SugarCard Should Be Changed

[gostan]

I was hoping to ski SB more this winter. Not enough to invest in a season's Pass, but enough to consider 6-10 days. Unfortunately, when I looked into the SugarCard pay at lift program, I found out that the discounts on a weekday or weekend lift ticket are simply ridiculous when compared to other resorts. Sure, I may be able to understand keeping things tight on the weekends to protect the SP holders. But, a $10 discount on a week day lift ticket. Come on now. Most ski areas are offering about $30 off a week day lift ticket with their pay at the lift pass. And they give you a one day lift ticket on the spot for the price of signing up for the discount card.

Might Sugarbush management consider revisiting the terms of this program. I skied SB for years in the 90's, but it looks like I will need to continue to stay away for now.

Thanks,

Stan

[summitchallenger]

I was hoping to ski SB more this winter. Not enough to invest in a season's Pass, but enough to consider 6-10 days. Unfortunately, when I looked into the SugarCard pay at lift program, I found out that the discounts on a weekday or weekend lift ticket are simply ridiculous when compared to other resorts. Sure, I may be able to understand keeping things tight on the weekends to protect the SP holders. But, a $10 discount on a week day lift ticket. Come on now. Most ski areas are offering about $30 off a week day lift ticket with their pay at the lift pass. And they give you a one day lift ticket on the spot for the price of signing up for the discount card.

Might Sugarbush management consider revisiting the terms of this program. I skied SB for years in the 90's, but it looks like I will need to continue to stay away for now.

Thanks,

Stan

What are these other resorts to which you refer?

[gone.skiing]

While they are at it, they should consider lowering season pass prices to around $400...

[Tin Woodsman]

I was hoping to ski SB more this winter. Not enough to invest in a season's Pass, but enough to consider 6-10 days. Unfortunately, when I looked into the SugarCard pay at lift program, I found out that the discounts on a weekday or weekend lift ticket are simply ridiculous when compared to other resorts. Sure, I may be able to understand keeping things tight on the weekends to protect the SP holders. But, a $10 discount on a week day lift ticket. Come on now. Most ski areas are offering about $30 off a week day lift ticket with their pay at the lift pass. And they give you a one day lift ticket on the spot for the price of signing up for the discount card.

Might Sugarbush management consider revisiting the terms of this program. I skied SB for years in the 90's, but it looks like I will need to continue to stay away for now.

Thanks,

Stan
If you had done some diligence, you'd discover that membership in any of the CT Ski Council clubs gives you access to $48/day lift tickets this year with no minimum purchase. Also, I'd echo the question posed above - what other resorts are you referring to? I know that Stratton has a pretty well-known product, though when you're starting with a $92 day ticket, even a $30 discount leaves you with a pretty expensive ticket.

Either way, instead of doing research to find deals, I guess it's easier to bitch about it here.

[summitchallenger]

While they are at it, they should consider lowering season pass prices to around $400...

Mind telling me which resort, with 2,600 vertical feet, one of the longest seasons in the east, 111 trails, and two areas has a pass rate of $400? The days of ASC are gone. Long gone. If you are on a budget, did you consider the Mount Ellen pass?

And if you are price sensitive, consider Pico, Bolton Valley, or a smaller resort. Also consider a midweek pass.

[kcyanks1]

While they are at it, they should consider lowering season pass prices to around $400...

Mind telling me which resort, with 2,600 vertical feet, one of the longest seasons in the east, 111 trails, and two areas has a pass rate of $400? The days of ASC are gone. Long gone. If you are on a budget, did you consider the Mount Ellen pass?

And if you are price sensitive, consider Pico, Bolton Valley, or a smaller resort. Also consider a midweek pass.

I think gone.skiing was being sarcastic.

[summitchallenger]

While they are at it, they should consider lowering season pass prices to around $400...

Mind telling me which resort, with 2,600 vertical feet, one of the longest seasons in the east, 111 trails, and two areas has a pass rate of $400? The days of ASC are gone. Long gone. If you are on a budget, did you consider the Mount Ellen pass?

And if you are price sensitive, consider Pico, Bolton Valley, or a smaller resort. Also consider a midweek pass.

I think gone.skiing was being sarcastic.

Ah. Didn't see that it was a different poster.....my bad. :wink:

[vonski]

I got an Ellen pass! Best bargain going. I have 6 days my son 4 and since his pass is included with my pass. That is now 10 days or 63.40 with tax a day so far. I consider that breaking even so far. I know a day pass has been cheaper, but I am skiing free the rest of the season. So, please do some research!!! And since I cannot take the SBX to South I could hike the long trail to Castlerock and ski the top of Lincoln Peak with my Ellen Pass. :shock:

[mattlucas]

I hope know one thinks that I set up another account to bitch, I'm perfectly happy complaining under my own name.


