Uh oh. Fast Tracks at Powdr resorts is coming

[SpikeDog]

I used to have a defacto Fast Pass at Pebble Creek. It was called Ski Patrol.

 

[Bill Miles]

That is a good question... and I love my TSA Precheck. I suppose that still has less impact on those that don't have it, compared to lift lines. I.e. I'm not taking a "seat" at the airport from someone coming through the regular security line or making them wait longer directly. Amusement parks and chairlifts are directly making people wait for a seat longer. But it's something to think about.

(That said, I do feel guilty at some smaller airports, where the TSA Precheck line isn't actually separate, and just lets you cut the regular line. But that's not very many places. Then there's the actual cost of pre-check which is fixed for everyone and not very expensive, and whether or not that matters... things get complicated.)

Missed a international connection once when, among other things, TSA was jammed up and they were letting another line go ahead of our line (don't know they were precheck, but wondered).

As for the fast pass, it is unclear how it works. Do all fast passers go ahead all regular skiers or do they alternate?

 

[johnnyvw]

Re: TSA pre-check...you did have to submit your fingerprints and a lot of other info, correct? That's a little different than just shelling out a few bucks...

 

[Andy Mink]

Missed a international connection once when, among other things, TSA was jammed up and they were letting another line go ahead of our line (don't know they were precheck, but wondered).

As for the fast pass, it is unclear how it works. Do all fast passers go ahead all regular skiers or do they alternate?

I would think they'd have to alternate or the general pop would never get on.

 

[Lorenzzo]

It does leave a bad taste but given the money that's moved to the mountains, outdoor rec focus, stock market, etc., the trend seems inevitable. I'd prefer something like this not exist. That said, I'm much more likely to do more days at Snowbird if I can sidestep long liftlines.

 

[Tony S]

I'm with @tch. Emphatically.

Imagine you're with seven of your usual suspect buddies at a SkiTalk Gathering. You're approaching the lift corral and four of them take off for the Fast Pass line. "Yeah, we bought the Fast Pass. See you at lunch!"

 

[Pat AKA mustski]

I'm not a fan of the idea. It is vastly different than "line cutting" in ski classes. Whether group or private, the time slot for lessons is limited. No one wants to pay big $$ to stand in line instead of spending instruction time on the snow.


Fast pass is similar to the premium parking passes at some resorts. There are those who pay considerable extra $$ to have a season parking pass. It feels as if resorts are losing money because they joined mega passes like Epic, Alterra, MCP and now are trying to make it up by nickel and dining us to death. They wanted the masses and now they want to create an elite membership opportunity for those who don't want to be part of the masses.

 

[dbostedo]

I'm not a fan of the idea. It is vastly different than "line cutting" in ski classes. Whether group or private, the time slot for lessons is limited. No one wants to pay big $$ to stand in line instead of spending instruction time on the snow.

Most of the posts above talking about classes (mine anyway, and I think Phil's) are talking about people who book an all-day lesson just to be able to cut the line on powder days (or possibly other days). Those types of "lessons" are what we were equating with fast pass schemes... I don't think anyone was saying someone in a lesson shouldn't get to cut the line.

 

[Marker]

Some resorts like Blue Mountain in PA allow season passholders to have essentially a fast pass on their most popular and busy lifts. If POWDR did the same, I suppose they could sell more season passes, but that doesn't sound like the model they want to pursue.

 

[Andy Mink]

Some resorts like Blue Mountain in PA allow season passholders to have essentially a fast pass on their most popular and busy lifts.

Mt. Rose does 8:30 for season pass holders on the Slide, er, Winter Creek side. You can get 2 or three runs in before the other 6 people show up during the week. It also allows for a hop over to the main side to get first tracks before the Northwest chair spins.

 

[mdf]

Most of the posts above talking about classes (mine anyway, and I think Phil's) are talking about people who book an all-day lesson just to be able to cut the line on powder days (or possibly other days). Those types of "lessons" are what we were equating with fast pass schemes... I don't think anyone was saying someone in a lesson shouldn't get to cut the line.

