Season Pass Disgrace

[Nero]

A couple of days ago I received my much awaited letter from Blue Mountain regarding the early purchase of next year's season pass. For many years I have purchased a 'weekday only' pass as I am not often able to ski/ride at Blue Mtn on weekends. Historically, (many years), Blue Mountain has honored the weekday pass , the couple of times that I would ski/ride during the week between Christmas and New Years. Apparently this may no longer be the case and it appears that the "weekday pass" may no longer be honored on certain weekdays(according to the letter). It is one thing to raise a price somewhat to keep pace with inflationary trends. An early closing can also be justified because of the lack of skier/rider interest. However, it is quite something else to diminish the value of your product by giving the consumer less for their money - particulary when the economy is in such a shambles.

Do I sound dissappointed? Heck yeah.

Our family will be taking our business elsewhere.

[nick malozzi]

A couple of days ago I received my much awaited letter from Blue Mountain regarding the early purchase of next year's season pass. For many years I have purchased a 'weekday only' pass as I am not often able to ski/ride at Blue Mtn on weekends. Historically, (many years), Blue Mountain has honored the weekday pass , the couple of times that I would ski/ride during the week between Christmas and New Years. Apparently this may no longer be the case and it appears that the "weekday pass" may no longer be honored on certain weekdays(according to the letter). It is one thing to raise a price somewhat to keep pace with inflationary trends. An early closing can also be justified because of the lack of skier/rider interest. However, it is quite something else to diminish the value of your product by giving the consumer less for their money - particulary when the economy is in such a shambles.

Do I sound dissappointed? Heck yeah.

Our family will be taking our business elsewhere.

I planned on bashing you for complaining about it since it is pretty common for resorts to not honor season passes around holidays, and most of the people who complain on here just come on here and complain and that is the end of it. However, you redeemed yourself with the last line of your post. So many people bitch and do NOTHING about it. I'm glad you are taking your business to another mountain. Be advised though, that this is common practice at resorts all across the country, especially PA resorts. Enjoy your new mountain!

[Johnny Style]

For what it is worth, last Christmas week sucked big time. Does anybody else remember the day after Christmas?

[mbike-ski]

that does suck but those blackout days along with prez day are pretty standard - i'd be intersted to hear otherwise if you check out some other areas. my guess is as blues scanning technology advances it makes it possible for them to do this crap. truth be told in past years passes may have had restrictions but i don't think the scanners/programming were sophisticated enough to differentiate between passes or even days of use. thats changed over the past year or two...still to johnny's point i don't know if that alone would make me go elsewhere, now maybe throw in a few altercations /high speed chases with a crazy whistle blowing helmetless smoking on duty ski patrollers...

[Nero]

The midweek pass was never good during Holiday periods..that's nothing new here..

 

Weekday Season Passes are not valid on the following dates:

December 28th through January 1st, January 18th and Februarv 15th.

 

Not true - our family were long time weekday passholders - each year we would ski/ride a couple of days during what some other mountains considered a "holiday week" - including the 2008/2009 season, when the newer scanning/computer system was able to track this. This was one of the factors that made Blue Mtn different than some of the others. They are now doing what typical American businesses are doing - diminishing true value to improve short term revenues, and making the consumer believe that they are getting more (season passholders line, reserved rooms on weekends, etc).

Sad but true. Maybe a sign of the times we live in.

[sibhusky]

Yeah, since new management took over here, the projected opening date here is two weeks later, the projected close is one week earlier and in the spring the lifts close 1/2 hour earlier than they used to when I moved here. Also, for a while they stopped discounts on food and clothing for passholders. That is being brought back for next season. I figure with the shorter operating hours in the spring, I lost two weeks alone in addition to the three lost weeks due to shorter season. No wonder I can't keep up with Atomic!

[AtomicSkier]

Yeah, since new management took over here, the projected opening date here is two weeks later, the projected close is one week earlier and in the spring the lifts close 1/2 hour earlier than they used to when I moved here. Also, for a while they stopped discounts on food and clothing for passholders. That is being brought back for next season. I figure with the shorter operating hours in the spring, I lost two weeks alone in addition to the three lost weeks due to shorter season. No wonder I can't keep up with Atomic!

 

[zaldon]

I would trade the 730AM weekend opening for the season passholders line anyday..I do feel that Blue is pretty expensive for season passes but aren't any other places I would want to hit as often as Blue that are so close. If Stowe was located in Reading, I'd get a season pass there..

