Ahh, the good old days of $5 day skiing … today’s Tahoe/Truckee skiing industry is a long way from that. From recent droughts and low-snow years to the jarring shifts in policy due to Covid-19, ski resorts in the region and industry-wide have been increasingly expensive, and have been encouraging or even requiring pass holding over shorter ticket options.
This month, we asked: What’s your opinion on the resort industry’s shift to pass-oriented models?
GARRETT BEVINS, South Lake, Davis
Tea guy, Botanik Herbs & Tea
Personally, the pass model works really well for me because I go enough and every season I always do the calculation of what my single-day lift ticket costs would be and I save a lot of money. It’s also nice to explore different mountains, so the new model of having these behemoth corporations works for me as well. Last year I had a ticket just to Sierra-at-Tahoe and that gets boring.
GEOFF MILLIKAN, Truckee
Tech
The pass shift feels inevitable but then how do we welcome new people into the sport without a huge one-time expense?
KAT SEVERIN, Truckee
Ski instructor
I view a season pass as a win-win for consumers and resorts. Great value with multi-destination options for skiers and guaranteed sales for resorts. We all need to pray to the snow gods this year!
LILLIAN KROVOZA, Sacramento
Music producer
I haven’t snowboarded in like 10 years because it’s way too expensive … $150 for one day is too much, and I don’t go enough to get a pass. I know [the resorts] don’t get snow anymore and they have to pump it, I know there are reasons why it’s so expensive … If I went more times in a season the pass would be worth it.
COLBY SNOW, Truckee
Retail, Palisades Tahoe
[The switch to pass-oriented models is] happening everywhere, but it’s hard to say where it’s going because the market itself doesn’t exist [right now] since there’s no snow. Mother Nature’s not helping us out.
Author
