Snowboarding Forum - Snowboard Enthusiast Forums banner

Why the Eff is Breckenridge so damn expensive!!??

29K views 100 replies 45 participants last post by  2hellnbak 
#1 ·
I was up in Breck for the first time this past Superbowl weekend. I was there from Sunday till Tuesday. I did not board on Sunday because I wanted to watch the game. But when I went to get a lift ticket on Monday the price for a lift ticket was $150!!?? One Hundred and Fifty dollars for a one day lift ticket on a WEEKDAY!? Who the hell do these people think they are?

The mountain was decent and nothing that blew my mind. The conditions were pretty decent too. Runs were ok. This was not by any stretch of the imagination worth the $150 lift ticket which was bullshit. I've done Tahoe, Whistler, all of the mountains on the Northeast and have experienced much better places at a fraction of their cost. Why is it that Whistler which is almost twice the mountain costs 1/3 less? Heavenly in Tahoe was IMO a better mountain and also costs less. Stowe which is the crown jewel of the east cost blows Breck away and costs no where near their asking price. Why do people go to this place and spend this kind of money when they can go to other resorts and not get raped?

At $150 for a lift ticket they should given me a massage with a happy ending. Fck this place!
 
#6 ·
I went to Breck 1 day this season...lift lines were very long. The mountain is fun with lots of neat areas but not worth the crowds or expense. We won't be back anytime soon. Lots of other places to go in CO that are more fun and less expensive. Heck, Copper is only a few minutes away and you can use the shell gas coupon to get 1/2 price lift tickets there so $72 per day.

Crested Butte: $108 (honor shell coupon too)
Wolf Creek: $69
Purgatory: $85
Loveland: $65
A Basin: $89
Monarch: $69 (honor ell coupon too)

Beaver Creek is stupidly expensive at $162 ($142 advance purchase) but worth it for a day at least...I love that resort.

I'm going from memory so some prices may be off.
 
#8 ·
Considering they have more skier visits than anyone but vail per year in north America, i would say they have it figured out. When a busy day drops from 25,000 people down to 15000 on a regular basis they will start changing the price. Until then why not just be smart with your money and plan ahead. The season passes go as low as 450 to ride breck when you buy in advance.

If you don't think it's a good mountain I'd guess it's because you had no idea where you were going.
 
#10 ·
Yes I was a tourist there and I was only planning on spending a day or two at the mountain. Unfortunately I went there my wife, kid and another family so planning too much was not really an option when you got kids. If it were a trip with some of my friends I would have looked at other options such as copper mt.

As far as people trashing Stowe, what does this mountain have that Stowe does not? The Bowls are about it.

I'm not staying in anyway this was a shitty mountain. I actually loved the village and enjoyed some nice weed down there. For the price of a lift ticket I would have gone elsewhere.
 
#12 ·
Unfortunately I went there my wife, kid and another family so planning too much was not really an option when you got kids.
In my experience kids usually go where you take them. Somehow I lived through my kid's entire childhood without once ending up where I did not intend to be.

As far as people trashing Stowe, what does this mountain have that Stowe does not?
Aaaahahhahahahhhhhaahhhaahahahahhahhhaaaa!

Seriously, this post just made my Friday. And Friday is a notoriously hard funk for me to break.
 
#11 ·
I am not a Breck defender and have never been back east. But just out of curiosity, I looked at Stowe's trail map.

Seems to be much smaller than Breck (?). But, I can see why Breck left you frustrated. The main thing is: there are a &*!&^ ton of people in this world who all want the same thing, so there are crowds....

Also, Breck has the Lake Chutes, doesn't look like Stowe has anything like that (I hope that the vast majority of Breck visitors don't go there, however).

Colorado it too crowded, also
 
#13 ·
At what price will people either go elsewhere or not go? 2 years ago we did a 3 day weekend at Vail resorts (Vail, Breck, Beaver Creek and Keystone for nights) it was $300. This year the same trip was $400. If prices continue at that pace, no Vail resorts for me next season. $450 for 3 days of lift tickets is 2 long weekends elsewhere in CO...no brainer for me.
 
#17 ·
It has been 20 years since I've been to Stowe, but I remember it being way better than Whiteface or any other NY or PA resort that I rode at the time. Growing up in CO, I always had comparisons going in my mind while riding out east. Even at Stowe, I much preferred CO. I don't think comparing Breck to Stowe is really fair. If you really think Stowe is better, I don't believe you were able to sample some of the awesome terrain at Breck.

Breck without all the people is a super fun place to ride.
 
#20 ·
I don't mind spending 100 bucks a day at Whistler because the terrain is amazing, the upkeep is amazing, the lifts are amazing and the customer service is amazing. I was up there a few days ago and an employee actually jogged 300 feet or so over to my friend and I to let us know the state of the avalanche control and ETA for that lift opening.

