It was announced last night that the major ski resorts in the Catskills have entered into a joint promotion for the 2012/2013 skiing and riding season.
The Catskills Winter Sampler Card will cost $199 and includes one unrestricted adult lift ticket valid any day of the upcoming season at each of four premier winter ski and snowboard destinations in the Northern Catskills: Hunter Mountain, Windham Mountain, Belleayre and Plattekill Mountain. In the next few weeks the card will be available online at CatskillsWinterSampler.com.
The combination lift ticket program is designed to encourage visitors from major metro areas to sample the skiing and riding available in the Northern Catskill Mountains. Located just two and a half hours north of the New York metro area, the three Catskill counties of Greene, Ulster and Delaware offer a selection of lodging, outdoor activities, restaurants, arts & culture, shopping and winter fun that is close to home for millions of people.
The promotion was unveiled at the First Tracks Media Night at Arno’s Restaurant in New York City on Tuesday. The annual event in Manhattan was attended by Thunder Ridge, Mount Peter, Hunter, Windham, Plattekill, Catamount, West Mountain, Gore Mountain, Whiteface, Greek Peak, Ski Areas of New York (SANY) and I Love New York.
I don’t see the value in this. With the Hunter Big Lift card the cost per tkt is 30 during the week and only 53 on the weekend.. Platt always has deals and so does Bell. I wouldn’t go to Windham if it was for free..
Yeah, I don’t get it. Doesn’t work for me unless there is a discount after the initial deal.
They should work something out to make a season pass that would get you onto all four mountains. I would be interested in that…
It appears to be aimed at people who might pay full-fare otherwise.
A lot of it is symbolic — i.e all four Catskills are working together instead of a cold-war situation between Belleayre/DEC and the other three. Based on what we heard and saw last night, ORDA has been working overtime to mend fences and overcome the private areas’ perception that a state-owned ski area was undercutting them.
I would lose money buying this card.
I agree, this doesn’t seem much good for those in the know. I was skiing Platty last year for $18.75 a pop. I can ski Hunter mid week for $28 with my Greek Peak season’s pass…as long as there is such a thing.
Not really a good deal. Seems geared towards the “metro” and weekend warrior crowds who would be paying weekend rates. When you look at the midweek rates at the 4 areas you aren’t really saving that much. I have the Big Lift Card for Hunter, which is a better deal. I’m not interested in Belleayre…Hunter or Platty are my top choices for the Catskills.
Bunch of haters here. It’s good for the weekend crowd, even if that doesn’t describe the constituents of this blog. I do agree with Benny though, there should be a perk after the card is used, or maybe a LEVEL UP after you hit all four. Like a sweet Catskills hat, or more lift ticket deals. This is just stage one though, this could be like the colonies before ‘Merica. Let’s give them a chance because it’s certainly going in the right direction. NY Skiing rules!
Let’s face facts – if the average yield per skier visit was $18 the ski business (aka snowmaking) wouldn’t exist. I think yield is around $45. If you’re hardcore and working the deals to get a low cost per day, you should be worshiping the occasional skiers who pay a little more and make the entire eastern ski industry viable. If it is.
This card is not for any of you guys who “would never ski this or that mountain.” It’s for people who may ski outside of NY, or maybe haven’t ever skied at all. Ted said to me last night: “I don’t want a bigger piece of the pie, I want a bigger pie.”
James’ comment is spot on. I think the ORDA takeover of Bell brought some hope and — at the same time — apprehension in the Cats. Personally I’m impressed with Ted’s approach. He’s from the Catskills. From what I’m seeing he’s viewing ORDA’s mission as REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT and the region now includes the Catskills.
Well, then, the best way for him to make a bigger pie is to, as always, take some losses and make it cheap and easy for people to learn and get their first week or so on the snow. I can’t see a beginner getting thrilled by this deal.
I was referring in my above post to the deal Liftopia worked out with some major mountains out west (Jackson, Squaw, and a few others) where the card (I think it was about 350 bucks) gets you two free tickets at each mountain and then a 50% discount after that, unlimited, and no blackout. That’s what I’m talkin’ about.
The pie is getting smaller. Give the remaining gluttons a little whip cream to keep them happy.
I for one am a new-ish skier and I think this IS a good deal for 4 mountains. It’s UNRESTRICTED so I can go anytime. For the non-regular skier, Hunter’s lift tickets run $70, Windham’s weekend rate is $72 (when I’m most inclined to go), Belle is $59 and Platty is $58. Add those up and you’re at $259. I like the idea of trying all 4 mountains and saving $60. Harvey44 is right – it’s not for the die-hard “I’m looking for the best deal” skiers or those that have already experienced those mountains. It’s for the out-of-towners who don’t know those mountains and would like to try something new. I’m all for this deal!!!!
Harv, did Blazer offer any insights as to how he would grow skier visits overall? Just playing a little devil’s advocate here, it seems like there’s a finite number of skiers who will go to the Catskills. Is he expecting to pull people away from the PA or MA ski venues regularly?
PM – Got to be honest Ted didn’t elaborate. I was really pulling his leg saying “yeah let’s steal visits from SoVT!” He looked me right in the eye, dead serious and said “Harv, I want a bigger pie.” That was the full extent of it. It was kind of a crazy night. You should come next year.
Harv, please keep me in the loop on that and I’ll be there!