Uh oh. Fast Tracks at Powdr resorts is coming

[Ogg]

Ski areas are in the business of making money. Many people on this website love and purchase the relatively inexpensive passes. I don't see the problem with them generating revenue in other ways.

Ski school lines are a perk for people who buy lessons. I can only imagine the complaints if people purchase a $800 per day private lesson and spend half of the day standing in line.

Buying lessons will likely allow you to bypass the fast pass line on busy days so the upper crust can still get their special perks.

 

[mdf]

I don't see the problem with them generating revenue in other ways.

I have a problem with corporations generating revenue in sneaky ways.

 

[Nancy Hummel]

I have a problem with corporations generating revenue in sneaky ways.

How is allowing people to choose to purchase an "add on" sneaky?

 

[mdf]

How is allowing people to choose to purchase an "add on" sneaky?

It's borderline, I admit. It is part of the general theme of "oops, we made the passes too cheap, lets find a way to make the net price higher." If it wasn't for the recurring pattern I would say it was ok.

 

[Andy Mink]

I think it would have been more palatable if they did it up front, before season passes went on sale. Then people could have made a decision. Powdr took a page from the book of Epic, the Parking Chapter.

 

[4ster]

It's borderline, I admit. It is part of the general theme of "oops, we made the passes too cheap, lets find a way to make the net price higher." If it wasn't for the recurring pattern I would say it was ok.

I would rather just pay more for the pass to begin with and have less people on the mountain even if that means less lifts with longer lines. Lift lines are not what is degrading my ski experience it is unpredictable, uncontrolled, careless skiers. If that sounds exclusionary, it might be but I feel I’m sharing the road with an awful lot of unlicensed drivers who never passed drivers Ed.


& whoever said they get “plenty of skiing”, shame on you

 

[Philpug]

Alta 1966 just before FastPass.

 

[4ster]

Alta 1966 just before FastPass.

& look at the chaos in the queue, out of control crowds coming down the scraped off groomers & deep rutted moguls! Hell you needed skills just to get to the lift line, I rest my case .
Apparently much of that lovely terrain has recently been gentrified so the ICBM’s can have a clearer path

 

[Jwrags]

I think it would have been more palatable if they did it up front, before season passes went on sale. Then people could have made a decision. Powdr took a page from the book of Epic, the Parking Chapter.

I think they should have announced it before the season and made it an add on option for a limited, but generous, number of season passes as well as a daily add on. Really, that would be similar to a full Ikon with no blackouts vs a base pass with blackouts and no access to Aspen or Jackson.

 

[James]

Hell, you needed skills just to get to the lift line,

Yeah with that packed line going uphill, you have to sidestep. Hmmm… I like it. Because it’s so upfront and obvious. Many liftlines have just that short problem area where beginners start flailing.

 

[KingGrump]

I like it. Because it’s so upfront and obvious.

That's what TSV did with the new Kachina lift corral.
Have to skate over from top of chair #4. Take a few step up side way to access a long slightly uphill traverse. Through a stand of trees. Then a hard left into the roped corral. The corral is mildly steep down hill. Need to side slip. A wedge will not provide enough braking. The snow is icy and bumpy. Embedded rocks and branches all over the place. Oh yeah, final exam, there is a hard left kink in the middle. Miss it and an embarrassing blow out through the rope at the bottom of the corral.

Even the Texans can comprehend the subtle message. No "Expert Only" sign required.

 

[SBrown]

It's not always noticed and often denied until it impacts ME negatively..

This is pretty much exactly my problem with the harrumphing around here.

 

[SBrown]

I think you are waaaaaaay underappreciating what is happening here on many levels

Except I am one of the few who has been to a resort that has done this for years, and all of us are shrugging our shoulders. As I said earlier, maybe this time it will be different. But I am not imagining things, like most of you. We have actually lived it, and it's no big deal. Few of you are listening to those of us who have dealt with it at Copper.

As for inequality, again, not the time or place. Embarrassing, frankly, to have a bunch of privileged white people worrying about who gets to go five chairs earlier in a ski lift line.

 

[coskigirl]

Except I am one of the few who has been to a resort that has done this for years, and all of us are shrugging our shoulders. As I said earlier, maybe this time it will be different. But I am not imagining things, like most of you. We have actually lived it, and it's no big deal. Few of you are listening to those of us who have dealt with it at Copper.

