12/19/2008: First Tracks Online: Ski Christmas Day for as Little as $20
Original Article
San Francisco, CA - While the Christmas holidays traditionally constitute one of the busiest periods of the season for ski and snowboard resorts, Christmas Day itself is typically notoriously quiet on the slopes. Ski resort lift ticket retailer Liftopia.com has leveraged that fact to the advantage of skiers and snowboarders across the U.S. and Canada with discounts of up to 62% to ski and ride on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
Ski Colorado's Arapahoe Basin for only $25 on the 25th, a savings of 62% off the walk-up ticket window rate. In New York, a Christmas Day lift ticket at Windham Mountain will set you back only $28.99, a discount of 42%. Beginning skiers or snowboarders can learn to ski or ride for $77.99 on Christmas Day, and save 26% off the normal package price. A two-day pass to Snowbird in Utah beginning Christmas Day costs $115, a discount of 20%.
Other packages are available as well. Those needing gear can get a lift ticket and rental equipment at Keystone for $106.99 on Christmas Day. In southern California, a learn to ski package at Mt. Baldy on Christmas Day is discounted to $57.99. Further north, Boreal near Lake Tahoe is offering two-for-one tickets on Dec. 25 for $52.
Lift ticket discounts for the holiday are available at numerous other ski areas across the U.S. and in Quebec. Customers must purchase in advance and for specific dates on the www.liftopia.com website to get the special deals. Tickets can generally be purchased up until the night before arrival, but tickets do sell out, and resorts can raise prices.
Filling lift chairs on a traditionally slow Christmas Day is what Liftopia is designed to do. The company allows ski resorts to utilize yield management and online-travel style distribution to generate incremental sales. The program is designed to be win-win for resorts and customers.
“Our mission at Liftopia.com is to provide a straightforward way for winter sports lovers of all levels to ski and ride more by offering discount lift tickets. As committed skiers ourselves, we understand budget challenges this year, and that it isn’t worth paying full price when the snow isn’t great," says Liftopia.com company co-founder, Evan V. Reece. "By using Liftopia.com, consumers can research each resort in an easy-to-navigate and non-intimidating environment that allows them to choose what best fits their family and budget."
