Vail Sucks 2021/20??

Chuckstah

On to the new season of Vail greatness.

https://www.mountsnow.com/explore-the-resort/about-the-resort/getting-here.aspx

Mount Snow will implement paid parking next winter, daily, to "improve the skier experience". "almost half" will still be free on weekends. All of Carinthia will be paid on weekends it appears.
Not what I want to hear when I'm making my pass decision 👎

newpylong

Just ditch them!

Chuckstah

That's always been my plan, but I live near Crotched and $350 for a midweek is worth that alone. Throw in some cherry picked days at Stowe, Wildcat, couple at Snow, and several at Sunapee?? Hard to not throw money at them ☹️

Beast Patroller

My wife & I got doped into buying passes last year with their false assurance that the pass protection would cover us for COVID related events. Then they gave credits/refunds to passholders who made "priority reservations but never use them or the pass but refuses to give us a credit just because we didn't make the reservations.

Now just when we decided to "eat" our losses and buy in for next year this dsfsg comes out! Frankly everyone needs to talk with their wallet and send a message to Vail but as usual that's not going to happen.

The worst part of this is 2 yrs. ago we bought our place 10 minutes from Mount Snow and now our options are limited. Go to Stratton and stand in lines with all the disgruntled Mount Snow skiers who left. Head further north and spend more time & money going to Bromley or Magic, or head 35-40 mins south and ski Berkshire East.

Not really sure what our plans are outside of using the snowmobile we just bought.

lotsoskiing

How far away are the free lots? Being a Sugarbush skier and having to hoof it up that hill (at both mts) I look at it as my warm-up.

conrad

"Vail Resorts Closes Stevens Pass Bike Park For 2nd Consecutive Season"
https://unofficialnetworks.com/2021/05/25/stevens-pass-bike-park/

DrJeff

How far away are the free lots? Being a Sugarbush skier and having to hoof it up that hill (at both mts) I look at it as my warm-up.

Generally a 1/4 to half mile from the main base area, closer if they're running the magic carpet for the tubing hill and access to those lots, and all of the free lots at Carinthia are within a 1/4 mile of the lodge/quad.

Plus, they run free shuttles from the outer and lower free lots around the Main Base Lodge.

Not happy with this. My hunch is that most weekend days, late morning you'll have the paid lots maybe 1/2 to 2/3rds full and the free lots overflowing with folks parking out on the various access roads.

Also not happy that they won't be selling the season parking pass. We had 1 for the 1st time this past season and would gladly have bought one again this year for the convenience and freedom to arrive a bit later if we wanted and still park right behind the Mount Snow Ski Club where our locker with our gear is.

In the big scheme of things, since my condo complex has a shuttle that runs every weekend and Holiday Week from Thanksgiving until the end of March, this won't effect my family very much. Still don't like it, especially when this change involves roughly 50% of their total parking spaces...

Beast Patroller

How far away are the free lots? Being a Sugarbush skier and having to hoof it up that hill (at both mts) I look at it as my warm-up.

It's irrelevant how far the free lots are from the mountain as it's another sign of corporate greed! We pay the same as others for the "right" to ski but now they want us to paid more just for the "right" to park? So now if you don't paid more for that right to ski you're made to feel like a second class citizen. This charge has nothing to do with enhancing my experience but only to make more profit for the damn shareholders! Personally I'd rather pay the extra 20% for my season pass and park for free.

There was a lawsuit filed a couple of years ago by 2 skiers in Calf. who bought a season pass and after that Vail started to charge to park. BTW, they won their lawsuit!

The problem with Vail is they think that New England is Colorado and everyone has bottomless wallets in which they can pick. Where else in New England do they charge paying customers to park after they've paid good money to ski?

Another example of greed is the loss of lift tickets the owners at the Grand Summit use to receive each year. You can't convince me that Vail is going to be good for the mountain or the valley. Frankly, I wish someone else would buy Mount Snow from Vail and return it to the days of Peaks!

