Vail tickets top $80!

**funkendrenchman** · 12-07-2005, 01:59 PM

$81 for a single day.... that's 1/4 of what I pay for a season pass that includes 10 days at Vail. Thank god for the suckers that buy these tickets... helps keep the pass price down.

DENVER (AP) - Be prepared to dig a bit deeper into the pocketbook if you plan to buy a single-day lift ticket at Vail, Breckenridge or Keystone.

Vail Resorts today announced higher single-day lift ticket prices for the three Colorado resorts, plus Heavenly in California and Nevada.

The price at Vail and Beaver Creek will be $81, four dollars higher than last season. The single-day price is $75 at Breckenridge and Keystone, also up four dollars.

The price at Heavenly will increase five dollars to $73 a piece, an increase of 7.4 percent.

The price hikes will take effect later this month.

Vail Resorts Chief Executive Officer Adam Aron says officials are optimistic about the season ahead, since both reservations and season pass sales are up.

Vail Resorts owns and operates Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone and Breckenridge ski areas in Colorado, Heavenly in Nevada and California, and Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson, Wyoming.

It is the second largest ski operator in North America behind Intrawest Corporation.

Vail Resorts also holds a majority interest in Denver-based Rock Resorts International, which owns eleven luxury hotels in Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, California, Florida, Vermont and Washington state.

**lemon boy** · 12-07-2005, 02:01 PM

Jesus H. Christ!

eighty one dollars?

I think it is safe to say that Vail no longer loves you.

**SquawMan** · 12-07-2005, 02:07 PM

**Ogre** · 12-07-2005, 02:12 PM

THANKS FOR THE UPDATE YOU FUCKING NERD!

**adam** · 12-07-2005, 02:12 PM

I went there once last year and succesfully succeeded in getting on the lift with no pass. You gotta get somebody to distract the pass checker as you silently cruise by.

**A-wreck** · 12-07-2005, 02:15 PM

Originally Posted by Ogre

THANKS FOR THE UPDATE YOU FUCKING NERD!

This loses it's charm when used as much as it has been recently.

**Cornholio** · 12-07-2005, 02:16 PM

Holy hell.

I don't get the long-term business model-- aren't they pricing out future customers?

Unless they count on the cheap passes to young front-rangers to get people hooked, then rely on them ditching passes as they age (and gain income) and paying the single-day prices for a weekend with the family. They have to stay in a VRI condo, so the net from one family weekend is more than the cost of a season pass.

**creaker** · 12-07-2005, 02:20 PM

Some kid in the back of the class just raised his hand and said something about supply and demand.

**SquawMan** · 12-07-2005, 02:24 PM

OGRE... where can I send the Valentine? you're my special little midget stalker kook friend and I'd be soooo jealous if you left to stalk some other person and left me with nobody to reply to every post. <Sigh>

xoxo

-SM

**Cornholio** · 12-07-2005, 02:35 PM

Originally Posted by creaker

Some kid in the back of the class just raised his hand and said something about supply and demand.

So I looked around to see if skier visits were really going up enough to justify this (as a short term kind of move) and they totally are.

I also found this quote from Adam Aron who is Vail's CEO:

“There appears simply to be no top to what we can successfully charge for resorts of Vail’s caliber and quality,”

That motherfucker. I hate it because I'll have to pay it when I come out to ski and I'll have this sick feeling in my stomach all day because I just helped to make another payment on his kid's Maserati.

The market is all fucked up with respect to the resorts because they have so much fucking capital. So they conclude that they can charge whatever the fuck they want and get away with it.

And they do.

**nutcase** · 12-07-2005, 02:42 PM

There will always be a market- in fact- probably raising the price encourages more rich people to go there and blow even more wads of cash. Lets face it people- the rich in this country are ridiculously filthy rich. This just hurts those of us who can't afford- but vail never wanted to be a ski resort for the masses anyways.

**freshie247** · 12-07-2005, 02:53 PM

$81 to ski at Vail,the defination for insanity!

**The AD** · 12-07-2005, 03:00 PM

Aspen is at $78. I just bought a three day ticket (For a Feb. trip) and felt like I should have gotten a season pass for what I paid. Seriously I'm one of those suckers who's keeping the pass prices down for the locals. For a four night, three day skiing trip I've already plunked down $1,000 just for me when I add up lift tickets, condo and airfare. As long as I don't eat or drink when I'm in Aspen I should be o.k. with my budget

**Donald Trump** · 12-07-2005, 03:03 PM

Sweet. Maybe it'll keep you broke-ass dirtbags off my corduroy!

