Will $ Fast Passes Become Standard?

[ChrisC]

Is This New Express Lane Service the Solution to Long Lift Lines?

A Fast Tracks pass will allow skiers to skip long lines via an express lane at four ski resorts this season.

www.skimag.com

How many ski mountains have 'fast pass' lines for pay? I have seen them at Northstar and Flims-Laax, but I guess they are going to become a thing.

Seems really expensive - $49/day. You really would only need them on weekends/holidays, and on a few core lifts. But a little crazy.

With $200 lift tickets and a $49 fast pass... two people could almost have lift tickets and a guide in Europe.

Although they could be useful on a weekend powder day at Jackson Hole....

 

[Tony Crocker]

This particular innovation is courtesy of POWDR Corp, and I had already heard about it because the Mt. Bachelor locals are protesting about it. At Bachelor, it seems a good answer to a question few people would ask, as I can't recall ever waiting more than 5 minutes for a lift there. Bachelor is home to a disproportionate number of my highest vertical days, including #1 and three of the top seven.

The other 3 areas mentioned, Copper. Killington and Snowbird, might see more utilization of Fast Passes. After Ian Cumming's death, is Snowbird officially a POWDR Corp resort now?

Mammoth for several years now has had Black Passes, which cost $10K per season and permit cutting all lines. I'm not sure I've ever noticed someone using that.

 

[Tony Crocker]

The Bachelor locals now have their US Senator on the case.

It's not going over well in New England either.

In the case of both Bachelor and Killington, POWDR Corp made numerous blunders alienating the locals when they bought the resorts. So these areas are a questionable choices to implement a controversial program like this. There's also an analogy to the Northstar parking fiasco a few years ago when a new charge was implemented months after people bought their season passes.

 

[ChrisC]

I can only imagine this could be worthwhile 9am-2pm .... Weekends ....Post-Christmas to early March.

In short, maybe 15 days max? And limited hours 9-2?

Did they really do their market research? They needed people out in parking lots surveying thousands of guests. Doubt it. I was at Bachelor in 2019 and did not see anyone.

This looks like an ill-informed decision....that I truly doubt they did research to support it. Wonder what the Chief Marketing Officer thinks - zero - because no work was done.

Get out in the parking lots and lift lines (if you can find any)....and talk.

Again, it's weekend powder days at Alta, Snowbird, Jackson........that would be desirable to cut lines. Tram.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Crystal Mountain is now offering a line-skipping pass. From the article below:

"Opponents argue that the move undermines the inclusive spirit of skiing and snowboarding, transforming what should be a shared outdoor experience into one that is divided by financial means. By allowing those who pay an additional $1,500 to access priority lift lines on weekends and holidays, the resort is creating an unfair, class-based system on the slopes."

My solution would be to avoid a ski area like that on days where it'd be necessary to take advantage of such a product.

Petition Started to Stop New $1,500 Line Skipping Pass at Crystal Mountain, WA - SnowBrains

New this season, Crystal Mountain, Washington, has introduced the Reserve Pass, a pass designed to help skiers and riders maximize their time

snowbrains.com

 

[Skieric]

Similar offerings at my local Blue Mountain. https://www.bluemountain.ca/blue-mo...pJobID=2320797367&spReportId=MjMyMDc5NzM2NwS2 The cost after using the discount code that accompanies the offer is approximately) $1500. Only January-February weekends are busy. Therefore per day cost for me for such a pass would be more than $150. I dont see this appealing to many.

 

[MarzNC]

Has been available at Snowshoe in WV for years. Perhaps started by Intrawest. They sell so few it doesn't make a difference. At least one Snowshoe condo owner who lives in the DC area gets one regularly. The Primo pass add-on not only provides a special access lane for busy lifts, also provides First Tracks on weekends. First Tracks is by reservation only so the number is limited each day it's available. Primo pass holders also get VIP parking.

For a few decades, Wintergreen in VA wouldn't even sell a season pass that included Saturdays to anyone who didn't own a condo at the resort. Back then, the HOA owned the slopes. Property owners had a separate line at the two high-speed quads. One served the section with only black trails. The other was the main lift for the longer greens and access to the black section. Wintergreen is an upside-down resort. Last time I skied Wintergreen during a weekend was almost 20 years ago, so not sure what happens now.

 

[jimk]

They sell so few it doesn't make a difference.

Ditto for Snowbird's Fast Tracks pass. Also, I have a suspicion that of the few that use this pass at Snowbird, many are getting it comped for one reason or another. Like many commoners, I don't like the concept. The hideous form of this they use at Disney World and other amusement parks sounds dreadful and practically mandatory for a decent experience now!

 

[Tony Crocker]

Ditto for Snowbird's Fast Tracks pass.

Snowbird is the $49? per day variety, not the 4+ digit season Primo/Black Pass type. I have vague recollection of seeing it in use at Peruvian. I do not recall seeing a line for it in Mineral Basin, where surely purchasers would want it.

 

[MarzNC]

Lowest price for Snowbird Fast Tracks is $59 for 2025-26. Goes up as high as $89. Tram not included, only the high-speed chairlifts. Looks like dynamic pricing will come into play once the season starts.

Prices for Fast Tracks as of mid-October:

 

[EMSC]

Meh; The poor, dirt-bag ski bums will still get dramatically more and better ski laps in per hour than the chumps paying for fast passes ever will anyway.

 

[ChrisC]

The only worthwhile fast pass might be Jackson Hole.

I don’t find the red tram iconic - just inefficient. It should have been a lower capacity S3 lift.

I think the biggest problem plaguing ski areas is parking. Generally High-Speed lifts handle most issues.

If EMSC remembers, I thought Greek Peak had long lines in the 80s. Just curious about his opinion. Hunter Mt was bad. Killington was not good.

I also have seen horrendous lines at Revelstoke in 2010s. Build another lift.

Whistler can be bad as well, but generally worth it.

 

[EMSC]

I don’t find the red tram iconic - just inefficient.

It's always hard to tell for some terrain pods when it is a capacity problem or capacity blessing. eg how many people do you want hitting Corbets in a day? Hobacks skied out in 10 minutes with lots of moguls? Then again, 99% don't even consider going down the signature terrain. I always want lots of capacity, but hey, keep 99% of skiers on the main bowl and couple of groomers, please.

If EMSC remembers, I thought Greek Peak had long lines in the 80s.

Greek Peak often had horrible lines from the late 70's through the mid-80's. Ridiculous numbers of busses out of NYC, Philly and WDC. 40-60 busses a weekend helped create full hour lift lines mid-day. Not going to get a lot of race training in at one run per hour on some days. Had to get fast laps in early and/or late in the day to get any repetition.

Hunter was similar on certain lifts out of the base but not all lifts and only mid-season (x-mas thru end of Feb). Killington was all about not spending time on the lifts in the main Snowshed/Killington peak area. Head to Bear Mtn or something.

I also have seen horrendous lines at Revelstoke in 2010s. Build another lift.

I haven't yet, and always cross my fingers for good but not too good of conditions that might bring out every local within 100 miles.