2015-2016 Mammoth/Baldy/Big Bear/SoCal: Let's Start the Show!

[davieboot]

The thing is, us Mammoth folks don't have another choice. If you want to spend your weekends skiing a world class mountain and you don't want to fly to ski every weekend it is Mammoth. Unlike Tahoe Mammoth has no competition.

This is the key, especially after they bought the southern California mountains. This is also why Jackson Hole can charge $1760 for a pass.

[mcski]

I don't know, I now wish squaw would go back to the Alex days and his exorbitantly priced passes. These low cost passes have screwed pow days more than anything imo.

[comish]

Woof, that is gonna hurt. Plus when I add in 3 kids in Mighty Mites/U10's. I have grown to love Mammoth, far more than Tahoe, but not too psyched about this from the selfish perspective of my checking account.

I think it will help with what mcski is talking about and predict they are gonna sell a lot fewer passes which should help lines/pow a bit next year...

[TWINS]

$699 for 3 days next week.

[Long duc dong]

I don't know, I now wish squaw would go back to the Alex days and his exorbitantly priced passes. These low cost passes have screwed pow days more than anything imo.

This is a good point. Back when I lived in Tahoe Squaw was something like 1200 early or 1600 if you bought it after July. This made it pretty tough to justify for lots of weekenders, who probably went to Alpine or Sugar Bowl instead, as those passes were something like 600 or 800, I think. From what I hear Squaw is now even more hellish on weekend pow days because of the cheap passes.

I think the more expensive Mammoth passes will cut off some people, but it is hard to know how many. I get about 30 days there a year, 2 to 3 weekends a month and a couple of one week trips, so for me it is still worth it, but for people who get 15 days it might lead them to avoid the pass and stop coming up as much. At 15 days that is almost 70 dollars a day even with the pass, so that is quite a bit. I think some of the people who were coming up 10 days will now drop it and just go fewer times, buying the tickets early to get a bit of a deal.

What does suck is that I remember when this was a great deal. Now it is just like any other early season pass purchase, just a better deal than waiting. I guess maybe it will make the mountain less crowded, but it is still a pretty hefty increase. Oh well, I will get over it pretty fast. It is still a good deal for my wife and I, and we don't have a choice anyway. I just hope they decide this price point is right, and they don't increase it anymore. $999 is pretty steep for an early season deal, so you really can't call this a great bargain anymore, it is just ordinary.

[comish]

$699 for 3 days next week.

Interesting. Is this a Twins only secret sale? Looks like standard Mammoth marketing where some people find out about it and others don't. Hmm, who wants to bet on whether their server pukes? They don't have a very good track record in that department on their limited time pass sales...

That is a lot more palatable. If they went from $689 to $999 I was going to be super surprised.

[TWINS]

Yep, I was chatting on the Mammoth forum about this subject this morning.
Then the mail showed up.
Their marketing team is so crazy. But then I am used to it as every year they screw up getting our passes in the mail.

[Long duc dong]

$699 for 3 days next week.

WOW!!! Thanks for the info TWINS. I usually buy mine when they go on sale anyway, but this will give me more incentive to do so. The server used to crash when they limited the number of MVP passes and everyone jumped on it at the beginning. The MVP's were limited to 25,000 or something like that, and they usually sold out before the end of April.

[Long duc dong]

Yep, I was chatting on the Mammoth forum about this subject this morning.
Then the mail showed up.
Their marketing team is so crazy. But then I am used to it as every year they screw up getting our passes in the mail.

Did you get an email about this? Or some snail mail? I have not gotten anything yet.

[Eastern Sierra Skier]

So Mammoth officially announced their pricing today for 2016/2017. $699 if purchased within the first 72 hrs. Interesting timing, coming just after the posts started turning up here and on their facebook page last night and this morning.

[Long duc dong]

I just found this on the Mammoth forums:

http://www.easternsierraforum.com/vi...18934&start=15

They are not revealing too much, but based on this it appears that the price won't be $999. I will still want to renew on the first day. I will be driving up Friday night and skiing through Thursday, then coming home Thursday night. I will hit up the special tickets office while I am there to prevent dealing with a server crash. Good luck to everyone else.

[Eastern Sierra Skier]

The thing is, us Mammoth folks don't have another choice. If you want to spend your weekends skiing a world class mountain and you don't want to fly to ski every weekend it is Mammoth. Unlike Tahoe Mammoth has no competition.

This is the key, especially after they bought the southern California mountains. This is also why Jackson Hole can charge $1760 for a pass.

Maybe, but I'm not sure how much competition or lack thereof really affects the pricing, i.e. Snow Bird. Here's a press release from them last summer......

"Unlimited Adult Passes are $999, which provide access to the Aerial Tram and all chairlifts without any blackout dates or restrictions. Other unique adult season pass products such as Chairs Only, midweek Unlimited, and midweek Chairs Only Passes are all $799 through September, 10, 2015."

