Eaglecrest Ski Area posts pass prices

JUNEAU - An adult season pass to Eaglecrest Ski Area costs $379 this season, up $30 over last year.

Passes for the 2008-09 season went on sale Friday.

Day lift tickets will cost $38, or $3 more than last season.

The price of a youth pass, for students in sixth through 12th grades, also went up by $30. The price is $329. The price for pre-schoolers and children in first through fourth grades stayed the same as last year, at $49 and $149, respectively.

All fifth-graders will ski for free this season.

Parents will need to provide proof at the ticket window that a child is in fifth grade to receive a passport. The passport will need to be presented for a lift ticket each time the fifth-grader skis throughout the season.

The system was designed to allow the area to track how much the new program is used, General Manager Kirk Duncan said.

In an effort to draw lapsed skiers and riders and those who have never tried the sports, the area will offer an incentive program called "Bring A Friend," Duncan said.

The program offers a $100 discount to 2007-08 season pass holders who get a person to sign up for a season pass that did not have one last season.

The new "friend" does not have to be completely new to the area, but can't have been a pass holder last season, Duncan said.

People can bring up to five "friends" to receive additional discounts and even earn money with the incentive program, Duncan said. To purchase with the new program, call 790-2000, ext. 226, and say, "I have a friend," leaving a message with a name and telephone number.

A senior pass costs $329 this year, and a Nordic-only pass is $39. Children 6 and younger can use cross-country trails for free.

As in the past, the ski area will offer multi-visit lift passes for five, 10 and 15 days.

Day lift tickets for youth and seniors will be $33 this year.

Bus passes will cost $69, a $10 increase over last season.

The ski area is working out details of an online "share a ride" program, which will allow people to use the Internet to arrange ride-sharing to and from the mountain. Details will be forthcoming, Duncan said.

Season passes, multi-visit cards and bus passes can be purchased online at www.juneau.org/eaglecrest or by calling 790-2000. An additional 5 percent city sales tax will be added.

Prices are valid through Nov. 1, when they will go up. The ski area set an opening date for the first week of December, but it will depend on snowfall.