 

Zaldon wasn't able to ski Blue on Presidents Day which is a Monday due to his midweek pass but that day was pretty much a shitshow..Nero, I don't think you're the only one switching to a different home mountain...alot of long time passholders are fed up with Blue...a big reason for our meeting with management..I didn't know that weekday passes were valid during the X-mas Holiday week in the past. Pardon my ignorance..but it's an industry standard for non-unlimited season passes to have some blackout dates for holidays...

funny thing is i didn't realize it was presidents day, and when i drove by the parking lot i saw it was full and drove home... i didn't even check to see if my pass would scan

[toast21602]

peace.

[AtomicSkier]

Not realizing that they've been invalid on those dates forever = fail

[Nero]

[well he'll take his business to an inferior PA mountain with similar blackout dates..]

 

How sick is this - BB is open this Saturday from 11-5. Beat that.

[Nero]

Just stay focused on the problem here. Yet another example of business giving the consumer less and disguising it as more.

[Nero]

Blue is doing great.. They give the customer alot..I buy a season pass and I can ski there everyday of the season..and the snow is as white as Cocaine..

Yes, they are doing great - for now - the businesses that survive the current recession are the ones that give more to the customer

[Nero]

Blue gives weekday nonholiday skiing to weekday nonholiday passholders..what more do you want???? If you want to ski Holidays buy an unlimited pass..you don't have a leg to stand on..

You're missing my point - For as long as I've been a weekday season pass holder, said pass was honored during the week regardless of whether it was considered a "holiday" or not. The "new policy" that I am talking about changes that and diminishes the value by "blacking out" certain days. The trend in recent years with American business has been to 1. try to maintain the price in order to be competitive; 2. give the consumer less for the same price in order to secure short term profitablity) and 3. Make "less" appear to be more by throwing in "something else" - something that doesn't really cost anything. Why should the ski industry be any different and that's what's happening here. Probably elsewhere too.

Now - "legally" - of course I don't have a leg to stand on - you're right about that. Ownership could do whatever they want. However, you expect that type of business behavior from large corporations (ever notice how 10 ounces of coffee still comes in a 16 ounce sized can) not your local ski area.

Blue is an excellent mountain. They have an excellent record of investing to develop infrastructure. That, my friend, is not the issue

[mbike-ski]

yea sucks for those who want something for nothing...but a disgrace - not even close. these are lean and mean times my friend

[RootDKJ]

All this season pass talk isn't helping my ski jones any. Shit.

[RootDKJ]

times two..and just a few days ago..I thought I was doing OK..yeah right!!!

Withdrawl sucks. Maybe I'll put my ski boots on this weekend for a little stoke.

[Nero]

Tuckerman

[boardin_nerd]

I"m not sure why you're so upset about a few days that you can't ski during the season?

[RootDKJ]

I"m not sure why you're so upset about a few days that you can't ski during the season?

+1

 

Seriously, why don't you look at those days as an opportunity to go someplace bigger?

[backcountry_rider]

+1

 

Seriously, why don't you look at those days as an opportunity to go someplace bigger?

 

Every mountain is in gaper lockdown on those dates; it's not even worth the trip. I wish blue had a non-holiday pass.

 

 

I know how you feel, though, Nero. A lot of shit just isn't what it used to be. Can't blame Blue for catching up with the times. Hell, they'll probably do price increases in the next few years because, for the most part, the people who bitch about Blue do just that: bitch (especially on the internet). They don't take their business elsewhere.

 

So props to you for taking your business to a new mountain.

 

Blue is, IMO, one of the best mountains in PA, so it's where I usually go. I won't buy a season's pass there because I feel that it's way overpriced. For the same price you can get a full season pass to mountains with more than double the vert of Blue.

 

I will give blue mountain credit, though: it's fun to ride 8 hours and never get sore!

[backcountry_rider]

Price increases are going to continue to occur every year for almost every business if they want to remain profitable. Any annual increase of less than 5% is decent. Blue is a steezy place to ski and next to payroll, their second biggest expense is their electric bill due to all the snowmaking, lights, lodges and the discotech. I'll give Blue some pros about their prices. Compared to other ski resorts, their food prices are pretty reasonable. There ain't a dollar menu but the view is alot steezier than Wendys. There's also the Blue mountain drive-inn on the other side of the peak serving up some great food. A breakfast meat lovers Paradise..and the best Corned Beef and cabbage north of Bethlehem and south of Stroudsburg.

 

Value..you want value..ever hear of Mens day, business-persons day, student discounts, skiclub day, Sunday night valuenight, springfling 1/2 off coupons, retro day $10 tickets in 2008(bring that back)..and free tap water..the list goes on and on..I'm ready to touch the sky for the 2009-10 ski season..are you??? They should be open in less than 7 months...JEA!!!!!

