New ski pass sparks frustration as families seek savings at Utah ski swap

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Solitude Mountain Resort has launched a Reserve Pass, giving those who pay an extra $699 the ability to skip lift lines, on top of the cost of a regular season pass.

Solitude’s “Reserve Pass” is the lowest priced of seven other resorts under the Alterra Mountain Company.

While some understand the appeal, many skiers are frustrated, especially those who say they simply can’t afford to pay hundreds more on top of an already expensive season pass.

While all this is going on, the popular ski swap is back in Utah, helping families save while gearing up for winter. It’s a busy afternoon inside the Utah State Fairpark, hundreds of shoppers searching for the best deals on ski gear. There, reactions to the new premium pass are mixed.

“I’m really thankful for this ski swap today because it is making skiing and snowboarding more accessible for families,” Annie Thatcher said. More than one million dollars in inventory is packed into a single building, including ski boots, snow pants, gloves, helmets, and more.

For some, like Amber Broadbent and her family of five, this is a game-changer. She said, “We spent at least half of what we would spend retail, so it’s a really great deal for us. When they outgrow their stuff, we can bring it back and consign it and put that towards purchasing new stuff.”

Broadbent says they ski every year, but this season, she’s thinking twice about where they’ll go with the new ski pass, “That’s a lot. That’s kind of like the Disneyland fast passes, which I’ve never loved either, because it takes away from the experience of every skier. I think, just because we don’t have as much money, we can budget towards that, then that makes my kids’ experience less.”

Skiers like Dallin Schaefermeyer say it’s discouraging, “I do feel like that would be annoying, watching other people who are paying more get up on the lift quicker. Especially if it’s a powder day and I’m trying to chase the snow, just watching someone get up here quicker because they have more money sucks.”

That’s one reason Dale Roberts, CEO of the Ski Swap, says it was started 14 years ago, to help families save on gear. He said, “You can’t control the prices of a lift pass, but you can control how much you spend on gear.”

Others can understand why the ski resort would launch this kind of pass. “I can see why solitude would do that because they’re trying to deliver the ski experience that their highest paying customer wants,” Annie Thatcher said.

But some may not be returning to Solitude. Broadbent said, “I am less likely to be a skier there now.”

“If it’s a good day with good snow and [I’m} spending a lot of money on a pass, I will probably take that somewhere else without a fast pass, to make sure I can get the runs I want before I get skied out,” Schaefermeyer said.

The Rocky Mountain Ski Swap runs again this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. More information can be found here.