In past years, they sold as many passes as possible. No cutoff date, no maximum number. They would even sell you a pass the last week of the season if you wanted to buy one. I think any passes sold after some date in March were actually for the next season, but you could use them until they closed. Generally the last week of March or the first week of April. That was more than fair.
I spoke again with the WMRT coach friend I know, and he had something interesting to add. He is hearing that this is the new "norm" regardless of Covid. He said the mountain made a huge profit off of limiting pass sales and instituting the $68 session ticket. This is really not a half day ticket, but a quarter day ticket because the Gold pass includes all day and all evening skiing. Plus there is the additional $18 charge if you need to switch pre-paid sessions. He told me they are also limiting all seasonal programs outside the race team to a 3.5 hr session, but the seasonal cost will be the same as the previous full day seasonal programs.
Well, if they can pull this off after Covid is gone or reduced to just a bad cold, more power to them. You can count me out from any ski area that tries this operating model. Plenty of other ski areas in New England. I don't see how this helps the season pass holders. The people who buy the session tickets are going to jam the lift lines because they know they must get in as many runs in as possible in 3 hours to justify the cost of the session ticket. Season pass holders
might have a little reprieve as one session leaves and the next arrives, but the next session is going to have the same mindset: Get as many runs in as possible in 3 hours. It will never end. Buying your season pass earlier will not help either if they have a "top secret" limited number of passes to sell. They will just sell out faster, then those who "missed" will be forced to buy the session tickets, then jam up the lift lines for the "lucky" ones who bought the season passes.