 

Inflation matching price increases aren't what I'm talking about. Their daily lift ticket prices are good, so no complaints there.

 

Food: What dumbass buys food at a mountain? Every resort has high prices for shitty food. Blue is no exception. Their food blows ass. Never tried the drive-inn thing. Corned beef and cabbage. You PA folk are an interesting bunch with your food.

 

Beer: Their beer prices are okay for draught brews. Their selection sucks, but they have a couple craft brews.

 

Booze: Middle shelf booze at middle shelf prices. No complaints. Bartenders there have always been kind of standoffish to me.

 

Discounts: Haven't heard of the discount days. I never go to any mountain on discount days because it's super busy. I'd rather pay full price.

 

Business Processes: I don't really care how their balance sheet looks. If they're happy with it they won't change; that's no big deal.

 

Service: BLOWS ASS. I enjoy conversation with lifties, but half the time they're just bitching about something. Last time I was there one of the lifties said "Thank god! Looks like rain, everybody's gonna leave!" What the fuck is that?

 

Vert: Hey, we're in PA...what do you want? All things considered, it's pretty good!

 

Trails: No complaints. They keep the park junkies away from the rest of us, so props to that. I would love to see a steep trail or two put in, but if it's not economically proficient, then they're not gonna do it.

 

OB Riding: no idea. When I was there the only snow seemed to be on the trails, so I can't really put in a word about that. Again, it's PA, what do you want?

 

I'm going to go back to Blue and I'm happy to pay their day ticket price. I have no major beef with the resort. A lot of the ski patrol guys I've met are real douche nozzles, but a lot of them seem to be good guys too. Some of them must suffer inferiority complexes.

[backcountry_rider]

I agree..a season pass to Bridger Bowl MT is about the same as Blue mountains and it's got more than double the vert. You ride Blue for 8 hours and never get sore??...I'm calling BS on that..unless you spend most of the day hanging in the ski patrol shack..or picnicing next to the rails and booters..

 

Didn't see that part, my bad.

 

Take it in stride, my friend. Even Magnus Samuelsson gets sore. I used to ride 3k + vert 8 hours a day, though, and it was meant as a comparison. Way easier to ride blue for 8 hours than Jay or Whiteface. When you don't have much money, you take every last second you have on the mountain. Luckily, that isn't the case any longer and I can spend much more time in the bar! I fear the day they call drunk snowboarding illegal.

 

So yes, yes I do get sore as I am human. I greatly appreciate your concern for my physical aptitude, however!

 

Rails and booters...I'm sure that the park junkies love what they do, but it never had much draw for me. To me, epic cliff drops seem way more hardcore. To clear that up, though, no I don't drop huge cliffs. Just mediocre ones!

 

I think the liftees at Blue are great...they keep Phillip Morris in business.

 

I lol'd at that!

 

When winter comes around again I'll get back out of political threads.

 

I have no political affiliation: I hate all politicians equally.

[RootDKJ]

Every mountain is in gaper lockdown on those dates; it's not even worth the trip. I wish blue had a non-holiday pass.

 

For sure Blue is in full blown gaper mode, but 3 years ago I was at Killington for Pres weekend at it was mostly empty. This year, I was at Windham and Presidents day was a ghost town and great conditions.

 

YMMV, but I'd guess if you went to some lesser known hills like Belleayre, Greek Peak, Bromley or Magic you'd have a great time with manageable crowds.

[backcountry_rider]

For sure Blue is in full blown gaper mode, but 3 years ago I was at Killington for Pres weekend at it was mostly empty. This year, I was at Windham and Presidents day was a ghost town and great conditions.

 

YMMV, but I'd guess if you went to some lesser known hills like Belleayre, Greek Peak, Bromley or Magic you'd have a great time with manageable crowds.

 

I'm surprised that Killington was empty. Never been to Windham--always heard it was terrible from catskill locals...

 

I hit Jay once on Presidents day. I'll never do that again. All the neon from the romper suits burned my retinas.

 

One of the bigger weeks that always seems to be cut out of a non-holiday pass is xmas week. I always remember Whiteface being more or less inaccessible during xmas week. Gapers on diamond trails and in the woods hurting themselves and clogging up trails.

 

Skiing and riding are odd in that they don't seem to bolster enthusiasm of tourists to actually get better at the sport.

 

Anyway, thanks for the heads up about good mountains to hit on holidays, Root!