For 20's Pass!!!!!

[HowieT2]

Hawk,

I apologize for not liking something that does nothing to improve my experience. As I already stated I understand the concept and the fact Sugarbush is a business. As such if the marketing geniuses say this will bring in future dollars go for it.

On the other hand I hope Sugarbush monitors both pros and cons of their new policy. Yes skiing is an expensive sport but don’t tell me it’s more expensive to for twenties than young families in thirties. But like you mentioned we have to make it work whether that’s cutting back, cheaper hills, touring or whatever and if my tots aren’t the future for Sugarbush so be it.

I have much on my plate, so I’m not going into this anymore than that. However I’d like to leave one suggestion:

Perhaps more is less. Simplify the season passes; get rid of the shenanigans of College, Graduate, Twenties, Ellen and Ellen Plus, Adult 5, etc. There should be a season pass and if you price it at the right value there is a huge customer base that’s been waiting to buy one. And not for nothing but I firmly maintain these people will spend more money without really spending additional hours riding the lift.

On Saturday I buy a ticket for $80 and I’m skiing 9:30 – 4:00, packing my own lunch, my own beer, my own dinner and not skiing Sunday. On iffy days I don’t even go to the mountain. However get a season pass in my hand and all of a sudden I only ski a half day, and I didn’t have to break open the wallet when I got here, so I buy lunch & a beer, maybe I take the family to dinner. And Sunday and that iffy day maybe I ski for a couple hours but I go to the mountain and that’s more opportunity to spend money. The experience grows as do my guests and word of mouth. All while the business got my money up front.

If you want to hit people up hard, we’ll ski hard, go home and sleep in. Maybe a study on skier behavior and spending is in order.
At any rate; this twenty something deal only makes me feel less valued and that’s not going to boost my spending at Sugarbush.


Tin,

I've already heared a few grumbles around the valley about eliminating certain discounts which i'm not going to discuss, so who know who knows what ski club discounts will be at this point but probably more $$. And its not about me getting a deal because of my situation, in fact there should be no deals just one season pass priced at the right value.

I have no idea how they determine the pricing/discounts for passes/day tickets and what not, but I would have hard time believing, its anything other than an attempt to maximize total revenue throughout the resort and provide cash flow. and it's not like ski resorts are the only ones doing the same thing. hotels, amusement parks, movies, sporting events, all do the same thing. there must be a reason behind it other than to screw the madhavok.

[NorthLynx]

I am a resident of the valley and member of this "age group", and of course I am pretty excited about this offer. I had just about made the decision NOT to ski this upcoming season due to the combined cost of a pass, and the need to replace aging gear. I likely will buy a pass as a result of this deal, and every dollar saved will go a long way when it comes time to buy new boots this fall.

In the past I bought the midweek all mountain pass, but I have been lucky to be able to ski during the week, which simply is not the case for many. I have however had to turn down invitations
to ski with friends on the weekends.

I am sure people will gripe about this and I really don't care. At a certain point the resort has no choice but to charge commercial rates that are in line with the rest of the industry. That is the cost of doing business. They have obviously realized that people in this age group are not buying passes for an obvious reason and they have done something about it. As a business owner a
great deal of thought, and consideration is put into decisions on pricing, especially when those decisions have the potential to make, or break the bank.

This offer will certainly attract younger people to the mountain, as well as the valley. It will also be nice seeing friends who grew up around the mountain have to opportunity to get out and do something they love more often.

Previously the options have been to get a midweek pass, work for the mountain, or get a discounted pass from an employer if your able. The college pass has always been available, however many
students who live and work in the valley do not go to school full time, and often they have chosen alternative forms of education which are not eligible.

[jwt]

Mad,
Probably out of the question here, but setting aside for the minute the 20;s deal, if you got in early at $950 (prior to May 4th I think) and your kids are under 7, if you ski 25 days that's $38 per day for the three ( assuming two kids under 7) - where else can you as a family get 4-7 or even 8 hours in of vertical, healthy fun for the family?

