Season passes: How about an Adirondack Alliance?

Last week, in my post about season passes, I made note of the increasing prevalence of multi-mountain passes and partnerships. Not only do these pass products deliver significant value to the passholder, they help the ski resorts expand revenue and build skier loyalty. I wondered if there might be an opportunity here in the Adirondacks, but didn’t provide much in the way of specific ideas. Well, here’s what I’d do.

Adirondack ski areas by the numbers: Season Passes

The 2014-15 ski season is more than 6 months away, but now is the time to consider purchasing a season pass if you want to take advantage of early purchase discounts. The decision is easy for our family: we want the flexibility of skiing on holidays and weekends, and we know we’ll ski at least double the number of days it takes to break even on the cost of our passes. So we’ve already plunked down our cash to take advantage of the best pricing on next winter’s Gore-Whiteface-Belleayre Ski3 passes.

Pricey? You bet. But considering the fact that we’ll get enough use out of our passes to drive our per-person per-day cost down to about $20, I consider it a good value. And compared to season pass pricing in Vermont, our Adirondack passes are a bargain.

Season Pass Breakeven, 2014-15

	Daily lift ticket	Season pass	Breakeven # of days
Whiteface	$85	$759	9
Gore Mountain	$75	$759	10
Titus Mountain	$45	$449	10
West Mountain	$45	$399	9
Willard Mountain	$40	$325	8
Oak Mountain	$36	$290	8
McCauley Mountain	$30	$259	9
Killington, VT	$89	$1099	12
Sugarbush, VT	$89	$1049	12

First ride

The first ride of the season, like the first ski of the winter, is more than just a shakedown outing. It’s the symbolic start of a new season, the closing of one chapter and opening of another. Ski season was great, but I’m ready to move on to mountain biking where just about every day can be a powder day.

There’s no better place for the first ride of the season than my backyard trails. There might be more exciting places to ride, but these are the trails I know best. No drive to the trailhead, just a glide down the driveway and 60 seconds of pavement pedaling leads to “my” 8 miles of single track. The trails here are rolling and flowy with a few twists and turns, fast and fun, perfect for logging a bunch of base miles, perfect for a quick weekend ride, a mid-week night ride, or a first ride of the season.

2013-14 ski season wrap-up and highlights

The winter of 2013-14 will likely be long remembered by both skiers and non-skiers for its persistent cold weather. Monthly average temperatures for the entire November - March period registered several degrees below the long-term average, and the term “Polar Vortex” seemed to filter into everyday conversation. The emduring cold gave skiers a season spanning six calendar months, with Gore and Whiteface logging their earliest-ever openings in mid-November. Gore closed last Sunday, April 20, but Whiteface may hang in for a record late closing in May. Stay tuned.

Early season packed powder with a view of the High Peaks. Gore, January 4:

Gore Mountain: 04/05/2014

Sunny, soft spring skiing remained elusive at Gore on Saturday. Occasional glimpses of the sun and short breaks of blue sky failed to get temperatures out of the 20s on the upper mountain.