P.S. I don't think pricing this stuff is that easy for anyone. My only hope is that Sugarbush tries it's best to make a profit for years to come while remaining affordable to the majority of people who think it's a great place sort of the way it is.

[klop]

While we're at it, what happened to the lesson voucher in the Bravo book? Oh, wait, I get 2 for 1 rock climbing.

[mattlucas]

deleted!

[gostan]

Sorry, I have been busy working trying to make some $$ to ski SB.

Stratton lift tickets are $79 on weekends and $72 weekdays. The Stratton X2 card costs $79 and gives you one lift ticket with it. Then it is $30 off a weekday ticket ($49) and $20 off a weekend ticket ($55).

Sugarloafs (my present home mountain) Frequent Skier Card is $89 and lift tickets are generally $72, but increase to $75 during holiday periods. Discounts are $25 midweek and $15 weekends and holidays, making tickets midweek to either $50 or $48 and weekends/holidays to $60 or $57.

So I can pretty much ski midweek at Stratton for $49 and Sugarloaf for $48 to $50, but at Sugarbush it is going to cost me $62 and I do not receive the benefit of getting a one day ticket for my initial payment for the SugarCard (unlike Stratton and Sugarloaf).

And, yes, Sugarloaf is definitely an equal mountain experience to Sugarbush.

This pricing at the Bush is overpriced compared to the competition.

I guess you all either like to keep the slopes empty midweek, or all have seasons passes!

Regards,

Stan

[Tin Woodsman]

Stan -

I don't know what to tell you. You had an opportunity to ski Sugarbush any day of the week for $48, including holidays, and for some reason you chose not to avail yourself of same. I'm not sure how that indicates a problem with Sugarbush's pricing, but judging by the mountain's sharply increased skier visits since the new ownership took over, it seems you are are largely alone in reaching this conclusion.

[summitchallenger]

Sorry, I have been busy working trying to make some $$ to ski SB.

That's just lame. :roll:


Stratton lift tickets are $79 on weekends and $72 weekdays. The Stratton X2 card costs $79 and gives you one lift ticket with it. Then it is $30 off a weekday ticket ($49) and $20 off a weekend ticket ($55).

Assuming you and I are reading the same thing (http://www.stratton.com/tickets-and-passes/tickets/index.htm), then the X2 rate for a weekend day is $59, not $49, which is a $20 savings. If SB is $60 after savings, then that is a $1 difference.

You seemed to overlook the fact that on a holiday Stratton's X2 rate is $69 vs. $79.

Midweek is $42 vs. $72, so yes, that is a good deal.

As to Sugarloaf, on a weekend or holiday, after discount the price is the same, so I don't understand what the problem is...

Seems from my POV that you are trying to pick a fight or hawk Stratton's X2 Card.

Again, there are off-site vendors that sell discounted tickets, there are deals and promos that run, there are discount tickets for Mt. Ellen and a discount pass. You seemed to ignore those and went right into bitch mode on the first post.

After such a nice entry into the chatroom, I guess the only thing I can say is that if skiing at Stratton saves you $1 and you like Sugarloaf for the same price, then don't let the safety bar hit you on the way off the chair.....

[Hardbooter]

For the record, I agree with gostan. I think they should have a better deal with the sugarcard.

The one place that I disagree is that Sugarloaf is an equivalent mountain. You might be right if you are primarily an on-trail skier. For woods, there is no place better.

[jwt]

Sugarloaf? When was the last time the snowfields opened for any length of time. s the extra hour or more drive worth it?

How about the lack of other local mountains for a little ( can't believe I'm using this word) 'diversity'?

The gas and time savings alone are worth the difference.

As for terrain, ditto Hardbooter.

Some of the issues you raise could be legit if the skier traffic was down here, but it is not. SP are up 17%. Skeir visits are up overall as well.

Still don't think there is any more open big mountain than here - provided all lifts are running.

Still hope you choose da 'Bush!

We have a fire pit too!

[skibum1321]

Sorry, I have been busy working trying to make some $$ to ski SB.

Stratton lift tickets are $79 on weekends and $72 weekdays. The Stratton X2 card costs $79 and gives you one lift ticket with it. Then it is $30 off a weekday ticket ($49) and $20 off a weekend ticket ($55).

