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College students are the next generation of skiing and snowboarding families, and ski resorts around the country, not surprisingly, are anxious to lure them in. But the college crowd is a discerning lot. And, as many resorts have found, students are on a budget.

“College students are a totally different consumer,” says Talia Freeman, marketing director at Beech Mountain, N.C. “They are looking for the deal, plain and simple. They search for the price point more than the experience.”
Others concur. “We used to do big party programming around college breaks in January and the first three weeks in March,” says J.J. Tolland, director of communications at Jay Peak, Vt. “We don’t do that anymore. We don’t see the bookings. Now, we have price points for midweek stays during those periods.”

“We found that at the end of the day, college kids want a deal on lift tickets,” agrees Gerry Tschinkel, VP of sales and corporate sponsorship at Hunter Mountain, N.Y. “The other stuff is cute, but we found they don’t really participate much.”

Still, the “other stuff” is working at many resorts. Here’s a quick look at what ski areas around the country are doing to attract college students to their slopes and, hopefully, lay the groundwork for future core customers.

Events Work

Collegians relocate to Killington, Vt., during winter break when the area hosts Killington College, typically held during the first two weeks of January (Jan. 2-13 this year). Discounts and parties abound.

“We get a couple thousand college students visiting over college weeks,” says Jeff Alexander, events and sponsorships manager. “The entire access road leading up to Killington gets in the mix, with discounts at restaurants, nightclubs, and retail shops. Bars on the road host parties all week long.” Monster Energy partners with Killington for the college weeks, and this year is scheduled to host a Monster Energy party at the Wobbly Barn, Killington’s iconic nightspot, with a DJ and free swag.

Music and free stuff are common themes for college weeks. At Sunday River, Maine, Red Bull partners with the resort to bring in live acts during college week, Jan. 2-6. College students who don’t have a college pass ($359, also includes access to Loon and Sugarloaf) can ski that week for $45 a day, or ski and stay at the Snow Cap Inn for just $69 per person. “We usually have a party every night of the week,” says Darcy Lambert, Sunday River communications director. “It’s big. It usually takes over the Snow Cap Inn.”

Lambert says the resort hosts a spring concert series in March that is also popular with college students, but not aimed at them specifically. Park City’s Spring Grüv isn’t aimed specifically at college students either, but has 16 days of events and activities that appeal to that age group, including its famous pond-skimming contest.

Steamboat, Colo., hosts the Mascot Stampede—held Dec. 16 and 17, 2016—for 20 college mascots to compete in on-snow events. Fans who booked a one-night ski and stay during the event got a second night/day for 50 percent off.

While Snowshoe, W.Va., doesn’t have specific college deals during winter break, its Ballhooter (an old logging term and name of its main quad) spring festival, held the second weekend in March, is huge. “We get upwards of 2,000 college students for the week,” says Shawn Cassell, PR specialist at Snowshoe.

In addition to lodging specials for students, the resort hosts a big electronic DJ group and a banked slalom competition. “It’s not just the active college students who come up for the week, we also have a lot of homeowners waving their college flags off their balconies,” Cassell says. “We have a lot of alumni, a lot of people around. It makes for a really fun week.”

Beech Mountain created a college week during a traditionally slow week in early February. “We didn’t have anything going on that week when we started it six years ago,” says Freeman. “We turned that off-week in February into real numbers for us. It’s grown tremendously.”

“WE TURNED THAT OFF-WEEK IN FEBRUARY INTO REAL NUMBERS FOR US. IT’S GROWN TREMENDOUSLY.” — TALIA FREEMAN, BEECH MOUNTAIN

During the week, students get the resort’s substantially discounted group rate on lift tickets and lots of events, including a banked slalom competition, live music and giveaways. Freeman says the week attracts around 1,500 college students—proof that if you discount enough, students will come, whether on break or not. Most of the events are held on the bookended weekends, but midweek is still busy.

Season Pass Deals

Other resorts have either done away with a college week or never offered it, and instead rely on heavily discounted season pass products to attract that demographic. Okemo, Vt., goes this route. Its 4.0 College Pass, which also includes Mount Sunapee, N.H., and Killington/Pico for $379, is enough, says PR director Bonnie MacPherson. “If they have a pass, they’re going to be here,” she says.

Hunter did away with the college pass in favor of the expanded Drifter pass, which is available to anyone ages 18 to 29. Tschinkel says the old eligibility requirements to get a college pass were too complicated. Did it include undergrad only? Master’s programs? What about PhD students? “Now we don’t care if you’re in school or not,” he points out.

The Drifter pass also includes Mount Snow, Vt.; Wildcat, Attitash, and Crotched, N.H.; and Jack Frost/Big Boulder, Pa., for $399. “The college students are loving it,” raves Tschinkel. “Historically, we always had January and March spring break periods, discounted tickets, fun events. The jury’s still out on what we’re going to do on that front, because we’ve got such an incredible deal for a pass.”

Mammoth Mountain, Calif., is another resort that relies on an inexpensive, age-specific pass to draw in the college demographic. Its California pass, for ages 13-22, also includes Bear Mountain, Snow Summit, and June Mountain for $325. “It’s extremely popular,” says Mammoth PR and social media manager Lauren Burke.

Jay Peak’s college pass ($229), which is also good at Burke Mountain, is more popular than any of the college parties it used to host. “The most we ever saw was around 45 [students] when we hosted parties,” Tolland recalls. “We do see large chunks of college students, but when the colleges themselves book the time.” MIT in Cambridge, Mass., for example, brings 300 students for a three-night stay in January.

Boyne, Mich., offers a $299 college pass, good at both Boyne and Boyne Highlands. In lieu of student-specific events, the pass comes with other benefits, including discounts at the waterpark.

While all these discounts for the college demographic may ding the overall yield on passes and lift tickets, many resorts think of it as an investment in the future. Earning the allegiance of college students now will hopefully pay off post-graduation when they’re gainfully employed, start families, and buy full-price season passes.