There's a ton of competition around SLC.

[Long duc dong]

Maybe, but I'm not sure how much competition or lack thereof really affects the pricing, i.e. Snow Bird. Here's a press release from them last summer......

"Unlimited Adult Passes are $999, which provide access to the Aerial Tram and all chairlifts without any blackout dates or restrictions. Other unique adult season pass products such as Chairs Only, midweek Unlimited, and midweek Chairs Only Passes are all $799 through September, 10, 2015."

There's a ton of competition around SLC.

You have a point, but I think Snowbird is in a very good position when compared to the other areas in SLC. They are the only large mountain with great steeps that allows snowboarding, and they are much more modern than Alta. Park City is not as steep, and Brighton and Solitude (correct me if I'm wrong) are not as big. I don't think Snowbird has quite as much competition there as it would seem. I think that if Park City was as steep as the bird and got as much snow it might cause a bit of a price contest. Although doesn't Vail own Park City now? Anyway, I think Snowbird is uniquely positioned to catch a large share of the SLC demographic.

I don't know how much increased competition would change Mammoth, but I do think it would have some effect. If Mammoth was in Tahoe they would have to compete with SquawAlpine in northlake and Kirkwood in SLT, in terms of the big mountains with good terrain. I guess they would compete with Heavenly too, although I would not want to ski there. It might not cause Mammoth to lower season ticket prices, but I don't think they would increase from 689 to 999. That is a huge jump and it would cause them to lose some people to Squaw and to the Epic Pass. Those passes are cheaper, and offer more mountains and better terrain if you are talking about Squaw. I would choose Squaw over Mammoth if I had the choice, and maybe Alpine too. If Mammoth went up to 999 I think they would lose some of their pass holders to other mountains if they were in Tahoe and people had other options. I could be wrong, that would just be my guess. I think Mammoth in Tahoe would have a bit more competition than Snowbird in SLC as their are more Tahoe resorts that can offer a similar experience to Mammoth than their are SLC resorts that can offer a similar experience to Snowbird. Of course I could be completely wrong, who really knows, that is just what I would guess.

Truth be told, it would not change my purchase choice. I would probably choose Squaw over Mammoth if Squaw were 830 (which is I think what it is) and Mammoth was 500. I like Squaw better so my choice would be based on which mountain I like rather than price. I know some others would feel differently, some people like Mammoth better and I can understand why they do, I would just choose Squaw. I don't know how much cheaper Mammoth would have to be for me to choose it. I think competition would keep Mammoth from a huge raise like this, I think they would go up more gradually. Who knows, I could be wrong, I just wish I had options. If Mammoth offered their passes for 1500 I would still have to buy it. I really hope they don't go up anymore.

Of course this could all just be a bad rumor. Based on the thread from the other forum I posted it seems like the $999 price might not be accurate. Let's hope it isn't.

[skiSilent_skiDeep]

Maybe, but I'm not sure how much competition or lack thereof really affects the pricing, i.e. Snow Bird. Here's a press release from them last summer......

"Unlimited Adult Passes are $999, which provide access to the Aerial Tram and all chairlifts without any blackout dates or restrictions. Other unique adult season pass products such as Chairs Only, midweek Unlimited, and midweek Chairs Only Passes are all $799 through September, 10, 2015."

There's a ton of competition around SLC.

indeed, plenty of comp here in the wasatch with the new walmart [read: vail/epic pass] setting up shop over in park city.
FTR, i scored on the earlybird purchase for the Snowbird family unlimited pass last summer. $1900. in addition to your posted snowbird statement, it also included additional perks such as 3 Alta passes and 3 Deer Valley passes per pass holder, and 50% discounted passes to all participating Mountain Collective resorts.
in fact, gonna be in your neck of the woods next week taking advantage of said discount.

[whitekingsalmon]

I guess they are testing it to see just how much they can wring out of people. I will buy it anyway, but $999 is a huge increase. The thing is, us Mammoth folks don't have another choice. If you want to spend your weekends skiing a world class mountain and you don't want to fly to ski every weekend it is Mammoth. Unlike Tahoe Mammoth has no competition.

That really is a huge increase. I hope it is not true. I too remember the days of $399. I guess a good season has given them the impetus to raise the prices. The whole Big Bear thing bugs me, I don't ski there when I'm not at Mammoth so that is useless. I was pissed when they bought Big Bear because I thought they would use it as an excuse to raise pass prices and sure enough they have. I would like to say fuck them but unfortunately I don't have the choice. Sometimes I wish I lived in the Bay.

Mammoth is not a world class ski area....maybe in California n the usa it is but not the world.... BTW you talk to much weekender.

[Long duc dong]

... BTW you talk to much weekender.

