Las Leñas has increased pass prices once again for the 2012 season. Season passes will cost 6809 Pesos (about $1550 USD), and day passes will range from 268 to 393 Pesos ($62 to $90 USD). My first time in Las Leñas in 2006, season passes were only $500 – meaning that they have more than tripled in price in six years.
Not only does Leñas offer an outrageously expensive season pass, but it does so over an outrageously short lift season. For 2012, they are intending to run lifts from June 20 until September 30. This is a little exaggerated, as they very rarely get lifts running by June 20 (usually one to two weeks late). However, we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt here, and call it a 100 day ski season. That means that if you ski every day this season, you are paying $15.50 per day.
However, as anyone who has ever skied Las Leñas knows, if the Marte chair is not running, the resort is useless. Statistics indicate that Marte runs about 40% of the time on average. So, Marte runs about 40 days per season. That means you are paying $38.75 per Marte day with a season pass!
Lets compare these numbers with another resort notorious for an expensive pass and a short season: Jackson Hole. Jackson’s season pass costs $1595, and they have an 135 day season. Thats $11.80 a day. However, they offer an early bird pass at $1,090, which makes only $8.00 a day. Not too bad, compared to Las Leñas.
What do you think? Does Las Leñas have the most expensive season pass in the world?
