I’m sorry for the delay in getting this out to you. But, we still have over a week to make our decision. I’ll add as much info as I can to this email. Please feel free to send me any questions that you have. I’ll do my best to find an answer for you. Please copy and paste the the link below to view the resort bid info. You’ll notice that Big White has just a single week proposed, March 2-6, 2025. Niseko has a choice of March 9-14 or 16-21, 2025. If you have a preference as to which week, please state that in your reply. I’ll default to the earlier week if you have no preference.
https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:8f1a1cf6-396b-4095-b89d-37b3782de061

Here are the details that I would like to point out….Registration fees are the first thing that got my attention. They’re not cheap. And, they’re trending higher each year. However, the resorts are trying to add benefits to their bids to make us feel better about a $500 or $600 registration fee. Big White has added 2 drink coupons to their bid. This is down from 6 at their last WASC. Niseko has topped that with a total of 8 coupons to be used throughout the week.
The lodging choices are quite different also. Big White will have several locations from which to choose. Condos with kitchens as well as multi bedroom accommodations. Niseko will have us all in the Hilton Niseko Village. Which will also include a daily breakfast.
I’m not paying much attention to lift ticket prices. I mean… a 4 day at either resort is less than a single day at any Vail resort. Just make note that the lift ticket prices for Niseko refer to the Niseko Village Ski Resort only. And, the “Niseko united pass” cost for 2025 will be announced in April, 2024. At present, I’m not sure if the Niseko United Pass will be offered at a discount. Again, there’s no comparison to even a 4 resort, multi-day Niseko United pass to a single day pass at…Park City, Heavenly, Steamboat…etc., etc.
Also, Niseko United is included in the Ikon pass. Fingers crossed that that will continue into 2025.
As we’re all seasoned travel industry professionals, I’ll skip over the transportation section. Each resort is endeavoring to make the final leg of transportation to their resort as easy as possible.
The big selling point for Big White is that it’s easy to get to from the US. That and the amazing Snowboard-cross race that we witnessed in 2020…. it was awesome! And, because of the incredible work from Kameron Troy, Traci Farley, Matt Anaya, Danny Caccia, and a few others, the Southwest Airlines Ski and Snowboard Club took a podium finish in 2020.
Here’s the politics of the IASF… Each team gets a single vote. Unless they have met and surpassed a certain race team participation threshold, then they get a second vote. A full race team at Lenzerheide would secure an extra vote for us going forward. Of course I’ll vote according to your input. But, I should do my due diligence and reach out to the other US Ski Clubs to see if our interest align.
Big White is still fresh in our memories. It was an awesome adventure for everyone. Our last visit to Niseko was just over 10 years ago. Also, an incredible time for everyone who attended. Each resort has some very unique attributes to consider. Give this some thought. But, don’t over think it. We’ll need to submit our vote by Sept. 02. And please use this link to submit your vote.
Speaking of money…It would be great if anyone submitting a vote was also current on their membership fee. It’s only $25. And, your Ski Club uses the funds (very frugally) for banners, swag, website fees, printing costs, etc… renewal is super easy by clicking here.
Thanks for reading!