Sugarloafs (my present home mountain) Frequent Skier Card is $89 and lift tickets are generally $72, but increase to $75 during holiday periods. Discounts are $25 midweek and $15 weekends and holidays, making tickets midweek to either $50 or $48 and weekends/holidays to $60 or $57.

So I can pretty much ski midweek at Stratton for $49 and Sugarloaf for $48 to $50, but at Sugarbush it is going to cost me $62 and I do not receive the benefit of getting a one day ticket for my initial payment for the SugarCard (unlike Stratton and Sugarloaf).

And, yes, Sugarloaf is definitely an equal mountain experience to Sugarbush.

This pricing at the Bush is overpriced compared to the competition.

I guess you all either like to keep the slopes empty midweek, or all have seasons passes!

Regards,

Stan
If that's how you feel that have fun at Sugarloaf...
It seems like there has been a ridiculous amount of bitching on these boards lately.

[Lostone]

If I'm following this correctly,
Midweek is $42 vs. $72, so yes, that is a good deal. if we are comparing with the Sugarcard, that would be $66. Still a much better deal at Stratton, but you'd have to ski Stratton.

Our skiing is not Stratton's... And that is a good thing! :wink:

Take the price of the Mt Ellen ticket, that brings it to $54. minus the $6 from the Sugarcard, that brings you to $48, which beats Stratton's mid-week.

Does North's skiing beat Stratton's whole mountain? Invest the $54 to find out. I think it does. I skied Stratton the day after a 3 foot dump, and there was almost no ungroomed snow to be found. You can get some of the sideways skiing, such as Northway, over to Inverness and Northridge Expressway coming back and the bottom of Lower FIS, but other than that... you're going to find a lot ore downhill skiing, here. 8)

[Lostone]

It seems like there has been a ridiculous amount of bitching on these boards lately.

I disagree. (Gee... I've never disagreed before! :lol: )

If you like something, you tell a friend. If you don't, you tell ten. That is not a Sugarbush thing, or even a skiing thing. I heard it as a kid. (Note: It may have been a while since I was a kid. :roll: ) But anyone reading this board for even a short time can see that there are a lot of people who really like and are passionate about the place.

Some are frequent visitors. Some have kids in the programs. Some have property in the area. Some live here, and there is even one who liked it so much he bought it! :lol:


It is more like you are sitting in a bar, and someone says, "You know what this place needs...?"

Sometimes that will be filled by a really good suggestion. Sometimes it will be something that will make his life better. Sometimes everyone else at the bar will say, "NOT AGAIN!!!"

There will always be ragging. But there will always be cheering, too. :wink:

[gostan]

I was hoping to ski SB more this winter. Not enough to invest in a season's Pass, but enough to consider 6-10 days. Unfortunately, when I looked into the SugarCard pay at lift program, I found out that the discounts on a weekday or weekend lift ticket are simply ridiculous when compared to other resorts. Sure, I may be able to understand keeping things tight on the weekends to protect the SP holders. But, a $10 discount on a week day lift ticket. Come on now. Most ski areas are offering about $30 off a week day lift ticket with their pay at the lift pass. And they give you a one day lift ticket on the spot for the price of signing up for the discount card.

Might Sugarbush management consider revisiting the terms of this program. I skied SB for years in the 90's, but it looks like I will need to continue to stay away for now.

Thanks,

Stan
If you had done some diligence, you'd discover that membership in any of the CT Ski Council clubs gives you access to $48/day lift tickets this year with no minimum purchase. Also, I'd echo the question posed above - what other resorts are you referring to? I know that Stratton has a pretty well-known product, though when you're starting with a $92 day ticket, even a $30 discount leaves you with a pretty expensive ticket.

Either way, instead of doing research to find deals, I guess it's easier to bitch about it here.I took your advice and looked on the CT Ski Council website. I did not see any reference to $48 day lift tickets for Sugarbush. R U sure about this policy?

[Tin Woodsman]

If you had done some diligence, you'd discover that membership in any of the CT Ski Council clubs gives you access to $48/day lift tickets this year with no minimum purchase. Also, I'd echo the question posed above - what other resorts are you referring to? I know that Stratton has a pretty well-known product, though when you're starting with a $92 day ticket, even a $30 discount leaves you with a pretty expensive ticket.

Either way, instead of doing research to find deals, I guess it's easier to bitch about it here.I took your advice and looked on the CT Ski Council website. I did not see any reference to $48 day lift tickets for Sugarbush. R U sure about this policy?[/quote]
Now we're getting somewhere. I'mquite sure, b/c I bought a bunch of thse tickets for the umpteenth year running. That said, I believe the deadline for purchasing them has passed this year, though maybe that changes from club to club. OTOH, I think you can still sign up in any of those clubs and take advantage of the SKi Council appreciation days. There are 1-2 weekends this season where you can by tickets for somewhere in the $30-35 range simply by presenting your membership card.

