Aldee;c-36363 wroteAs a senior Vermonter, and as a person who likes to ski multiple mountains in a 40+ day season, I am not happy about this. I think that it is just another example of Vail being predatory, and while offering a good ski product, it is a very expensive one....
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Goodbye local deals for Mt. Snow, Hunter, Attitash, Wildcat and Crotched.
It is a simple economic truth that competition helps keep prices down, and stirs up innovation. Limited competition does the opposite. Just look at what has happened to the airline industry, now that there are only a few airlines left. I'm afraid that the same thing will be happening to the ski industry.
Agreed. (Except the 40 days, I get about 25) I think the same thing will happen here as happened in Summit County, those of us who ski a few times each season at Wildcat or Sneaux will find that the numbers make sense if we buy a pass, and then the liftlines will be off the charts.
Let's say I can do a dozen days between the various eastern properties. It would work out to about $58/day, which, considering a couple of those would be Jack Frost, and I would then pick Hunter over something, it's kind of meh.
But let's say I go to Park City and subtract the cost of two days there at the deepest discounted price, then I divide the remaining Epic Local cost by 12, now it's about $40 per day in the east. That's tough to beat, considering a day here and there at Okemo, Mount Snow, Stowe, etc.
Question is, what will happen to the prices NEXT year. And parking prices, let's not forget those. I think Aldee's analogy of the airlines might be on target. You can have a semi-decent experience and pay for every aspect of it, or a hit-or-miss experience at a discount airline.
I also think that little town in Missouri that keeps giving Peaks a hard time is going to find themselves battling a heavier opponent.