Bob Peters used to tell about a group of local experts that booked him regularly on powder days -- when he was semi-retired from guiding/teaching -- just to cut lines. Getting paid to just ski powder is even better!

 

[Marker]

Mt. Rose does 8:30 for season pass holders on the Slide, er, Winter Creek side. You can get 2 or three runs in before the other 6 people show up during the week. It also allows for a hop over to the main side to get first tracks before the Northwest chair spins.

I think Camelback did this as well, but Blue allowed season passholders to go to the front of the corral all day.

 

[Wilhelmson]

Too much for a family but if i were solo i might buy it sometimes. Why not have reasonable season pass price and then add ons?

 

[crgildart]

Is there anyone here who WOULDN'T pay extra to cut lines if you had unlimited financial resources? I absolutely 100% know I most definitely would. First I'd travel around with the best snow.. Then I'd pay whatever it takes to get the easiest and fastest access to it. Hate the game, not the player..

 

[mdf]

Is there anyone here who WOULDN'T pay extra to cut lines if you had unlimited financial resources? I absolutely 100% know I most definitely would. First I'd travel around with the best snow.. Then I'd pay whatever it takes to get the easiest and fastest access to it. Hate the game, not the player..

Well ... true.

 

[jmeb]

Is there anyone here who WOULDN'T pay extra to cut lines if you had unlimited financial resources? I absolutely 100% know I most definitely would. First I'd travel around with the best snow.. Then I'd pay whatever it takes to get the easiest and fastest access to it. Hate the game, not the player..

100% honest -- no I wouldn't.

If I had unlimited financial resources, I'd be in a heli or cat. Paying to cut lines would just make me feel scummy. Inbounds skiing is supposed to be somewhat accessible -- and not just the scraps of the overly wealthy.


If I wasn't in a cat or heli, I'd be taking off weeks to sit in a British Columbia hut to ski tour deep snow by human power.


.

 

[newboots]

Is there anyone here who WOULDN'T pay extra to cut lines if you had unlimited financial resources? I absolutely 100% know I most definitely would.

Is this something that happens when a person’s wealth grows enough that there is an excess of disposable income? I would bet that we all change as we earn, or have, more money. And it’s upsetting that we live in such a terribly divided society where people can pay their way to space travel while children go hungry.

I agree that I’m privileged to be able to go skiing at all. Many people can not.

 

[Mothertucker]

Do they offer 15 minute lessons?

 

[AmyPJ]

I don't like it either. With a lesson to cut lines, at least you're employing an instructor. Creating a First Class lift line is so against what I think as a "melting pot" experience on the mountain.

Most of the posts above talking about classes (mine anyway, and I think Phil's) are talking about people who book an all-day lesson just to be able to cut the line on powder days (or possibly other days). Those types of "lessons" are what we were equating with fast pass schemes... I don't think anyone was saying someone in a lesson shouldn't get to cut the line.

Scruffy is right, when you purchase a lesson for the day, you are paying an instructor, and I know in at least the case of the instructor I am married to, they actually do instruct while they are out there. And take pictures and videos and do everything they can to create a really positive experience for the group who paid for the lesson. Also, not all early load lessons are on powder days. The mountain has gotten so ridiculously busy (and dangerous for instructors, honestly) that my husband has encouraged some of his more timid students in particular to request an early load so that they can have an hour (which equates to about 3 runs) of quiet time to work together without the fear of being mowed down.

I think the parallels between the haves who buy in to just cut the line and those who purchase a private lesson are pretty small. All I see happening now is that arriving early on a powder day to try to catch fresh tracks will be a waste of time. It'll now come down to sticking around during a storm or catching the surprise afternoon freshies that happen on occasion.

I also agree that it creates an even bigger divide of the classes, so to speak, particularly at a place like Snowbasin which draws from historically blue collar Ogden.

 

[SBrown]

Well, those of us who have seen it at Copper can say that if it works the same, you all have nothing to worry about. Very few of the people I ever saw in the fast line were going to be snaking your powder. Most don't care to get up early enough. Of course, past performance is no guarantee of future returns ... the world is certainly different than it used to be.