Wednesday, September 17, 2008

The hand that slaps

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So Sun Valley Co. brings its full season pass price over $2,000 and expects us to smile when they explain that, "as our costs go up, so do ticket prices." This from a company that routinely makes it more affordable for a family from Boise to ski here than a for a local family (via special incentive packages not offered up here) and ends the discounted pass price window during the summer (when most of us are trying to afford our summer passions). It seems the Holdings "love Sun Valley" so much they can't resist making us bleed for our skiing (or hiring Utah builders for their pavilion). Snowbasin ("a Sun Valley resort") has a full season pass price of only $1,100. Are our ridiculous pass prices subsidizing their cheap prices? Jackson Hole, which has a pass price of $1,970, gives a $100 loyalty discount to pass holders from last season. As the spokesman for Aspen explained about his company's attempts to help locals, "It's not only a measure of goodwill, but it keeps us vibrant."

Imagine Sun Valley Co. looking for ways to reward loyalty and/or spread goodwill to local skiers and boarders. It's difficult, isn't it? If we're not symphony goers or lodge dwellers, it seems Sun Valley Co. takes us for suckers and saps. This may sound like biting the hand that feeds, but from where I sit it's beginning to feel more like the hand that slaps.

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Jason Lynch

Ketchum