That was a very interesting read. I've always wondered about the details around the contract between the big ski resorts and the NFS, fun to read the actual permit. Ikon and Vail seem to be a duopoly and the geographical limitations inherent of a ski resort make the free-market argument hard to believe - you can't just open up a new resort next to breck or vail and charge lower rates.
I was a long time epic/ikon pass holder - I didn't buy one last year, and I bought a smaller resort's season pass directly this year. Let it snow!
> the geographical limitations inherent of a ski resort make the free-market argument hard to believe
That's a bit of a weird argument? It's a bit like saying that while you are inside a Walmart, they have a monopoly on selling you stuff. Yes, that's true. But surely the relevant competition for ski resorts happens before you book your vacation?
On the other hand allowing the high window prices and holiday pricing are what drive the ability for these companies to make the massive capital investments that they have, while season pass prices have plummeted for anyone local that actually skis a lot. It's not just rent seeking; a lift ticket today is fundamentally a far superior product to what was being sold in the 70s, and nobody but gapers are paying full retail. Let them subsidize it for us I say.
Not true. If you're on vacation looking to ski for 3 days, you're right in the crosshairs of the ski resort's price model, and you're not getting around it.
I also don't see how the product is superior to what was offered prior
This is an issue with all kinds of products and services, from residential university education to cars to restaurant food.
Expensive options with lots of extras that not everybody wants—and some may actively dislike—replace broadly affordable options with fewer bells and whistles. Everyone is catering to the whales and, thanks in part to our robust lending industries, trying to convince the minnows that they can be a whale too.
That was a very interesting read. I've always wondered about the details around the contract between the big ski resorts and the NFS, fun to read the actual permit. Ikon and Vail seem to be a duopoly and the geographical limitations inherent of a ski resort make the free-market argument hard to believe - you can't just open up a new resort next to breck or vail and charge lower rates.
I was a long time epic/ikon pass holder - I didn't buy one last year, and I bought a smaller resort's season pass directly this year. Let it snow!
> the geographical limitations inherent of a ski resort make the free-market argument hard to believe
That's a bit of a weird argument? It's a bit like saying that while you are inside a Walmart, they have a monopoly on selling you stuff. Yes, that's true. But surely the relevant competition for ski resorts happens before you book your vacation?
Wow.
On the other hand allowing the high window prices and holiday pricing are what drive the ability for these companies to make the massive capital investments that they have, while season pass prices have plummeted for anyone local that actually skis a lot. It's not just rent seeking; a lift ticket today is fundamentally a far superior product to what was being sold in the 70s, and nobody but gapers are paying full retail. Let them subsidize it for us I say.
Not true. If you're on vacation looking to ski for 3 days, you're right in the crosshairs of the ski resort's price model, and you're not getting around it.
I also don't see how the product is superior to what was offered prior
This is an issue with all kinds of products and services, from residential university education to cars to restaurant food.
Expensive options with lots of extras that not everybody wants—and some may actively dislike—replace broadly affordable options with fewer bells and whistles. Everyone is catering to the whales and, thanks in part to our robust lending industries, trying to convince the minnows that they can be a whale too.