Stowe =
$1996.00

no summer perks. hopefully you get some. I think its silly. for 2k per person, it should be 365. waterpark, alpine slide, golf, etc. But at Stowe, you don't even get a discount to these things. Oh and the town itself is 20% more expensive just because of the name of it.

Frosty I will agree with you 1,000%. And just for record stakes, Stowe does not book up every season... its always bankrupt! Stowe should be the lesson learned. The resort just changed hands, and might even change hands again. Who knows. Sooner or later the corporations that buy the mountain will figure enough is enough and where will the state be? Not many people fly to Vermont to ride Killington, which is sad, but its the truth. Most people link Vermont with Stowe.

But back to the point, you are 1,000% right. I don't mind the $13 burger. I really dont. I'm hungry and forgot to bring snacks. Oh and the $4 water? Thats fine too, I'm just too lazy to walk to the water fountain. But $69 lift ticket? Thats silly, especially when you don't groom every day, have a day care, have enough seating for your crowd, have enough terrain for your crowd, etc. Oh and lets not forget parking! Yes I didnt make it to the mountain 2 hours before the lifts started turning, so I have to pay $5 one way for shuttle travel. So thank you for whatever you though I would need in winter time (waterpark) and demolished the parking.

Enough. Please.

I wasn't trying to catch you assuming Frosty, but thanks for the props anyways. The point I was trying to get to, is that when you ride a resort like that, and there are no lift lines, and not many locals, and the place is switching hands, it doesn't take an economist to see that prices are too high.

There are 2 sides of that mountain (and i'll get to jay peak sooner or later on this subject). The business side, and the promotional side. The promotional side has it dialed in right. Inviting guests with experience (think pro boarders) and celebrities, doing clinics with pros, helping out in the community with lift tickets for the less fortunate, etc. These are the good sides of the mountain. The bad sides, I believe the upper mountain staff has never been past the base lodge in the winter time. That is just the vibe I get from there. They are the ones with the run security looking for a reason to get you off the trail for the day, but smart enough to not ban you so you buy a ticket tomorrow. And of course, these are the guys that set the lift ticket price.

Don't get me wrong, Stowe is an amazing mountain, with an amazing atmosphere. I will truly miss my time there. But alas, without working there I cant afford to ride there season pass wise. But as far as the consumer on the mountain, I'd give it $65 a day vermonter rate (which means about 15% discount). That is still high, I know, but the resort itself is worth it. but $89 a day? That has me thinking twice unless I get 1st chair.

Jay peak I believe has managed to filter some of their "largest indoor water park" build cost into their season passes. They have gone up this year, and resorts of similar caliber have not. Why a ski resort has to invest its time, money, and most of all, parking space (hint hint zero parking) is beyond me. I understand wanting to have something for people year round, but taking away from your winter business, your prime business, and then tacking on a rate hike for those fortunate enough to park there is just silly.

The whole industry is wrong. I read that article about Killington you posted. I feel bad for the local buy in owners. Those peoples investments should have transferred over. But the corporate cut out made me laugh. HARD.

Smugglers Notch is the only place I've found that is doing things well. Yes, you spend time on the lifts, 10-15 minutes each. Local price is $39 a day. Fair. Season pass is $499ish, I cant remember but its right around there. Includes the waterpark for summer use. And... the best kicker of all, its built on the back side of Stowe!

This is just my local opinion. The whole scene is out of hand, but I can only talk about what is going on in my everyday life.