By Karen D. Lorentz
posted
Mar 28, 2012
The year was 1966. An adult midweek pass at Stowe or Killington
was $7.
The next year we paid $35 for five days of skiing and lessons
midweek.
In 1970, a busload of teens paid $70 each for five days of lifts,
lessons, lodging, and two meals at Whiteface. (Charter bus paid for
through ski club fundraising.)
In 1972, a trip to Austria cost $279 /person -plane, 7 days
lodging, two meals included).
In 1974, the 7-day Aspen/Snowmass trip (plane and bus, lodging,
skiing, breakfast) cost $279.
Some of us remember $21 tickets (early 1980s) or family season
passes that cost less than one adult season pass today.
No question, we pay more dollars to ski/ride today.
But when you factor in inflation, do we really pay more for our
lift tickets?
The inflation factor
To see what the $7 adult day ticket would cost today, a check with
Inflation Data.com shows that "Total inflation from January 1966 to
January 2012 is 612.78%."
"The U.S. Inflation Rate Calculator gives the
percentage of increase in prices over a period. Something that cost
$1 in 1966" becomes $1 + ($1 x 6.1278) or $7.13 today. To
adjust that $7 adult ticket to take inflation into account, it is
multiplied by $7.13 and today would be $49.91.
To answer the question above, it depends on where you are skiing
and what you are paying and even to what year you are comparing the
ticket. Sometimes it is less expensive or the same on an
inflation-adjusted basis; other times, more expensive.
X factors and value
If you paid $7 for an adult day ticket in 1966 but you paid $25,
$29, $39, or $49 per day this year, you beat the $49.91 adjusted
price! The Pico 4-play ($24.75/day) was a steal and the K-4 Play
($49.75/day) was a good deal, too! The early season pre-buy of
Killington day passes at $50 and early and late season rates - even
frequent skier card options (depending on number of days used) and
some internet deals came close on the adjusted rate.
A local skier boasted that he had gotten $29 Vermont resident rates
at Pico midweek (non-peak) before he switched to the Pico 4-Play.
He also purchased a Stratton 2X Card and paid $39/day at Stratton
after his $69 Card purchase, which included a free day.
With a season pass, it depends on how many days you ski. If that
averages to less than $49.91 per day, you are indeed skiing
cheaper.
A senior who skied 19 times this year on the early bird 2011-12
Pico Midweek Senior Pass with protection plan, averaged $8.68 vs.
my $20 for 8 days.
Jonathan Celauro, who works at the Basin Sports shop, says the best
"bargain" is the full Pico Pass ($349). If you bought a 1982-83
Pico season pass ($365) its inflation adjusted value of $843.88
would substantiate that claim even with the decrease of two days
operations.
Celauro averages 100+ days a year, noting most days consist of six
runs or 7,000 vertical feet. He gets a Killington "blackout pass,"
observing that when he used to pay $679 early bird price, he
considered that a bargain but his work-perk Merchant Pass ($379) is
even better.
Lisa Swett who works at Aspen East noted that the guys in the
shop usually average 100 or more days on their blackout passes, but
they ski half days as they also work. Customers who ski weekends
and holidays tend to get the traditional full pass and some average
70-80 days. Many families with younger kids average 25 to 30 days
($41.96 to $35/day), which is still a deal, she noted.
Owen Murphy, who has worked at the Inn at Long Trail for 17 years,
skied 200 days last year (2010-11) and notes that since 2003-04,
he's never skied less than 152 days a season. He adds the special
'deal days' at other areas to his local ski days, noting all "put a
smile on my face" although some "days" may be as little on an hour
or two on the hill.
The many millions factor
But let's suppose you paid full "window rate" for an adult day
ticket this season: $62 weekends/$65 peak periods/$49 midweek at
Pico; $86/weekends/peak periods and $79/midweek at Killington; or
$84/weekends/holidays and $77 midweek at Okemo.
You paid more (Okemo was $6 and Pico $6.50 in 1967) but look at
what you received for your money: millions upon millions of dollars
worth of fast modern lifts, snowmaking, grooming, terrain parks,
superpipes, childcare services, nicer lodges with better food
choices, and vastly expanded terrain. In the last five years, $20+
million was invested in capital improvements at Pico and Killington
alone.
Lisa Swett noted that, "Thanksgiving Friday of 1984 or 1985 I skied
7 runs all day using the Killington Double Chair. Today, you can
get 7 runs on the Superstar Chair in one-and-a-half hours," she
noted.
Bottom line: more skiing and the total experience is
better.
Plus, given this year's extremely warm weather, it is doubtful we
would have skied more than a few weeks or a month tops without
snowmaking and grooming.
Lest you think I exaggerate, consider that in 1979-80 (worst winter
with Vermont skier visits drop of 35%) the upper third of Okemo
Mountain was skiable for only 5 days due to low natural snow - just
54 inches total that year. The area did operate on the lower
two-thirds for 120 days thanks to round-the-clock snowmaking (75
acres) on 80 of those days. This year (120 inches natural snow)
Okemo operated 123 days thanks to snowmaking (605 acres), which
kept the upper mountain open from day one. While it is to be
expected that the warmer and shorter 2012 season will mean skier
visits dipped from recent record years, they will likely still come
in several times over those of 1980.
"When we look back in the record books there will be an asterisk
which will say, 'No help from Mother Nature, the Okemo team did it
all on their own,'" said VP and General Manager Bruce
Schmidt.
While complaining about day-ticket cost is common, consider what
you receive for your inflation-adjusted outlays, and seek out the
bargains!
Early Birds can ski cheaper
Here's a look at Killington's 2012-13 adult pass Early Bird (EB)
options (purchase deadline April 26) and how many days are required
to ski cheaper on an inflation-adjusted basis (to beat that $7
ticket).
The Unlimited ($1,049) passholder has to ski 22 days; The Blackout
($729) Passholder, 15 days; the Midweek Passholder ($429), 9
days.
Killington's College Pass ($309, offer good to August 30) is valid
every day of the 2012-13 season at Killington and Pico for
full-time undergraduate and graduate students. A student who skis
just 7 times beats the inflation-adjusted rate.
Pico's 5-day season pass ($349, deadline April 26) requires 7 days
to hit the $7 adjusted rate, and if you add the new $99 option to
ski to one (non-peak) Tuesday or Wednesday per week at Killington
(during Pico's season), 9 days are required. Seniors 65+ pay $249
so just 5 and 7 days (with option) are required to make this a
cheaper option by comparison.
Okemo's Peak Pass ($1,119) gives unrestricted access to Okemo and
Mount Sunapee, requires 23 days to beat the $7 ticket. The Midweek
($339, ages 7-69) requires 7 days while Super Seniors ($235, 70+)
need just 5 days. These and other EB rates are good till April
30.
The new, no-exclusions Okemo Millennial Pass ($499 until April 30)
benefits ages 19-29 (17 and 18 qualify with proof of college
enrollment). If a Millennial passholder skis 10 days, the
inflation-adjusted cost per day is equal to paying $7 in
1966.
Seniors and college students may luck out, but kids six and under
beat all with free skiing! As with senior/college rates, that perk
wasn't available in 1966!
Just as the early bird gets the worm, so too can skiers and riders
today as they can enjoy comparatively cheaper costs per day on the
slopes to say nothing of the improved terrain and conditions and
faster lifts for more vertical per hour skiing.
Tagged:
skiing, inflation, ski prices
