Here is an article discussing the discount for skiers under the age of 30.  As a senior skier, I'm not happy. But I guess they figure that I'm already "hooked", but they've got to do something to get younger crowd hooked. 

https://www.summitdaily.com/news/vail-resorts-epic-pass-prices-high-discount/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAQUhrJjbGNrBBSFHmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHvqS_UpDJCgqIEV0_UYYuYsTrZ36sVJ1TIwVEoHuRz8nrbWRuWeR9cGjjMIu_aem_rzaFA0v8UfudvYw5YZjcUw

They've adopted a model with reasonable season pass prices and ridiculous daily lift ticket prices that manages their risk better in regards to repeat visitors.  However, that model has no room for new people that don't ski regularly.  Ummm, bowling for $20 or skiing for $500 (with rental)?  This is why their visitors are dropping.  As people age out, there isn't an avenue for new people coming in.  If a newbie does give it a shot, they will drop $100 at an indy or even $35 for a night instead of $350 at Vail.  Their model was successful for them at first, because it reorganized an existing population of skiers, but it's going to continually be a problem in the future.

I saw a similar type thing happen with volleyball tournaments where the prices increased as the population aged and could afford it, but then no new people wanted to come out and get beat for those prices, and the tournament system in my area collapsed.  You maximize your profits optimizing for the existing population, but then give up future growth by pricing out new people.  Most people that aren't sure if they want to commit to the sport, but want to give it a try, don't buy a season pass for $1,000, and they don't drop $500 just to try something new that will probably kind of suck for that first day.

itdoesntmatter wrote:

Here is an article discussing the discount for skiers under the age of 30.  As a senior skier, I'm not happy. But I guess they figure that I'm already "hooked", but they've got to do something to get younger crowd hooked. 

https://www.summitdaily.com/news/vail-resorts-epic-pass-prices-high-discount/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAQUhrJjbGNrBBSFHmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHvqS_UpDJCgqIEV0_UYYuYsTrZ36sVJ1TIwVEoHuRz8nrbWRuWeR9cGjjMIu_aem_rzaFA0v8UfudvYw5YZjcUw

For the Epic Northeast region, which means OH, PA, Hunter in NY, VT, and NH, it's hard to say that an Epic Northeast pass options are expensive.  A NE Value pass includes 10 days at Stowe, and has holiday black out dates.  The NE Midweek pass includes 5 days (M-F, non-peak) at Stowe, and unlimited M-F at the other Epic resorts in the "northeast."  

$497: Epic Northeast Value $662 Adult, $497 Sr (65-79)

  Hunter, VT non-peak, Stowe 10 days, NH, PA, OH, Mt Brighton in MI

$376: Epic Northeast Midweek Sr (65-79) - $497 Adult

  Mon-Fri, including Peak

  Hunter, VT non-peak, Stowe 5 days M-F, NH, PA, OH, Mt Brighton in MI

Note that there are 1-location Epic options in the midwest.  Used to be an Epic Ohio pass, which seems to have disappeared for 2026-27.

The daily lift tickets in the northeast region do not seem out of line with the regional competition.  Fair to say that national headlines related to Vail lift ticket prices rarely mention resorts in the midwest, NY, or New England.

For context, the Mountain Collective pass is $669 for adults for 2026-27.  Full Epic for an adult is $1089 for 2026-27.  Ikon will probably be around $1400.

then yew gotta git there and stay somewheres...feedndrink...tix are the least $$$ yer gonna drop if yew are on tour...lifelong self-sponsored semi-pro...yew!

I remember paying $90 for a Vail lift ticket back in 2002.  That means lift ticket prices have far outpaced inflation.  You can fly across the country for the same price you pay to ride the lift.  You might say there's a lot more expenses than the lift, because you got grooming, ski patrol, and other such things, but airlines have way more infrastructure and personnel than that, but can still give much lower relative prices for what you get.  Is it price gouging and someone's pocketing a crazy amount of money?  The only way I can figure how that wouldn't be the case is that everyone skis on the same day.  Basically, you have to pay extreme prices, because most of the time the resorts are relatively empty.  On those few days where everyone goes at the same time, high prices are a way to keep it not too crowded and pay for operations on empty days.  The problem is that raising the prices only makes it worse, because no one wants to pay $350 for a crappy day of skiing.  By the time someone is willing to pay those prices, it's got to be a fabulous day, and everyone is up there on that day making it even more crowded requiring even higher prices. 

