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Keystone Season Lesson Pass for 2013

post #1 of 27
5/14/12 at 6:31pm
Thread Starter 

Does anyone have any info on this , please ? .  The Keystone main line couldn't help and the ski school won't be manned till October. I am sure the due date will be much earlier.

Will be spending 3 months next year in Summit County , and have learnt my (costly) lesson about teaching spouses....

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post #2 of 27
5/14/12 at 6:37pm

I did this in 09-10 and 10-11 and am pretty sure that I bought it in November at least one of the times, but it may be on sale over the summer as well.  They almost certainly stop offering it before Christmas.  

 

I would imagine that the main Vail Resort season pass office might have info on it.  

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post #3 of 27
5/14/12 at 8:00pm
Breck's season lesson pass program has a spring sale, usually the last couple weeks of regular operation, and then you have to wait until fall to get in, normally for a few dollars more than in the spring. I'd guess Keystone's procedure would be similar since the guy who started Breck's is now running Keystone.

These season lesson plans are unique to Breck and Keystone, as I understand it, and not common throughout the Vail resorts. The lesson passes do not interchange among resorts like some of the season lift passes.


Breck's program allows lessons Thursday thru Sunday except for something like 34 days of high season, usually holidays or spring break times. The early spring rate was $309. Probably be $30 or $40 more in the fall. You have to own your season lift pass before you can buy the season lesson package.
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post #4 of 27
5/14/12 at 9:41pm

Ashley, we had two options last season but every season it changes a bit. So it's hard to say exactly how it will run next season. Usually it's available in late October and usually gone before Thanksgiving. Re-post this thread then and I will make sure to get you the most current information.

JASP

Alpine Staff Trainer

Keystone Ski and Ride School 

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post #5 of 27
5/15/12 at 4:18am
Thread Starter 

Thanks Jasp. Will repost then. 

Also thanks to all for the help. 

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post #6 of 27
6/22/12 at 9:16am
Thread Starter 
Sorry for the cut and paste. I tried to get the PDF from Keystone up but am techically challenged, Thanks for Pete Balzer for sending this tru to me. Friends got in last month, so I guess it is still available. Available to pass holders for purchase at any Front Range sales location or by calling 800-842-8062. OR from overseas Please phone (303) 504-5870, 8am-6 pm Mtn Time. Also available at any Keystone Ski & Ride School or Season Pass office through April 8, 2012. Keystone Lesson Pass Sp ecial Pricing Guaranteed Through May 28, 2012 Renew or buy your 12/13 Season Pass. STEP 1 Buy your 12/13 Keystone Lesson Pass. • Adult Lesson Pass $269 • Family Freedom Pack $279 Keystone adult lesson pass details: • Keystone only product, lessons are non-transferable, season pass required. • Adult Lesson Pass valid for ages 15 and older. • Participants may redeem one lesson per day on the morning of the lesson. Lessons meet at regularly scheduled class lesson times: 9:45 am. • Valid Thursday–Sunday, River Run Ski School only. Restricted: 12/20/12–12/30/12,1/19/13–1/20/13, 2/15/13–2/17/13, 3/16/13–3/17/13, 3/23/13–3/24/13, 3/30/13–3/31/13. • On your first day, stop into the River Run Ski & Ride School office to fill out a release form, a Keystone Lesson Pass agreement and to obtain a lesson ticket. After your first day you will not be required to fill out a release; however you will still need to obtain a lesson ticket. • We will make every effort to accommodate instructor requests but reserve the right to make assignments according to business needs and policies. The final decision lies with the supervisor and not the instructor. • Refund policy: Before December 22, 2012, the oneday window rate for an adult lesson will be subtracted based on usage. After December 22, 2012, Keystone Lesson Ski & Ride School Passes are non-refundable. • Not valid for Ultimate 4, Adventure Session, camp or special program participation. All dates/times/ locations subject to change. Sales while supplies last. Family freedom pack details: • 4 Full-Day Lessons for children and/or adults. Lessons are transferable among immediate season pass holding family members. • Keystone only product, lift tickets and rentals not included. Available to skiers age 3 and older and snowboarders age 7 and older. • Complimentary 4 days of Mountain House slopeside parking. • Lessons meet at regularly scheduled class lesson times: 9:45 am for adults and 9:15 am for children. Lessons finish at 3:30 pm. • Restricted 12/27/12–12/30/12, 1/5/13, 2/15/13– 2/17/13, 3/17/13–3/18/13, 3/24/13–3/25/13, 3/31/13– 4/1/13. • Reservations are recommended. Please call 800-255-3715 for reservations. © STEP 2 Have fun and take your skills to the next level
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post #7 of 27
7/2/12 at 12:05pm
Wow!! $269 is great. We paid $309 in April for my wife's renewal at Breck. Maybe I should send her to Keystone on the bus??? Not likely. She hates the long walk. At Breck it's just a few steps for her to the gondola.
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post #8 of 27
8/30/12 at 11:13am

