VIP/(Very Important Payer) Pass for No Lines or Early Access Ski Resort

[wordbird]

Omg Harry, I forgot all about that.
That Mammoth thing is hilarious.
Around here, they don't open till 9:30. 10 after daylight savings time. No joke. They're not letting anyone jump the line, or anything. Sometimes, I think they're just lazy.

They really need to adjust their spring hours to account for el sol after a dump. 8:00 would be nice, 8:30 would be okay, I would even take 9!

[iceclimb]

Skins?

[Atlas Q. Powmonger]

I've tagged along with some guys who have the black pass... they used to hire a private lesson on good days to accomplish the same thing, this saves the annoyance of waiting for a slow "instructor" I guess?

[Shredhead]

First Tracks is free in Aspen and thankfully, we don't have lines too cut very often.

[claymond]

I've never been cut in line by someone from 7 summits not with a Snowbird guide. Pretty sure I'd heckle them if I was.

It's not really cutting they use the seven summits/mountain school line. Side door on the right for the tram. Doesn't bother me, it's a ton of money for what you get I think but some of them do ski almost everyday so they're doing something right

[Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo]

First Tracks is free in Aspen and thankfully, we don't have lines too cut very often.

My thoughts exactly. If your lift lines are so bad that you feel the need to pay a bunch of money to cut them on a pow day you're skiing at the wrong mountain.

[XXX-er]

Omg Harry, I forgot all about that.
That Mammoth thing is hilarious.
Around here, they don't open till 9:30. 10 after daylight savings time. No joke. They're not letting anyone jump the line, or anything. Sometimes, I think they're just lazy.

they don't open till 10 up here either and most every area north of sunpeaks is only open 4 or 5 days a week but I'm betting its to save 4 on wages & costs

you want 1st tracks just walk up up to the lift 10min before it opens

also we get <8hrs of light up here in december

[TahoeJ]

$275,000 though, damn. That's a lot of licked boots.

I think if you can afford that you're the one wearing the boots that are being licked. ;-)

[Zennan]

My thoughts exactly. If your lift lines are so bad that you feel the need to pay a bunch of money to cut them on a pow day you're skiing at the wrong mountain.

Very true, unless you just can't get anywhere else, or it is just a nice hit for a day you can't get to somewhere better, but if it is like Aspen, prolly can ski somewhere else lol

[stuckathuntermtn]

They really need to adjust their spring hours to account for el sol after a dump. 8:00 would be nice, 8:30 would be okay, I would even take 9!

I told you, some of it is just laziness. Ronnie and What'shisface have their way of doing things, and they won't change it. It's a shit show. Cheap old fucks can go the fuck to sleep.

[BobMc]

It's not really cutting they use the seven summits/mountain school line. Side door on the right for the tram. Doesn't bother me, it's a ton of money for what you get I think but some of them do ski almost everyday so they're doing something right

My second season at the Bird a guy I saw every day (my skiing days) in the tram line the season before was coming in through the side door, the next two seasons he was back with the rabble, this season he's back in the door. Heh, coming up with that much scratch every year must be tough. In my four seasons over in the LCC the only thing that's changed on me is my coat, blue to orange, I won't be coming in the side door anytime soon.

[Harry]

Ronnie

I hate that hair-lipped bitch.

and What'shisface

Brad ? Or Pat ???
Both are assholes.

[ACH]

My second season at the Bird a guy I saw every day (my skiing days) in the tram line the season before was coming in through the side door, the next two seasons he was back with the rabble, this season he's back in the door. Heh, coming up with that much scratch every year must be tough. In my four seasons over in the LCC the only thing that's changed on me is my coat, blue to orange, I won't be coming in the side door anytime soon.

Black pass...
Side door privileges, walk right up, get right on.
BITD these were granted to benefactors of some sort of Snowbird foundation (someone else might be able to confirm that), they were lifetime and fully transferable as I recall. I had a close friend in management back then and benefitted greatly from the transferable feature...

[BobMc]

Black pass...
Side door privileges, walk right up, get right on.
BITD these were granted to benefactors of some sort of Snowbird foundation (someone else might be able to confirm that), they were lifetime and fully transferable as I recall. I had a close friend in management back then and benefitted greatly from the transferable feature...

No, 7 Summits like mentioned earlier. They get to go in the side door, scoot the line everywhere. There's also a toned down version that lets you cut the chairs but not the tram. The figure I've heard for 7 summits is 17k per, I'm sure for some it's worth it if the money is free and easy.

They get early trams sometime, usually handcuffed to Regulator. They don't get heckled, pay the money and you get the respect I suppose? Now the new snowcat guide that brought his entire dozen clients up through the entire tram line maze a week ago or so, yeah, those folks got heckled.

[Vitamin I]

My thoughts are that privileged passes are OK as long as everything is transparent instead of a "secret" pass. On a resort's webpage where they list the various season pass options for sale, I feel they should also display the VIP Pass and explain what privileges it gets (even if that pass is sold out, or there is a waitlist, or you must be a literal founder to qualify, or whatever). That way, the people who buy the other pass options are aware that there are other VIP pass holders who will get first tracks, cut lines, etc---and then people can consider that transparent info before buying their own pass. I have the same opinion for day tickets---display the VIP fresh tracks 1-day ticket in the same list as the regular 1-day tickets, so people know.

This thread also mentioned people "abusing" line-cutting privileges for "private lessons" on a pow day, when skiers just walk into the ski school and ask for their fastest/raddest pow skier instructor buddy, so they can cut lines for maximum pow laps. I've never heard anyone challenge line-cutting privileges for disabled skiers at Whistler, but here's a case that some people might feel is unfair. My friend's disability is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, so she can ski kind of hard, but does not have the stamina to ski all day to "get her full money's worth", especially if she must spend her limited energy on standing in long lift lines. This was a few years ago, but Whistler would charge her full price for her 1-day ticket, but then give her a free 2nd ticket for an escort buddy, and also give her whole skier posse of friends lift-line cutting privileges (the ski school line). So, our posse on those days could ski fast line-cutting pow laps with her for the first 3-4 hours of the morning until she got tired, then she would quit, and the rest of us would continue to ski the afternoon without any more special lift-line privileges. Seemed like we were cheating for morning pow laps, but on the other hand, it seemed like that was a fair way to enable her to share a pow day experience with friends.

.

[shredthenektar]

Line cutting definitely leaves a sour taste in your mouth, when you have been waiting sometimes over an hour for a lift to run and a first tracks group (or something like that) or private lesson cuts in on the first few chairs or gondola or tram.

However, I would make the comparison it is similar to paying for first class on an airplane.