Despite an historically warm and snow-free winter, as well as record numbers of unredeemed season passes, ski resorts aggressively pushed ahead with 2012-13 pass offerings this spring. And for skiers and riders ready and/or willing to forget this season, next year is shaping up to be a great bargain.

Value is the watchword for the 2012-13 season. “This was not the year to go out and raise prices,” says Bill Quigley, director of sales and marketing at Gunstock, N.H. In fact, the area lowered the price of its unlimited adult pass by $4, to $375, to coincide with the area’s 75th anniversary next year. To boost the value of its passes, Gunstock is also throwing in half-price deals on its summer park, zipline, tree top excursions and Segway tours.

Killington, Vt., is also holding the line on next year’s pass prices ($1,049 unlimited adult; $729 with 17 blackout days.) These passes, too, come with a slew of benefits and discounts. “While we had an extremely long season [Killington opened Oct. 29], we understand the perception in the media was that conditions were not great,” says Chris Danforth, Killington marketing manager. “It’s just not the best time to be upping prices.”

If resorts are raising prices, the hikes are modest. Monarch, Colo., for example, upped its One Planet pass price by $20, to $329. The pass includes access to 30 ski areas in four countries (U.S., Canada, Germany and Austria).


"WE SAW A MUCH HIGHER NUMBER OF UNUSED PASSES, AND PASSES USED ONLY ONCE OR TWICE..."

Sales volume has “been growing about four or five percent every year,” says Greg Ralph, Monarch marketing director. But with this year’s snow totals way off, and business volume down double digits, maintaining that sales pace will be difficult, even at a relatively low price. “It’s mid-March, and some pass­holders have not even picked up this year’s pass,” Ralph says. “It could be a tough year for everyone.”

Which is why resorts are pulling out all the stops in trying to lock skiers in for next season. Without the momentum of a great ending, they have piled on perks, kept prices down, and buddied up with one another to offer some great incentives. (Check out this issue’s “Mountain Spy,” page 42, to see how some areas handled calls regarding passes.)

Here is a look at what some resorts were offering as the season wound down:


Multiple-Mountain Passes
Offering passes good at several resorts is one way ski areas have been adding value. That trend continues.

The new Vail Resorts’ Tahoe Local pass adds unlimited skiing at Kirkwood to Heavenly and Northstar, and is priced $80 less than last year, at $419. The pass pays for itself in five days. The Tahoe Value pass ($379) is valid seven days a week at Heavenly and six days (no Saturdays) at Northstar and Kirkwood. If that’s not enough, early bird purchasers get six buddy tickets, special summer discounts, and season-long benefits.

Similarly, the Rocky Mountain Super Pass ($419) offers unlimited skiing at Winter Park and Copper, and six days at Steamboat Springs. The pass also comes with 20 discounted tickets to Copper and Winter Park (10 each) for friends, and other discounts.

At Vail, the granddaddy of the multiple-mountain pass, the Epic Pass ($659) offers unlimited skiing at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood and Arapahoe Basin, and pays for itself in seven days. An any-day, seven-day pass for Vail resorts runs $509. To make it easier than ever for skiers to renew their passes and get the best early rates, Vail started an automatic renewal program that debits your credit card $49 every spring for next year’s pass, with the balance charged in the fall.

“No question, Vail has set the price ceiling in this area,” says Ralph. “We had to do something to keep up with the big boys.” Hence Monarch’s One Planet pass.

Others have seen the light. For next season, Powderhorn’s pass remains the same as last year, $399, but passholders can purchase five days at Steamboat for $149.

Another multiple-mountain entry this year is Red Lodge, Mont. Its pass ($469) comes with five free days at Whitefish, Mont., as well as season-long skiing at sister area Homewood, at Lake Tahoe. Red Lodge is also piling on a ton of discounts and rewards programs.

In the East, Boyne Resorts raised the price of its New England pass (good at Sunday River and Sugarloaf, Maine, and Loon, N.H.) about two percent, to $379 (with blackout days). The pass also offers discounts to other Boyne resorts, including Big Sky, Mont.; Brighton, Utah; Crystal Mountain, Wash.; Cypress Mountain, B.C.; Boyne Mountain and Boyne Highlands, Mich.; and The Summit at Snoqualmie, Wash. “We had very strong pass sales last year,” says Darcy Morse, communications manager at Sunday River. “It’s a matter of keeping pace and keeping people excited about skiing next year.”


Passes With Benefits
“We’re focusing on value and adding benefits to passholders who are our most loyal guests,” says Ken Rider, director of sales and marketing for Grand Targhee, Wyo. Like several other areas, Grand Targhee added end-of-the-year skiing this season for those who bought a 2012-13 pass during the 2011-12 season, and dropped next season’s pass price by $40, to $495. In addition to spring skiing, Targhee added discounted friends and family tickets for passholders, and special season-long drawings and prizes.

After a dismal prime season, Sugar Bowl, Calif., was hoping late season snowstorms and last year’s prices ($379) would help boost next year’s pass sale. SugarBowl also throws in free lessons and rentals to passholders.

“We saw a much higher number of unused passes, and passes used only once or twice,” says John Monson, director of sales and marketing. “We hope these late-season storms will help our rollover effect and influence passholders not to think about the season that was. Now that they’re skiing deep powder, we hope they’re thinking about next season.”

Boreal, another Tahoe resort, saw a “definite uptick in business” after an 8-foot dump in March. Whether that will translate into strong pass sales is hard to say. “We had a record pass sale for 2011-12,” says Jon Slaughter, marketing director. “But we had a lot of people not redeeming them.” Boreal, which has held the line on prices three years in a row after a $10 increase, will again offer its mountain pass for $239. A pass to its new Woodward-Tahoe action facility is also $239.

“Ideally, guests will want to buy both passes,” Slaughter says. “They learn to flip and then want to take it right to the mountain.”


Aligning with the Market
Okemo, Vt., upped its pass prices slightly but is offering a new Millennial pass for 20-somethings (ages 19-29) for $499. “The Millennial pass is an extension of the college pass,” says Bonnie MacPherson, communications director. “We recognize they’re the future of skiing. We want to build brand loyalty with young people as they graduate from college and start families and careers, and encourage them to return to Okemo with a good pass offer.”

Bucking the trend to keep prices the same or to discount them even further, Whiteface, N.Y., upped its pass price, by $20, to $439.

Mt. Hood Meadows, Ore., which had a more-or-less normal season, raised its spring pass (March and April) price by $10, to $149. It won’t put next year’s passes on sale until Sept. 1. “We haven’t determined prices yet,” says Dave Tragethon, executive director of communications. “We’re looking at more specialty passes that allow us to place restrictions or provide incentives for off-peak use.”