In my experience the CO resorts don't compare to Whistler in terms of terrain and certainly not in terms of customer service (god bless those friendly Aussies). Of course, I live in WA and 72 bucks for a lift ticket is considered exorbitant here. Even the mighty Mt Baker is sub 60 bucks.

As for Stowe, I rode that place during college and I really enjoyed it. I grew up in VT and there is actually some great terrain there, but very rarely is there enough snow to make it shine. Stowe is a beautiful little town and I bet it's a swell place to bring the family on vacation. There are some sweet groomers and glades not to mention some fun secret runs connecting to Smugglers Notch or up to the summit.
 
#21 ·
$150US is ridiculous!! F*ck that. Colorado was on my list but not anymore just for moral principle. I guess too many rich idiots coming from overseas and east coast driving up prices.


Maybe Grand Targhee $75US or Big Sky $106US would be smarter. Closer to me anyhow.

Jackson Hole is getting stupid too. $130US. Kiss my A$$!!!


For those prices it might be time to start split boarding or buy a snowmobile for $5000.
 
#26 ·
I'll be there for at least a day myself next week! Care to shoot me a pm and clue me to the 411 on how to get tickets for $70? :blink: (..promise I won't tell a soul!) :grin:
 
#24 ·
Seriously blows my mind how Colorado still continues to draw the people it does. At the same time incredible resorts like Schweitzer in Idaho remain completely affordable and EMPTY. Presidents day (notoriously one of the busiest for ski resorts) weekend $70 a day Saturday-Monday and I walked on to every lift and had some of the best runs of the last year or two on those days.
 
#27 ·
He is talking about buying a season pass and dividing it by the number of days he uses it.

That is what a smart traveler does. You plan ahead and you save. If you walk up to a ticket window, you pay an absorbent amount because its assumed you dont care. They are so busy that if it even scares a few people away it is good for everyone else. As said before, supply and demand..... If I was going to pay full sticker price for a lift ticket I would be going to vail or beav, not Breck.
 
#35 ·
Not really. Colorado, specifically Front Range, draws crowds because its easy to get there and with just a minimal planning you can find plenty of affordable options that can suit most budgets.

Getting to Canadian resorts for most of US travelers is harder and more expensive. International flights are not cheap. Also don't forget that Can/US dollar rate had become in US favor not that long ago. Even 1.5-2 years ago it wasn't so great. 3-4 years ago you didn't want to vacation in Canada at all.
 
#40 ·
It is under $800 before Nov for the Full Epic pass. Which gets you unlimited access to Breck, Keystone, Abasin, Vail, Beaver Creek, a few midwest resorts, Heavenly, Kirkwood, Northstar, Parkcity/Canyons and Perisher Aussieland. Also get some days in Europe and Japan.


For the Summit local pass it is around $500 which is unlimited to breck, keystone and abasin.
 
#41 ·
You want uncrowded awesome alpine terrain come visit me! Worlds longest rope tow (no punters) with the most vertical in Australasia, 783m, for $50USD a day.
 
#47 · (Edited)
Stowe which is the crown jewel of the east cost blows Breck away and costs no where near their asking price. Why do people go to this place and spend this kind of money when they can go to other resorts and not get raped?

At $150 for a lift ticket they should given me a massage with a happy ending. Fck this place!
Give Stowe time. They're inching up there, already over $100 standard non-discounted rate. They've built up the Spruce Peak area into a beautiful base resort, and someone's gonna have to pay for all the new development they're doing. I'm sure $750,000 quarter-share condos will cover some of it, but the condo association will look to us "outsiders" to subsidize them.

That said, I agree that Stowe is the tits on the East Coast, although Jay Peak's new billion-dollar development is pretty damned nice, too. But they're now a destination resort, too. Not cheap. Right now I've saved a fortune this season because the horrible conditions. And I've still got a free ticket on my Jiminy Peak Axxess card. I be happy to spend $100 a lift ticket if I could just get a decent day of riding.
 
#56 ·
It's depends upon where you go. I see you live in NH...there are some good sized mountains up north, but then you've places like Granite Gorge that are more expensive that some of the good size mountains in Vermont. You just have to know when/where to ride. I absolutely NEVER pay full price for a lift ticket, anywhere. If you go at the right times, places like Bolton Valley, which has some very good terrain, is only $29-39. I also like to ride Catamount mid-week for $20. It's only 1000 vert, but it's $20. Ski club discount at Mt. Snow means I never pay more than $49. In fact, most of the Vermont mountains are in the $39-45 range if you get a ski counsel pass. Full price lift tickets are for the once-a-year family vacationers.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top