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Older skiers get fewer discounts

Resorts see people over 55 as major source of revenue

By Joanne Kelley, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published January 26, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Myra Kincaide, who is in her 70s, watches her friends in the Over the Hill Gang come down a steep slope at Copper Mountain Resort this week.

Photo by Linda McConnell / Special to the Rocky

Myra Kincaide, who is in her 70s, watches her friends in the Over the Hill Gang come down a steep slope at Copper Mountain Resort this week.

Members of the Over the Hill Gang work their way down a slope at Copper Mountain.

Photo by Linda McConnell / Special to the Rocky

Members of the Over the Hill Gang work their way down a slope at Copper Mountain.

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Deep discounts on all sorts of goods and services have become a rite of passage for senior citizens living on fixed incomes and retirement savings.

But as more and more folks attempt to stay active as they age, price breaks on the ski slopes have become smaller and smaller in recent years. A recent increase in the average age of skiers and a doubling in the proportion of those over 55 have resorts eyeing the segment as a major revenue source.

For that reason, giveaways for the 70-plus crowd have almost disappeared.

"As we become healthier as a population - and with all the baby boomers - the ski areas figured that soon everybody would get a free pass," said Gordon Jones, a 70-year-old Steamboat resident who volunteers as a ski guide for members of the local "Over the Hill Gang" ski group.

Not all skiers have accepted the change so readily.

For years, Ron Schonscheck packed up his car and his family for the drive from Nebraska to Vail, Aspen or Winter Park for annual ski vacations. Schonscheck and his wife eventually moved to Conifer, largely to have better access to the state's ski areas. Now 68, he'd like to get out and take a run or two once in a while. But when he looks at the prices of the places he once frequented and throws in the price of gas, he finds himself opting to while away the hours taking pictures of the wildlife passing through his mountain property.

"It seems a shame that the enthusiasts who supported this activity, skiing as much as possible and bringing their children with them and developing their love for the sport back in the '70s, can't get some consideration," he said.

When he last hit the slopes a couple of years ago, the retiree was still skiing on his vintage pair of 1973 Volkls.

If Schonscheck can sit tight a couple of more years, he'll find better deals when he reaches his 70th birthday. But his favorite haunts from the early years won't be cutting him much slack if he wants to plan an impromptu trip to the slopes.

Vail Mountain, for instance, gives seniors just $10 off its daily lift ticket price of $92.

His best bet: Monarch Mountain, the only ski area that still offers free admission for the 70 and over set. A handful of other mountains offer elder seniors tickets for $10 to $20.

Loveland's season pass price for visitors age 70 and up is just $69. A handful of other ski areas - Aspen, Copper and Winter Park, among them - have a 70-plus deal of about $250 for the season.

The definition of "senior" continues to evolve. Some ski areas don't consider skiers to be "senior" until they hit 65. Others have set the bar at 60.

"People are staying in the sport longer," said Dave Belin, director of RRC Associates. "Resorts saw the writing on the wall when they backed off free skiing."

A 2007 survey by the Lakewood- based National Ski Areas Association showed skiers ranging in age from 55 to 64 accounted for 9.4 percent of visitors nationally last season, up from 4.6 percent a decade earlier.

The proportion of visitors age 65 and up has also just about doubled in the same period, to 4.2 percent from 2.4 percent.

While Copper Mountain has been attracting hordes of young visitors to its popular terrain parks, it also has an active group of older skiers known as the Over the Hill Gang. The group admits members as young as 45, but it has lots of true senior citizens among its ranks.

Membership has hovered between 500 and 600 during the past five years, but members have begun to take part in the four-days-a-week program more regularly.

"It seems to be a more active crowd that is prioritizing activity over something else," said Copper's Joe Quarantillo, who oversees racing and seasonal programs such as the Over the Hill group.

kelleyj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5068

Hard to find

Deals for seniors are scarce. Some bargains:

* Monarch Mountain near Salida is the last holdout to offer free skiing for those over 70.

* Sunlight near Carbondale and Arapahoe Basin have $10 tickets for those 70 and up, while Powderhorn and Ski Cooper offer them a ticket deal for $15 a day. Eldora has a $7 daily lift-ticket deal for those 75 or older.

* Loveland offers a full-season pass for the 70-plus crowd at $69. (A daily lift ticket for the same age group costs $40.)

* Aspen has an all-season "Silver Pass" (for ages 70-plus) for $259; Copper and Winter Park offer a $249 Rocky Mountain Super Pass Plus for the 70-and-older set.

Comments

  • January 26, 2008

    6:23 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    vudumom writes:

    No wonder you have so many back country skiers. Prices to ski down a mountain are way too high.People who want to enjoy skiing and snowboarding more than once a year are being priced out of the market.Take a family of four skiing at Vail.Without the discounts it would be $368. I'm sure they could find a deal somewhere but probably less at snotty Vail than at other ski resorts.Aspen is probably worse. They overcharge for everything there just to keep the common people out.
    I guess people have to plan ahead and buy season passes,if they ski alot,but then again there is the traffic.Whole nother nightmare.

  • January 26, 2008

    7:46 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    generalsn1234567 writes:

    The main advantage retirees (like myself) have is that we can ski when most people have work or school,. I do most of my traveling on weekdays, and usually don't leave until before or after rush periods of time.