SAM Magazine—Londonderry, Vt., Sept. 19, 2018—Magic Mountain has created an unusual, peak-season pass product specifically for Christmas-New Year’s, MLK weekend, and President’s week. Called the White Out holiday pass ($239-$279), it’s aimed at skiers and riders who want a deal over the holidays, as well as those who may have bought a discounted “value” pass somewhere else and are blacked out from skiing their regular resort during the holidays.

The pass is valid Dec. 26–Jan. 1, Jan. 14-16, and Feb. 188-26. It’s on-sale through Oct. 15 at $239, and at $279 after that date. The pass offers 19 days of skiing for about $13 a day. It takes just four days to hit the break-even point for adult day tickets.

“Skiing and riding overall  isn’t getting any cheaper, especially over the busy holiday periods,” said Geoff Hatheway, president of Magic Mountain. “So, we are always looking for ways to bring added value, savings, and unique products to the ski community. With a modest commitment upfront, the White Out pass guarantees you a place to ski here during the holidays, even with our day ticket policy of limiting tickets sold to 1,500 people per day to keep crowds to a minimum.”

Our take: This clever innovation is an example of the opportunities that are open to smaller, independent resorts in our current era of consolidation and multi-company pass partnerships. Inviting skiers and riders to sample the “chill vibe” at Magic, during a time that larger resorts will be anything but chill, gives guests a strong reason to bite—and will showcase the area at key times of the year. Plus, it provides a bit of revenue insurance for these key dates, too.