Skip Wolf Creek. They're greedy bastards, and the "resort" sucks. Their prices have skyrocketed in the last few years, and some people I know can't even get a season pass anymore... or if they do, it's blacked out half the season. (p.s. I lived there for 3 yrs).
The only good thing going for them is (usually) snowfall, however they're in the same boat as many... sure 80% open, but if you don't want to ski on rocks, you stick to the 10% decent run coverage on about 15". My buddy that lives there was up the other day and bragged that at least he's on snow... I guess there's that, which right now is something.
Oh, and then there's the Texans...
As for Texans, we've seen far more jerks from Oklahoma after college exams are over in early December. Now . . . Texans in Taos are another story.
When did you leave Pagosa?
In comparison, for early season price, I paid $399 @ Tamarack and $449 at Brundage (for midweek)... even the full pass prices were $599!
As with everything, location matters. More people can drive to Wolf Creek from NM, TX, OK than live within a day's drive of Tamarack and Brundage. Plus Bogus Basin is where locals from Boise go most of the time. From the east, much easier to get to Denver than Boise, whether flying or driving.
For context, the season pass for my home hill in VA is over $500 . . . for about 100 acres total with no off-piste terrain. The longest run takes no more than 5 minutes for an intermediate good enough to not stop from summit to base.
A season pass seems in line for a 1-location pass in CO. Two of us have senior SuperSaver passes and those are under $400 during the Pre-season sale week. In addition to the Dec week, we're going to ski a few days driving from Taos in early March. Several of the days we'll be there are Local Appreciation Days so lift tickets will be less for my friends who buy day tickets.
Agree that Wolf Creek is not a resort. The name is after all Wolf Creek Ski Area. However, for my crew the fact that fewer people are willing to drive 20-30 minutes for a ski day is a plus, not a minus. I find the food at WCSA more reasonable and suits me better than at any Epic or Ikon resort in Colorado. I'm a morning person. I like to arrive early, ski hard in the morning, and stop for a leisurely hot lunch. I ski until 3:30 or 4:00 but how hard and on what terrain depends on who I ski with and snow conditions. Can be the time to cruise with friends who are warming up for the season on groomers.
I've skied at WCSA with 25 inches mid-mountain in December. For what my senior friends and I want from an early season trip, it was fine. Plus having a lesson from a 20+ year L3 instructor (CB, Vail) on groomers is also helpful for the rest of the season. Different strokes for different folks.
