease for the land, paying lawyers to battle frivolous lawsuits, paying taxes, paying shipping fees on equipment and food, paying for maintenance, paying for events (live music, ect), paying for construction of new buildings and lifts, paying for marketing and advertising, and much more adds up very quickly, which is also why they charge so much. If you want a resort that has one lift, one cat, and one employee, yes, the tickets will be very cheap, if you want to ski at Vail, you have to be able to afford it...
I am a college student, with a full time job, 2 season passes, and I have plenty of time to enjoy my "passion" with money left over. If you are truly passionate about skiing you might have to break into those savings, or get a second job... if you aren't willing to do either than you don't want to ski badly enough.
All in all, it bothers me to hear people complaining, all I hear is a bunch of small minded skiers complaining without actually looking into the problem. It seems like most people here are just hopping on the "fuck Vail" bandwagon. I am learning that many people don't understand the industry, the target market of ski RESORTS, or do any research before slamming Vail. So before you buy a "Fuck Vail" sticker, (Which is ridiculous, profiting off of a mis guided hatred of a company you probably haven't had much interaction with) read about how ski resorts work, buy a season pass, realize that the world isn't fair and quit being a little bitch...
There are people out there who will pay $159 for the ticket and rack up a hefty bill at the lodge/bar, maybe buy some new over priced gear at the shop and literally not give two shits about how much they are paying. THAT is who Vail wants coming to their resort, not some whiney college student who wants a cheap pass and is bringing a sack lunch to the hill.
In a way, Vail is telling your broke ass to ski somewhere else, its not worth their time to cater to you. I would recommend finding a new place to ski, or if you are dead set on skiing Vail buy an Epic Pass (at $729, if you buy late in the season, you only need to ski at Vail 5 times to make up the difference. Less if you buy the pass in August)
There are many sites offering discounted tickets, many shops offering discounted tickets, if you are buying tickets at the window I don't know why you are complaining, its your own damn fault for not exploring other options.
Resorts can't grow money on trees, and operating cats, lifts, snowguns, shuttles, paying employees, paying managers, paying the lease for the land, paying lawyers to battle frivolous lawsuits, paying taxes, paying shipping fees on equipment and food, paying for maintenance, paying for events (live music, ect), paying for construction of new buildings and lifts, paying for marketing and advertising, and much more adds up very quickly, which is also why they charge so much. If you want a resort that has one lift, one cat, and one employee, yes, the tickets will be very cheap, if you want to ski at Vail, you have to be able to afford it...
I am a college student, with a full time job, 2 season passes, and I have plenty of time to enjoy my "passion" with money left over. If you are truly passionate about skiing you might have to break into those savings, or get a second job... if you aren't willing to do either than you don't want to ski badly enough.
All in all, it bothers me to hear people complaining, all I hear is a bunch of small minded skiers complaining without actually looking into the problem. It seems like most people here are just hopping on the "fuck Vail" bandwagon. I am learning that many people don't understand the industry, the target market of ski RESORTS, or do any research before slamming Vail. So before you buy a "Fuck Vail" sticker, (Which is ridiculous, profiting off of a mis guided hatred of a company you probably haven't had much interaction with) read about how ski resorts work, buy a season pass, realize that the world isn't fair and quit being a little bitch...
Static
Active member
13286639:soup said:
Yea, those people don't get my sympathy either. If you want to ski a few days a year that's what it costs, it's cheaper than go-karting.
The families actually living in the ski areas scraping by, fighting the inflated property values, living on serf wages going on seasonal unemployment, can't afford to eat at the restaurants in their town; those are the people who suffer for skiing, not some pencil pushing city slicker paying a few grand for a world class vacation.
Huck_Norris
Active member
THAT'S WHAT YOU GET and yes, it's only a matter of time before all their resorts are charging crazy high prices just because they can.
Seriously, you reap what you sow. Everybody's up their ass about this high speed chair, that ginormous park and whatever huge resort- but how many truly ski at affordable, local, small mountains anymore? Far fewer, that's for sure. Well, this is what you get when you feed into the shitty culture growing in this industry- less local options when they close, and what your left with is a big huge fist in the ass and a moth orgy in your wallet. Maybe if people bucked up and skied smaller, local hills more often this sort of thing would be in check more. But noooooooooooooo- little Johnny needs 86 lighted and groomed green trails and a heated bubble chair to make that wedge, Daddy needs someplace the guys around the water cooler have heard about and Mommy needs a full view of the hill from her spot by the indoor pool to be happy lol.
No wonder shit is spinning out of control. Fucking Stowe is charging what, $2,300 for a season pass now? That's just disgusting... And people are lining up for it.
Fuck. That.
Support your local hills, or don't cry when the big guys don't give a fuck you're priced out this year, or whenever that comes. You helped make it possible in all reality.
