Season pass sales are tricky right now. They’re going okay for some, but few if any resorts are seeing normal numbers.

Still, they’re providing a bit of revenue at a time when revenue is needed. And for skiers, they offer the hope of the future and returning to normal life.

So how are resorts selling their passes? Here are a few approaches.

Arizona Snowbowl
Arizona Snowbowl (and the other MCP resorts, I believe) are donating 1% of sales to Covid relief. Pretty cool and simple way to show they aren’t trying to pretend it doesn’t exist.

We believe in hope. We believe in community. We believe in skiing.
The 2020/2021 Power Pass is now on sale with early bird benefits when you purchase by May 29. 1% of pass sales will also be donated to local businesses affected by COVID-19. Learn more: https://t.co/rYBDfSh1Sx pic.twitter.com/Lrvs2BrdAH

— Arizona Snowbowl (@AZSnowbowl) April 21, 2020

Magic
Magic has extended their deadline, offering the ability to roll the pass over to 21/22 if Covid is still around, and a new payment plan.

(1/5)
It can’t be “business as usual”. We must “walk-the-walk” with our ski community. So here’s what we did with our Early Bird Season Pass Sale to respond to the COVID-19 crisis:

1. Lowered All Pass Prices vs last spring to give skiers some relief

— Magic Mountain (@SkiMagicVT) April 17, 2020

(2/5)

2. Extended Early Bird Deadline to June 15 to give people more time to deal with finances, get through stay-at-home, and take advantage of deep discounts

— Magic Mountain (@SkiMagicVT) April 17, 2020

(3/5)

3. Guaranteed Pass Investment with a full credit toward 21/22 season if State of Vermont closes ski resorts before opening day this year and partial credit for early in-season COVID-19 closure—to minimize pre-purchase risk and provide some certainty at an uncertain time.

— Magic Mountain (@SkiMagicVT) April 17, 2020

(4/5)

4. Instituted Payment Plan for Early Bird Sales Period to help spread cost out a little if needed.

— Magic Mountain (@SkiMagicVT) April 17, 2020

Jay Peak
Adding even more flexibility is Jay who is offering a refundable deposit, extended deadline, and a full refund for any reason until October 1, 2020.

That time @NESkiJournal filmed with us earlier this year.
📽️ https://t.co/aCIAXcVfwm

A nod to next season | 20-21 Season Pass Updates & Info
• Earliest deadline is extended to 6/8/20
• $25 refundable deposit for our best rates
• Total refund, for any reason, through 10/1/20

— Jay Peak Resort (@jaypeakresort) April 21, 2020

Blue Mountain
Similar story here: no-questions refund date of August 1, 2020 and extending upcoming deadline to give folks a few more weeks to make sense of their new reality.

(1/3) If you feel anything like us, the promise of next winter feels like a beacon of hope during these difficult times. We know there's a lot of uncertainty around the future and that's why we're doing what we can to protect your 2021 5×7®️ Season Pass purchase.

— Blue Mountain Resort (@BlueMtnResort) April 16, 2020

(2/3) Starting today, we've extended our 5×7®️ Spring Deadline to May 26, 2020 AND implemented a no-questions-asked refund date of August 1, 2020 for all 2021 5×7®️ Passes purchased before then.

— Blue Mountain Resort (@BlueMtnResort) April 16, 2020

(3/3) We hope that this will give you the time and space you need to consider your commitment to Blue. Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay excited for next winter. May it bring better days!

— Blue Mountain Resort (@BlueMtnResort) April 16, 2020

Hoodoo
Passes available as normal, but $50 savings for current passholders.
https://twitter.com/HoodooSki/status/1241127019980652546

Jackson Hole
Combination of a few of these ideas from Jackson Hole: pushing the spring deadline way back, refundable downpayment, and discounts for current passholders.

We will ride again. Season Passes on sale Friday, 4/24—offering renewal discounts for last year’s passholders, a refundable down payment option and the longest spring sale ever through June 30, 2020. See details: https://t.co/3XdTLx6MBI. #jacksonhole pic.twitter.com/sCQPgHow3p

— Jackson Hole (@jhski) April 22, 2020

Business as Usual
It should also be said that there are a few ski areas, typically in smaller/local markets, that are going forward with what appear to be no changes to the products or little Covid-specific messaging.

NEVER ANY BLACKOUT DATES. NEW PAYMENT PLAN. NEW LOW STUDENT RATES. BETTER BENEFITS THAN EVER BEFORE!🤙🏂⛷ #SkiChinaPeak pic.twitter.com/63Ubtuywjh

— China Peak (@China_Peak) April 6, 2020

$99 Unguided 2021 Season Pass deal with $39 Heli Skiing!! Tired of feeling like a cog in the corporate skiing wheel? Massive lift lines getting you down? HELP SUPPORT INDEPENDENT ski areas. Finally some good news https://t.co/LxrvLfMyx5 #silvertonmtn

— Silverton Mountain (@SilvertonMtn) April 21, 2020

About Gregg & SlopeFillers
I've had more first-time visitors lately, so adding a quick "about" section. I started SlopeFillers in 2010 with the simple goal of sharing great resort marketing strategies. Today I run marketing for resort ecommerce and CRM provider Inntopia, my home mountain is the lovely Nordic Valley, and my favorite marketing campaign remains the Ski Utah TV show that sold me on skiing as a kid in the 90s.