I dig what King Pine did with their new uphill access pass.
Gregg Blanchard /
Uphill passes went from sort of a thing to very much a thing in a matter of weeks this fall.
Along the way I saw some good ideas and some clever messages, but I didn’t see anything that really embraced the realities that made these passes so relevant in the first place: people wanting to get outside and people wanting to avoid crowds.
Until I saw King Pine’s.
Uphill+
The difference is pretty simple: King Pine simply looked around at the other activities that checked those same boxes and tossed those things onto the pass as well.
New for 20/21 season, and available soon for purchase, the King Pine Human Power pass. No lifts needed, this pass provides uphill access as well as XC, snowshoeing and ice skating access: https://t.co/TsiZQvYpdG #winterfun #getoutside #winteriscoming pic.twitter.com/uYjBvh7aCU
— King Pine Ski Area (@KingPineSkiArea) November 12, 2020
From their website, here’s the overview:
“No lifts needed, this pass provides Uphill Access in accordance with the King Pine Uphill Access Policy as well as access to the Purity Spring Reserve XC & Snowshoe Reserve (cross-country, snowshoe & fatbike accessible) trail network and ice skating at our Tohko Dome.”
Instead of just uphill access, those folks get access to the trail network and ice skating.
Small, but Valuable
Will this double their sales of uphill passes? Who knows. Will it land a bunch of PR? Probably not.
But for all the people worried about skiing during a pandemic or unsure they’ll have the legs to make the pass worth it or sitting on the fence of snagging an uphill pass at King Pine or otherwise, this is a great way to cater to that group.
Small or large, if they’re the only one that offer something more a special? Well, maybe they’ll have something going here.