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Liftopia offers ski industry’s first tiered pricing system for lift tickets

Alli Langley
Summit Daily News

LIFTOPIA’s NEW TIERED LIFT TICKET PRICING

Value: Lift tickets are date-specific, non-refundable and non-changeable, offering the deepest discounts with savings up to 85 percent off walk-up window rates when purchased in advance. These are ideal for consumers who know the exact dates they will be skiing or riding.

Value Plus: Lift tickets offer added flexibility, allowing one date change during the season.

Flexible: Lift tickets offer the most flexibility with unlimited date changes during the season.

Source: Liftopia

Since 2005, San Francisco-based Liftopia has helped skiers and snowboarders save money on lift tickets by offering deep discounts when they buy in advance.

Skiers have complained, however, that the savings sometimes aren’t worth it if the tickets lock them into dates when conditions aren’t ideal. Liftopia listened.

Now, similar to the way people pay a bit more for refundable airline tickets, skiers will be able to pay a premium on the discounted lift passes for the ability to switch around dates.



Liftopia, which operates the largest online marketplace and digital platform for resorts in the skiing and mountain-activity industry, announced the ski industry’s first tiered pricing system for lift tickets Wednesday.

Here’s an example: On Wednesday, Liftopia was selling a Dec. 20 “Value” lift ticket at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area for $50, or about 44 percent off the projected $90 walk-up window rate. For an extra $8, the skier could upgrade to a “Value Plus” ticket that could be transferred once at no charge, provided the skier pays any price difference Liftopia’s algorithms spit out for the new date. For $63, Liftopia sells the “Flexible” ticket, which has the same conditions but can be changed an unlimited number of times during the season.




The tickets are targeted toward all skiers and snowboarders, from beginner to expert, local to vacationer.

“At Liftopia, we work hard to make it easier for people to ski more often in ways that are also beneficial for ski areas, and these new options provide a range of flexibility to give consumers a choice of what is best for their needs,” said Evan Reece, co-founder and CEO of Liftopia, in a statement. “Since prices move up over time, consumers can have confidence that the farther they buy in advance, the more they will be rewarded for their commitment.”

The company’s pricing formula helps ski resorts maximize profits by figuring out the ideal amounts customers will pay on given days, and if the new flexible pricing works, resorts should see boosted revenue.

“We want people to commit to coming here,” said A-Basin Chief Operating Officer Alan Henceroth. “If they commit sooner and the more they commit, the better deal we’re going to give them.”

Besides A-Basin, Liftopia will sell tickets linked to more than 250 resorts this season, including Copper Mountain, Aspen/Snowmass and Park City Mountain Resort.