Ski scraper project provides transparent prices on the slopes: This calculator will get you the cheapest ticket

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Reader Robert Kurz is upset. He and his family actually wanted to go on a week-long ski holiday in Adelboden-Lenk after Christmas. When he wanted to buy ski tickets online, he came across an innovation: At the beginning of this season, Adelboden-Lenk introduced dynamic prices.

Reader Kurz, whose real name is different, asked what the maximum price is for a weekly ticket to mountain railways. “As a guest, I need to consider whether I want to take on the weather risk myself. “To make this decision, I need to know how much more I will have to pay if I don’t book tickets in advance.”

However, the Adelboden-Lenk mountain railways refused to give him this information. The maximum price has not been announced. Apparently the mountain railways didn’t even know if it could be reached.

Particularly large ski areas depend on dynamic prices

Many winter sports enthusiasts will face the same dilemma as the Kurz family, as more and more ski areas are becoming dependent on dynamic prices. In a survey conducted by the “Observer” of about 130 lift and cable car operators in German-speaking Switzerland, 21 answered that they would set prices dynamically. These are mostly Engadin St. Moritz, Laax, Gstaad or Zermatt.

Dynamic pricing means the price of a ticket depends on when you buy it, as well as the date you want to use the trains. In general, prices are lower the earlier you buy, and prices go up when more people want to ski on a particular day (e.g. on weekends).

The dynamic pricing system pursues several objectives, says Matthias Werren, Marketing and Sales Manager of the Adelboden-Lenk ski area. “We want to use the facilities more equally, make skiing more attractive in the off-season and reduce waiting times, including in restaurants.” This benefits both guests and cable cars.

Sara Stalder from consumer protection disagrees with this argument: “Ski areas primarily want to maximize their profits with dynamic prices, even if they justify it differently.” Stalder criticizes that buying ski passes has become a pure lottery for consumers and that comparisons between individual ski areas have become extremely difficult.

“Up to 15 percent more sales”

Many Swiss ski areas, such as Zermatt and Scuol, rely on the solution from Berlin company Smart Pricer for flexible pricing. «Dynamic prices enable better usage, especially at off-peak times or when the weather is not perfect. This way ski areas can achieve up to 15 percent more sales,” says Christian Kluge, boss of Smart Pricer.

A study carried out in 2020 by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences on behalf of Teleferik Switzerland concluded that dynamic pricing models will provide slightly higher average returns and therefore contribute to increased profits of the sector. However, the study assessed this potential as “quite low.” The study sees the fact that increases with dynamic prices are “possible in a more discreet way” as an advantage for providers, especially when price lists are no longer available.

Smaller ski areas want to stay predictable

A few large destinations such as Davos Klosters or the Jungfrau Ski Area, as well as small and medium-sized areas in particular, are resisting the trend towards dynamic prices. For example, Melchsee-Frutt, Hoch-Ybrig and Mörlialp. This is cited as the reason why these areas are primarily focused on families with children. Changing prices is a disadvantage for this customer profile. Stoosbahnen says: “We want to offer the guest a clear pricing strategy; the guest should always know what he is getting from us and how much, for example with a family day ticket. This makes the experience easier to calculate.”

“Observer” will constantly expand its comparison offer.

Source :Blick