For those few that the obvious logic escapes them, consider what would happen if resorts sometimes lowered prices before a season began.
In the current system, pass prices are lowest in the spring as a carrot to those still skiing at the end of a previous season. In some cases as with Vail, one merely pays a modest down payment against the to be later set full price that will be collected late summer before a first pass price increase. Thus someone changing their mind mid summer has a disincentive to go elsewhere but if they say injure themselves during summer at a level they won't be able to ski, are only dinged a bit. Resorts benefit by getting cash up front before a season in order to more easily budget and finance a following year's expenditures.
Resorts don't always set in stone pass prices until that first price increase late summer because competitive situations could change. The down payment merely guarantees whatever the lowest price becomes. In the case of these new passes like Icon the situation is a bit different. Their marketing is likely counting on people still skiing at end of season being excited about future skiing to be more likely to commit that far ahead of time. Of course if resorts waited till warm September to price and sell such passes, by that point skiers are more likely to not even yet be thinking about winter sports.
Now if a resort lowered a price during the fall versus what they priced earlier, they would certainly have to hassle with refunding that same amount to any that had already bought a pass. And in the future such would give people another reason to not make such an early committed decision months ahead of time and instead just wait to see what happens. Of course by then people would also probably be down at some beach during a heat spell with the notion of dealing with winter skiing far from their interests. Additionally by consistently each year gradually raising prices as a winter approaches, it gives their skiing customers that did not yet buy during spring an incentive to buy into a pass at least by late summer that likewise helps resort budgeting.
@SSSdave I think you have a couple of things wrong here. You say "In some cases as with Vail, one merely pays a modest down payment against the
to be later set full price that will be collected late summer". While you are correct that Vail only wants $49 down when you buy your pass in April, the price for the pass is set when you buy it. The price is not later set. Who would buy a pass like that?
If you want to upgrade your pass at a later date (before season starts), I've heard they will use price you committed to paying (or have paid for lower level pass) vs. current price for upgraded pass so you can lose the advantage of buying early at the lowest price. I'm not sure how they handle a downgrade.
I'm not sure that you are correct when when you say "someone changing their mind mid summer has a disincentive to go elsewhere but if they say injure themselves during summer at a level they won't be able to ski, are only dinged a bit." My understanding is that if you do not buy pass insurance and get hurt (or change your mind), you have committed to paying for the rest of the pass in September. While you may be able to get out of that commitment by closing the credit card Vail will try to use charge the pass balance,
their FAQs say "The $49 down payment, as well as the balance, is non-refundable."