Even 15 days is 'only' $63 p/d - try Disney or Water World and it'll be 2x that. The Bush does family favors by giving season passes to little ones and heavily discounted ones to older kids of season pass holders. It IS tight for almost everyone - heck I climb and camp on summits ( free!) in summer so I can do this all winter.

I remember being where you are and it really is frustrating. Think most understand it isn't easy, cheap, but what other sport can you do with the whole family for under a $100 a day? Equipment - swaps, lunch? Bag it, but for a major resort in the East, this place has always bent over to get families to ski here - even before the Married One came to town. If you live far away, join a house - doesn't get any cheaper than that. Either way, appreciate your passion for wanting to get the family out there for less. We aren't skiing Wal-Mart though. They have to cater to those who have the means as well, or it becomes K-Mart for $350 - and we all know what happened after that deal.

[win]

We are also going to be a sponsor of Warren Miller this year, so we will be in many of your neighborhoods too much longer.

[southvillager]

It seems like it will be a popular offer, and will bring a lot of young people to Sugarbush. It is a great deal, plain and simple. I would have bought one, and told all my friends, but I am too old. I have been coming here since my 20's, so I think there is merit in aiming at that age group to build a future customer base.

I just reviewed the options for season passes, and the list is long. Youth, college, recent college, and now 420. I would think that it would be simpler to just have one category, and price it at $329 (or whatever) for early purchase. The anomaly is that a 7 year old pays more for a pass than a 27 year old. But I guess the 27 year old makes up for it by spending cash on beer at the pub!

Regardless, I am glad that Sugarbush is trying to bring in new blood. Now if they just re-open Gallagher's...

[Nick]

The ski industry has a long-term challenge. People in their twenties are not skiing as frequently as the Baby Boomer generation did. This Boomer poplulation bubble of 76 million people is unfortunately maturing and skiing less as they age. At Sugarbush we have very few passholders in their twenties, so we view this as an investment in our future to continue to be sustainable and thus make Sugarbush a better place for all as we continue to investment in improvement each year. It is an experiment, so we will see what happens but sales on the first day are encouraging.

Win,

I think you have this right. When I was in college from 1999 - 2003, I was skiing almost every single weekend, because I could buy a college price season pass for $250.

When I graduated, the pass prices bumped up to something like 700 - 1000$, depending on where you go and if you can pick restrictions (like blackout dates). Starting my first job out of college, there was no way I could swing that cost. As a result, for about five years I ended up skiing 3 - 5 times per year vs. the 15 - 20 I would have done previously. I think this is an awesome program, I just wish I was still 29 so I could participate!

Good luck.

[gostan]

Now, how about a For 60's Pass......because by the time this 62.5 year old turns 70 the age on that discounted pass will beincreased to 80. Why, I cannot even remember 20-29. By the way, I thought I read that the fine print on the For 20's Season Pass specifically excludes Slidebrook. Right On!

[klop]

Simplify the season passes; get rid of the shenanigans of College, Graduate, Twenties, Ellen and Ellen Plus, Adult 5, etc. There should be a season pass and if you price it at the right value there is a huge customer base that’s been waiting to buy one.

Agree! I'm sure someone has done the numbers and figures the high price is worth it. I still feel a more reasonable pass for everyone would get more people on the mountain. I'ts hard to believe an eastern resort is so much more expensive to run. Sugarbush 7 day adult pass=$1569. Epic pass, unlimited at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Heavenly, Northstar and A Basin= $649.

[HowieT2]

We are also going to be a sponsor of Warren Miller this year, so we will be in many of your neighborhoods too much longer.

Awesome! My ski crew has gotten together for the last few years at the wm show at sympathy hall on 95th street to get the kids pumped for the season (and it's not a bad excuse to go for dinner beforehand). It's a good time, kids love it. Definitely a good place to get the word out to some interested listeners. Not much competition. Gore, jiminy peak have a table but that's usually it.
Was actually thinking of going to tgr but that's usually on a weeknight which doesn't work with the kids.

