SallyCat
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
SMH, I just realized you were talking about the original article and not the one I posted.I couldn't get past the paywall.
Sorry; trying to juggle too many plates and some of them are starting to hit the floor!
SMH, I just realized you were talking about the original article and not the one I posted.I couldn't get past the paywall.
I'll give a shout out to Sunday River and Boyne on this one. Though, I haven't heard anything recent, I know they've done donation matches during fundraisers, and snowmaking equipment donations to Black Mountain of Maine, a small non-profit ski hill about a 1/2 hour away. I would absolutely love to hear more from other places (and more from Boyne) supporting the little guys.One thing the big resorts could do is support and sustain the small, feeder hills that really make skiing accessible and inclusive. I'm not imagining Vail taking ownership of small hills (NO!), but maybe having a funding arm that can give them an economic boost to repair old lifts and purchase rental gear and maintain their lodges and such. It seems like a win-win-win that wouldn't be terribly burdensome on the big conglomerates, at least if they're willing to break away a bit from the cult of shareholder wealth maximization and try to be a real, sustainable business.
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The proposed was solution lowering the barrier to entry and making the sport more affordable.
Here we are.
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Because the lifts are breaking down or not running due to staff shortages - that makes lift lines longer on the lifts that are operational.I know it's not the point of the story, but Industry exec keep saying the number of skiers/snowboarders hasn't changed. How can that be true? If that kid is looking at the webcam and seeing lines he didn't see a few years ago, how can they say there aren't more people at the mountain? I can only assume they're looking at an average. And maybe including more days to get that average?
100% agree. Daily lift tickets have become unaffordable at these places that are supposedly broadening access via lower pass prices, but if you are lower income or even just a family on a budget, buying one of the supposedly affordable passes is probably out of the question.The thing is, I'm not sure the barrier to entry is low, still. It's cheaper than ever to ski if you know you want to ski a bit and already own all the gear, but if you have a few kids and want to try the sport once, what are you supposed to do? If you're a casual skier and want to go once or twice a season and don't own your own gear, what are you supposed to do? $50 window tickets and bundled rental packages would do a lot more to make the sport truly accessible than cheap season passes, imho. I'm pretty sure the only ones who are truly benefiting from the current price structure are Vail and Alterra.
Are we discussing crowding or inclusion? I was talking crowding and traffic issues.The thing is, I'm not sure the barrier to entry is low, still. It's cheaper than ever to ski if you know you want to ski a bit and already own all the gear, but if you have a few kids and want to try the sport once, what are you supposed to do? If you're a casual skier and want to go once or twice a season and don't own your own gear, what are you supposed to do? $50 window tickets and bundled rental packages would do a lot more to make the sport truly accessible than cheap season passes, imho. I'm pretty sure the only ones who are truly benefiting from the current price structure are Vail and Alterra.
As far as an occasional skier, i look at my husband. He’s a workaholic. No life balance at all. When I showed him the Epic pass senior pricing, he realized that it was a 3 day break even. He rationalized that he could get back into skiing on Sundays without a $800+ pass. After a 5 year hiatus, we are back to skiing together on Sundays. Yay! Without Epic, he and I wouldn’t be there.
Thank you for the warm welcome! What a wonderful community to be a part of!Hi @Stay Tuned - you seem new around here! Did I offer you my hello before? It's late, and I'm too lazy to check. Glad you're here, and thanks for the excellent comment.
I'm really upset by Alterra's quote in this article:Who Gets to Ski? (Published 2022)
The mountains are too crowded. The sport is too expensive. Several resorts are trying to fix a number of problems. How are they doing?www.nytimes.com
Interesting and kind of a bummer read.
I live in Vermont and had never heard of Unlikely Riders. Thanks for posting about this group.100% agree with @SallyCat. The best resort partner supporters of Unlikely Riders (group promoting snow sports accessibility for BIPOC Vermonters) have all been independently owned/managed: Bolton Valley, Cochran’s Ski Area, Middlebury Snow Bowl, Jay Peak and Craftsbury Outdoor Center.
I think that's the way to go!All the discussions about Vail (I'm an Epic pass holder) make me even more committed to skiing at independent ski areas. I work at one so that's not too hard but I'll be making an effort to ski at others as well (e.g., Mad River Glen, Jay Peak).
Note that MRG, Jay Peak are on the Indy Pass. Have you looked at the list of locations for Indy?All the discussions about Vail (I'm an Epic pass holder) make me even more committed to skiing at independent ski areas. I work at one so that's not too hard but I'll be making an effort to ski at others as well (e.g., Mad River Glen, Jay Peak).
MRG is not on the Indy Pass. I doubt they ever will be. MRG is very restrictive of the number of tickets it sells.Note that MRG, Jay Peak are on the Indy Pass. Have you looked at the list of locations for Indy?