Downhill Deals

Bad news for any rich fat cats hoping the economic crisis will sweep those poor, teeming masses from the ski slopes: It’s not going to happen.
Skiers and snowboarders are a stubborn lot. “People will give up a lot more before they give up their skiing,” says Anne Pigeon, marketing director at the Whitewater Winter Resort in Canada. “They’ll adjust the way they travel before they won’t travel at all.”
Pigeon points to a survey from research firm RRC Associates, showing “extraordinary stability” in the expected volume of resort visitors. Even when general leisure travel suffered after 9/11, the ski industry remained resilient.
RRC director Nate Fristoe predicts skiers and snowboarders may shave a day or two off of their trips or stay in cheaper hotels, but they’ll still ski. The snow-sports industry, with its host of affluent participants, is tied more to the weather than the economy, RRC found. Powder, not paychecks, predicts the number of skiers.

“If it snows, they will come,” says Kristin Whitaker, marketing manager for Mount Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park. Whitaker expects Mount Spokane’s location to attract frugal skiers living nearby. “Staycations are becoming the norm.”
Ski resorts aren’t satisfied, however, to just sit back and hope the skiers swoop in. They’re offering the same flurry of specials they usually offer — plus a few new ones to sweeten the deal.

The Deals
Mount Spokane, 49 Degrees North, Schweitzer, Lookout, Silver and a number of other regional resorts have partnered with Shell gas stations. Buy a certain 10 gallons of gas at Shell and get a voucher for a “buy one get one free” deal on a lift ticket at a local resort.
To play off its prime location, Mount Spokane’s offering “carpool days.” If four or more people come up in one car, they get discounted lift tickets. While lift tickets and the midweek passes have jumped in price (due to operating costs) over last year, Mount Spokane just brought out new college and military discounts.
Meanwhile, 49 Degrees North Mountain Resort is introducing promotional discount tickets for purchase online. Not only are the online vouchers cheaper, but turning in a single slip of paper beats having to fish your wallet out from under your snow pants, says marketing director Jason Wolther. Also, 49 Degrees has partnered with Papa John’s to pair a free large pizza with a Monday lift-ticket purchase and with the KZZU and RAWK radio stations to give away snowboards on three of their four night-skiing discounts.
“You bring up two cans of food and pay $1, you can ski all night,” Wolther says.
At Lookout Pass, spokesman Jim Schreiber says their prices are always low. “Lookout Pass is kind of like the Wal-Mart of ski resorts. We try to keep our prices low so people can return on a regular basis.”
Many of Lookout’s deals aim for the older crowd. Those over 40 can buy $18 lift tickets on Boomer Fridays; skiers 50 and older can get ski lessons from instructors their own age for $25 or less; and for those over 55, Lookout’s new “Prime Timers” program allows them to hang in the lodge all season for $15. (Lift tickets are not included, but lodge discounts are.)
At Silver Mountain, it’s all about their new water park — you get entry to Silver Rapids with overnight stays. Watch for good deals there, including four nights for the price of three over Thanksgiving weekend.
Schweitzer Mountain Resort, meanwhile, offers $20 lift tickets on Sunday afternoons, $10 lift tickets on Dec. 12 to benefit Sandpoint’s Community Cancer Services, and something called an “escape card.”
“It allows you to ski or snowboard for free your first day up to the mountain and every day after at $10 off,” communications manager Jennifer Ekstrom says. “We like to keep people in the snow.”
And buy a season pass at Schweitzer, Ekstrom says, and get lift tickets for nearby Red Mountain Resort in Canada for only $15. Despite the economy — actually, because of the economy — this winter may be the perfect one to take a trip to Canada.