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The Mountain Collective: A Brilliant Partnership, so Why Am I Not Sold?

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August 21st, 2012By: Gregg Blanchard

Let me just come out and say it: I don’t know why I am so hesitant to get excited about The Mountain Collective pass.

The partnership is genius: I never thought I’d see even two of those brands work together. Using Liftopia as the purchase/redemption tool is brilliant as well. Every resort involved is already setup to handle redemption and each will get access to the solid analytics Liftopia is famous for (not to mention an extra marketing boost from a huge email list, solid social reach, PR efforts, and large volume of web traffic).

In other words, the partnership itself (which really is incredible, hats off to all involved) is not where my subconscious marketer is balking. It’s somewhere in the actual product.

So what’s wrong with the product?
The simple answer is, I don’t know.

At first I thought it was the way snowboarders were snubbed, but at the same time, skiers might feel it’s a pass exclusive for them and be drawn toward it more than if it included everyone.

Then I did some math on the price. My conclusion was that it’s gotta be a loss leader. But can skiers manage to take 4 vacations of 4-ish nights each this season to make full use of their pass? It doesn’t seem likely, but they have the data, so I’m trusting they know something I don’t.

On the loss leader note, I also worried that it was just going to snag deal and powder hungry road trippers that wouldn’t mind the 2,260 miles and 39 hours in the car. But heck, even those guys have to eat (and drink) and sleep for at least a night or two in each location.

Was it the sorta-confusing-copy that talked about two passes to each resort, mentioned 8 mountains, showed 5 logos, but only equaled 8 total passes? Or the way it said the passes you pay $349 for are “free”? Maybe, but copy is always something that can be tweaked and optimized.

It is a reincarnation of the not-so-successful Colorado Triple Play pass, but with the tweaks made in version 2.0, most of the issues seem to be addressed.

Is it what this pass means for the industry in the long-term? Something else?

What Am I Missing?
Maybe it’s a combination of each of those questions, but I keep coming to the conclusion that there is little reason, if any, for me to not be psyched out of my gourd about this pass.

But I’m not as excited as everyone else, so I guess what I’m asking now is, what am I missing? Are there others out there that are feeling the same way who can help me out, or are there easy answers to my concerns? Any help?


  • Christian Knapp

    The pass is a great deal if you're going to spend more than 6 days at any of the resorts, go to two and it more than pays for itself. Check out Larry Olmsted's article; http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2012/08/…

    • http://www.slopefillers.com GreggBlanchard

      Awesome, Christian, thanks for the feedback. I had read that and probably should have mentioned it but I guess why I didn't focus on it was because the sales copy for the MC pass didn't seem to suggest that use the Forbes article suggest. I agree, that's an awesome deal, but is there any worry with the copy as is that people won't see past the idea of trying to visit four resorts for 1-2 days (to use the included passes) and fail to see how much they'd save on 1-2 long vacations?

  • Dave Belin

    Not sure I agree – looks to me like with 50% off all additional tickets and no blackouts, its a great deal. I didn't scrutinize the copy as much as you, but you do have valid points about confusing the consumer with what industry insiders think is clear, but that comes across as jargon or muddled. I agree that the percentage of people who end up skiing all four destinations will be very small. BUT, the pass would likely give the nudge to someone who skis one of the resorts and wants to try another one. But I guess only the resorts will know who buys it and what the usage patterns are.

    • http://www.slopefillers.com GreggBlanchard

      Dave, you make a great point and I agree, without the data we just get to guess :) As I get feedback from people today and start to put the pieces together, I think the disconnect for me is between the best way to the use the pass and the vibe I got from the promotional materials. To me, the pass came across as a low-income road-tripper's dream come true while in reality the pass seems to be a great alternative for people who take long ski vacations to save money doing so and maybe visit one other resort each season outside of their usual destination.

  • Ken

    Gregg, I really think it is a very specific demographic they have in mind. Possibly people with higher incomes, and they are thinking these folks will spend lots of money on extras while visiting the resorts.

    • http://www.slopefillers.com GreggBlanchard

      I have no doubt you're right, all marketing is (well, should be) targeted to a specific demographic. The question I'm now running into is if the way the pass was promoted as a 4-resort, big discount pass is giving a vibe that matches that will resonate with that income demographic or is going to instead click with the dishwasher powder hounds.

      • Ken

        Yeah, I believe it will resonate with the higher end demographic. They have the time and money to get around to these various resorts which are relatively far from each other (notice all these resorts are in different states).

  • http://www.mediawithak.com/about Alex Kaufman

    In order to steal market share from the distant and scattered Epic Pass buyers, the communication may have leaned toward it being promoted as a multi ski area season pass that would make folks reconsider their EP. The reality is a bit different from that as far its best use, but I think the roll out angle may have been impacted by the first mover in the "get pre-buy from tons of quasi committed skiers" product, understandably, and likely a smart move. Albeit a bit confusing to us parsing types (who generally don't matter).

    Either way it's groundbreaking and a mega proof of concept for Liftopia as a technological partnership facilitator. Just the ticketing element alone is significant.

    • http://www.slopefillers.com GreggBlanchard

      I think the focus to "get pre-buy from tons of quasi committed skiers" is a great point and lends some legitimacy to the product if people are going nuts about it. Heck, there was so much buzz I was worried because I wasn't excited…that's a good sign for a promotion.

