POWDR Corp. released a statement this morning reiterating their commitment to “doing all we can to protect our environment and enable participation for all.” Photo: POWDR Corp.
There is no question that snowsports are pay-to-play. Between all the latest ski or snowboard gear, a mountain-ready vehicle, lodging (unless you really like snow camping), and ski passes (or even more specialized equipment for backcountry access), not only are the startup costs fairly high, but the per-trip or per-season expenses tend to stack up as well, making snowsports some of the most exclusive, and cost-prohibitive, sports in the world. Over the years, this has led to deep divisions among the snow community based on wealth, as ski-area locals or even town-mountain riders wearing old gear take umbrage with the hordes of out-of-town vacationers descending on their slopes decked out in the latest and greatest.
Well, now those locals have something else to grumble about – “Fast Tracks” passes, being rolled out at a few major U.S. ski resorts including Killington, Snowbird, Copper Mountain, and Mt Bachelor. All four resorts are owned and operated by POWDR Corporation, one of the largest U.S. ski resort operators.
With Fast Tracks, customers that pay extra get to skip the lift line. Sounds real nice, if you can afford it, and that is what’s driving people crazy. The lift line is the great equalizer on the mountain. Unless you choose to go the backcountry route, only ski during the week, or avoid powder days, at some point during your snowsports experience you’ll find yourself standing and waiting in a universally hated, but at the same time accepted, lift line. Of note, the system is only in place for certain, high-traffic lifts on each resort. Locals and mountain enthusiasts are up in arms over the idea, calling the new system unfair and “clearly targeting out of towners and the uber-rich who have moved to town recently,” said Bend, Oregon’s Dan Cochrane, a Mt. Bachelor local. “It just feels like such a slap in the face.” Cochrane recently started a petition on Change.org that has almost 11,000 signatures.
Video of Vail, Colorado lift lines bring the insanity into focus. Photo: YT Screenshot
And the mountain enthusiasts are not alone. Two days ago, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon voiced his support for their cause in an open letter to POWDR Corp. Chair and Founder, John Cumming.
“Given the serious concerns this policy raises about equitable access to the public lands on which Mt. Bachelor operates under its U.S. Forest Service Special Use permit, I request that POWDR abandon its plans to adopt this new pass system,” Wyden wrote. “At a minimum, POWDR must delay implementation until it adequately explains to the public how the Fast Tracks policy will not exacerbate equity issues that already exist in outdoor recreation,”
POWDR released a letter to the community today, reiterating its commitment to, “doing all we can to protect our environment and enable participation for all.” The letter states that this Fast Tracks system has been in place at Copper mountain for almost 20 years. “First introduced in January of 2002 for lodging guests only, the offer was made widely available to anyone skiing the following season, in February 2003. Since that time, it has gone through a number of variations and optimizations informed through guest feedback.” They say that in the time the system has been in place at Copper, the company found that less than two percent of guests use the system, and the impact on lift line wait times was “negligible.”
“We do not believe that providing access to the public lands on which our resorts operate and offering customizable experiences for our guests are mutually exclusive,” the letter continued. POWDR’s final word on the subject was to offer a refund to any season pass holders who wanted one before the season starts, “as a result of our Fast Tracks product.”
It remains to be seen whether this offer of a refund will be sufficient to angry customers.
