Sugarbush Resort launches midweek season pass for baby boomers
The president of Sugarbush releases deal to remind skiers that getting older doesn’t mean you have to leave the slopes.
Warren — Win Smith, president and majority owner of Sugarbush Resort in Vermont, turned sixty-five this month. To celebrate, Smith is giving a birthday present to his generation by launching a season pass product targeted at skiers and riders sixty-five and older. The Boomer Midweek Pass is a $99 midweek non-holiday season pass to Sugarbush, offering access to two mountains, 111 trails, and 16 lifts.
A generation ago, turning sixty-five meant retirement, Medicare, and a slower pace. Smith disagrees with that notion. “When my AARP card came in the mail, I threw it in the trash. So did my friends. We do not consider ourselves ‘retired people.’ We are entering the prime years of life.”
Sugarbush, under Smith’s leadership, sees an opportunity. Many baby boomers are active travelers who have achieved a certain level of success. And they are at a place professionally and personally where they exert more control over their schedules, and can enjoy more leisure time.
The sixty-five-plus crowd, whether pursuing a second career, reaping the benefits of a more relaxed work schedule, or having officially retired, actually has the ability to ski midweek. And the midweek non-holiday experience at Sugarbush is a very desirable one: The slopes are quiet, the groomed runs can last through late morning, and the restaurants have a steady purr instead of a low roar. Smith’s $99 Boomer Midweek pass is such a great deal, it makes it easy to justify the spend. The pass is on sale through September 10th.
Smith, a former president of Merrill Lynch International who found a second career in Sugarbush, skis approximately one-hundred days a season, “If I were skiing with the Boomer Midweek Pass, skiing at Sugarbush would cost me less than $1 a day.”
Not everyone in this crowd has as much energy as Smith—who also published a book recently on his experience at Merrill Lynch. However, a limited season pass for $99, when lift ticket window rates hover close to $90, makes a lot of sense.
“I’m not an anomaly,” he adds. “My generation is skiing and riding with their families, and even learning to ski. I want to invite them to come to Sugarbush this winter, and I am hopeful this pass will do it.”