Others have already mentioned the savings available for a Mt. Ellen only ticket. In short, there are still multiple ways to save money while still enjoying what SB has to offer.

[gostan]

If you had done some diligence, you'd discover that membership in any of the CT Ski Council clubs gives you access to $48/day lift tickets this year with no minimum purchase. Also, I'd echo the question posed above - what other resorts are you referring to? I know that Stratton has a pretty well-known product, though when you're starting with a $92 day ticket, even a $30 discount leaves you with a pretty expensive ticket.

Either way, instead of doing research to find deals, I guess it's easier to bitch about it here.I took your advice and looked on the CT Ski Council website. I did not see any reference to $48 day lift tickets for Sugarbush. R U sure about this policy?
Now we're getting somewhere. I'mquite sure, b/c I bought a bunch of thse tickets for the umpteenth year running. That said, I believe the deadline for purchasing them has passed this year, though maybe that changes from club to club. OTOH, I think you can still sign up in any of those clubs and take advantage of the SKi Council appreciation days. There are 1-2 weekends this season where you can by tickets for somewhere in the $30-35 range simply by presenting your membership card.

Others have already mentioned the savings available for a Mt. Ellen only ticket. In short, there are still multiple ways to save money while still enjoying what SB has to offer.[/quote]Actually, I do not believe that $48 tickets were ever on the CT Ski Council website for purchase this year as the list of ski areas is still available in the website. Yes, there are several ski council appreciation days available.

Tin Woodsman, For what it is worth, I have no issue paying the freight and I am not bitching. I was just trying to make the point that Sugarbush could do a better job offering some fairer discounts for the less crowded week days. And Every one of us (including me) should have our facts straight when we quote prices.

Enjoy the skiing this weekend!

Stan

[Tin Woodsman]

You may need to go to one of the individual ski club websites to see the details behind the ski club discount tickets, but i assure you that I have them, as do many others. Regardless, the deadline has passed for this year, though like I said you can still take advantage of the appreciation days and I think some clubs have a seconday market for trading unused/unneeded vouchers too.

FWIW, I would also like to see better midweek discounts - lord knows the mountain is pretty empty on non-holiday midweeks, so there is little downside. Regardless, if you haven't been to the mtn in a while, you really owe it to yourself to make it up and see what the new team has done with the place.

[ski_resort_observer]

Ski clubs/councils/tour groups order tickets as they need them. 3 years ago that would have been thru me. They get actual lift tickets, not vouchers, and if they end up with extra tickets they return them so their account can be credited towards the next order. If they order early enough we mail them so they can pass them out, if ordered last minute the bus is met at either LP or ME and passed over to the the club leader for use during their stay.

You might try calling Ski Market as they bring buses almost every weekend from the Boston area, they stop at a couple of diferent places on the way up here. For the NYC area, try Classic Tours as they bring up folks from there almost every weekend. Sometimes it's weekends, sometimes it's during the week. They usually stay in Burlington as they will ski the Bush and Stowe on the same trip. I think Ski Market did some day trips.

http://www.skimarket.com/bus.htm
http://www.classicskitours.net/

[Tin Woodsman]

Ski clubs/councils/tour groups order tickets as they need them. 3 years ago that would have been thru me. They get actual lift tickets, not vouchers, and if they end up with extra tickets they return them so their account can be credited towards the next order. If they order early enough we mail them so they can pass them out, if ordered last minute the bus is met at either LP or ME and passed over to the the club leader for use during their stay.

Wait - did they change the policy this year? Last two years you got vouchers and had to go to the ticket window.

[Lostone]

I think he's referring more to bus tours?

[shadyjay]

One way that you can save on lift tickets, albeit only on select days, is the "Ski and Ride With The Point". Check out:
http://www.pointfm.com/skiandride/schedule.php
They'll be at the bush on 1-16-09 and 3-6-09 (Fridays). You buy a coupon book for like $5 at select merchants in Central Vermont and you get half off lift tickets on those days.
They go to a different mtn every Friday. In regards to the Bush, its only on select days but when I first moved up here, I thought it was a great deal. Plus, there's a party at the Castlerock Pub afterwards with prizes, giveaways, drink specials, etc. Make a weekend of it and hit the Bush on Friday, and then get the Mt Ellen only ticket for Sat and you can save some $$$.

[win]

Yes,

I am going to redesign it for next year.