Seriously, you reap what you sow. Everybody's up their ass about this high speed chair, that ginormous park and whatever huge resort- but how many truly ski at affordable, local, small mountains anymore? Far fewer, that's for sure. Well, this is what you get when you feed into the shitty culture growing in this industry- less local options when they close, and what your left with is a big huge fist in the ass and a moth orgy in your wallet. Maybe if people bucked up and skied smaller, local hills more often this sort of thing would be in check more. But noooooooooooooo- little Johnny needs 86 lighted and groomed green trails and a heated bubble chair to make that wedge, Daddy needs someplace the guys around the water cooler have heard about and Mommy needs a full view of the hill from her spot by the indoor pool to be happy lol.
No wonder shit is spinning out of control. Fucking Stowe is charging what, $2,300 for a season pass now? That's just disgusting... And people are lining up for it.
Fuck. That.
Support your local hills, or don't cry when the big guys don't give a fuck you're priced out this year, or whenever that comes. You helped make it possible in all reality.
Huck_Norris
Active member
13286451:Drail said:
Here, here!
Mr.Huck
Active member
13286451:Drail said:
I get what your saying, but I'm still pretty pissed. I grew up in Eagle County skiing Vail. Every year I watch as it becomes less of a ski town and more of a Club Med. My folks still live up there and I have worked there long enough that I now have a Lifetime pass. I still go there because it's home, but now it feels like a home that gets invaded by a bunch of sodomizing monkeys every winter.
MLJ
Active member
13285672:Granite_State said:Vail isn't 5 shitty mountains in NY.
But really thats insane. Pretty much double the cost of a lift ticket where I ski (Loon).
I know with a lot of ski resorts they can cover most, if not all, of their operating costs with season pass sales alone so I wonder what the motive is here.
13285840:Mr.Huck said:
13286247:momsspaghetti said:
So you are trying to tell me that when you go to buy a house, you buy for the list price? Are you crazy!? You can easily get the price down by more than 20% by bartering. Whenever I shop for stuff and I get more than a few items, I always ask for a discount and often get 5-10% just from asking!
CaptainObvious.
Active member
The Vail resorts hate is probably the single largest bandwagon movement of hate in the history of the ski industry. I bet 95% of the people who spend their time vomiting line of "fuck vail" have zero cause and zero knowledge to actually back their shit up. All they do is spew shit about high prices, monopolization, evil corporation, blah, blah, blah.
Not to mention, I bet half of them have an Epic Local pass hidden under their shirt.
Not to mention, I bet half of them have an Epic Local pass hidden under their shirt.
13287411:CaptainObvious. said:
Vail does suck, people buy epic passes because its their only choice to ski. Vail taking over park city has been causing issues for media people (like me) and its fucking annoying. The only good thing Vail is doing is bringing in more tourists and pumping more money into our local economy.
mski
Active member
13287426:pussyfooter said:
Although hearing local companies got pushed out because of the buy out is pretty lame. I mean, getting ride of PC roasters for a Starbucks? Fahhhhkk
And honestly, the epic pass just makes sense. If a Brighton pass,among others , can equal the cost of my rent for 3 to 4 months just for one mountain then I'm obviously going to pick the pass for a handful of resorts that costs hundreds less.
I understand resorts cost money to run, but since when should a single resorts season pass cost $1000 and up per person?
Fuck, skiing is expensive. Time to move to the beach.
kshaughn
Member
13286644:JenniferGarner said:
I would love to see some data on your super arbitrary numbers that you're throwing out there. Assuming that your ridiculous statistic is correct, let's look at what that means:
-Let's assume that a mountain can host on average two weddings/functions a week. This is probably a good bet since no one get's married during the week and maybe the mountain has a corporate outing scheduled.
-Let's assume that a smaller mountain charges $5K-10K to host the event. Smaller mountains generally have less glamorous base lodges and accommodations, so that could be an accurate number. Based on my knowledge of how much it costs to rent out a private country club for a wedding, that is a good range.
-Let's assume the summer extends from May-September, or about 20 weeks.
This means that during the summer, or off-season, the mountain pulls in a total of roughly $300,000. According to JenniferGarner, the ski season would bring in less than $300k.
If we assume that the average 1day ticket at this generalized mountain is $70, that means that less than 4,200 people-days were skied at the mountain, which is unrealistically low.
In conclusion, JenniferGarner is an idiot and can't do math.
Karma_Police
Active member
13287426:pussyfooter said:
Or saving kirkwood from going under......
Complaining that Vail's ticket prices are unfairly high is like complaining that Rolls Royce or Bentley's are too pricey. It's an expensive ski resort because it offers certain amenities other resorts don't. If you can't afford Vail, there are quite a few other options to choose from within an hours drive....
Let them charge whatever they want to, and if you think it's going to backfire on them, short their stock (MTN).
Let them charge whatever they want to, and if you think it's going to backfire on them, short their stock (MTN).
GayWolf420
Active member
13287426:pussyfooter said:
I don't want more money pumped into my communities for improving shit, that's bad! get away, vail!
GayWolf420
Active member
13287733:pussyfooter said:
its funny, all my coworkers at PCMR are just like "same shit, different day". no head mangers or supervisors left because of vail, no one got fired, and if anything, employees are going to get paid a bit more while having some killer benefits. They really aren't that bad of a company, but could be just a sheep that is under Mr. Katz' spell.