      Totally agree on Liftopia. The data is there to know if it worked, the redemption channel is ready to go, the constant traffic will keep the sales coming, and like you said, it made a partnership like this possible. Good stuff no matter how it works out.

  • Christian Knapp

    Good commentary everyone, you hit on a lot of the salient points debated while developing the product. Gregg nailed the thinking with his comment, "…the pass seems to be a great alternative for people who take long ski vacations to save money doing so and maybe visit one other resort each season outside of their usual destination." As with anything new, we're refining the message points and there's going to be a fair amount of consumer education this season to help people grasp the pay-as-you-go concept versus a traditional season pass. Happy to answer additional questions.

    • http://www.slopefillers.com GreggBlanchard

      Looking forward to seeing how it unfolds, Christian. Don't let me hesitant enthusiasm get in the way of my admiration. It really is an amazing partnership. I think you are one of only a few resort marketers that could have pulled it off…let alone have the idea and the guts to try to put it together.

  • jjj

    No question, this is a big coup for Liftopia. Extraordinary alliance among some of the best mountains in the US for "serious skiers". Must admit I immediately looked at it as something for a big two week circuit trip, so the idea of using it for four-day visits at just two of the participating resorts went over my head. If Liftopia is able to package more of these in the future I would like to see them do a group of independents in closer proximity to each other to support a smorgasbord type vacation like the Epicpass can do for you in CO or Tahoe.

    • http://www.slopefillers.com GreggBlanchard

      I felt the same way. Didn't see the long-term vacation use but certainly saw the road trip (and was tempted…for a second at least).

  • Evan

    Man, what a morning to not be on teh interwebz!

    Great writeup Gregg and I love all of this discussion.

    Copy/clarification improvements aside, I love this product decision because it does not have universal appeal. I give a ton of credit to the participating resorts for creating a high value product that targets a very specific segment without attempting to appeal to everyone under the sun. Many traditional pass products attempt to shoehorn too many consumers into segments that do not define the users, which inevitably yields inefficiencies in the pricing of the product. This pass makes a lot of sense to a very specific audience and makes no sense to others, which means it can stand adjacent to existing product/pricing decisions and encourage up-sell amongst would be adventurers while clearly differentiating its value proposition to "regular" passes. If the goal was to make it sell as much as possible to everyone possible, the pass would look differently but again this is where the participating resorts show their intelligence.

    This type of thing can always get better, but the fact that some don't feel blown away by it may have been an intended result – approaching a certain customer that each of these resorts serve while minimizing impact to existing revenue streams. The fact that it is so different shows how well these folks defined and executed on the segment they wanted to approach, not to mention the recurring revenue stream associated with the "down side" of an amazing season, something that doesn't exist with typical passes which degrade in per-use value as frequency increases.

    Anyways, love the lively discussion and the many great opinions here and to come are super valuable. Sorry for the run on sentences, written from DEN with a dying battery!

    • http://www.slopefillers.com GreggBlanchard

      Thanks, Evan, for using the dying breaths of your battery to share some feedback :) I think with the focus nailed down and the possibility of some confusing copy identified, I like the direction this is going as I think about the implications. Should be a fun one to watch this year and going forward.

  • gratzo

    Skiing is about the feeling of adventure. The key is that "adventure" means different things to different people.

    Someone from Texas might think "adventure" is spending five days in Breckenridge skiing for a few hours a day and then getting loaded in the hot tub at night.

    Someone from Denver might think "adventure" is heading to Silverton at every opportunity and skiing the gnarliest lift-serviced lines out there.

    And someone else might think "adventure" is experiencing different destinations when they can find the best conditions.

    I view this pass as a "nudge". A nudge to say "Hey, you. You like to travel to some top destinations and find some great snow. We know you always wanted to explore areas outside your "favorite" or "home" area, and now here's your excuse. Watch the weather. Plan a few trips. Get some great snow and brag to your friends that you skied a bunch of world-class resorts this season."

    I think of adventure as doing what you want, when you want to do it. This pass encourages this type of adventure, and I'm psyched to have forecasters around the west that can help people make the most of it. I went to Jackson & Targhee last new years to find some great snow (it wasn't in Colorado), and met a lot of folks up there that traveled from Colorado because I "nudged" them to do so. Well, this pass is yet another "nudge" to get out and explore other destinations and do so less expensively than they could do in prior seasons. More adventure = more excitement over winter sports = good for the industry.

    JOEL
    opensnow.com

  • gratzo

    If I could do that, I'd have a secret government job:-)

  • Pingback: Hidden Headline from Mountain Collective Breathes Optimism for Smaller Resorts : Ski Resort Marketing - SlopeFillers.com

Industry Social Snapshot

Totals and averages from all North American ski resorts' social media activity.
total views new yest mo grwth
39,529,594 12,674 1.18%
total fols/+1 new yest mo grwth
36,544 25 4.79%
avg score was yest 7-day
45.26 45.32 -0.67
total fols new yest mo grwth
333,038 297 2.51%
total page likes new yest mo grwth
256,448 17 0.69%
total fols new yest mo grwth
13,294 21 4.56%

Resort Social Dashboard

View any North American resort's social media performance & compare them to other mountain resorts.

About: Gregg Blanchard

SlopeFillers is run by marketer and skier / snowboarder, Gregg Blanchard. He loves writing in 3rd person, meeting the talented people who read this blog, pretending to be a web developer, and eating reuben sandwiches. Need more dirt on Southern Edwards, Colorado's most famous ski marketing blogger taller than 6'?
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