Ski Industry "Debundling"

[Harvey]

All these nickel-and-diming schemes are also meant to disproportionately punish solo travelers, which is a problem when you're single and don't really have any friends.

That's a little conspiracy-ish sno. I don't think Rusty is saying "let's stick it to the dudes with no friends!"

It's about money. Rob and Rusty are rich because they are making a ton of money for owners.

Someone with 3 seasons passes must be getting something positive from capitalism, I guess you gotta take the good with the bad.

 

[Campgottagopee]

That's a little conspiracy-ish sno. I don't think Rusty is saying "let's stick it to the dudes with no friends!"

It's about money. Rob and Rusty are rich because they are making a ton of money for owners.

Someone with 3 seasons passes must be getting something positive from capitalism, I guess you gotta take the good with the bad.

FKNA

 

[Campgottagopee]

I could care less about fee's, who gives a shit. I factor it in for my day. If I can have a million dollars worth of fun for a few bucks, then I'm in.

The overcrowding can go F off. Won't do it. I'll go somewhere else and have my fun.

 

[Brownski]

Many Resorts (including some on the Indy Pass) are charging an extra $5 for an RFID card- what do you all think? Nobody ever asked me to pay for a wicket.

 

[Tjf1967]

One Alterra resort, Solitude, is unfortunately one of the worst offenders of nickel-and-diming their guests.

It's mandatory paid parking in all their lots, based on vehicle occupancy. The only way you can get it for free is to be a 4+ carpool.

1: $35
2: $25
3: $10
4+: Free

If you don't have enough people to get free parking, then you can avoid paying by taking the UTA Ski Bus, only to be slapped with a 12 to 20 dollar fee for the lockers when you arrive.

They claimed that "we're just trying to get people to carpool or use the bus, not make money with paid parking", but their actions regarding the lockers suggest otherwise. Whether you drive or take the bus, you get hosed either way. The only ways to avoid paying for either are to be a 4+ carpool, or boot up before taking the bus and plan to not need anything out of your bag the entire day. Both are not feasible for the majority of skiers. Management knows this, which is why these policies are in place.

Any resort saying they're not attempting to make money with paid parking is lying though their teeth.

All these nickel-and-diming schemes are also meant to disproportionately punish solo travelers, which is a problem when you're single and don't have many friends.

Seems like they got you right by the short hairs. Doesn't solitude have a dinky parking lot? Imagine a family of 4 not being able to get a spot in the lot cause some single person car skiers clog it all up. Remember when luggage was free? Remember meals on the plane?

 

[Campgottagopee]

You never had to pay for wheel weights when getting your tires balanced. Now you do.

 

[snoloco]

Many Resorts (including some on the Indy Pass) are charging an extra $5 for an RFID card- what do you all think? Nobody ever asked me to pay for a wicket.

The RFID cards are reusable from season to season, so the next time you go, you won't have to pay for a new card. It also means you can reload online and avoid the ticket window entirely. I'm also unaware of any resort charging more than 5 dollars for one. I guess I've never seen a problem with it.

Seems like they got you right by the short hairs. Doesn't solitude have a dinky parking lot? Imagine a family of 4 not being able to get a spot in the lot cause some single person car skiers clog it all up. Remember when luggage was free? Remember meals on the plane?

Yes, Solitude has a tiny parking lot.

It's possible for two things to be true at the same time:

1. Parking at certain resorts is a scarce resource and unfortunately needs to be rationed in some way.
2. "Gotcha" moments with surprise fees might look good to the bean counters upstairs, but leaves a bad taste in anyone's mouth who got charged, and should be avoided.

In Solitude's case, they opted to prioritize carpools for parking, and incentivize solo travelers to take the bus. Fair enough. But then they also slap those who took the bus with a 20 dollar fee for the lockers. They have no other option since they don't have a car to boot up in. In my opinion, that's far more vexing than the parking fees.

I would prefer to not replace the joy of skiing with the stress and frustration of air travel, but apparently that's a controversial opinion around here.

 

[Harvey]

I would prefer to not replace the joy of skiing with the stress and frustration of air travel, but apparently that's a controversial opinion around here.

Explain?

I am not a fan of air travel at all.

 

[Campgottagopee]

You used to be able to smoke in a diner. Now you can't

 

[snoloco]

Skiing is a recreational activity, something that should be fun, but if you have to game out how to avoid getting charged these nuisance fees, then that takes a lot of the enjoyment out of it. That's kind of what you do when flying and is part of why most people don't particularly like air travel.