You are correct about it not being world class, but I am happy with it. If you don't like my posts you can ignore me. My guess is that you are on your way to being as popular here as you are on the surfing forum. Good luck with that. And I am happy being a weekender. I spent half a decade in Tahoe and while I loved it I decided it was time to leave. I'm happy with that decision, if I was not I would move back. Hopefully you are as happy in your travels as I am with my life, although based on what I have seen of you I doubt it.

[Jumper Bones]

So for people shelling out this kind of dinero for Mammy, where do you stay during your weekends? How much does that run you? For me, the mortgage kind of presses things to the limit, so a second place up there is out of the question.

And coming from the LA area (right near Twins), 4 hours each way...no thanks, I'd rather weekend it. But how much can one reasonably expect to spend for a place to crash for a night or two?

At least I have midweek days off. And work 4-10s with 3-day weekends.

[comish]

So for people shelling out this kind of dinero for Mammy, where do you stay during your weekends? How much does that run you? For me, the mortgage kind of presses things to the limit, so a second place up there is out of the question.

And coming from the LA area (right near Twins), 4 hours each way...no thanks, I'd rather weekend it. But how much can one reasonably expect to spend for a place to crash for a night or two?

At least I have midweek days off. And work 4-10s with 3-day weekends.

Rented a place for the winter for a decade + with a bunch of friends. 4 bedroom house used to run us $200 to $300 per person per month. Mid Nov (scheduled opening day) through Memorial Day was what we did. Worked great and is still the cheapest/easiest way to do it. Look in August/ early September for next year.

Bought a condo 3ish years ago. Nice to tag the real estate bottom, but it definitely costs us more this way than the above rental method. With 3 kids the group thing wasn't going to work much longer...

[Idyllwild]

Me and my friends usually just sleep in our cars. after a long touring day or day on the hill I am happy to pass out at 8-9 pm, wake up at 7 then warm myself at schats or McDonald's before the day begins again.

[Long duc dong]

So for people shelling out this kind of dinero for Mammy, where do you stay during your weekends? How much does that run you? For me, the mortgage kind of presses things to the limit, so a second place up there is out of the question.

And coming from the LA area (right near Twins), 4 hours each way...no thanks, I'd rather weekend it. But how much can one reasonably expect to spend for a place to crash for a night or two?

At least I have midweek days off. And work 4-10s with 3-day weekends.

You are stoked to work 4 10's. I might be there in a couple of years, but not yet.

Our ski lease runs $385 per month, but that is on the very high side. We have been with the same core people for 7 winters now. The group has changed but a couple of us have been here for the duration. We are all couples, and don't go out and party late so it works well. A few years ago one of the couples in the condo bought a place, so we all only have to rent it from Nov through May, and we have the same condo year after year so no need to find a new place every year which is nice. It allows dogs, so that helps us too. There are two bedrooms downstairs and a loft with 4 twin beds. The couch also folds out, and we have a couple of air matresses if all 6 couples come up, although I have never had that happen in all my years. I don't know if I have even seen more than 4 couples on a given weekend, although I am never there for New Year's. Anyway, you could probably find a ski lease for less money than what we pay, although you might find one with more people and without the stability we have. I would start trying to find a group, or find a group to join in early summer, as that will give you plenty of time. I know a number of people on here are involved in season long leases, so you might find a group to get into. We are not looking for new members at this time, but if a spot opens up I will let you know.

[TWINS]

I was in a ski lease for ten years until we purchased a fixer upper last September. There still are some low end condos for sale right now but those are slowly going back up in price. HOA`s are the secret hidden cost that might not be posted.
Not doing turn arounds anymore. Too much driving for me so we usually do 3 days minimum and try for 4 days.Talking to friends most pay around 200 per person. And if its a rack and stack that price goes down. If you are looking I will keep a eye out if there are any openings this summer. Usually a spot opens up as family's grow like the Comishes.

[Long duc dong]

Got the flyer about the pass deal yesterday. Sure enough, 699 for March 21 through 23. I will be in Mammoth those days so I will go in and avoid the inevitable server crash. It says save up to 150, I'm not sure it that means it immediately goes up to 849 or it goes up in increments, they did not say. This three day deal is only for current passholders.

[Piggity]

Sucks being injured last year and not getting the 3 day discount option

[liv2ski]

Kind of feels like $699 was the price back in 2006 to 2013? But maybe I am incorrect. As far as lodging, I have found some ways to keep it really cheap. Look into ski clubs where you drive up your self or with other members. I belong to a few clubs and my average cost per night is about $38. I could get it a little lower, but I am ok with that. I may try and buy a place this summer and rent it out mostly with some personal use. I will have to see what happens with the market.
Staying with the club is fun, as there are lots of people to ski with, if I buy something, well then I will be skiing alone a lot, which may suck. I need to think about that.

[liketoride]

Hi, Hello, How's it going? This weekend will be my annual pilgrimage to Mammoth. I'm hoping someone can give me advice on finding discounts or deals on lift tickets. I was checking out liftopia but they don't seem any cheaper than just buying tickets at the resort. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!