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It’s no secret that the 2023-24 ski season was, to put it mildly, uneven.As it wound down in late March—or, in some cases, was done (if, indeed, it started at all)—resorts turned their attention to next year. And that meant early 2024-25 season pass sales, a critical cash infusion and key strategy in signing up skiers and riders for next winter. 

The challenging season seemed to inform pass sales strategies more than ever this year: resorts held prices, offered re-up incentives, and even turned private in an effort to lure skiers and riders back. 

Here’s a quick look at some of these early 2024-25 season pass strategies. 

RENEWAL INCENTIVES

Renewal incentives were common among mega passes like Epic and Ikon, but smaller resorts also got in on the act. 

Locals and families. Despite an awesome February, which helped turn around a slow start, Brundage Mountain, Idaho, for the first time offered a new Loyalty Pass, i.e., an incentive for current passholders of as much as $150 off next year’s pass. “We really want to incentivize locals to purchase a pass,” said J.P. Goulet, marketing and sales director. 

Noting that nearby Tamarack had rolled prices back considerably—Tamarack halved the cost of its year-round family pass and discounted its year-round adult pass by $500 for purchasers that committed before March 3—Goulet said Brundage also added new price points on its family pass. 

Previously, two adults and two children qualified for a Brundage family pass. Now, families as small as one adult and one child will still get a discount. “We’re trying to be equitable and cater to all types of families,” Goulet said. “We’re trying to be as inclusive as possible.” 

Addressing a short season. After an “awful” 35-day season, Great Bear Ski Valley, S.D., is also offering a $100 loyalty renewal discount for the first time during its pass sale. 

“This year, we were really disappointed when people bought a pass that we were not able to deliver on, through no fault of our own,” said GM Dan Grider. “We thought we should address the crummy season and offer a little incentive to come back.

“We’ve gotten a great response,” Grider continued. “People have been very understanding on social media: ‘thanks for thinking of us;’ ‘it wasn’t your fault.’ I feel we’ve built up a lot of good will.” 

Will Great Bear do it again? 

“I hope we don’t have to,” Grider said. This winter’s dismal season came on the heels of last year’s record (68,000 visitors compared to the previous record of 49,000). “Hopefully, this was just a blip on the radar,” he said.    

RADICAL IDEAS

While renewal incentives have long played a role in pass sales strategies, some ski areas are looking to more radical ideas to attract skiers and riders. 

Lifetime pass. After the rough season, nonprofit Loup Loup Ski Bowl in Washington is selling lifetime season passes for $6,000. Admitting the season took a toll, Loup Loup, a community hill, is selling the lifetime passes in hopes of realizing a much-needed cash injection to ensure the ski area’s future. 

No word on how the sale is going. 

Public/private. To bring in more long-term business, Powder Mountain, Utah, will offer real estate owners exclusive access to certain parts of the mountain, and the rest of the resort will be public. It will also no longer cap the number of season passes sold. 

“We have traditionally been uncrowded and cheap. This is not a great quadrant for a business to operate in, so we have devised other ways to operate the resort,” explained GM Kevin Mitchell. 

Powder Mountain wants to “remain in the uncrowded quadrant,” Mitchell said, “but in order to accomplish this successfully, we will need to move out of the cheap quadrant. 

“The model of the resort has changed,” he added. “Some areas of the resort will be private for homeowner access only, with the rest open to the public.” In spring, plans for two major terrain expansions were announced, one geared toward expanded public access and the other toward private homeowners. 

Powder has not set a public/private ratio for pass sales. “We will always have room for non-homeowners. It’s not about ratios,” said Mitchell. “It’s about providing an unmatched, uncrowded experience on the public side, as well as a great community for our private members.” 

The ski area did bump up the price of its public season pass from $1,259 last season to an early bird price of $1,399 for 2024-25. On March 5, the pass price jumped to $1,499 and will continue to increase with demand.

Kids aged 4 and under will still ski free at Powder, and the 5- to 12-year-old pass remains at $199 with the purchase of an accompanying adult pass. 

Under 18? Ski for free. For 2024-25, Antelope Butte, a nonprofit ski area near Sheridan, Wyo., has extended the kids ski free idea to anyone under the age of 18 on the date of purchase.

Board member Emerson Scott characterized the decision as an opportunity to give back to the community and a “message of appreciation.”

