SAM Magazine—Leadville, Colo., Nov. 1, 2024—Starting this winter, Ski Cooper lift ticket rates will be the same online as they are at the ticket window, bucking the trend of ski areas charging top dollar on-site to incentivize guests to purchase tickets in advance online at a discounted rate. The nonprofit ski area has also reduced its Monday-Thursday (non-holiday or spring break) adult lift ticket rate to $45 a day, less than half of last year’s window rate.

“It’s time to take the stress out of getting on the ski hill,” said Ski Cooper CEO Dan Torsell. “We have decided to stop playing follow-the-leader in the season pass/day pass game and simplify day-pass purchasing while promoting affordability in our sport.”

There is still a benefit to purchasing online in advance for those who have visited Ski Cooper before and still have their RFID card: an online purchase loads the day pass onto the current RFID card so guests can go directly through the ski area’s “Port of Entry”—a unique, RFID controlled single-access point for ticketed guests (non-skiers can enter with a non-lift RFID card)—and skip the ticket line. 

Dynamic pricing models reward skiers and riders who know to plan in advance and buy online, but tend to punish spontaneous visitors who show up day-of. 

“Based on our observations of industry pricing models over the past several years and connecting the dots, we concluded that we have been excluding two important segments of potential skiers, ‘never-evers’ and ‘occasionals,” Ski Cooper director of marketing and sales Dana Johnson told SAM. “Our senior leadership team met several times over the last few months determined to find a simple solution to this dilemma, and we decided that this was our best path forward.” 

The ski area will also offer $35 tickets for kids ages 6-14 every day—including weekends, holidays, and spring break when families are most likely to visit—online and at the ticket window. 

Johnson said they built a financial model to analyze effective ticket prices and test different pricing options, and the results led to this pricing structure. “While lower pricing is a key element in getting folks here, allowing skiers to come to the ticket window for the same price is just as important,” she said. “We expect an increase in volume on the days that we have the most capacity.”

“This is truly an experiment but one we are excited to explore this season,” Johnson added.

Ski Cooper offers 64 named runs spanning 480 skiable acres with 1,200 feet of vertical served by five lifts. Its base elevation is 10,500 feet.