Season Pass Insurance: Powerful Add-On or Loophole to Abuse?
Gregg Blanchard /
For the skier, buying a season pass comes with a host of potential risks that could leave their “non-transferrable, non-refundable” virtually useless. With absolutely no data to backup my claim, my highly accurate instinct tells me that among others, injury is probably the most common thing that prevents a pass from being used for a full season of skiing or riding.
So, here you are, buying your pass with the anticipation of 6 months of powder turns ahead of you when you see this sign:
“Season pass protection ($19 per person/pass) will guarantee that in case of unforeseen circumstances, you will receive a full refund for an unused pass. For used passes, each visit will be deducted at full ticket price plus a $50 processing fee. No refunds after February 15 of the current season. Protection will aslo cover a one time replacement of a lost pass.”
I like it. It says, “We want you to buy a season pass, but we’re not going to screw you if you dislocate your face on a rail on opening day.” The risk comes with having 200 people knocking on your door on February 14 asking for a refund because they spent Christmas break playing Mario Kart rather than skiing. The couldn’t “forsee” that they’ get a Wii from Santa, and thus feel entitled to the refund.
However, in the end, I think that for every person that tries to abuse it, there will be dozens of other that don’t. My gut also says that a lot of people would see this as a very cool add on to their season pass and would be more than willing to fork over an extra $20 for the coverage.
The concept is one I had heard of, but never found a resort that was actually doing it. Interesting stuff.