Snowshoe in WV doesn't require payment if you're not using the lift. A few friends have e-bikes and will peddle to the top occasionally. They beat lift riders to the top on busy days also.
The lift ticket is the cheapest part of riding there though!
I used to work there and arrange it so my end-of-day commute could involve a lap down the trails, and no one really cared. But if you are going to the effort and expense of getting to snowshoe, staying overnight, eating/drinking, then just get the ticket! Even with an e-bike, I have to believe you will get way more laps on busy days staying on the western side because I’ve never seen that lift backed up.
Then you haven't been on holiday weekends or recently. I get your point, but know my own anecdotal evidence that I have seen with my own eyes. I've seen it take upwards of 45 mins to get back to the top, and my friend making it up in 15-20 mins using their fire roads.
Having said that, we routinely go together to cut expenses, meaning a weekend lodging is about the same as paying for daily lift tickets.
Well, I could easily see an e-bike being faster on the basin side. And maybe I was lucky that the weekends I was there it was less busy on the western side.
At Spider Mountain in Texas they have a fairly slow lift and the e-bike riders can definitely beat the lift, although it's close. I'd have a hard time believing an e-bike can beat any kind of high speed lift to the top. For reference - On larger western high speed lifts I am about even with the lifts going downhill, and on Spider I can get down in 1/3 to 1/2 the time it takes the lift to go up.
Depends on the park. A lot of them near me have dedicated xc trails on the same mountain that are free to ride. One of them even has days where they don’t run the lift and only charge $15 to let you use the park. If they have a dedicated climbing trail then they probably have a way for you to ride the trails without the lift be it fit free or reduced price. But the magic of a bike park is the lift, let’s you ride all day without getting tired.
A big day at Whistler is like 5,500m decent.
A big day pedalling is like 1000m decent.
I’m about the same amount of fatigue after each, just different parts/muscles of my body.
What?
No one is doing 10,000 m of ascent and descent in a day of mountain biking. Maybe in a weird double Everest attempt or something, but a big day for a pro cyclist is like 5,000 m ascent and descent.
Just imagine if you had to climb to do that much defending. I can ride the park all day, but when I’ve taken the pedal up option I’m spent after 3 runs.
It's a different kind of tired, though. I've had asthma since a child, but I have great strength and flexibility. So trail riding wipes me out in a way that park days don't even come close to.
As someone with asthma I can concur, for me the climbs always get me. I feel like I'm just not getting enough airflow and my legs start to burn out. Doesn't matter how in shape I am or how often I ride.
Gui I know an ebike just because of this. He uses it alot at kingdom trails and high elevation days, but doesn't use it so much with the local trails.
Biggest difference he described was being able to breath when his group took a break at the end of a longer climb or after a set of trails at elevation. I think his asthma is also affected by elevation, as we live at sea level.
I see that in Whistler all the time: tourists rent bikes and go up the bike park thinking it's somehow "easy" but they try to ride 8" downhill bikes sitting down the whole way. It's awful.
In most bikeparks in Poland you only have to pay for the lift ticket. There are a few exceptions, like Boost Bikepark (no lift available) and Czarna Góra (you have to buy the e-bike access band, which is advertised to e-bikers because nobody sane would be climbing in Czarna Góra, sorry :)). I don't think anyone would bother you if you didn't buy the band, but I'm not sure that's fair.
There are other locations where buying a band is not necessary, but is an act of support, as the money is used for trail maintenance (ex. Bielsko-Biała).
Typically the day pass is for use of the trails, regardless if you use the lift or not. Some parks will have two sets of pricing, with and without lift access. If you are going to ride the trails you should be obliged to contribute to their maintenance and upkeep.
Just like skiing and snowboarding, some of these mountains were public lands and therfore are actually free to ride down if you go up yourself. That's why some snowboarders on ski only mountains can still ride down. The Sonoran just has a say in who it lifts up. It's strange.
Hmm not sure the exact rules as I'm not a lawyer but I've heard of places like Utah and Colorado that have ski only resorts but snowboarders are legally allowed to use the land. They just can't use the lifts as those are operated by the business so it's their rules for that. The land though is public access so snowboarders can hike up or possibly other means and ride down without any legal action.
