Winter 2023 Update
The way we’re selling day and multi-day passes for Winter 2023 and beyond is changing – here’s all you need to know about the changes, and why we’re making them.
Over the last couple of years lots of people have wanted to ski and snowboard on the mountains and in peak times it has been very busy. Feedback has told us our on-mountain experience in peak times isn’t where we want it to be. We know that people don’t enjoy struggling to get a carpark or standing in long lift queues.
To help solve this, we’re managing daily capacity on the mountains.
We looked at our busiest times on the mountain over the last few years to see how many of you visit us and using what pass types. This means we can make an informed estimate, based on previous seasons’ data, of how many season pass, multi-day, and single day pass holders will visit on any given day this coming winter.
We’re using that data in a couple of ways. The first has been to look at our pre-season sales of season passes and multi-day passes, and strike a balance between managing capacity and making sure everyone who wants to commit to us ahead of time can do so. We are selling the same number of season passes and Earlybird multi-day passes as last year.
Secondly, we’re using that data to set a limit on the number of in-season day passes and multi-day passes available to buy. This daily allowance reflects the average number of other pass types we expect to be skiing that day. Once we reach our daily capacity, there will be no more day passes available and we’ll let you know through our website and social media channels that we are sold out.
We’re serious about making our experience better. For Cardrona, our goal for 2023 is to reduce the number of skiers/snowboarders by around 1000 on our busiest days, compared to the peak days in 2020-2022.
There will still be some busy days on the mountains. If it’s a bluebird powder day and we have more season pass and Earlybird multi-day pass holders than average, it will still be busy. Occasionally we may have more people on the mountain than what we’re aiming for.
Because we’re trying to manage capacity with pass purchases, we’re asking you to change how you buy your in-season day or multi-day pass up front. We’ll be asking you to choose which mountain and which days you’d like to visit with both of these passes. For in-season multi-day passes, you’ll get a “window” to use your pass in, so you get built in rest/poor weather days, and you’ll need to choose which mountain you visit. Single day passes will lock you in to a specific mountain and a specific day.
If you’d like a bit more flexibility, we’re offering a 5-day Flexi pass at a higher per day rate, which you can use on any day of the season at either mountain. These passes will only be available online or at off-mountain ticketing locations – you won’t be able to purchase them on the mountains.
Prices for all our in-season passes will change depending on demand. Your best chance to score a great price is buying online, early. The highest tier of pricing is last-minute purchases made from Guest Services on the mountain.
We appreciate this is a big shift in approach and a New Zealand first. However, dynamic pricing is widely used overseas to manage numbers on the mountains, and we’ve heard great feedback on the positive impact this approach has on guest experience.
As with any big change, we’re expecting a few teething issues. As always, we’d love to hear your feedback, and please remember our staff are doing their absolute best to make sure you’re having a great time.
Thanks in advance for your support making this season the best experience possible at Cardrona and Treble Cone.
