rickbolger;c-62230 wroteIn a competitive regional market -- I shudder to say this -- these numbers are playing right into Vail's model
You are exactly spot on, Rick! I used to be a customer of Liftopia, but that is practically out of business now. So I am compelled to buy IKON, EPIC and Indy passes. I ski a lot -- 40+ days a season -- and the only way I can do it without busting the bank (and infuriating my wife!) is to get those multi-mountain, multi-day passes. If you think about it, $100 per day x 40 days = $4,000 per season, just on lift tickets. (Yes, that is bad, Newpylong!).
For $1,500 total, I bought an EPIC North-east mid-week pass, an IKON base pass, an Indy pass, and a Smuggs senior season pass. With those, I can ski almost anywhere, almost any time, and with unlimited days at a whole bunch of mountains in New England. However, that does indeed play into the hands of Vail, Alterra and the like.
Getting back to Pleasant Mtn., if they would participate on the IKON, they may not have made money on my direct purchase of a lift (just getting a share of IKON revenues). But they are missing out on me bringing my spouse or other guest who would buy a one day ticket. They are missing out on me (and guest) purchasing lunch at the cafeteria and visting their ski shop to buy something. And if they are so concerned about crowds, all they have to is require advance reservation, as does Loon (on IKON) and Pats Peak (on Indy).
