Powdr Offering Refunds to Killington, Snowbird, Copper, and Mount Bachelor Passholders Over Controversial “Fast Tracks” Program

A line for Killington’s K1 Gondola in December 2019. Visitors will be able to bypass this wait next season with the purchase of a Fast Tracks pass.

Background

This winter, ski resort operator Powdr is launching dedicated fast-access lanes at Colorado’s Copper, Vermont’s Killington, Oregon’s Mount Bachelor, and Utah’s Snowbird. This program has been met with controversy and lots of negative feedback, and even a U.S. Senator has gotten involved.

Earlier today, the Powdr co-presidents released a memo addressing the situation. The memo expresses confidence in the Fast Tracks program and states that the company will be continuing with their plans to implement it. However, Powdr will be offering refunds to any guests who wish to retract their season pass purchases due to the new program.

Our Take

Powdr’s new Fast Tracks policy has the potential to increase wait times at all four impacted resorts—despite the memo’s credible assertion that impacts at Copper have been negligible in previous seasons, the other three resorts aren’t quite as good at handling crowds as Copper in general. Additionally, the program may bring an aura of commercialization to these resorts. However, we sincerely doubt that resort experiences will change enough to warrant reneging on a pass purchase. Powdr likely knows this and has, in all likelihood, determined that the number of refunds will be small enough that keeping Fast Tracks in place will make them more money. This story has blown up considerably over the past week, and we’re planning to follow it closely should any other developments occur.

For more information on these ski resorts, check out our comprehensive mountain reviews of Copper, Killington, Snowbird, and Mount Bachelor.