I see gasoline went up again today. Crazy how that price is just shooting up right now.

I was thinking this must be a big worry for the ski resorts and their prices. They were just about starting to bring them down, but this will really strangle them.

I wonder if we'll be seeing more expensive tickets come winter?

Great site and forums by the way.

It sure isn't going to help.

That and people might be less keen to drive out as much if the cost keeps on going up.

The food is going to cost more to get to the resorts.
The energy costs in preparing the food will go up.
The energy costs in heating the accomodation will go up.
The cost of running the lifts will go up.
The cost of putting lights on for night ski will increase.
The cost of fuel for the groomers will go up..

Ya get the picture.

I would be very surprised if the resorts couls maintain thier 2007/8 prices for the 2008/9 season.

But none of us can maintain our 07/08 budgets into 08/09. We just have to pay more.

To be honest, energy costs have been rising for years. As someone said in another thread, the number of people buying tickets at full price has also been falling, as have number of tickets sold. So we have had falling income and rising costs for the resorts for years.

These recent moves aren't going to make things any better, of course, but the Japanese ski industry has never raised prices before. If anything, all we've seen is more discounting. Sometime they're going to have to start passing the cost on. If people can afford the gear, transport, and accom, 1,000 yen extra on a ticket won't break the bank.

The only resort I can ever think of raising their prices was Arai. They did it for people not staying at the hotels maybe in the last season they were open. They also used cattle tag type tickets to stop the scamming you get with the electronic ones.

What are they Mr Wiggles (cattle tag type?)

It sure will be interesting to see how prices change if they do.

Up until now since I have been it has been price down at resorts. I'm going to speak to my friend that works in the office of a resort to see if I can get any info.

This last week or so I have been talking with management at some larger resorts and I asked them about this. The general official response from the ones I spoke with has been that they are planning on trying to keep the lift ticket prices the same as last season (rising them would be 'muzukashii'), but will make the final decision in autumn when of course things will probably have changed again.

I hope they can manage with reduced profits yet again SJ#1... It would be such a shame to see resorts buckle in Japan where the snow is so magical and reliable.

Adult day passes at Niseko are going up 300 yen next season. I think we can all live with that

Good on them. Its not an easy decision to make, in Japan at least.

The cattle tag tickets at Arai were printed on a strip of super sticky paper that you folded onto itself around a zipper tag or loop on your jacket to make a tag with the date printed on. Even season ticket holders had to submit their pass to get one. You couldn't take them off your jacket or whatever without ripping them. I'm sure they use something similar at places overseas.

Yeah - they do. A plasticky type paper with a cabletie that goes through a zipper hole or loop on the jacket.

That is all well and good, but not everyone uses the one jacket for the entire trip. When you spend the silly money on the cattle tag tix (alla Aussie snowfield) and then are stuck wearing the one jacket it feels pretty restictive after having the freedom of an electronic ticket that sits in your pocket or (in my case) in an arm band so you can choose to match your jacket to the conditions if you so choose.

I like the electronic tickets.
It is SO much more civilized!!

you ccan carry your jacket wit the tag with you if you decide to wear something else.

They also use that in Korea. You leave for the day, the ticket goes with you, can't hand it to someone else without tearing it.

I don't like it cos it can get snagged.

Ohhh that sounds SO convenient!


Good point!
What if it gets torn off? Do they then question you - do you have to pay all over again?
I know the tags we had on last year were seriously MANKY by the time we got home and cut them off - they looked shocking...after all they are exposed to seriously tough conditions for a week.

Last year at Thredbo the lifties punched the tix at the base of the lift in the morning - but only once...I was trying to work out why...what it achieved. Maybe I will ask this time - if I can be bothered.

But I have at least one Niseko United ticket from the last trip in the laundry draw - one of the kids forgot to clear thier pockets!! And it looks PERFECT still.

Where was that Mamabear. Never seen any like that.

Places I went to simply gave you a ticket that i put in a pouch. Lo-tech!

The hi tech electronic tix were for Niseko United. We bought the all mountain ticket this time - but when were there in April 07 we bought the day by day tix - pretty much all the same just encoded differently.

We wore them in our pockets - that suited the kids - they had a nice little hig up zip pocket perfectly suited to the electronic tix - although the babybear had to jump up a bit to get it to register (LOL). However it ticked me off no end as being natural I went through the gate with my back to the machine - so would get all twisted - so I bought one of those elastic arm bands with a pocket to stick the ticket into and wore it on my left arm - made for FAST transition through the turnstiles with NO twisting.

The low tech tags were the same at Thredbo and Perisher - although I can only remember the Thredbo lifties punching them...hmmm.. My oldest boy went to Cardrona/Wanaka NZ last year and his jacket had a tag still attached when he came home - same same. Off to Falls next week, and hubby is off to Hotham in a few weeks - so I will see what system they use then.

They use them sticky tags in scotland as well, I hate em. They can get ripped off if you fall, get soaking wet and fall to bits (Scottish snow is NOT dry). I was surprised to see many places here still using the paper ticket in an armband, I thought they'd all have changed over to electronic

no. Only the forward looking sophisticated resorts use electronic tags.

Having seen it done on some places here, like the then called Mass Transit Railway; lifting prices is a way to select your clientele.

The MTR lifted prices cos there was just too many passengers to cope with. They still made a bomb. If they did it now, they'd sink.

Which begs the question. Let's lift the Niseko lift prices. 20,000Y hike for peak season. That would sort out the riff raff.

"I say, the slopes at Niseko are almost empty and there is plenty of untracked at 11am, after I wake up and shower and champagne breakfast".

"Jolly good, let's have a run and get tucked in to lunch"


"rah rah"

Do it once I've been please.

Sadly, I get the impression at some resorts round here that they wouldn't be busy even if their lift tickets were 500 yen.