Season passes and Covid 19

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connyro
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Season passes and Covid 19

Post by connyro » Thu Oct 01, 2020 5:23 pm

Our local hill is offering season passes this season but they state that they will issue no refunds in case of closure due to covid 19 regulations. What is your local hill's policy about season passes/opening/covid-19 safety? Are you buying one this season or not? Is your local hill even opening this season?

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Woodserson
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Re: Season passes and Covid 19

Post by Woodserson » Thu Oct 01, 2020 8:56 pm

Great questions

I got two local passes and the Indy Pass. All have some sort of provision. This being said, my passes were $279, $199, and $199 respectively. I don't want to lose money, but I also didn't shell out 1500 bucks for a pass.

Is your local mountain independently owned or is it part of a larger group? The small indie mountains are getting slammed without deep pockets... (of course that being said we're about to see how deep Vails pockets really are after last year's acquisitions, they may not be deep enough). Family owned Pat's Peak for instance, is getting slammed on two ends, wedding season in the summer and school groups in the fall-- they are the second busiest school group mountain in New England... problematic for their income stream here.

I got midweek only at Pat's Peak: You can transfer your pass, no questions asked, no fee, to 21/22 season by December 10th... then it seems to be up in the air.

Pass at Whaleback: "After opening day, all Whaleback Season Pass holders are eligible for a pro-rated credit in the event that Whaleback is closed for more than 10 scheduled operating days due to COVID-19 between December 22, 2020 and March 14, 2021. Pro-rated credit will be based on the purchase price of the Pass. The credit can be applied to a season pass purchase for the following (2021-22) season."

(Whaleback dropped their pass rates for this season in light of the economic situation, very cool)

I also got an Indy Pass and they say: "You will receive an automatic credit for a 2021-22 pass if, for any reason, you use your Indy Pass less than four days – no questions asked."

Zero days = 80% credit
One day = 60% credit
Two days = 40% credit
Three days = 20% credit



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Montana St Alum
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Re: Season passes and Covid 19

Post by Montana St Alum » Sun Oct 25, 2020 10:56 am

The Epic Pass has a pretty good "insurance" policy.
I got the Park City pass (Epic. If you're either retired military or a veteran, they have really good prices - retired is $129) and a Deer Valley pass (Ikon) which is half price over 65. I'm not sure what the insurance is on that. It doesn't much matter since my only real objective is to spend the children's inheritance.



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connyro
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Re: Season passes and Covid 19

Post by connyro » Tue Nov 17, 2020 3:36 pm

Woodserson wrote:
Thu Oct 01, 2020 8:56 pm

Is your local mountain independently owned or is it part of a larger group? The small indie mountains are getting slammed without deep pockets... (of course that being said we're about to see how deep Vails pockets really are after last year's acquisitions, they may not be deep enough). Family owned Pat's Peak for instance, is getting slammed on two ends, wedding season in the summer and school groups in the fall-- they are the second busiest school group mountain in New England... problematic for their income stream here.
Yes the local hill here is independently owned. Rumor has it that season pass holders will only be allowed to ski during weekdays and racers only on weekends in order to keep crowds down. I like this plan because I usually ski weekdays anyhow. We'll see how it all pans out once they open...



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fgd135
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Re: Season passes and Covid 19

Post by fgd135 » Tue Nov 17, 2020 4:45 pm

I have a season pass to a local resort that is owned by Powdr Corp. Their Covid policy so far says full refunds to anyone that has not skied by Dec 10th, and a promise to issue credits if the hill has to shut down because of local or other related restrictions after that date.
The XC center attached to the area doesn't even open open until Dec 15th, so not sure how they would handle that situation if some one decides on a refund.
They're also restricting parking at the area, requiring parking reservations so crowds can be limited, esp. on weekends. I never ever ride chairlifts on weekends since I quit patrolling, so no big deal for me, and weekdays are never crowded except during holidays, which is also not a time to ride the lifts.
We'll see how this all shakes out.
In the meantime, it will be a good winter for backcountry tours.
"To me, gracefulness on skis should be the end-all of the sport" --Stein Eriksen



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connyro
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Re: Season passes and Covid 19

Post by connyro » Sun Dec 06, 2020 11:04 am

Our local hill just released their covid guidelines for the season. Basically skiers must boot up in their cars, wear face covering, and maintain social distancing. Purchasing tickets is done online or with a $5 in person purchase fee. Season pass holders just go straight to the lifts. No congregating is permitted inside the lodge. All seems pretty reasonable to me. I think I'll throw a portable propane fire pit, beer, some lawn chairs and my ski stuff into the back of the truck and call the parking lot good enough!



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