Sharing passes

[guroo270]

It's not ducking ropes and endangering lives...

You guys do it? Got caught? Memorize bday, address, and name and you should be golden right?

Figured I'd start a conversation about it because I got curious about pass fraud and there doesn't really seem to be any conversation about what resorts are doing to thwart it since 2010. Seems like buddies used to do it all the time, but I was always going up to the hill so I never handed mine over. Have they linked your FB check-ins to your ski pass yet? I bet that ain't far off - check in online in SF while the pass is getting scanned at North Star...

Like I said, the conversation appears to have dropped off since 2010ish, so did the $1000 fine for "theft of services" and up to 180 days in jail end this?

[WTF is dat]

Idk I don't do it but I've got bros who do it at abasin all the time and vail hasn't even asked me my info at all the past two seasons even though I look like a little kid in my pass picture

[digitaldeath]

you'd find rope ducking more fun

[FormerKnuckleDragger]

Squawlpine outfitted the lifties with tablets that bring up your pass photo when you tag your pass. Some lifties will say "Hello, <your name>" (probably just being polite, not some psyops thing). At other lifts with multiple lanes (the Funitel), sometimes the system gets bogged down (photos load slow or in random order not matched to the gate) and the lifties will stop you and ask to see your pass.

Of course, nobody says anything to the guys with the full face masks, mirrored goggles, and helmets that make photo ID impossible. I don't think Squaw collects biometric (height, weight) data, so as long as you're within a decade or two of the passholder, I doubt any eyebrows would be raised.

[XXX-er]

Can you say Retina scan?

its coming

[jgb@etree]

It's not ducking ropes and endangering lives...

You guys do it? Got caught? Memorize bday, address, and name and you should be golden right?

Figured I'd start a conversation about it because I got curious about pass fraud and there doesn't really seem to be any conversation about what resorts are doing to thwart it since 2010. Seems like buddies used to do it all the time, but I was always going up to the hill so I never handed mine over. Have they linked your FB check-ins to your ski pass yet? I bet that ain't far off - check in online in SF while the pass is getting scanned at North Star...

Like I said, the conversation appears to have dropped off since 2010ish, so did the $1000 fine for "theft of services" and up to 180 days in jail end this?

A bunch of friends used to play that game @ Kmart a little in college, before ASC had the $250 all east college pass. Back then, the mountain paid the lifty's a $100 bounty for every person they could catch using someone elses pass, so some were pretty motivated. I've seen them ask people to take their goggles/hat/helmet off so they could compare their face to the pic on the pass. If you couldn't find a pass to 'borrow' for the day, you'd put a fishing sinker on your buddys pass lanyard so they could toss it off the lift to you after they loaded the chair.

tl;dr: Don't be an ass, buy your own pass. If you're still in college they should be cheap. If you're not in college, you should be able to afford one.

[Bandit Man]

If you don't want to pay to ride the lift, get some touring gear. Otherwise, pay for the privilege. Lifties, patrol staff, lodge personnel, etc. gotta get paid. If you want a free sport, pickup playground basketball or if you are a dentist, tennis.

[Meadow Skipper]

Green pass:


Shareable as fuck.

[guroo270]

A bunch of friends used to play that game @ Kmart a little in college, before ASC had the $250 all east college pass. Back then, the mountain paid the lifty's a $100 bounty for every person they could catch using someone elses pass, so some were pretty motivated. I've seen them ask people to take their goggles/hat/helmet off so they could compare their face to the pic on the pass. If you couldn't find a pass to 'borrow' for the day, you'd put a fishing sinker on your buddys pass lanyard so they could toss it off the lift to you after they loaded the chair.

I've heard of people tossing the pass from the lift, and the green pass, too. I'd guess most people here are enthusiasts and have no real issue forking out the dough to support the mountains - I don't. I think they're pricing themselves out of the market for newcomers with these $140 lift tickets, though. I certainly miss the old college snowbomb.com Kirkwood pass for $200 days.

[Bobcat Sig]

I've shared, though never while on hill. If I couldn't go and a friend asked, I obliged.

Like JGB mentioned earlier, Meadows now too has tablets that pull up pass holder pictures.

[Dantheman]

Like I said, the conversation appears to have dropped off since 2010ish, so did the $1000 fine for "theft of services" and up to 180 days in jail end this?

Some years ago there was a thread here on this subject (of course). In that thread reliable sources stated that the penalty at Solitude and Snowbird included lifetime bans for both parties. I can't imagine they're the only ones with that policy.

[babybear]

we usually don't partake in this but Andrew's dad of all people turned us to the criminal side

we do a ski trip with andrew's parents to Park City every Dec and the conditions were shiite last yr.
so to save money he and and andrew's mom would ski the am and then they would give us their day ticket to ski the afternoon. NBD except andrew's dad gets a senior citizens ticket
Those of you that know us or andrew will attest that his white beard worked though lol. and then for the fun of it in the lines when they would scan us I'd say something like "come on daddy" just for extra effect

[Timberridge]

I know a couple kids who are ticket scanners in S. VT. If you get busted the liftie gets $30-$50 bounty. Then it will cost you $150-$200 to get the pass back after a trip to the office for the 1st offense. Not sure what the policy is after that.

