Vail Resorts RESERVED SKIING! It's gonna be EPIC!

[Snow Dog]

The new system is going to be a boon for higher-priced day pass holders at the expense of season pass holders.

I just read the FAQ and it states that Vail Resorts won't be selling walk-up window tickets at any of their resorts. All day tickets must be purchased online or over the phone and are subject to availability. However, day ticket customers will have the advantage of purchasing weeks/months in advance and thereby guaranteeing their dates. Whereas the Season Pass holders will only be able to reserve one week in advance.

That's not how I read it. A pass holder can have 7 "priority days" booked as far in advance as they want. As they use the priority days they can book new priority days. PLUS they can book as many same-week-of days as they can.

I wonder what happens if you book a day and don't show? Is there a charge? Do you lose a priority day?

[ASmileyFace]

Really? I didn't read the whole thing. Employees get a pass and first priority? Sheeeit, maybe time for Benny to do that liftie thing.


No, no, groomer. Yeah. Ten mm edible, Spotify over the stereo, plenty of water. Yeah.

This is either going to be the best year to work/live at a ski hill... or the worst. I can't figure out which one it will be yet.

[Benny Profane]

This is either going to be the best year to work/live at a ski hill... or the worst. I can't figure out which one it will be yet.

It will be the worst if you sign a six month lease and the mountain closes.

[AK47bp]

This is either going to be the best year to work/live at a ski hill... or the worst. I can't figure out which one it will be yet.

I sure as shit wouldn’t want to be in any type of guest relations or customer service role.


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[ASmileyFace]

I sure as shit wouldn’t want to be in any type of guest relations or customer service role.


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I spent my last two season in a very customer facing roll up in LCC. Safe to say I won't be going back this year lol.

[Benny Profane]

I sure as shit wouldn’t want to be in any type of guest relations or customer service role.


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Or a parking attendant.

[El Chupacabra]

I sure as shit wouldn’t want to be in any type of guest relations or customer service role.


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Ombudsman Benny has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

[Benny Profane]

I'd get a Go Back to Texas custom facemask made.

[AK47bp]

Ombudsman Benny has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

Epic’s very own Rontele for all your question asking pleasure.


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[optics]

Not inspiring me to buy a Kirkwood Pass. No way I can chance not being able to ski even though I have a pass.

OTOH, Kirkwood capacity maxes out via parking maxing out. Memories of the 18-19 season and people getting turned away at 10am because lots were full.

Knowing you have a res for the lifts should mean you can also park.

Seems like this is all going to be in the execution of the system on their side. For people who want to do just mornings every day, it sounds like the system will allow that - you just reserve every day of the week when the slots open and you're good.

The big shitshow might be around no-shows and how that gets managed and factored into the capacity numbers.

If a good percentage of passholders just get in the habit of racing the system to reserve every day of the week, but then they only show for one or two days, that's going to make for some seriously under-capacity days on the hill.

If they do some kind of reserve > confirm night before (or give up the spot) system, that could make sense.


Overall...it's a shitty situation for everyone. If the reservation system works and doesn't get crushed by people manipulating the system, it seems like a reasonable approach to me - given the overall situation and the options they have.

(Selfishly I don't care at all about day-ticket buyers being out of luck...we need these tahoe herds thinned anyway and if something's gotta give, I like that it's those folks.)

[SKIP IN7RO]

Coming to a ski area near you.

[The SnowShow]

This is either going to be the best year to work/live at a ski hill... or the worst. I can't figure out which one it will be yet.

The worst if it doesn’t snow.

[Lone Star]

This is either going to be the best year to work/live at a ski hill... or the worst. I can't figure out which one it will be yet.

this. regardless, it probably won't be dull.

[Toadman]

This really sucks for people who like to ski 5-6 days/wk, but only 2-3 hrs./day. I know so many who ski until 11:00-11:30 and then do other things

No, this really sucks for people who want to ski all day , and not do other things for a long weekend or for a short ski trip mid-week, but can't get a reservation because of people like you who only want to ski a couple of hours every single day, of every single week, of every single month.

[Benny Profane]

This really sucks for people who want to ski.

[snowaddict91]

people like you who only want to ski a couple of hours every single day, of every single week, of every single month.

You say that like its a bad thing?

Edit: shit, I agree with Benny!

[Toadman]

OTOH, Kirkwood capacity maxes out via parking maxing out. Memories of the 18-19 season and people getting turned away at 10am because lots were full.

Knowing you have a res for the lifts should mean you can also park.

Seems like this is all going to be in the execution of the system on their side. For people who want to do just mornings every day, it sounds like the system will allow that - you just reserve every day of the week when the slots open and you're good.

The big shitshow might be around no-shows and how that gets managed and factored into the capacity numbers.

If a good percentage of passholders just get in the habit of racing the system to reserve every day of the week, but then they only show for one or two days, that's going to make for some seriously under-capacity days on the hill.

If they do some kind of reserve > confirm night before (or give up the spot) system, that could make sense.


Overall...it's a shitty situation for everyone. If the reservation system works and doesn't get crushed by people manipulating the system, it seems like a reasonable approach to me - given the overall situation and the options they have.

(Selfishly I don't care at all about day-ticket buyers being out of luck...we need these tahoe herds thinned anyway and if something's gotta give, I like that it's those folks.)

If the software can do it, they will be able to flag folks that are repeated no-shows, and lock them out from the res system. I'm sure someone will hack the system, and book the crap out of it, and then show up with just their posse on a pow day.

[Toadman]

You say that like its a bad thing?

Edit: shit, I agree with Benny!

Didn't mean as a bad thing. And Benny is correct, for once.

[old goat]

I expect when things start people will overbook, the resorts will figure it out and fine tune in a hurry. I also expect there will be consequences for frequent no-showers--it should be easy to figure out if a pass with a reservation is scanned on that day. Anyway, good year to buy a restricted pass. The interesting thing will be to see how many people sit the season out. I suspect families especially--given the expense and that women tend to be less risk-taking.

[Toadman]

Or a parking attendant.

Or a liftie, or Patrol, or insert name of ski job here______

[optics]

I'm sure someone will hack the system, and book the crap out of it, and then show up with just their posse on a pow day.

yeah...and for better or for worse (I think mostly worse), tahoe is kinda close to a large population pool of people who are decent at hacking systems.

Luckily most of them go to heavenly. I hear it has MUCH better wifi than kirkwood. They should all go there. Every day.

[EZB]

It would be nice if they also all open their uphill routes for the whole day or had developed some that are in the woods

Have you ever skied before?

[yeahman]

If you no-show without canceling, your next reservation should be automatically canceled. That would provide people with incentive to at least go to the trouble of canceling, thereby opening up last-minute slots for walk-ons.

[gretch6364]

Hopefully they figure out a way to account for people leaving early to open up spots...or you can at least reserve morning or evening.

If this comes to Aspen and they don’t figure out a way to handle it correctly...no more Ajax lunch laps for all the locals working in town.


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[S_jenks]

If you no-show without canceling, your next reservation should be automatically canceled. That would provide people with incentive to at least go to the trouble of canceling, thereby opening up last-minute slots for walk-ons.

Didn’t bachelor have a problem with no-shows earlier this spring when they re-opened?

If anything, resorts like them should absolutely have their shit in order, since they’ve already had a chance to test out such a reservation system. No way the mom-and-pop resorts will be able to implement a reservation system like that. Wonder how they will handle it?