$81 for a lift at Vail

$4-a-ticket bumps also bound for Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone resorts

David Milstead, Rocky Mountain News

Published December 8, 2005 at midnight

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A single-day adult lift ticket will crack the $80 mark at Vail and Beaver Creek this year, Vail Resorts said Wednesday.

Vail CEO Adam Aron announced the pricing changes, which he called "not insignificant," to Wall Street on Wednesday.

The prices - the highest in the nation - will go into effect later this month:

• Vail and Beaver Creek will increase $4, or 5.2 percent year-over- year, to $81, a level Aron believes no other ski resort has hit this season.

• Breckenridge and Keystone will increase $4, or 5.6 percent, to $75.

• Heavenly, the company's California ski property, will rise by $5, or 7.4 percent, to $73.

Talk about sticker shock. Tom Neyens, owner of repair and storage shop Ski Valet in Vail, said, "Whoa-ho-ho!" when told of the price increase. "I didn't know they were going to jack it that much."

Neyens, who said he's lived in Vail for 21 years, said, "I've seen it go from $35 to $81, but at the same time, I've also seen a round of golf go from $25 to $225, $250 or more. So when you compare apples to apples, you get a full day of skiing for that price - it's not a bad value."

And, "if you're a savvy shopper, there's deals out there."

Given the amount of money the resort company has spent upgrading the slopes, Aron said it is a veritable bargain.

"We've invested over a billion dollars in the last decade in our resorts to give an absolutely top-flight experience to our guests," Aron said. "We've been very proud of having a premium product, and we deserve a premium price for a premium product."

Vail and Beaver Creek crossed the $70 barrier three years ago, when the walk-up price was $71 for the 2002-2003 season. Beaver Creek first charged more than $60 in 1998-1999, and Vail and Beaver Creek jumped to $56 in 1997-1998 from $48 the year before.

The single-day price doesn't reflect what many skiers pay, however.

In the company's last fiscal year, it pulled in just $39.32 in lift- ticket revenue per skier visit.

Factors for the lower price: children and senior rates, multi-day discounts, ski-and-lodging package prices, and, importantly, season passes.

Aron said that for this season, the company has sold more than 100,000 $369 season passes on the Front Range.

"People who buy a $369 pass are not paying $81, by definition," Aron said. "We work hard to make sure we still serve the price-conscious audience."

According to the Kottke End of Season Survey, prepared by the National Ski Areas Association in conjunction with RRC Associates Inc. of Boulder, the Rocky Mountain ski region had the highest average weekend adult lift- ticket price last season at $64.54. The national average was $57.82.

At Aspen, which has had the highest single-day price in many previous seasons, executives said they were happy for Vail to have "the dubious honor" this year.

"The concern from my perspective would be that it can make your brand inaccessible to people," said David Perry, Aspen vice president for marketing..

Hot tickets

• Single-day lift-ticket prices at peak times for a few resorts:

Vail/Beaver Creek $81

Aspen, Snowmass, Highlands $78

Telluride $76

Steamboat $76

Breckenridge $75

Deer Valley, Utah $74

Copper Mountain $72

Winter Park $72

Single-day lift-ticket rate