Thursday, November 15, 2012

Adirondack ski areas by the numbers: Lift ticket prices

Lift tickets from Jack Quavis’ quest to ski every NY ski area during the 2011-12 season.  Quavis documented his visits on SkiMyPOV.com.

The Saratoga Skier and Hiker, first-hand accounts of adventures in the Adirondacks and beyond, and Gore Mountain ski blog.
Lift ticket prices at Adirondack ski areas for the 2012-13 season cover the entire range from free to $84. If you think eighty-plus bucks is expensive (and it is), consider the fact that season passes, frequent skier cards and other discounts bring down the actual cost per day for most skiers.

Ski Lift Ticket Comparison, 2012-13

Daily
lift ticket
Season
pass
Breakeven
# of days
Whiteface
$84
$739
9
Gore Mountain
$75
$739
10
Killington, VT
$88
$1049
12
West Mountain
$52
$400
8
Titus Mountain
$42
$379
9
Willard Mountain
$39
$375
10
Oak Mountain
$34
$263
8
Hickory Ski Center
n/a
$250
n/a
McCauley Mountain
$30
$239
8
Mount Pisgah
$15
$150
10
Ski Venture
n/a
$60
n/a
Indian Lake town slope
free
n/a
n/a
Dynamite Hill, Chestertown
free
n/a
n/a

Lift ticket price comparison fine print:
  • Day passes are adult weekend rates. Gore and Mount Pisgah have slightly higher holiday rates than shown above ($79 and $20, respectively).
  • Season pass rates are for adults, with no blackout periods.
  • Season pass rates reflect early purchase discounts. Current pricing may be significantly higher, for example Whiteface / Gore ($869, increases to $999 on Nov. 17) and Killington ($1349).
  • Killington was included as a frame of reference for Vermont ski area pricing.
  • Ski Venture is a member-owned ski hill in Glenville, NY in continuous operation since 1937. Membership privileges include unrestricted 24/7 access to the club’s lighted slopes and rope tows. Click here for a trip report and overview from February 2011.
  • Day pass pricing for Hickory was not yet available.

Photo credit: Jack Quavis, founder of Ski My POV.com.

3 comments:

  1. In some ways, I would think that K-Mart isn't the best frame of reference for VT, but when you look at some prices charged by other resorts these days, it's almost a bargain. Okemo passes are $1749, Stratton is $1669, Sugarbush is $1599 and Stowe is $2056. Those are today's prices, not early season discounts. If I didn't work in the industry, I don't know that I'd be able to afford the sport any more.

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  2. I agree with your point about K-ton not necessarily being the most representative ski area for VT. But I used K-ton because it's the VT mtn that Saratoga-Glens Falls skiers most frequently get a season pass for. As you point out, the $1049 K-ton pass looks like a bargain, but you had to buy that by April 26! It's $1349 now, still several hundred bucks less than the other VT areas you mention. And it's several hundred more than a WF/Gore pass.

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  3. Interestingly, Jay Peak has bucked the industry trend by actually lowering lift ticket prices for this winter. You can read about that here.

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