Sharing/Selling passes?

[Jerez]

@crosscountry wasn't thinking so much my local hill in NM where they still scan the old school way.. but an example would be Winter Park CO. You go through RFID gates for the lifts at the base area. But once you are up on the mountain all the upper lifts have no scanning. Presumably anyone who got that far up can ride for free. (You could game it by skinning up to that point I supoose) To install rfid gates at all those secondary lifts, some of which get long lines as it is on weekends and holidays, would indeed cause congestion. There isn't that much space at some of them and the cost of that infrastructure would be prohibitive. If they sold an AM pass, there would be no way to prevent someone for paying for the morning but skiing all day. I think this might apply at other mountains that have multiple lifts that don't go to the base like Steamboat or Telluride or Vail.

 

[crgildart]

The multiple session options really only make sense at places with night skiing. I suppose they could and probably do drop the price around lunch time places that don't have night skiing.. It's the morning session where your ticked ends while things are still fully open that would be difficult at someplace with a thousand acres.. You could get caught out 4 lift ride and runs away from the base with an expired ticket..

 

[crosscountry]

You could get caught out 4 lift ride and runs away from the base with an expired ticket..

You could...

But then, you could be 1/2 hr away from your car/home when you really want to be off the mountain for reasons which you bought the time limited ticket in the first place...

(I've only used that feature a very limited time period. I had to be at work by 4. And it's a long drive so I needed to be off the mountain by 2. The 4 hr ticket was perfect. It's only a moderate discount from the full day 8 hr ticket. Still for the short period of time I was able to make used of it, it was great)

 

[fatbob]

Chamonix ski areas used to have a great 4 hour pass. I remember on a couple of occasions rocking up at say 10 having a balls out 4 hours and carefully timing last lift up from the backside up at 13.59. Then a leisurely lunch and a full ski down

 

[dovski]

Well, that chopper belongs to the "Gendarmerie" (French military police). Akin to the italian "Carabinieri"...
And their rescue services on snow are/were "free of charge", only in the last years, if an "undue reason" for their call is ascertained, then the "offender" is going to be billed for the chopper/rescue services, at least it is so in italy, in France, not so sure, in Switzerland and Austria it will cost you, a lot, whatever the reason for calling them, since the rescue chopper servies are carried out by private ventures, for all that I know. To my knowledge, in Italy, an injuried (thus someone with a righteous reason) skier who is calling the on piste medical assistance is not going to be billed a dime. This said, and for the reason stated above that one is never sure wether it might be billed or not, an insurance coverage is a good thing to have. "Good thing to have" is an understatement, since it has become compulsory to have such coverage, and also - compulsory from jan 1st - a civil liability package. Most packages offered are valid and cover the whole of Europe...if multi sport, even activities other than skiing (but need to read the fine prints).
The reference you make, @dovski , is , again to my knowldege, specific to Switzerland, not sure it is available in other countries, if not for limitied and specific areas. Yet again, if one purchases a multi-days skilifts ticket at my home mountain , can board public transportation means , busses/coaches, and use it move freely in the area (in the whole valley, that is), during the winter season of course. This in an effort to limit private traffic that could clog the road system in peak holiday (Christmas, Carnival, Easter, etc.) times...

Details, details, details lol. All good points but I think it reinforces the uber point that in Europe you do not have the same ski resort monopoly on a specific mountain, instead you have a collective of private and public entities collaborating to deliver a great skiing experience. So what you pay for a services and how you pay is very different than in the US.

 

[Nobody]

Sure, I agree.

 

[crgildart]

I will say the fact that RIFD cards are not locked to your jacket with tamper resistant wiring make it seem they're willing to be more lax on day ticket sharing in exchange for the cost savings and other logistical advantages RIFD cards offer. Imagine if you will, a ski house full of people and someone offers someone else the valid card to go take a few runs while they take a break. If someone really only wants to ski for an hour anyway.. Why not? Que Karen!

 

[James]

Imagine if you will, a ski house full of people and someone offers someone else the valid card to go take a few runs while they take a break. If someone really only wants to ski for an hour anyway.. Why not?

#1 issue for theft of service with epic pass has been sharing among couples.
They really should offer some sort of sharing pass for people with young kids.

 

[crgildart]

#1 issue for theft of service with epic pass has been sharing among couples.
They really should offer some sort of sharing pass for people with young kids.

Isn't there a photo in the Epic and iKon pass data? With an RIFD card you just pay online to up the session for cards you already have. No photo when they hand several to you at the parking lot gate and then those cards get reused.

