Ski Resort Marketing
Ideas Inspiration Analysis

Ski Resort Marketing

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Deals for Other Resorts’ Passholders? Data Say Magic & Burke May Have it Right

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December 11th, 2012By: Gregg Blanchard

Last year, Big Sky capitalized on a rough snow year in other parts of the country by giving Epic Pass holders free skiing when they booked lodging. The offer was simple, grabbed a bunch of headlines, and resulted in a good number of booked rooms.

However, even without dismal snow totals these offers are still plentiful:

Magic Mountain, VT
Save $10 on a lift ticket with a season pass to any VT resort
http://www.magicmtn.com/lifttickets.php

Burke, VT
Get a $45 lift ticket with a season pass to any other resort
http://www.skiburke.com/plan-a-visit/passes-and-tickets/lift-tickets/promos/

Indianhead, MI
Ski for $25/day on Dec 7-9 with a season pass to any other ski area
http://www.indianheadmtn.com/news_and_events.php?nID=218

I jokingly called this idea “season pass betrayal”, and when I looked at the numbers last week of how many skiers on any given mountain actually own a season pass to some other resort, I was hoping to find an answer to the potential effectiveness of such offers. Take a look:

The sample size was small, but to know that about 1 in 10 skiers own a season pass somewhere else is interesting to say the least and definitely justifies these promotions. If season pass holders aren’t set on skiing the same mountain all year and may even be looking for some variety, that’s certainly a pie I’d like to snag a piece of.

Is discounting day passes the best way to do so? I don’t know, but I think the direction is on the right track.


  • Rob

    A little late with comment perhaps but if it was my Passholders who were being offered discounts at other resorts I don’t know that I’d be too bothered. I’d see it my competitors’ adding value to my Season Passes.

Industry Social Snapshot

Totals and averages from all North American ski resorts' social media activity.
total views new yest mo grwth
39,939,983 12,260 1.21%
total fols/+1 new yest mo grwth
37,569 52 3.33%
avg score was yest 7-day
43.90 43.93 -0.26
total fols new yest mo grwth
340,324 298 2.62%
total page likes new yest mo grwth
257,640 51 0.53%

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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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