The pass is one way to try to deal with this.  You pay without knowing what kind of days you'll get.  The income for the resort in that model is similar no matter how many bluebird powder days they get.  Therefore, it manages their risk.  Like I said before though, that model keeps out new people.  Instead, the solution has to focus more on crappy days of skiing.  They need to use empty days to allow people to get into the sport for much less money.  A beginner doesn't care about powder.  It only makes it worse for them.  This is basically dynamic pricing, but they need to do something more extreme than what they've been doing.  It's easy to jack up prices for holidays and weekends, but somehow they need to jack up prices for powder days as well, though it would take some creativity to figure out how to do that.  Maybe one method would be to have prices increase substantially as tickets sell.  If you want to be sure to ski, you have to buy well ahead of time, and you'll get a great price.  They do that a little bit, but not enough to make it worth buying ahead of time and risk going to the resort that didn't get snow.  That's basically what airlines do.  As the plane gets full the prices go way up.

A lot of resorts are already doing dynamic pricing. Wintergreen uses it for lift tickets purchased off its website -- much cheaper if you buy in advance, and bumps up in price every 10 or 15 tickets sold until it gets to full price, or sold out (they started capping). 

Stephen wrote:

I remember paying $90 for a Vail lift ticket back in 2002.  That means lift ticket prices have far outpaced inflation.  You can fly across the country for the same price you pay to ride the lift.  You might say there's a lot more expenses than the lift, because you got grooming, ski patrol, and other such things, but airlines have way more infrastructure and personnel than that, but can still give much lower relative prices for what you get.  Is it price gouging and someone's pocketing a crazy amount of money?  The only way I can figure how that wouldn't be the case is that everyone skis on the same day.  Basically, you have to pay extreme prices, because most of the time the resorts are relatively empty.  On those few days where everyone goes at the same time, high prices are a way to keep it not too crowded and pay for operations on empty days.  The problem is that raising the prices only makes it worse, because no one wants to pay $350 for a crappy day of skiing.  By the time someone is willing to pay those prices, it's got to be a fabulous day, and everyone is up there on that day making it even more crowded requiring even higher prices. 

The pass is one way to try to deal with this.  You pay without knowing what kind of days you'll get.  The income for the resort in that model is similar no matter how many bluebird powder days they get.  Therefore, it manages their risk.  Like I said before though, that model keeps out new people.  Instead, the solution has to focus more on crappy days of skiing.  They need to use empty days to allow people to get into the sport for much less money.  A beginner doesn't care about powder.  It only makes it worse for them.  This is basically dynamic pricing, but they need to do something more extreme than what they've been doing.  It's easy to jack up prices for holidays and weekends, but somehow they need to jack up prices for powder days as well, though it would take some creativity to figure out how to do that.  Maybe one method would be to have prices increase substantially as tickets sell.  If you want to be sure to ski, you have to buy well ahead of time, and you'll get a great price.  They do that a little bit, but not enough to make it worth buying ahead of time and risk going to the resort that didn't get snow.  That's basically what airlines do.  As the plane gets full the prices go way up.

 Vail is a bar/pub conglomerate attached to ski hills.
I know people that spend more on food and drink than it cost them to ski. That's where the money is at. Sure they will take your money for a pass too.

itdoesntmatter wrote:

Here is an article discussing the discount for skiers under the age of 30.  As a senior skier, I'm not happy. But I guess they figure that I'm already "hooked", but they've got to do something to get younger crowd hooked. 

https://www.summitdaily.com/news/vail-resorts-epic-pass-prices-high-discount/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAQUhrJjbGNrBBSFHmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHvqS_UpDJCgqIEV0_UYYuYsTrZ36sVJ1TIwVEoHuRz8nrbWRuWeR9cGjjMIu_aem_rzaFA0v8UfudvYw5YZjcUw