**creaker** · 12-07-2005, 03:03 PM

Vail just doesn't want the unwashed at their hill. They want folks to come in with their families and not throw a clot when they pay 100 clams for a family of four at 2 Elk - although the venison chili is almost worth it. Lot of balls for a place with an interstate running through it.

**glademaster** · 12-07-2005, 03:08 PM

Haha, we timed our trip perfectly. 5 days at Vail for an average of $55/day. I feel like we're ripping them off.

**Squirrel99** · 12-07-2005, 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by Cornholio

I also found this quote from Adam Aron who is Vail's CEO:

“There appears simply to be no top to what we can successfully charge for resorts of Vail’s caliber and quality,”

That is freaking ridiculous. And to think we were complaining when they raised tix this year to $50.00 at Xtal. Even Whistler charging $73CDN is pretty high- but damn. $80+ for Vail. $75.00 to Breck. Worst part is now that encourages others to get 'bigger balls' and raise prices not by just a small percentage, but by a much larger #.

It's similar to what happens when Disney raises their tix price each year. Immediately, Universal & Sea World match them. Almost like a monopoly.

Seriously. It's bad enough that places like Vail & Aspen have literally pushed out the locals from town- forcing 45min or greater city like commutes. And now this? It'll be interesting to see how they can continue to charge that much, yet still employ enough people to make minimum wage to work for them and live within an hour's drive of town

**schindlerpiste** · 12-07-2005, 03:30 PM

Fuck! We should start a pool. ...What ski area will be the first to charge 3 figures for a day pass?
REEDICAROUSSS!!!

**Arty50** · 12-07-2005, 03:32 PM

Originally Posted by funkendrenchman

The price at Heavenly will increase five dollars to $73 a piece, an increase of 7.4 percent.

It's only $73 between Xmas and New Year's. Otherwise, the peak price is $70. My pass...$319.

**homerjay** · 12-07-2005, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by Squirrel99

Seriously. It's bad enough that places like Vail & Aspen have literally pushed out the locals from town- forcing 45min or greater city like commutes. And now this? It'll be interesting to see how they can continue to charge that much, yet still employ enough people to make minimum wage to work for them and live within an hour's drive of town

People who live here don't pay $81/day to ski. There are plenty of ways to get free/cheap season passes. The real estate values have pushed people away, not lift ticket prices.

**Cornholio** · 12-07-2005, 03:41 PM

Originally Posted by homerjay

People who live here don't pay $81/day to ski. There are plenty of ways to get free/cheap season passes. The real estate values have pushed people away, not lift ticket prices.

This is true. But it sucks on HUGE, hairy, unwashed, smegma covered donkey testicles for those of us who don't live there and aren't pulling in 6 figs.

I'm grumpy today anyway.

**skier666** · 12-07-2005, 03:44 PM

**Sutter** · 12-07-2005, 03:52 PM

Originally Posted by Donald Trump

Sweet. Maybe it'll keep you broke-ass dirtbags off my corduroy!

Case and point. If you found out Monarch was charging 80, that'd be one reason to be up in arms. This simply solidfies why you stay away from mountains that are into residential sprawl and economic grandiosity over delivering quality goods for everyone that wants them. On a side note, I'd like to thank the Vail board of trustees for making my stock soar today. I can officially get gold-studded winter tires for each of my 18 Hummers this winter. Bravo!

Squatch · 12-07-2005, 04:01 PM

just for the record, how many of you buy single-day passes to vail? anybody? i didn't think so.

You can't really fault Vail for wanting to make money. If I had a hot commodity that I could sell for more than it was worth, I'd sell it.

Anyone who knows what he's doing can get the Colorado Pass...even if you only went to vail it would be like 30 dollars a day if you bought it when it was cheap. And if you don't like that, well, you can always vote with your feet, and go somewhere else.

**Stone-Free** · 12-07-2005, 04:01 PM

Originally Posted by Cornholio

I also found this quote from Adam Aron who is Vail's CEO:

“There appears simply to be no top to what we can successfully charge for resorts of Vail’s caliber and quality,”

Yeah, I wonder what the CEO homeys profit-sharing/dividend check is each year. What a fucking ass-hat