I'm out here (summit county wanna-be) on work assignement for a few months (into january) and am trying to decide between keystones lessson pass and brecks.

 

What im looking for is some additional work on fundamentals as well as getting into some new terrain. Mostly looking for confidence in the trees.

 

Is there a better option between the two as far as terrain available/enjoyable in the december - january timeframe?

 

Thanks!

Emily

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post #9 of 27
8/30/12 at 1:30pm

Both offer abundant tree skiing, so it's hard to go wrong with either. As a Keystone pro, I would like to mention the majority of skiable terrain on The North Peak and The Outback is tree skiing. Especially over on The Outback where only a few cut trails exist. The rest is either above timberline bowls or gladed trees. Of course the time frame you are talking about means the snow cover in those trees is something none of us can guarantee, so pray for lots of early snow.

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post #10 of 27
9/7/12 at 1:13pm

I`ve done the KS lesson pass twice and think it has better tree skiing than Breck WHEN THERE IS ENOUGH SNOW.  KS also opens a week earlier than Breck, is better on storm days and has better man made snow terrain than Breck.  OTOH, Breck gets more snow overall, has better bowl skiing and getting to cut the lines at Breck may be more of an advantage than at KS. 

 

One thing I really liked about the lesson pass early season is low # of students in the advanced lessons early in the season.

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post #11 of 27
3/22/13 at 8:43am
Resurrecting old thread for dumb question. Is it correct that these season lesson passes at Breck and Keystone allow you to take 4 lessons a week (Thurs-Sun) all season long? Or just one lesson per week? Thanks.
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post #12 of 27
3/22/13 at 9:06am
Are these private lessons?
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post #13 of 27
3/22/13 at 9:39am
no
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post #14 of 27
3/22/13 at 10:21am

The lessons are not private lessons but you can take 4 a week.  It is a fabulous deal.
 

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post #15 of 27
3/22/13 at 11:43am

Dang, this is very interesting. Thanks for bumping it up.

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post #16 of 27
3/22/13 at 4:38pm
Be aware that there are blackout days on season lesson ticket use during busy periods. Sometimes they're available on the Thursday and Friday, but not on the Saturday and Sunday of a busy holiday period.
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post #17 of 27
3/23/13 at 6:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by rod9301 View Post

Are these private lessons?

Not usually, but when I did it a few years back at Keystone, we would sometimes end up with a private group early season, especially in the upper level lessons when only 1 or 2 students showed up.  

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kneale Brownson View Post

Be aware that there are blackout days on season lesson ticket use during busy periods. Sometimes they're available on the Thursday and Friday, but not on the Saturday and Sunday of a busy holiday period.

In addition to black days, there are some entire 4 day weeks that are blacked out- not sure what it will be next season, but I recall the entire X-mas and Spring break periods being blacked out on top of at least some days (entire 4 day weekend?) for MLK and Presidents.  

 

I know that Breck has also had a Kids lesson pass as well for about double the adult price- I don't recall if that includes free lunch or not, but it may as lunch is often included in the kids products.

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post #18 of 27
3/23/13 at 1:42pm
Thread Starter 

Best money I ever spent. Great bunch of instructors , and whilst they differed in ability, I was able to get something of value from each and every lesson. 

 

Added bonus was that over a period of time, the instructors could observe my particular weakness(es) and work with me specifically on that issue.

