The price war for season passes for 2012 has been a long time coming. The idea of offering heavy discounts to season pass holders if they purchase early with a definite cut off date is not new to the dollar-savvy North American resorts.
Vail Resorts in Colorado are the king of season lift-pass deals with their Epic Season Pass offering unlimited access to all seven Vail Resorts for US$649 per person, buy this North American autumn and $5 goes to Shaun White's chosen charity, buy before September 25 and go into the draw to win an Epic Pass for life. No one can compete with that.
Australia hasn't seen season pass prices like Perisher's since the late '80s, despite Aussie skiers and snowboarders balking at the high price of skiing in Australia thanks to $100 lift passes and overpriced accommodation and food. Many Aussies have headed to New Zealand where the strong Aussie dollar means more bang for your buck, despite some of the minuses of Kiwi resort skiing (have to drive challenging roads to access the mountain resorts twenty to forty five minutes from town, no on-mountain accommodation).
Skiing and snowboarding in Australia has become viable again as other resorts have matched Perisher's offer. Perisher's Freedom Pass gives skiers and boarders a season pass for 2012 and the option to pay the same low price for a season pass for 2013. The pass is $699 for adults and $399 for students and seniors including one free day skiing this current season. A down payment of only $199 or $99 will secure you the pass and full payment must be paid by May 2012. The catch is you must purchase the pass before the animated V8 chairlift reaches the top on their website.
Thredo Resort was the first to respond with the Ultimate Season Sale Pass. It offers the same as the Freedom Pass, including price but for $50 you can upgrade to the Platinum Ultimate Season Sale Pass which gives holders free skiing for the rest of this season plus full use of the Thredbo Leisure Centre and summer chairlifts. The $699 or $399 pass must be purchased with a downpayment of $199 or $99 by October 10 and the balance due in May 2012.
The Victorian resorts have since upped the ante with Hotham and Falls Creek offering their Hero Season Pass for 2012. Same price but holders get access to both Hotham and Falls Creek and 15 per cent off equipment hire, group lessons and retail. But wait there's more, 15 per cent off up to five adult lift-only passes per Hero Season Pass holder. The pass must be purchased with a down payment by October 10 and the balance again due in May.
That's not all, either. The Hero Season Pass also offers holders free lift passes in Niseko, Japan and discounted accommodation deals, though to access the Japan deals the Hero Pass must be paid in full by December 12.
There has been much talk on forums and social media about what Mount Buller will come up with in response to these serious savings from their competitors in Victoria. Mount Buller attracts a loyal crowd, mainly from Melbourne but even loyalists want to feel loved.
If they haven't defected to Hotham's Hero Season Pass already, Mount Bullerites can wait until October 3 when the mountain will finally release their pricing strategy for 2012. Snow It All believes it will include a season pass but the mountain representatives can't confirm. In the meantime kids have been skiing for free at Mount Buller since September 17 and will do so until the end of season. 'Kids' at Mount Buller means anyone up to Year 12 in school (the only resort that offers this) so this is some serious saving.
I was asked recently when a season pass becomes good value? If you ski for more than a week each year then, with an average $100 a day lift pass, these new season passes have already saved you money. It really is a no brainer, but then offering time-limited discount passes is too and that's taken forever. Though hats off to Perisher for leading the charge. We're all for keeping the Australian ski industry alive.
Aussie resort closing dates: Mt Buller and Hotham September 25, Falls Creek October 2, Perisher October 3, Thredbo October 5.
What do you think of the season pass price wars? Will you be purchasing one? Will you be more likely to ski or snowboard in Australia because of it? Post a comment on the blog below.
JAPOW - IS IT SAFE TO SKI IN JAPAN?
Skiing in Japan is a head rush. The lightest, dryest powder imaginable served up with slopeside vending machines serving hot coffee in a can, private karaoke rooms, hot thermal spring onsens, wild monkeys and Japanese food.
With the northern winter soon rearing it's head I am receiving emails asking about the safety of Japan since the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear plant 'mishap'.
Here's the deal. According to The Australian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) it is safe to ski in Japan. The DFAT Smart Traveller website has ARPANSA saying that 'the current risk of radiological releases to the atmosphere is small'. The airlines are all flying into Japan and DFAT only suggests exercising caution when travelling to the coastal areas of northern Honshu due to ongoing clean up operations and the 30-80kms zone around the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. Neither of which are close to the ski fields.
Japan ski resort infrastructures remain fully operational so it's 'good to go' for 2011/2012 snow season. For more information visit the DFAT site.
Will you be skiing in Japan this season? Where will you go and why? Post a comment on our blog below.
We've done it again, another exclusive from our boy Tim Myers (though we suspect he just likes to see his name in Fairfax lights). He's delivered fresh to our inbox an exclusive Snow It All cut of our favourite gal, Anna Segal, rocking the Toyota One Hit Wonder 100 foot jump alongside Kiwi Jossi Wells, and Americans Bobby Brown and Chris Laker (who takes a stack for the team).
The mammoth jump is the largest in the southern hemisphere and appears for one week only at Thredbo each September as part of the One Hit Wonder. Next time Timmeee, send bubbly, we respond better to vintage.
source: www.smh.com.au
