This post speaks to the Ikon situation specifically.
A family from Peoria with two pre-teen kids is visiting New York City and they really want to visit the Statue of Liberty. That’s at the heart of their trip. Telling them about the 1001 other wonderful and special things there are to do in Manhattan doesn’t change that or reduce their disappointment if they don’t get to do it. Nor does it appease their grouchiness if their all-inclusive package tour included that stop, but then they’re told later that it’s going to cost a bunch extra to visit the statue.
Every piece of PR about Big Sky starts and ends with a stunning photo of Lone Peak. Going up there, regardless of your actual ability to ski the terrain, is practically the
definition of a signature experience. Boyne perpetuates that for all it’s worth with every single ad. Right? It’s willfully obtuse to suggest that it’s “ just another lift,” as it would be to suggest that Miss Liberty is “just another attraction” in New York.
Let me try to use the Socratic method here and reflect the argument my opponents in this discussion are presenting. Being able to do this is a first principle of debate.
The argument, though not explicitly articulated, is clearly this:
The Ikon pass is an amazing value. You get so much skiing for your money. If Ikon and its partner resorts are nibbling away at the edges of what you were told you were getting, so what? By complaining you are looking a gift horse in the mouth. Instead, you should shut up, count your blessings, and stop being so greedy.
Is that not basically what many of you are saying?
If so, well, I just don't agree.
It is not greedy to expect to receive something that you paid for. The fact that it was a good deal doesn’t change that in the slightest. On the contrary, the fact that it was that good a deal – notably including the signature Big Sky experience – may have convinced you to close the sale in the first place, much to the benefit of the seller. (How much do you want to bet that there is - or was - a prominent photo of Lone Peak and the tram somewhere on the Ikon site?)
My bike shop advertises a Colnago Model X road bike for $2,000. Wow. That’s a great deal. Sold. Here’s my credit card. Now delivery day arrives and it’s not a Colnago, it’s a Trek. Same component package. I say, “I paid for a Colnago, not a Trek.” Bike shop says, “Yeah, but this Trek is an amazing bike. For $2,000 you were crazy to expect a Colnago. Even the Trek is WAY underpriced at $2,000. What makes you think you deserve a Colnago for only $2,000?”
Um, the fact that my sales receipt says I was supposed to get a Colnago?
Not that I think it should matter, but yes, by the way, I have been up there, and I have skied other routes besides Liberty, and it is quite an amazing experience, even knowing first-hand how good the skiing at Headwaters and other parts of the mountain
also is.
I am not planning a trip to Big Sky next year, but if I were you can be sure I’d be on the phone with Ikon about this. Say I’d booked a 7-day trip. I might reasonably expect to ride the tram on 3 of those 7 days, thinking conservatively about weather and what have you. At $50 a pop, hypothetically, that is not pocket change. $150 extra for the week.
Now let’s say every marquis area starts doing this. That’s an extra $150 for each week at each area. If I take three trips I’ve paid $1,450 for my Ikon experience instead of $1,000. Almost a 50% increase. No. Sheesh.