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Pizolbahnen opt for Weather-dependent Day Passes

11.01.2017

As the first winter sports resort in Europe, Pizolbahnen is offering weather-dependent day passes, which are reduced by 50%: the weather forecasts of SRF Meteo determine the price of the day passes. The worse the weather forecast is, the cheaper the price for the day pass will be.

The weather-dependent day pass is a joint project between the University of Applied Sciences FHS St.Gallen, the ticketing specialist tipo ticketing GmbH, SRF Meteo, Pizolbahnen and Belalp Bahnen in the Upper Valais.

Dynamic price management is common practice in the hotel industry, travel agencies, airline companies, SBB and online business. In this way, companies are constantly adapting their sales prices to meet current market requirements. The price reflects the time of the booking (early booking or last minute booking), the customer data or external factors such as competition offers. With the dynamic price management, companies are using incentives and rewarding customers who plan strategically.

Pizolbahnen in the Sargans region and Belalp Bahnen in the Upper Valais are opting for dynamic price management. As the first winter sports regions in Europe, they are offer weather-dependent day passes at a discount of up to 5%. (Click here for the weather-dependent day pass)

On the Pizolbahnen, it is the weather that determines the price of day pass

Pizolbahnen uses the weather data from the Gaffia Middle Station (1,868 m above sea level), for which SRF Meteo provides a seven-day forecast, as the basis for the discounts. This weather forecast determines the price of the day pass. From "partly sunny, with some snow" (18% cheaper) to "cloudy, frequent snowfall" (50% cheaper).

  • "partly sunny, with some snow" 18% cheaper
  • "overcast to cloudy, no snow" 28% cheaper
  • "cloudy, some snow" 38% cheaper
  • "cloudy, frequent snow" 50% cheaper

The weather forecast can of course differ in the details from the shortened presentation, but  this does not change the discount levels: the worse the weather forecast is, the cheaper the price for the day pass will be. The weather-dependent discount also applies on the weekends.

The weather-dependent day pass can be purchased up to seven days in advance from the Pizolbahnen website. The winter sports enthusiasts can print out a voucher, which they present at the checkout of the Pizolbahnen in return for a discounted, weather-dependent day pass. At a later date, the weather-dependent day pass can be loaded directly onto the ski pass.

The weather-dependent day pass rewards winter sports enthusiasts who plan long-term

Unlike airline companies and online retailers such as Amazon, the dynamic price management system used by the mountain railways is transparent and cannot be "controlled" to the detriment of the guests: the constantly updated weather data are provided by SRF Meteo and can be seen by the public at any time.

"With the weather-dependent day pass, Pizolbahnen rewards winter sports enthusiasts who plan long-term and are hardy against the effects of the weather," explains CEO, Klaus Nussbaumer. "Keen winter sports enthusiasts do not know bad weather, just the wrong clothing. And they appreciate days with clouds and snowfall because there are only a few other skiers and snowboarders on the slopes in the fresh powder snow."

"It is a win-win scenario for winter sports enthusiasts: They benefit instantly from a discounted day rate and there is always the possibility that the weather will turn out better than expected."

For keen winter sports enthusiasts, the weather-dependent day pass is a worthwhile alternative for a great day of skiing. For Pizolbahnen, the dynamic price management makes day visitors welcome even when the weather is bad - and it eases up the burden on the lifts and slopes during postcard weather on the weekends.

Joint project: FHS St.Gallen, tipo ticketing GmbH, SRF Meteo, Pizolbahnen and Belalp Bahnen

The weather-dependent day pass is a joint project of the University of Applied Sciences FHS St.Gallen with the ticketing specialist tipo ticketing GmbH and SRF Meteo.

"The meteo-dynamic day pass is a very attractive offer, which fulfils the winter sports enthusiasts’ varying willingness to pay when different weather conditions are expected," explains Dietmar Kremmel, head of the research project at the FHS St. Gallen.

The research project for weather-dependent, dynamic price management took two years and is funded with CHF 250,000 from the Swiss Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI). The CTI is the federal government’s funding agency for innovation. It is responsible for promoting science-based innovation in Switzerland by offering financial resources, professional advice and networks.

(Click here for the weather-dependent day pass)

The Pizol is close, cheap and offers fantastic far-reaching views

Just one hour from St. Gallen and Zurich, Pizolbahnen offer 43 km of perfectly groomed slopes up to 2,227 m above sea level, a 7-km long toboggan run, the Panorama mountain trail at 2,200 m above sea level and lots more attractive winter sports offers.

The Pizol is far away from the crowds of mass tourism with traffic jams and long queues, the valley stations in Bad Ragaz and Wangs offer plenty of parking spaces. Good public transport connections with a shuttle bus from the railway stations of Bad Ragaz (free) and Sargans are quick and efficient for visitors travelling to the valley station.
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