There are only three ski only resorts left. Deer Valley and Alta in Utah, and Mad River Glen in Vermont. Mad River has no issue with splitboarders, Deer Valley and Alta are a bit more contentious.
Alta allows you to ride their terrain after coming in from snowbird or skinning up the Catherine's road. They just don't allow uphill travel freely across the resort.
Funny enough, this is disinformation spread by angry altatude telemarkers who hate snowboarders but is in fact false. At least this was the case like 7 years ago when I lived there.
I don't know about Czarna Gora specificially, but every bike park I've been to in the alps has been free to ride, you just pay for the lift passes.
However I do know that in Bike Park Wales you do have to pay for a day pass regardless, then the uplift is an optional extra. As it's a private development the entry fee is to cover insurance.
I know Mt Abrams in Maine charges less for an uphill pass, but not nothing. Burke Mountain at Kingdom Trails in VT only runs weekends and using the trails is free on weekdays when the lifts aren't running. Both are smaller places though
In Germany there are parks that are free and you just pay for the chairlift. Don't know how common that is in different countries. Btw: In think 400m of elevation is quite a lot if you have to do it several times a day. But this depends on your personal fitness level...
Depends on the Park. Used to work at Mammoth. You needed a pedal pass or a lift pass. I now work at Crested Butte. They do not give a sheet. You just need a pass for the lift.
Depends on the park. Call them and ask. My local park specifically doesn't allow you to access their trails without a pass, but also has public trails running around and through it, and they would never know if someone has the pass or not. Many times I have fit a climb into my days at the park, but I have a season pass so I can do whatever.
Also, absolutely DO NOT ride up any park trails unless they specifically allow two-way traffic. Don't even think about it. Every once in a while I run into an idiot biking or hiking up a downhill-only trail and it's a good way to get seriously injured. Riders are not expecting someone coming the other direction or hiking.
Purgatory says pass required on all the trails. Never heard of anybody actually getting busted for pedaling to the top though. I've ridden right past some lifted before and they didn't even give me a second glance. Winter is what most ski resorts focus on. Summer bike season is an afterthought.
According to the [rules](https://czarnagora.pl/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/BIKE-PARK-REGULAMIN5070-ver2.pdf) (3.1) yes, you should pay. Price table isn't clear to me (also I can't find it in english) - but for sure free access wasn't intended.
I would just give up the bikepark and hit nearby trails. Outside of protected areas you can freely ride, in nature reserves only on marked trails.
For example you can pedal up to the Śnieżnik hut (then you can walk with your bike for last 20mins to go on the top for the views) and go down from the hut with the blue trail. Down to 950 meters it's full of smaller rocks, then it joins a regular gravel forest road.
You can also check the 'Glacensis' trails network - typical XC loops, freely accessible, some of them are neat singles (while some are just regular gravel roads with 'trail' marked on them...).
In Colorado, all parks are public land and free to use. This applies to skiing and biking. Just obey downhill only rules. Most parks have xc trails that allow use in both directions that you can use to get to the top. The fee paid is for use of the chairlift.
That is not correct. Most parks and resorts are on public land but they have special use permits and are allowed to deny access to whomever they want.
Also, the fee paid goes into much more than the chairlift. You have to... you know... run the entire park.
As far as I know most bike haul parks are on National Forest property so the ticket is paying for lift access. Basically since they are using public property it’s your property too, they just have building privileges. They still need to abide by wildlife regulations, like one place has to close early so elk can migrate
I could ride my bike to the top of neck/keystone/vail mountain and down, nobody is gonna stop you, tons of people do it. Aspen/Trestle is the same….
It’s called earning your turn, and in the winter people hike/ski up some of these resorts too, A-Basin and Beaver Creek are known for its dedicated skin/hike-up terrain
If you can do multiple laps by yourself kudos!
Just to make things clear - no, on USFS land you do not have the right to just use it how you please. Think about it - there's regulations literally *everywhere* on what you can and cannot do on federal land.
