Mike Pow 52 Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Yes way too expensive for both visitors and seasonal workers. I no longer buy a Niseko United Season Pass, instead I buy a Kiroro Season Pass (JPY 36,000 last season) and then pay JPY 2,500 to ski Grand Hirafu for the day. I prefer Kiroro, but that's just me Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 150,000 yen is just nuts. They cannot sell many passes at that price? Link to post Share on other sites
klingon 10 Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 If people buy it.... Would be interesting to know how it got to that price.... like how much it has changed over the last 20 years or so... Link to post Share on other sites
mitchpee 10 Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Originally Posted By: MikePow Yes way too expensive for both visitors and seasonal workers. I no longer buy a Niseko United Season Pass, instead I buy a Kiroro Season Pass (JPY 36,000 last season) and then pay JPY 2,500 to ski Grand Hirafu for the day. I prefer Kiroro, but that's just me I can see why you would after a few days I had there last year. That place can get twice as much as Niseko. Jim, For us lucky under 25 Snowbird is only $440 Brighton is the same as well. I would consider Brighton to be much like Niseko but with much bigger cliffs. Alta is a bit overpriced but they can get it being so close to a metropolitan area. Niseko really isn't close enough to Sapporo to charge those rates. Plus they don't offer any sort of discount be it student, young person, etc which I find very discouraging. Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Originally Posted By: klingon If people buy it.... Would be interesting to know how it got to that price.... like how much it has changed over the last 20 years or so... I know it's been about the same price for around the last 8 years. Not sure prior to that. Link to post Share on other sites
TheOriginalMyoko 0 Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Blimey 150,000 yen. Wonder how many they sell. Link to post Share on other sites
D train 0 Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Before 8 years or so, there was no United Pass- you paid for a Hirafu or a Hano or Higashiyama or Annupuri pass separate. The four resorts were separate and didnt even link up to each other- you had to access from the bottom of each or fight accross ungroomed powder flats and duck fences. Annupuri was in danger of closing, as Moiwa already had. It was big news my first year that Hano and Hirafu were joining forces- it meant you could do Strabws without having to buy a lift tix to get back up ( 2,500 was cheapest) or catch a ride from a mate conned into driving over there. In those days too- it would take two or three "beater" runs to be able to work your way accross to be able to access the drops and mushrooms ( In Strawberries) . Man I am old. Link to post Share on other sites
Hokkaidough 4 Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 150k is just silly money, it really is. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 yeah I was shocked when I saw the price of it up there. Anyone have access to any data as to how many passes get sold each year? Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Wonder what "the next most expensive" after that is. Bet its a fair bit lower. Link to post Share on other sites
D train 0 Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Me and all my friends buy it, though usually at the preseason reduced rate of 109,000. If i was guessing, I would say a few hundred maybe, though a lot more would buy if it wasn`t so crazy expensive. Most others buy a Hirafu Pass ( still 50,-80,000 depending when) or a night pass and/or 50 hour combo of some sort . Japanese locs usually go the night hirafu pass or even the Moiwa pass as they are in the 20-30,000 range. Every year , its a sad moment when that amount slides across the counter, lemme tell you... Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 A few hundred people. Wonder how much cheaper it would have to be for many more to snap it up though. They probably think a fair bit and just decide to let the hardcore people who would anyway go on and buy it. Link to post Share on other sites
Hokkaidough 4 Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I don't buy it. Simply can't justify it. Because of this, I get to ski a variety of other places as well. Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 I suspect they've priced it so that not many buy it. I doubt they care much at all about season passes and probably don't see them as a good way to make money. The Japanese market is mostly one or two day passes on weekends and that's all they really seem to care about. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 Sounds very much like they have their blinkers on and simply march forward in the believe that They Are Right without listening or seeing what goes on around them. Link to post Share on other sites
sand 17 Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 I know for last year at least there was a pre Sept registration which gave you 30% off, making it 106,000Yen for the United Pass, still expensive for sure Link to post Share on other sites
yamayamayama 2 Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 106,000 yen and that's with 30% off. Mind is boggled! Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 I suppose in a way they really won't be bothered about that, more people will perhaps end up spending more than that if they stay a while. Is there a photo on the pass and are they strict about enforcing it so to speak - can you pass it on to someone else and easily get away with it. Not that anyone on here would consider doing such a thing of course. Link to post Share on other sites
ILoveZao 8 Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I am amazed at the cost of that season ticket. It includes nighta as well, right? Link to post Share on other sites
tokabochi 9 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Would hope so at that price! Link to post Share on other sites
ILoveZao 8 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Thank you! Link to post Share on other sites
greg 4 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 It seems to be similar to Russian management. Decisions take a long time as no one wants to be responsible for an incorrect one as any mistake is seen as a personal misjudgement and therefore a career ender. Link to post Share on other sites
masher of moguls 0 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 No. Decisions take a long time in order for there to be a consensus. Link to post Share on other sites
greg 4 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 That's what I mean. No one wants to stand out out, it takes along time to come to a group decision. Link to post Share on other sites
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