[gostan]

Agree! I'm sure someone has done the numbers and figures the high price is worth it. I still feel a more reasonable pass for everyone would get more people on the mountain. I'ts hard to believe an eastern resort is so much more expensive to run. Sugarbush 7 day adult pass=$1569. Epic pass, unlimited at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Heavenly, Northstar and A Basin= $649.

Remember, September 14th is just around the corner........I doubt that anybody posting on this board waits to purchase a full priced $1569 season pass. Yes, a $1049 pass purchased last May is an "ouch"; a $1259 September pass is a "double ouch" , & a $1569 pass is "priceless"!!

I would also like a lower one price for all seasons pass, but when I was cleaning out some boxes in the storage room last weekend, I came across some $399 priced ASC 6 NE Resorts season passes. Maybe there is some mid-ground as far as SB pass prices are concerned, but, i have little doubt that a trip back to pricing of yore will change the experience that brought me back to SB last winter.

[Hawk]

Fair enough Mad. I understand the dilema. I have to say this. Mountains basically do not decrease the season pass prices that much because it never pays off. Season pass holders are not typically big money spenders at the mountain. Statistically they are the cheapest. They bring all there own stuff to eat and drink, they own their own equipment and usually never take lessons. The grand majority of money earned is from day trippers and vacationing families that spend all kinds of money with rentals, lessons, food and drinks. That being said, where is the incentive to lower the pass price when typically it never really pans out as a major cash advantage? I hope it works out for you.

The reason this stuct a nerve is that I just had a conversation this summer with someone who was complaining about the Bush's pass prices. During the conversation I learned that this person was puting 3 kids through private school, two of the kids we getting private lessons for Tennis, they were planning a famiily trip to some National parks and the kids were currently away at summer camp. I shook my head and said, "....and you have a problem paying for season passes"

[Brew Ski]

This place livened up quick! Wow.

So If I ski like a 20 something, and I spend time and money in the pub like a twenty something, and log more than 20 something days on the hill but am twice as old as a 20 something, can I still buy the For20s season pass?

It's one heck of a deal.

Um, do you think this means it will take longer to get a beer in the pub?

[klop]

I've been a Sugarbush passholder for many years and I bought my pass (Mt Ellen) in March so I'm good. I love the place and accept skiing is expensive. Still, one would think a more reasonable pass means more butts on the lifts, more sandwiches sold, more rooms booked. I'll be there regardless.

[teleo]

If nothing else this is definitely piquing the interest of the 20 somethings who ski. I forwarded the email I got to my niece who visits me every year and the response was to the tune of - "woah, that is a good deal. passes are usually like $500. You might see me more this winter." When she visits, she brings a couple friends, they tend to take a couple weekdays off to ski, and watch my daughter on Sat so my wife and I can go out for a good dinner. Certainly a win-win for the mountain and the valley.

Then I told one of the guys I work with who often skis at a place a little south of SB that resembles a borough of NY from Jan->March. He checked it out and was like, I wonder if I can get the crew to rent a place at SB for the season.

Don't know if either will do it, but it definitly makes the ones who ski take notice. I know, I should stop making the mountain more crowded.

Do I get a referral on a corporate pass for for20's passes? The mountain might end up paying me to ski;>) I didn't think so:>(

(hey - how do we put smiley icon's in messages in this new software?)

[skibum1321]

I've been a Sugarbush passholder for many years and I bought my pass (Mt Ellen) in March so I'm good. I love the place and accept skiing is expensive. Still, one would think a more reasonable pass means more butts on the lifts, more sandwiches sold, more rooms booked. I'll be there regardless.

Yeah, but putting a bunch of cheap butts on the lift doesn't necessarily pay off. It makes for more crowds that aren't spending the incremental money like the daytrippers and it annoys everyone because the lift lines are twice as long. They also aren't booking rooms because typically they live close enough to drive or are in a seasonal rental. We don't want this place to turn into K-Mart.

Also, the East is way more expensive to run a resort than the west for 1 reason - snowmaking.

I for one am pumped for this deal, since I'm 28, but I'm in the minority for this group that had already bought my All Mtn 7 pass.