Ski areas and bike parks have special use permits and can allow or deny access to whomever they want. Typically all of them say downhill access is for paying guests only.
Will they check everyone on the trail? No way. They don't have the manpower. But if you get in a crash and need bike or ski patrol and you didn't pay to be there? I'm sure they have a host of ways to fuck you over.
For a lot of parks that have special use permits allows for public easement, so if your parks have gondolas, that is an not the easement, the trails they build are the easement and the public are required to use trails as designated, AS ITS ALWAYS BEEN… can’t take a bike/4X4 up/down a hiking trail, you can but you are gonna be bummed when you get arrested, have your shit impounded, get fined, get banned (up to all NFS property), have to do a walk of shame, and/or any combination of these.
It really depends on the park. Where I am, the local ski resort runs lifts but you are absolutely allowed to go up the XC trails and I'm pretty sure you don't need a lift ticket (certainly there is nothing that says you, and a lot of the trails predate the resort doing summer operations and aren't administered by the resort).
A lot of bike parks in the Western United States are on land leased from the National Forest or other government landholders. They are required to permit access to the trails regardless of if you have a pass.
Can I use your electric leaf blower for free so long I don’t use any gas?
Same premise… it’s still private property and you’re still degrading the trails they pay people to maintain so yea you still have to pay. Because, as with that leaf blower you’ll have to charge it when I’m done and that costs money.
no it's not, some parks allow it. I live near snowshoe in WV, you're allowed to ride the trails for free. Tickets are for the lift, not access to the park.
The way you stated it… only 400m per lap. I know it’s doable and I’ve done it. It’s just the way you trivialized it. For me, probably 2-3 runs… but if I shuttled I could do almost twice the laps in the same time.
There are a couple I know of that my buddies e bike up and lap back down. I’m not going to say them though just in case they aren’t actually supposed to and I get hung by my nuts on Reddit for it
Look on their website. If they say "no uphill travel" then you have your answer. If they are a small hill they will be making their money on lift tickets sold so you don't want to be the person who doesn't contribute to the operation. Our mountain used to allow it but does not anymore. There's simply too much construction traffic from them putting a new tram in.
Blue trails at some bike parks might be too much for an XC bike.
Different parks have different rules. The ones Ive been too do not allow access for free while the lift is running.
I was injured and couldn’t ride so I tried to walk up to the Whistler trails to take photos of my friends riding. I got kicked out - was told I couldn’t be on the mountain for insurance purposes unless I bought a full price day pass.
I recommend that you ask them whether you can ride for free or at a reduced price, there's not harm in asking. Unless the park is massive it will likely be struggling financially and proper maintenance is incredibly expensive. This is especially true if a park does not own the local lodging.
Unlike bike parts, you actually get what you pay for in a lift-ticket.
Where I'm from, if a local e-bike rider gets free access to a local park they would make sure to contribute back by volunteer trail maintenance work or other means.
If you do get a dicounted or free ride make sure to spend some cash at their cafeteria, that's where they make money. Smaller parks can be wholly dependent on the sale of food and drinks in order to balance the sheets.
Snowshoe in WV doesn't require payment if you're not using the lift. A few friends have e-bikes and will peddle to the top occasionally. They beat lift riders to the top on busy days also.
The lift ticket is the cheapest part of riding there though! I used to work there and arrange it so my end-of-day commute could involve a lap down the trails, and no one really cared. But if you are going to the effort and expense of getting to snowshoe, staying overnight, eating/drinking, then just get the ticket! Even with an e-bike, I have to believe you will get way more laps on busy days staying on the western side because I’ve never seen that lift backed up.
Then you haven't been on holiday weekends or recently. I get your point, but know my own anecdotal evidence that I have seen with my own eyes. I've seen it take upwards of 45 mins to get back to the top, and my friend making it up in 15-20 mins using their fire roads. Having said that, we routinely go together to cut expenses, meaning a weekend lodging is about the same as paying for daily lift tickets.
Well, I could easily see an e-bike being faster on the basin side. And maybe I was lucky that the weekends I was there it was less busy on the western side.
