No, it is not. We’ve seen some interesting changes in gear (which we’ll address in the near future) but for now we’re paying attention to the ever-escalating cost of senior tickets. Not that many years ago, ski hills would give a free ticket to any oldsters who could shuffle up to the lift line after their 70th birthday. Today, some resorts have upped the age for a free ticket to 80 and many have abandoned the practice altogether. Those that are generous to the post-70 crowd typically limit the tickets to midweek and they often black out holidays. And a lot of hills don’t see fit to make any ticket concessions for older skiers.
But there are still plenty of discounts out there. To get a comprehensive overview of senior freebies and discounts (on daily lift tickets and passes), visit SeniorSki.com.
The up-shift in age makes sense, because there are too many robust seniors and they typically have enough money to pay their way. (Though we’re not exactly swarming the hills. One recent study says olds 55-64 make up only 5 percent of all skiers and 2 percent of boarders; folks 65 and older make up another 2 percent of all skiers.) In any case, it’s probably smart for resorts to make it easy for us to bring our grandkids. And luring us out into the bitter winter is a way to pay off some of their fixed costs when the rest of the world is working. But, that said, a lot of hardbody 68-year-olds don’t need a free ride.
Photo by Norbert Aepli, Switzerland (noebu), color and contrast edit by Lucas (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons.
