Fair to say that this new pass has generated a lot of talk both on-mountain and online as seen by a quick look at ski.com.au.
When Perisher first dropped their Freedom pass for 2012 it was always going to be interesting to see how everyone else countered the move. While Buller continues to cop it for not coming out with a competing offer, Hotham and Falls have announced the Hero Pass.
At first glance it seemed as though there had to be a catch, it just seemed too cheap given what a full season pass cost this season ($1200 for an early bird and $1400 full whack). A season pass for $700, surely not.
While there are conditions such as putting the deposit down now and paying the rest in May is that really such a big trade off? Buying a season pass is always a calculated gamble on what the season is going to deliver. If you are only having to pay 50% when compared to last year’s price then you’d have to think a lot of people are going to take that bet. Cutting down your break even point to about seven days is massive.
One thing is for sure, it is good to see some innovation from not just Hotham but the industry as a whole with regard to what deals are offered to the skiing public and if it gets more people skiing more often then that can only be a good thing.