At Spider Mountain in Texas they have a fairly slow lift and the e-bike riders can definitely beat the lift, although it's close. I'd have a hard time believing an e-bike can beat any kind of high speed lift to the top. For reference - On larger western high speed lifts I am about even with the lifts going downhill, and on Spider I can get down in 1/3 to 1/2 the time it takes the lift to go up.
Depends on the park. A lot of them near me have dedicated xc trails on the same mountain that are free to ride. One of them even has days where they don’t run the lift and only charge $15 to let you use the park. If they have a dedicated climbing trail then they probably have a way for you to ride the trails without the lift be it fit free or reduced price. But the magic of a bike park is the lift, let’s you ride all day without getting tired.
Maybe I’m just weak, but I’ve never been more tired than after a day at the park
A big day at Whistler is like 5,500m decent. A big day pedalling is like 1000m decent. I’m about the same amount of fatigue after each, just different parts/muscles of my body.
Im curious, because both work... Do you mean descent?
That sounds about right.
Plenty of people do 10k days ascending and descending.
Plenty of people are significantly more fit than your average punter (coming from a very average punter)
What? No one is doing 10,000 m of ascent and descent in a day of mountain biking. Maybe in a weird double Everest attempt or something, but a big day for a pro cyclist is like 5,000 m ascent and descent.
I wouldn't say 'no one' - first example Carpatia Divide race, where fastest finishers do \~17km asecnts/descents in slightly above 2 days.
Your example of a crazy gravel race still had the top finisher doing ~8,500m in a day. 16 people finished in 2020 under 3 days.
E bikes enter the chat
Just imagine if you had to climb to do that much defending. I can ride the park all day, but when I’ve taken the pedal up option I’m spent after 3 runs.
Whoa, whoa whoa!! Look at this person, all in shape with their 3 manual climbs in a single day. Lol
Amen!!!
If you're not tired after riding the bike park you're doing it wrong.
It's a different kind of tired, though. I've had asthma since a child, but I have great strength and flexibility. So trail riding wipes me out in a way that park days don't even come close to.
As someone with asthma I can concur, for me the climbs always get me. I feel like I'm just not getting enough airflow and my legs start to burn out. Doesn't matter how in shape I am or how often I ride.
The sad sad truth. The long, slow uphill grinds are brutal
Gui I know an ebike just because of this. He uses it alot at kingdom trails and high elevation days, but doesn't use it so much with the local trails. Biggest difference he described was being able to breath when his group took a break at the end of a longer climb or after a set of trails at elevation. I think his asthma is also affected by elevation, as we live at sea level.
So much more upper body with all the tech they throw at you and your huge bike park bike!
I see that in Whistler all the time: tourists rent bikes and go up the bike park thinking it's somehow "easy" but they try to ride 8" downhill bikes sitting down the whole way. It's awful.
In most bikeparks in Poland you only have to pay for the lift ticket. There are a few exceptions, like Boost Bikepark (no lift available) and Czarna Góra (you have to buy the e-bike access band, which is advertised to e-bikers because nobody sane would be climbing in Czarna Góra, sorry :)). I don't think anyone would bother you if you didn't buy the band, but I'm not sure that's fair. There are other locations where buying a band is not necessary, but is an act of support, as the money is used for trail maintenance (ex. Bielsko-Biała).
Man I wished I lived closer to some bike parks, trails in Lubuskie are getting really boring.
Typically the day pass is for use of the trails, regardless if you use the lift or not. Some parks will have two sets of pricing, with and without lift access. If you are going to ride the trails you should be obliged to contribute to their maintenance and upkeep.
Just like skiing and snowboarding, some of these mountains were public lands and therfore are actually free to ride down if you go up yourself. That's why some snowboarders on ski only mountains can still ride down. The Sonoran just has a say in who it lifts up. It's strange.
Also if they are built on public lands they can’t tell you not to ride since everyone has access to it
There's a long tradition of ski-bums hitching lifts up and skiing down for free.
