“The first time I ever skied was as an adult. It also happened to be the same weekend my now-husband brought me to where he grew up to meet his parents (thankfully, it all worked out). I borrowed skis, boots and snowpants from his sister and fell so many times I wasn't sure I would ever try skiing again.
I did (a full year later) but soon faced another hurdle: The cost. With skiing, you need equipment including the right gloves and jacket. Not to mention a ticket or season pass, which gets you access to the mountain.
Now, some resorts are selling premium access. For $2,000, you can purchase a Reserve Pass to Sugarbush Resort in Vermont. (This is on top of the cost of an existing season pass or an Ikon Pass, which grants access to multiple different resorts). This pass gets you priority access to one of the resort's express lifts, as well as entrance to a new, members-only ski-in lounge.
The pass is limited to 275 people. Or, for $199 you can upgrade to these perks for a single day.
Across the country, in Washington, Alterra-owned Crystal Mountain is selling a Reserve Pass for $1,500 that grants access to priority lines at all lifts on holidays and weekends. An online petition to stop the pass has more than 4,300 signatures.
It might seem counterintuitive, but the Reserve Pass is one of the ways Alterra plans to make skiing more accessible, says CEO Jared Smith. If the company can create benefits for high-end skiers, it can potentially lower prices for its lower-tier offerings, he said: "It's about applying some tried and true hospitality techniques to create different experiences for different people that stretch from premium to super accessible and everything in between."
Several other of the company's resorts have this program, too. And resorts owned by Powdr, such as Copper Mountain in Colorado, have sold fast passes to cut lines.” [1]
1. The High Cost of a Ski Holiday Is Getting Steeper. Pohle, Allison. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 05 Nov 2025: A10.
Komentarų nėra:
Rašyti komentarą