 

[James]

Isn't there a photo in the Epic and iKon pass data?

Yes, doesn’t mean the scanner looks at it.

It might be why they want to push people to phone passes, because you’re not going to lend out your phone.

 

[Pat AKA mustski]

It might be why they want to push people to phone passes, because you’re not going to lend out your phone.

Spouses still will. They will just switch phones. I agree with what you said above ... charge a bit more if you must, but offer a shared pass to parents with kids too young for ski classes.

 

[James]

Well, that chopper belongs to the "Gendarmerie" (French military police). Akin to the italian "Carabinieri"...
And their rescue services on snow are/were "free of charge", only in the last years, if an "undue reason" for their call is ascertained, then the "offender" is going to be billed for the chopper/rescue services, at least it is so in italy, in France, not so sure, in Switzerland and Austria it will cost you, a lot, whatever the reason for calling them, since the rescue chopper servies are carried out by private ventures, for all that I know. To my knowledge, in Italy, an injuried (thus someone with a righteous reason) skier who is calling the on piste medical assistance is not going to be billed a dime. This said, and for the reason stated above that one is never sure wether it might be billed or not, an insurance coverage is a good thing to have. "Good thing to have" is an understatement, since it has become compulsory to have such coverage, and also - compulsory from jan 1st - a civil liability package. Most packages offered are valid and cover the whole of Europe...if multi sport, even activities other than skiing (but need to read the fine prints).
The reference you make, @dovski , is , again to my knowldege, specific to Switzerland, not sure it is available in other countries, if not for limitied and specific areas. Yet again, if one purchases a multi-days skilifts ticket at my home mountain , can board public transportation means , busses/coaches, and use it move freely in the area (in the whole valley, that is), during the winter season of course. This in an effort to limit private traffic that could clog the road system in peak holiday (Christmas, Carnival, Easter, etc.) times...

It’s my understanding in Switzerland that if you get the insurance with the skipass, you will be covered for on piste rescue. Last I looked just to show up was 300 swiss francs.

Off piste rescue is a grey area I still don’t get, so I load up on travel insurance and Rega. What say you?

 

[Wilhelmson]

One time on a good snow day I forgot my pass. I did the right thing and skipped the scanner and stayed uphill all day. Pass was at home so at the end of the day I paid $10 for the new plastic card. So I didn’t steal anything; it just shows how easy it is to pass a gate.

Parents with babies should be able to share a day pass since only one person can ski at a time.

 

[no edge]

I was home from skiing in Norther Vt. A friend stopped buy to say hello. He took my season pass and left my house. He came back 45 min later with a perfect counterfeit - it was perfect.

He was a photographer. He took a picture of my pass, used the picture of the lettering, put a picture of himself and changed the color of the paper to match. This was in 1978.

He never used the pass.

 

[Truberski]

At least the Ikon resorts seem to arm lifties with tablets and they are comparing physical appearance to what shows on their screen. I know this as three of my five teenage kids have been questioned this season. Blame it on dad not bothering with new pictures for them in a few years and their pass pictures being humorlessly outdated. Amazing how much they change in just a year or two!

 

[crgildart]

Yes, doesn’t mean the scanner looks at it.

It might be why they want to push people to phone passes, because you’re not going to lend out your phone.

There are a fair number of people who still prefer to leave their phone in the car while skiing.

 

[Prosper]

Isn't there a photo in the Epic and iKon pass data? With an RIFD card you just pay online to up the session for cards you already have. No photo when they hand several to you at the parking lot gate and then those cards get reused.

Epic has photos that come up on the scanner. It's pretty common as well for the pass scanner to say your name which is not a high level of security but might catch an occasional pass sharer.

 

[James]

There are a fair number of people who still prefer to leave their phone in the car while skiing.

Not under probably 50, not people with kids, not people doing work.

 

[ss20]

Some mountains give bonuses to lift ops to bust passes. I know we do at Alta and the $$ is significant with no cap.

I remember when I was an older kid my mom would size up my ski coats so she could ski a run or 2 at the end of the day when I was done just by switching the coat. Today I'd reckon a majority of skiers under age 20 couldn't properly fold a ticket wicket or know how to use it at first glance. That was always so fun making the "chain" of tickets on your coat, til the lifty would yell at you to cut them off.

 

[Jersey Skier]

There are a fair number of people who still prefer to leave their phone in the car while skiing.

How do they control their heated socks, Carv sensors, music and see how far and fast they go? Nevermind post on how great a time they are having on social media.