Lastly, how do they justify charging $65.00 a person for their summer brewfest & their
Octoberfest when in the past it was $20.00 early pricing to $30.00 day of event. Even if they included all the beer you want it's still not worth it.

conrad

It's like a Dilbert cartoon.
Vail planning room:
A: How do we make 20% more revenue per visitor than last year?
B: Let's charge money for parking in the main parking lot!
A: How do we overcome the fact that this will provide a worse guest experience?
B: No problem at all, just have the marketing department advertise that it will improve the guest experience and everyone will understand!

lotsoskiing

It's like a Dilbert cartoon.
Vail planning room:
A: How do we make 20% more revenue per visitor than last year?
B: Let's charge money for parking in the main parking lot!
A: How do we overcome the fact that this will provide a worse guest experience?
B: No problem at all, just have the marketing department advertise that it will improve the guest experience and everyone will understand!

The Big Lie, skiing version.

The Experience sucks! Long live The Experience!

I hope Alterra does not go down this road, otherwise my long walk will get longer...

NewEnglandSkier13

Seems like they're trying to see how much they can get away with before people stop buying passes.

newpylong

Yep, and people obviously keep buying them and putting up with their subpar product and BS because it's not a bad value. I would never, but I live closer to independent hills than many.

DrJeff

Seems like they're trying to see how much they can get away with before people stop buying passes.

I wonder if some of it is an attempt to try and spread some of their crowds around to their other properties that the Epic pass covers.

For some Epic passholders, they won't blink and eye at having to pay for parking. For others, who may have bought it because of the ratio of number of mountains it offers at the price point it's sold for, then that may have them seeking out other options, where the parking situation is different.

The crew that this likely effects more, is the crew of second home owners and/or seasonal renters, especially those with kids in the season long weekend programs, who if they want to park close to the lodge may be looking at 25 to 30 days of parking fees, and not having a parking season pass option, or at least one listed as an option as of yet, is really snub to Mount Snow core customer base, especially those who may not reside in a location that has Moover service to/from the mountain.

Remski

I for one am not buying in to their crap again. I bought the Ragged pass for next season and will use my senior or NH citizen discounts at any other areas that I visit.

jaytrem

This is great news! (if you happen to own Magic Mountain)

This line is just insulting our intelligence...

"These changes will help ensure faster, more efficient parking for all our valued guests, especially at our busiest times."

Yes, I always find it easier to park when I have to go on an app first. I have a house there, so I guess I'll deal with it. However, I won't spend a penny on anything I don't have to. Will also advise people to avoid their resorts whenever possible. In almost 50 years of skiing there, this is probably the most disappointed thing yet.

rickbolger

Ixnay on the discussay!

Some of you may recall the thread where I floated the absurd idea that Vail make all of the parking paid and shuttle skiers in from free lots in Brattleboro. Well apparently they have a mole here at Snowjournal so we need to be careful.

Pay toilets could be next, as part of their Carbon Neutral Initiative

slatham

Say what you will on paid parking, but implementing a new paid parking policy AFTER selling season passes is bad form, and not very client friendly. I guess the 20% pass reduction is in fact too good to be true once you consider other factors. I can't even imagine what food, beverage, lessons and any other ancillary service might cost. And do they cut back on snowmaking, grooming, lifts? This could be the definition of "bait and switch". Katz may in fact be more car salesman than marketing genius (apologies to any car salespeople out there).

Certainly makes Ikon and Indy look better......

Edit: Yes rickbloger, paid toilets!

NELSBEER

Great, cashless paytoilets, we'll see how that works with the kids.

DrJeff

Great, cashless paytoilets, we'll see how that works with the kids.

Connect Mom and Dad's Amex Black card to little Johnny or Sallie's Epic pass and ready for the Epic gender neutral of course, porta-potties! :D

ski_it

Seems like they're trying to see how much they can get away with before people stop buying passes.
I wonder if some of it is an attempt to try and spread some of their crowds around to their other properties that the Epic Pass covers.

And what makes you think they won’t do this at all their resorts?
Crotched lots, from the reports we got, were overflowing.

And Rick???? SHUT UP!!!!!!

And ski_it?????? SHUT UP!!!!!!