 

Blackout date should be similar in nature to what I posted previously. Next season's price is $289

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post #19 of 27
4/30/13 at 9:51pm

Hi - we are going to be in Keystone this year from early December to end of January - I'd never heard of this Adult Lesson Pass before, but will look into it - can someone please confirm where it will be advertised? (or not!??). 

 

Are the weekend lessons really busy as the season progresses into January?  I'm not keen on group lessons that are too high in numbers, although this seems like a great deal either way. We'd be in an advanced group. Thanks.

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post #20 of 27
5/1/13 at 2:26am
Thread Starter 

It doesn't seem to be advertised . Luckily Pete Balzer from Keystone helped me out last year. 

I was pleased to tell him that we bought 8 people from Australia with us , primarily because of the Epic Pass,  and Keystone became our base becoz of the Lesson Pass. 

 

Anyway, the holiday season will be frantic , if you are Advanced (level8) there are less people , but we DID have up to 8 people in the group. In mid jan on a Sunday however I had 2 others. So - it depends- . Thurs Friday are less , and the weekends mean you skip the lines . 

 

As you said it is a GREAT deal , all you are up for after the $289 is the tips . ($15-20) 

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post #21 of 27
5/1/13 at 4:08am

Thanks for the info - who is Pete Balzar by the way?

 

To clarify, the lesson pass isn't advertised as such, but is available for purchase from roughly Oct to Nov?

 

Can you purchase it via the Keystone Website during the purchasing period or just directly by contacting the ticket sales office?  We are considering getting the Epic Local Pass - can we get the lesson pass with this Season Ticket as opposed to the Epic Ski Pass (unlimited)?

 

Thanks again.

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post #22 of 27
5/1/13 at 7:08am

Pete Balzar must be a Keystone employee who helped out Ashley.  I would do what she did- contact Keystone directly ASAP to clarify when you can buy it as I have seen it for sale at different times during the off/early season.

 

In terms of holiday crowds with the pass, there are black out dates, so don't expect to use it between XMas/NY, but the first 2-3 weeks of December should be good as well as most of January after the NY period (~post Jan 5 for the coming season) with the exception of MLK weekend which I believe has been blacked out in the past.

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post #23 of 27
5/1/13 at 7:20am
Pete Balzer is a long-time Keystone Ski & Ride School ticket and products manager. He oversees all of the SRS ticket sales and has played an integral role in the Ski School for many years. He's also a very good skier--and a very, very good golfer! Glad he could help you.

Best regards,
Bob
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post #24 of 27
5/1/13 at 3:24pm

This sound like a great program.   I have E-mailed my Director about this program.  Can anyone help us get in touch with Pete Balzer so we can numbers from him to help us decide if this right for us at Wildcat.

 

 

Hank

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post #25 of 27
5/1/13 at 5:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonah View Post

Can you purchase it via the Keystone Website during the purchasing period or just directly by contacting the ticket sales office?  We are considering getting the Epic Local Pass - can we get the lesson pass with this Season Ticket as opposed to the Epic Ski Pass (unlimited)?

 

 

I wouldn't count on it being advertised on the Keystone site.   I purchased a Season Less Pass for Keystone about a month ago for the upcoming 2013-2014 season, even though the web site did not mention it.  Paid $289, by calling the Keystone lesson office (800-255-3715), asking about the lesson pass and giving them my credit card.   Keystone lesson office closed on April 14, I think....so I suggest you put a tickler message into your calendar for next October and begin calling them at that time.  

 

Looking forward to getting some help this coming year on my bump skiing, as well as guidance later in the season in Keystone's trees.  Can't beat the price...

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post #26 of 27
5/1/13 at 10:43pm
Mother Nature is obviously a huge factor here, but can anyone tell me, on average & over the years, what keystone snow is like earlier in the season? We arrive on 10 December & leave at the end of January. Keep in mind that we are from Australia & are therefore used to pretty ordinary snow at times!!!
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post #27 of 27
5/2/13 at 6:06am

In terms of man made snow and grooming, I think Keystone does a great job, in part because they do not typically get as much snow as many other CO resorts.  Since I have been living here, they have always opened top to bottom early November, so you are virtually guaranteed to have something to do December/January.  

 

For early season lessons, the snow/terrain that they have is fine but you do need some help from mother nature to get the trees and much of the black terrain open.

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