I haven’t seen a reference to this on the board but I saw today that the previous arrangement from the ticket office was once you turned 70 years old , you could ski for free , no lift pass required. As of next year , 2020, those over 70 will need to pay $199 for a season pass. What was once a loyalty incentive has now been removed. In my Lodge, we have a few over 70 who have made Hotham their home mountain and were looking forward to skiing for free after many years of paying lift prices. Shame on you Mt Hotham
It's a Vail resort now, so that more or less brings it into line with Perisher, which was $189 for an over 70 season pass this season. Still a huge bargain. It seems a number of resorts are withdrawing their free over 70 passes, because there are just too many of us these days.
The Hotham Ski Association have a survey on lift prices. follow this link http://www.hsa.asn.au/ which will lead you to the survey so you can have your say.
when I dropped into the ticket office in perisher on the LWE, I was advised that the over 70's pass price had not been finalised nor whether the pass would be local only or cover perisher, falls and hothem. also would't give a price for ski tube. maybe trying to put pressure to sign up for the over 65 epic pass.
This is on the epic australia pass website Alternatively, for guests aged over 70 as at 6 June 2020 a Season Pass will be available in the new year for $199. The pass will provide unlimited access to Hotham, Falls Creek and Perisher for the 2020 Australian snow season but does not include international access or in-resort benefits. I think it was posted in mid September. I don't see how they could now offer anything less favorable than that. So maybe they are considering something better, or maybe the person in the ticket office had NFI
It's not a monopoly, that's why "The Powers That Be" allowed Vail Resorts to buy Falls and Hotham. There are several other resorts competing in the mass market for skiers in both Victoria and NSW. Even in the smaller segment of providing lifted runs for advanced skiers, in NSW. Thredbo provides strong competition with Perisher and in Victoria, Buller does the same for Falls and Hotham. So if Vail jacks up their prices too much or imposes inconvenient conditions, then Selwyn, Charlotte Pass, Thredbo, Buller, Baw Baw and Ben Lomond will happily provide an alternative ski experience for disaffected former Vail customers.
"The Powers That Be" would stop monopolies is that tongue in cheek ? Apart from Thredbo the rest are small resorts . Only time will tell ?
The US epic pass has no over 65 price break. Wonder how long till that becomes policy here? Cardrona used to be over 60 until the year I turned 60! Japan seems to be the outlier in respecting elders.
What I find amusing is people who make fun of older people, saying things like "when I'm older, I'm gonna be fit and slim, not like these fat 50-60 somethings", or "these baby boomers complain about everything, injuries, aches & pains", or "they just sit in front of the TV with a blanket and fluffy slippers on", but they themselves end up being fat and pathetic in their 40s, and watch Netflicks with an Oakley hoodie & some Nike Zoom Fly Mercurials that they never actually use for sports.
Sorry Buller isnt small but you know the others are. Most of the < 40 yo people I see arent as fit as the oldies.
That is disappointing. Seniors benefits are gradually being eroded/removed. Some older +70 yr olds would only want maybe three days on the lifts and/or ski half days etc. Last season they would be free but now they would be $100 per day for 2 days, maybe more than an over 65 day pass rate.
When I get to 70, have retired, debt free, house paid off, kid free, and actually have time to ski more than 2 days a year, I won't be whinging about having to pay for a ski ticket. Assuming we still have a ski season in 30 years..
I have to work pretty hard to keep up with the over 70s crew at Perisher and that is day after day after day after day. No flys on them.
I will say that at 51 I've skied with some septegenarians that left me behind in their wake. Also met a bunch of Japanese backcountry skiers ranging from 65-80+ at Kagura who ski BC almost every day together. They are my inspiration for my 70s and a hopefully my 80s. I do think it's a shame that 70+ will need to pay $199 for a pass next season after many years of supporting the local ski-fields, especially for thr ones that come up to spend a few ski days with their family. An 84 yr old I know eho doesn't ski much nos fid a couple of galf-days with his 4yr -old grand-daughter on the runs she could ski ar Falls. Next year he'd need a paid pass for only a few hours.
Looks like Buller still have free (nominal fee $50) for over 70s. Used to be over 65 but probably got too many! from the website: 2020 Over 70 Season Membership Unlimited skiing and riding privileges for people aged 70 and over (must be 70+ before the 1st June 2020) for Spring 2019 (starting September 1st) and the entire 2020 snow season. The 70+ Season Membership is free for skiers and boarders aged 70 and over. You only need to pay a $50 Administration Fee for the membership to be issued.
this I do think most of the over 70 frequent skiers can't complain too much. however it's a bit rough for the very occassional over 70 skiers. and then there are the few, like @Moondog, who had figured out how to ski a lot of days on a very tight shoestring and will no longer be able to afford to.
It would be in the Guvments interest to subsidise retirees lift tickets, healthier active retirees cost less in medical and other costs.
While there is no senior price for Full Epic and Epic Local, there are several regional or 1-location Epic passes that do have senior rates. A friend uses the Senior Epic Tahoe Local. The midwest "urban" ski areas (near Chicago, Minn./St. Paul, Detroit) have fairly inexpensive 1-location senior passes. Waiting to see what will happen for the former Peak Resorts resorts in the east in 2020-21. Senior rates in the U.S. start anywhere from 60 to 80. The cut off age has been going up at larger resorts for a decade. Have a friend who now qualifies for the free pass at Alta for over 80 who kept missing out when she was reaching 70. Her local mountain first went to 72, and then 75.
entitlement ??? You missed the point of my post entirely My point was that a simple token reward for loyalty has gone. It’s all about the bottom line. Now , at the end of the season with time to reflect back, the Vail acquisition has nothing of benefit to Hotham ......as yet. And taken the single benefit of loyalty away.
Was it a loyalty benefit? Or just an age entitlement? A loyalty benefit suggests that you’d have to have been a season pass holder for a certain amount of time prior to receiving the benefit rather than just having survived to a set age to qualify. Now, I’m all for senior benefits. Don’t mistake my query. My folks LOVE the free senior travel on weekdays off peak on the train. I’d say when the over 70 pass began there wouldn’t have been too many taking up the offer, and all those who did would’ve been lifelong skiers who would probably do just a few runs before calling it a day. Now we all aim to be skiing hard and all day long at 70. If the resorts keep it up they may end up going broke! Maybe they could do an off peak seniors pass like the train thing - only for week day shoulder seasons.
If my memory serves me correctly you had to have a proof of tickets bought over a long time ( I’ll check with my daughter who used to work in tickets) . So I guess on that info it was a “loyalty” benefit. Yes, I am thinking of the over 70’s who do a few runs in the morning , often with the grandchildren and call it a day. I guess as the next generation will probably be fitter and ski longer into the later years , it might not be a ‘drop in the ocean ‘ as it has been.But in the whole scheme of things ,it’s not going to send them broke !
Haha, @Charlie I just re-read my earlier post and there are many more typos than normal in it. Time to get a bigger screen phone with the +50 need for reading glasses licking in. I as of yet don't bother to carry those ocular aids when I'm on the go. My smallish Galaxy S4 phone batteries are on their last legs anyway. Like I feel by 4pm on some ski days!
