The Crystal Conclusion...

I also just noticed that they jacked up their unlimited pass to $339.

$339? Count your blessings. You could live in Aspen, CO (Premier Pass, preseason,  $1879.00) or Sun Valley (Unlimited Pass, preseason,  $1990.00).

Well, yeah, but we don't! It's the summit!

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It's the summit!

Actually, except for a few rides up Hyak to access Mt. Catherine or Silver Peak in a hurry, or a few runs at West to dial in a new pair of skis, it's all about Alpental. If I have a typical year, that'll average out to about $11.00/day to ski an area that, IMO, has it all over Aspen Mt. and Baldy for both terrain and snowfall.  That's a pittance compared to what I spend annually on gear or skiing-related transportation.

If I lived in Aspen or Sun Valley, I'd either be so loaded that the price tag of a pass wouldn't phase me, or I'd be an employee and get a free pass.  Comparing the Summit to these places is like comparing Fun Forest to Magic Mountain.  You pay a "pittance" to get a ride on an outdated carnival attraction, or you pay a bunch to get a ride on a world-class coaster.  So I think $339 for the old double chair at Alpental is a fair price for the only lift that gets you to the goods.  Being that midweek is the only decent time to ride that chair without waiting an hour in line to get to the top, I think it's a little out of line not to offer a midweek pass.

So I think $339 for the old double chair at Alpental is a fair price for the only lift that gets you to the goods.

. . . and you think that $289 for a pass that will let you ride that chair midweek all winter and always seems to "turn into" an unlimited pass around the end of March is out of line? I have to disagree. Until this year, the Summit priced their unlimited passes at $279/299 preseason for about 4 seasons, and one year they sent my whole family free passes. Everything else in life has gotten more expensive during that time, including their operating expenses.

BTW, a spiffier, higher-volume chair to the top and more bodies on the hill wouldn't necessarily equate to better value for me - if I show up on a weekend and the line is over 20 minutes at chair 2, I go back to the car and get my skins.

Yeah the old mid-week pass is gone -- it was a smoking deal @ $209

The new L-T-D pass is $289 -- and it's basically the same as the old mid-week pass -- except you can ride the lifts at Hyak-Acres-Scummit on the weekends when avalanche danger is too high for backcountry -- is that option worth $80 ??

If I calculate in the cost of GU and skin glue -- I think any of the Big-S passes is the cheapest vert you can find -- but there is the issue of quality I suppose.

BTW I think lift tickets and passes only bring in enough dough to cover the costs of operations.  The only real operating profit centers at the Summit are the bars, cafeterias and the ski shop -- that and selling the entire operation to another group of investors.