GayWolf420
Active member
13287772:pussyfooter said:
they must be bringing in their peoples from other places, they brought in one dude from Tahoe that talked to us one day, other than that, lift ops seems like its the same shit, just a different owner. same mellow chair bumping for decent beer/gas/rent monies.
PeppermillReno
Active member
13287772:pussyfooter said:
Im not so sure a website of skiiers is going to feel that sorry for midlevel employees working and living at a desirable mountain having an end to their good run. Hope they enjoyed it while it lasted. Getting rid of people like this and promoting some kids to work for cheaper might be how Vail keeps pass prices down.
Vail again is giving the regular non wealthy people access to the millionaires playgrounds for peanuts its part of their business model.
They can rip idiots off for real estate and day passes as much as they like Vail and the Epic pass is the best thing to happen to skiing in the last couple decades it is the only thing positive that has come about to combat spiralling lift ticket prices.
LukasSchroeder
Active member
we pay 25 or so at my local hill. but then again its 5 minutes up 1-3 minutes down
arnie_grape
Active member
13287841:Free306skier said:
sounds like a bargain.
the hill I grew up on is charging 45/day now and its 3 min up 30 seconds down if you take your time
freeballer
Member
Good lord, then don't go there. Simple supply and demand. If the tickets get too high then at some point the demand will diminish and people will stop going and they will be forced to lower ticket prices.
It's the EXACT same thing as if any Vail hater here purchased or inherited a baseball card 10 years ago. Say now that player on the card ends up being the best player in the history of the league and people want to buy that card for a gigantic amount. Would all of you get pissed at this person trying to sell it for what people want to pay? Get over yourself. People want to pay $160. Who are you to tell Vail they can't charge that?
Come on, get out of here. I want a Porshce 911 turbo but don't think it's worth $100,000. So you know what? I don't fucking buy it. Don't buy Vail's lift ticket if you don't want to buy it. Who are you to tell them what their services are worth? Actually, you have that right by not purchasing the ticket and if enough of you agree, they will drop the prices.
It's the EXACT same thing as if any Vail hater here purchased or inherited a baseball card 10 years ago. Say now that player on the card ends up being the best player in the history of the league and people want to buy that card for a gigantic amount. Would all of you get pissed at this person trying to sell it for what people want to pay? Get over yourself. People want to pay $160. Who are you to tell Vail they can't charge that?
Come on, get out of here. I want a Porshce 911 turbo but don't think it's worth $100,000. So you know what? I don't fucking buy it. Don't buy Vail's lift ticket if you don't want to buy it. Who are you to tell them what their services are worth? Actually, you have that right by not purchasing the ticket and if enough of you agree, they will drop the prices.
ben.mcbride.96
New member
i mean a good way to weed out the non-locals. and keep locals skiing there home mouintain. hate it when i buy a pass and only time i can ski theres two billion gapers making it only possible to ski 4 laps in a day... for some people it will make them relize that its not worth 170$ to sit on your ass going 1 mph down the slope then falling off the chairlift and ruining it for everyone when we have to wait for your dumbass. skiing isnt for everyone and i dont want to discourage people from trying it but maybe they should try it on a small cheap midwest-eastcoast resort before going to a serious mountain.
PS i hate vail resorts too. just looking at it from a positive standpoint and season pass holders view
PS i hate vail resorts too. just looking at it from a positive standpoint and season pass holders view
Huck_Norris
Active member
13287630:dylhole said:
Yeah but Vail actually isn't even that good it's just Gaper Mecca and that's why it's hilarious to me. It's just where Texans go and that will never stop. It's the Stratton of the West- good enough to ski but nowhere near as good as people give it credit for, not is it worth what they charge for a day ticket.
I mean come on. Vail? That place is a putting green save for a few pockets of radness. That's why I crack up when somebody can't wait to tell you they skied Vail- the largest blue square anywhere. I know I was hugely disappointed when I went. It's kind of mind boggling that so many treat it as the center of the ski universe.
onenerdykid
Active member
The cost of running a resort is roughly the same whether it is busy or slow. Resorts don't need more lifties, more lodges, perhaps a few more patrolers, but really their cost of doing business does not increase. Before I moved to Austria, Sugarbush VT used to hold (and still does?) a day where a single day pass cost what it did in the 1950s. It is always their single most busiest/profitable day because tons of people show up. They get way more skiers than normal and make a lot of money.
Resorts don't need to charge 159$ for single day pass. They simply choose to do it because people will still pay for it.
Resorts don't need to charge 159$ for single day pass. They simply choose to do it because people will still pay for it.
13288441:Huck_Norris said:
To you and me and most avid skiers, Vail's terrain is pretty tame and I agree, there are countless other places I'd rather go. But 95% of tourists love that stuff... Blue skies, "back bowls", impressive views, mountaintop dining, etc etc. The lift prices arent $159 because of the expert terrain offered, but instead because of the amenities that come with the full package.
Either way, I'll never pay $159 for a lift ticket, but don't care one way or another what Vail charges