[Sagamoron]

A bunch of friends used to play that game @ Kmart a little in college, before ASC had the $250 all east college pass. Back then, the mountain paid the lifty's a $100 bounty for every person they could catch using someone elses pass, so some were pretty motivated. I've seen them ask people to take their goggles/hat/helmet off so they could compare their face to the pic on the pass. If you couldn't find a pass to 'borrow' for the day, you'd put a fishing sinker on your buddys pass lanyard so they could toss it off the lift to you after they loaded the chair.

tl;dr: Don't be an ass, buy your own pass. If you're still in college they should be cheap. If you're not in college, you should be able to afford one.

We used to tell the people at the ticket window that we left our ski pass back in our dorm then they would give us a day pass(of course the pass was in your pocket.) Turn right around and sell that in the parking lot for beer and gas money to get back to the dorm. Worked for a while then a girl got popped, gave up the jig and we were back to having to return cans for extra money..

[Mofro261]

I spent a winter in Jackson 89-90 ski bumming with 3 other dirt poor dudes. We survived by clipping tickets of tourons who were leaving before noon. I seem to remember not everyone being that willing to donate to our cause and that I got chased a few times after using an overly aggressive "clip first, ask question later" approach.

[babybear]

^ wait so you would just sneak up on them with wire cutters or something?
that would be hilarious to watch

[evdog]

A friend of mine got busted using my bike pass at Whistler years ago. I had a broken wrist and wasn't going to need it again that season. He got away with it til one lap he forgot to keep his goggles/helmet on and they recognized the pass wasn't him. I thought I'd get an earful when I bought my pass the next year but no one said anything.

The other thing we'd do is sell 2 for 1 passes. At the Warren miller shows you'd pay $5 to watch the movie and get a free 2 for 1 Whistler pass coupon. Friends of mine would buy 20-30 entries and sell the coupons for $50 each in the parking lot. We did that with bike park passes too when they put a 2 for 1 bike park coupon in the Entertainment book. We got busted selling those occasionally but they would just confiscate the one we were trying to sell.

[Jong Lafitte]

^ wait so you would just sneak up on them with wire cutters or something?
that would be hilarious to watch

I would love to see Monty Python doing this skit. Guy standing behind the mark with wire cutters and the mark keeps looking back so the thief just keeps jolting back into some innocent looking position.

"excuse me, what are you doing?"
"who, me?" (nobody else is there)
"yes, who else would I be speaking to"
"Oh, right, well, nothing really, just standing here"
"were you trying to cut my pass off?"
"WHAT!?!?! NO!! certainly not"
"then why do you have those wire cutters?"
"What wire cutters?"
"the ones in your hand?"
"oh, right, these, well they're nothing really"
"I must say I do believe you were trying to cut off my pass"
"I most certainly was not....but... would you mind if I did?"
"WOULD I MIND IF YOU DID!?!?!"
"yeah"
"Would I mind if you cut off my pass? Is that what you're asking?"
"yeah"
"no, I suppose I wouldn't be bothered by that, I was leaving anyway"

yeah, well, that's why they're Monty Python and I'm not, but you get the idea.
meh,whaddyallknowfromfunnyanyway....

[Mofro261]

^ wait so you would just sneak up on them with wire cutters or something?
that would be hilarious to watch

Yes.

At first we were polite and would ask or offer up 5-10 bones, but when our whiskey fund ran low we stayed drunk and got bolder.

[irul&ublo]

....I'd say something like "come on daddy" just for extra effect and kink factor

FIFY.....

[gatorboy]

Back in the late 90's, while working at a shop at mega-ski-mega-money Colorado, I would get tourists who stopped skiing before noon to "donate" their daily ticket to me....because my brother/sister/mom/dad was in town and wanted to get a few turns in. As soon as they left the shop, and the next customer came in, we'd offer them a deal for the ticket. Brought in a couple hundred dollars many days....split equally among the crew that was working that day. Never got caught...

This was before taking pictures and lift-ops having tablets.

[smitchell333]

I had to lift ticket shuttle at Taos one time in college when I had actually bought a ticket. Bought tickets with cash, went up top for a couple hours, then came down on a top to bottom run, pulled up to the lift and guy says "where's your ticket,". I look down and empty wicket. Sticky didn't take and ticket came off somehow. I go back to ticket office and they say it's like losing cash unless you have a CC receipt. I went to the head office and they said no way, "we've fallen for that scam too many times." They actually threatened to call the sheriff when I kept complaining about my predicament.

So I had no choice but to have one of my friends ski down with another friends ski jacket with ticket attached so that I could actually ski. They didn't check tickets on the top lifts so I just stayed up there the rest of the day. I actually had to scam to get the skiing that I had paid for.

Ironic since could have scammed in the first place with the ticket shuttle or by having a friend use a CC and giving me his receipt to then claim that I lost the ticket, but no I paid and then had to scam to get my money's worth.

[EEC]

Was prior to 2010 I think 06-09, but I used to say I lost my season pass and get a replacement for like $40 or something. Would give the old one to my buddy and we'd ride together all season. Had to read/know the lifties to figure out how much space to leave in between us but for it worked for 2 or 3 seasons. A lot of the time we stood in line together.

[FLS]

Everything going digital these days, I was wondering what would happen if you did the 'ol "Left my pass..." and got the day ticket. Aren't the systems smart enough to void the pass scan? If not, what if they were both scanned side by side or with in a minute or so?

Have found day tickets on the slope on a few occasions because someone did not secure it properly. Always felt bad for who ever lost it. I'll usually try to find someone at the window line who "looks" deserving and hook them up.

[assman]

As we travel about this season from east to BC then west, I have to say if you value your skiing, want to see improvements to snowmaking, lifts, infrastructure, buy your own fucking pass. Don't be a scumbag