As for inequality, again, not the time or place. Embarrassing, frankly, to have a bunch of privileged white people worrying about who gets to go five chairs earlier in a ski lift line.

Louder for those in back.

 

[KingGrump]

Embarrassing, frankly, to have a bunch of privileged white people worrying about who gets to go five chairs earlier in a ski lift line.

 

[givethepigeye]

Except I am one of the few who has been to a resort that has done this for years, and all of us are shrugging our shoulders. As I said earlier, maybe this time it will be different. But I am not imagining things, like most of you. We have actually lived it, and it's no big deal. Few of you are listening to those of us who have dealt with it at Copper.

As for inequality, again, not the time or place. Embarrassing, frankly, to have a bunch of privileged white people worrying about who gets to go five chairs earlier in a ski lift line.

/thread. Thank you for the last paragraph. #truth

 

[MissySki]

A scathing opinion piece on this topic that I found amusing. As someone who skis at a Boyne owned resort though, I enjoyed the quotes from Kircher on having tried this years ago, failed, and going in a different direction instead. Sunday River, where I ski, had such bad feedback during their pilot years ago that they abandoned it before completing the planned timeframe it was to run for.

Warning for sensitive eyes, there is plenty of profanity throughout.

Thanks for the Thousand Dollars, Now go Fuck Yourself

Powdr Launches “Fast Tracks” Lanes at Killington, Snowbird, Copper, and Mt. Bachelor Written by Stuart Winchester Your upgrade actually wasn’t an upgrade Imagine this: Six months ago, you threw down $1,029 for a Killington season pass. That’s a lot of money. More than a $999 Ikon Pass, which...

mountaingazette.com

 

[François Pugh]

Nobody here likes line-cutters, but if they are paying for a ski lesson's by the hour we cut them some slack.

As for inequality, again, not the time or place. Embarrassing, frankly, to have a bunch of privileged white people worrying about who gets to go five chairs earlier in a ski lift line.

It's not about inequality; it's about being sh*t on.
By cutting into my line, you are making me wait longer. Respect the line!

 

[MissySki]

As for inequality, again, not the time or place. Embarrassing, frankly, to have a bunch of privileged white people worrying about who gets to go five chairs earlier in a ski lift line.

It’s a ski forum, this is exactly the sort of thing people are thinking about and want to opine on pre-season with no snow to slide on. We always fear the unknown, and your experience at one resort may or may not reflect what others experience with these changes at their resorts. No one will know until they go through it themselves. That should be OKAY to discuss imo, that’s literally what a ski forum is for isn’t it? Discussing any and everything ski related ad nauseum is normal, at least from what I can tell on many many threads here.

Not to be snarky.. but at this point in 2021 I’m personally quite sick of being told what’s okay (or not) to think/worry about based on my perceived skin color and/or financial status. Having a difference of opinion is cool, shaming others that want to discuss something completely relevant to the purpose of this forum, isn’t. Just my opinion on it anyway.

 

[Lauren]

A scathing opinion piece on this topic that I found amusing. As someone who skis at a Boyne owned resort though, I enjoyed the quotes from Kircher on having tried this years ago, failed, and going in a different direction instead. Sunday River, where I ski, had such bad feedback during their pilot years ago that they abandoned it before completing the planned timeframe it was to run for.

Warning for sensitive eyes, there is plenty of profanity throughout.

Thanks for the Thousand Dollars, Now go Fuck Yourself

Powdr Launches “Fast Tracks” Lanes at Killington, Snowbird, Copper, and Mt. Bachelor Written by Stuart Winchester Your upgrade actually wasn’t an upgrade Imagine this: Six months ago, you threw down $1,029 for a Killington season pass. That’s a lot of money. More than a $999 Ikon Pass, which...

mountaingazette.com

IIRC, Boyne did a pretty piss-poor job of piloting it. They set up a separate line, didn’t tell anyone about it beforehand and just started letting random kids from the local academy cut the line to “test” the program. Maybe they let day trippers add it onto their day pass(?), but I’m pretty certain there was no notice to season pass holders. Seems like it was set up to get pushback and fail from the start. At least Powdr is releasing it to everyone, and giving notice before the season starts…and if it doesn’t work, I’m sure they’ll drop it.