- Joined
- Jul 15, 2020
I don't think mega-passes have reduced the cost of skiing. They certainly haven't reduced the cost of putting out a good product.
Regardless of the hype, skier visits are basically flat over the last 10 or 20 years (someone post the chart). So if skiers are actually paying less to ski, then ski resorts are less profitable or less is being spent on putting out the product. What is really going on (as sno has pointed out) is the unbundling.
Cost are being shifted. Skiers are either not figuring that out, or have changed their behavior to adjust, like booting up in the car. Maybe not a huge hassle, but I don't think anyone argues that improves the experience to get dressed outdoors.
If anything is elite-ist it's the "ski midweek" stuff. It's not scalable for the bulk of skiers who drive the industry. Midweek skiers are a necessary cost, not a profit center.
Regardless of the hype, skier visits are basically flat over the last 10 or 20 years (someone post the chart). So if skiers are actually paying less to ski, then ski resorts are less profitable or less is being spent on putting out the product. What is really going on (as sno has pointed out) is the unbundling.
Cost are being shifted. Skiers are either not figuring that out, or have changed their behavior to adjust, like booting up in the car. Maybe not a huge hassle, but I don't think anyone argues that improves the experience to get dressed outdoors.
If anything is elite-ist it's the "ski midweek" stuff. It's not scalable for the bulk of skiers who drive the industry. Midweek skiers are a necessary cost, not a profit center.