Do you have a ski resort season pass? Does it really help to cut down your ski costs?

Question

Do you have a ski resort season pass? Does it really help to cut down your ski costs?

Answer 1

Hello, I guess it depends on the circumstances.  I live in Australia, and I travel to New Zealand for a two week skiing holiday each year (when I can manage it).  If I buy a season pass to my favourite resort early in the off season, it costs the same amount as about 10 days worth of lift passes on the mountain.  so I get about 4 free days by doing that.

Answer 2

I had a season pass last season, and I'm kicking myself for not having one this season.

Season passes really help in cutting down your skiing costs IF:

1) You really like skiing/snowboarding.

2) You have no problems in motivating yourself to get to your mountain-of-choice as often as you can.  It helps if it's easy to get to that mountain, and you're habitually active.

3) You buy the particular pass version that suits your schedule (many resorts will sell limited season passes that may not be good for weekends or their defined "holiday season").

Also, some resorts will even give you a discount on food/drinks for passholders.

Answer 3

If you have access to the resort on a frequent basis, then yes, it pays. Have you ever done the math?

Prices vary, but to keep things simple, assume a day pass costs $50, which is not unreasonable. Some are more, some less.

A season pass may cost $1000. I pay around $400 something for mine due to being a college student. Anyways, if you pay $1000, divide that by $50 for a day pass, that equals 20. Meaning if you ride 20 days, then you would break even. So if you expect to ride less than 20 days, then it probably wouldn't pay to get a season pass.

If you ride more than 20 days, then obviously it would pay.

All you have to do is substitute in the exact numbers from the area you would consider having a pass at, calculate how many days you expect to ski, and voila!!

Let me give you a different reason to get a season pass, besides what the people above mentioned.

If you purchase a day pass, you may feel pressured to ski every minute...even past the point of exhaustion when the skiing becomes more work and less fun.

If you have a season pass, you ski when you want, how hard you want, and you go home when you want. I typically go real hard for a few hours, then call it. And I don't feel guilty, because I know that I can return the next day with fresh legs.

Answer 4

let it snow has it right about skiing at your own leisure when you have a season pass. I'm working for a resort(where you have to have a membership or be a guest of a member) this year so have ski privileges there but also purchased a midweek day/7night pass for another mtn nearby mainly for the reciprocal privileges I receive at other hills...I like to ski-travel and this keeps the cost down to next to nothing. As much as I like to rag on Whistler ya' gotta give the devil his due intrawest practically gives away midweek and night passes and since I'm not a big fan of weekend crowds this works for me and their reciprocal program lets me ski at almost every great resort in the world either for free or huge discounts just by showing my pass at guest services. If I ski 8 times during a season I've spent my money wisely....had that covered back in november so I'm basically skiing free for the rest of the year

5x7(5 day&7 night/wk) pass for intrawest purchased in the summer with csia discount is only $400/year as opposed to $1300/yr for full pass purchased after Oct.

You also get discounts on food and equipment

Answer 5

I live 7 miles from a ski area so it is worth it to have a pass. Sometimes I go skiing for just 2 or 3 runs and then do something else for the rest of the day. Other times I get out of work early in the afternoon and hit the slopes at 2:00 until the lifts close at 4:00. I couldn't justify that if I had to buy daily lift tickets. In an average winter I will ski 45 days for at least part of the day.

Answer 6

It depends on how many days a season you will ski 16 days is about the break even for season vs daily ticket. Also no wait at the window, but restricted to one resort complex and its' sister areas.