“Price is the biggest barrier in skiing right now,” added fellow board member and Indy Pass director Erik Mogensen. 

To that end, the ski area also simplified its pass structure to a single price for anyone 18 or older, with sales starting at $299, increasing to $399 on May 1, and topping out at $499 on Oct. 1.

NEW TO THE MARKET

KSL Resorts, owner of Blue Mountain and Camelback in Pennsylvania, is offering the new Peak to Peak Poconos Pass, which includes access to both mountains. “We’ve consistently seen shared skier visitation at both Camelback and Blue despite any other mega passes being available in the area; it made sense to bundle the two mountains together into one pass,” said KSL spokesperson Marguarite Clark. 

“Camelback and Blue are still closer to New York City, Philadelphia, and New Jersey than other resorts in Pennsylvania,” Clark said. “Some folks aren’t willing to travel for other passes.” The resorts are also just 40 minutes apart, making it possible to ski both mountains in one day, she noted.

Asked about the impact of the lackluster season on pass sales, Clark pointed to both areas’ commitment to snowmaking. “Blue Mountain was the first in the area to open the slopes this winter, with the most terrain, and is pushing to be the last to close. Camelback was able to get 100 percent open terrain this season, which we have not been able to achieve in the past two seasons. 

“These commitments go a long way with passholders deciding where to invest their dollars in East Coast skiing and snowboarding,” she added.

OTHER MULTI-RESORT PASSES

The Cali Pass, which competes head-to-head with Epic and Ikon in the California market, now boasts four resorts: Mountain High, Dodge Ridge, Bear Valley, and China Peak, as well as reciprocals with the Powder Alliance resorts. 

“It’s a good competing product,” said Karl Kapuscinski, CEO of Cali Pass group California Mountain Resort Company. 

Buoyed by a strong second half to the season, the Cali Pass, which held the line on next season’s prices, set a record when it went on sale March 16. 

“We continue to see a younger, more diverse skier looking for a more diverse product,” Kapuscinski said. “More and more, people want to get on a multi-resort pass.” 

The Indy Pass also held prices (for the third year in a row) and sold out during its March sale. “Right now, we’re at capacity,” said founder Doug Fish. 

“We’re spending the off season recruiting more resorts. If we’re successful, we may sell more passes in the fall, but there’s no guarantee,” he added. Fish is, however, guaranteeing that at least 200 resorts will be on the pass for the 2024-25 season. 

“It was certainly a rough year,” Fish said. “Redemptions were down a little. I think the Indy Pass is more vital than ever for some of these small resorts struggling to survive.”

He said 25 percent of Indy passholders have another pass. For the rest, it is their only season pass. 

Mountain Collective. Thanks to a snowy March in some regions, early sales for the 2024-25 Mountain Collective pass were also positive, CEO Todd Burnette told SAM in late March. “We have been on sale for ’24-’25 for about one week, and early indications are good that the Mountain Collective is continuing to resonate,” Burnette said. 

“While some areas have had periods of challenging weather and conditions this season, overall we have seen strong usage from our passholders,” he added, noting that there was “still a good chunk of the season left, and conditions are good in most areas now. 

“We are looking forward to a strong finish to the current season,” said Burnette, “which will provide sales momentum for us to move into next year.” 

HELPING NEIGHBORS

The low snow year in many parts of the country led some resorts, including Shames Mountain in British Columbia, to honor the season passes of their less- fortunate nearby competitors who were forced to close because of the lack of snow. 

Asked why, Shames GM Christian Theberge said, “We do not see our neighboring mountains as competitors, but rather fellow ski hill operators. Community ski areas are like the farm teams of the industry: they breed the skiers of tomorrow and feed the larger areas with their guests through holiday ski vacations. We felt that the industry as a whole, or at least locally in northern B.C., needed to have its faith in the season pass product restored.” 

Theberge expects the low snow year to reduce pass sales for next season. As a result, he said Shames started its pass sale earlier, froze prices, and added other perks, including three buddy tickets. 

Retaining new guests. “A challenging year like this one, where our product did not meet the expectation of our regulars, forced us to stop focusing on the powder and backcountry experience we are known for, and pivot to pushing a beginner experience. We can’t lose the beginners and new skiers from this year,” he explained. “Extra efforts have to be made to invite folks back next year.  

“The positive end of the season and show of solidarity between ski areas is what we need to ride to the finish line to help everyone forget this season and be excited for the next one.”