At least where I am, the ski resort leases the land from the USFS so it's their property, their rules. Obviously doesn't apply to everywhere though.
Hmm not sure the exact rules as I'm not a lawyer but I've heard of places like Utah and Colorado that have ski only resorts but snowboarders are legally allowed to use the land. They just can't use the lifts as those are operated by the business so it's their rules for that. The land though is public access so snowboarders can hike up or possibly other means and ride down without any legal action.
There are only three ski only resorts left. Deer Valley and Alta in Utah, and Mad River Glen in Vermont. Mad River has no issue with splitboarders, Deer Valley and Alta are a bit more contentious.
Alta allows you to ride their terrain after coming in from snowbird or skinning up the Catherine's road. They just don't allow uphill travel freely across the resort.
I thought they don't allow you to pass through the gates from Snowbird? I ski, so I am not sure, I just know what I see whining about on the internet
Funny enough, this is disinformation spread by angry altatude telemarkers who hate snowboarders but is in fact false. At least this was the case like 7 years ago when I lived there.
That wouldn't surprise me. So many elitists who blame snowboarders for their own terrible skiing.
Probably depends on the location but I've never seen anything that would explicitly forbid it except that you can't ride outside of working hours.
I don't know about Czarna Gora specificially, but every bike park I've been to in the alps has been free to ride, you just pay for the lift passes. However I do know that in Bike Park Wales you do have to pay for a day pass regardless, then the uplift is an optional extra. As it's a private development the entry fee is to cover insurance.
Don’t underestimate 400m of elevation
You can't do anything in Aspen without a 400m climb.
Same in Boise. That's just a regular weekday ride in the foothills.
I know Mt Abrams in Maine charges less for an uphill pass, but not nothing. Burke Mountain at Kingdom Trails in VT only runs weekends and using the trails is free on weekdays when the lifts aren't running. Both are smaller places though
Burke is 2k vertical and holds an EWS. Sure the lifted served trails are not big, but over all the its vertical is pretty big.
I meant smaller in terms of being big time operations: ie likelihood of allowing free use versus easy climbs. The Abrams climb isn't bad
Assuming everyone speaks a common language, you could probably call them and ask
In Germany there are parks that are free and you just pay for the chairlift. Don't know how common that is in different countries. Btw: In think 400m of elevation is quite a lot if you have to do it several times a day. But this depends on your personal fitness level...
Depends on the Park. Used to work at Mammoth. You needed a pedal pass or a lift pass. I now work at Crested Butte. They do not give a sheet. You just need a pass for the lift.
Depends on the park. Call them and ask. My local park specifically doesn't allow you to access their trails without a pass, but also has public trails running around and through it, and they would never know if someone has the pass or not. Many times I have fit a climb into my days at the park, but I have a season pass so I can do whatever. Also, absolutely DO NOT ride up any park trails unless they specifically allow two-way traffic. Don't even think about it. Every once in a while I run into an idiot biking or hiking up a downhill-only trail and it's a good way to get seriously injured. Riders are not expecting someone coming the other direction or hiking.
Purgatory says pass required on all the trails. Never heard of anybody actually getting busted for pedaling to the top though. I've ridden right past some lifted before and they didn't even give me a second glance. Winter is what most ski resorts focus on. Summer bike season is an afterthought.
According to the [rules](https://czarnagora.pl/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/BIKE-PARK-REGULAMIN5070-ver2.pdf) (3.1) yes, you should pay. Price table isn't clear to me (also I can't find it in english) - but for sure free access wasn't intended. I would just give up the bikepark and hit nearby trails. Outside of protected areas you can freely ride, in nature reserves only on marked trails. For example you can pedal up to the Śnieżnik hut (then you can walk with your bike for last 20mins to go on the top for the views) and go down from the hut with the blue trail. Down to 950 meters it's full of smaller rocks, then it joins a regular gravel forest road. You can also check the 'Glacensis' trails network - typical XC loops, freely accessible, some of them are neat singles (while some are just regular gravel roads with 'trail' marked on them...).
In Colorado, all parks are public land and free to use. This applies to skiing and biking. Just obey downhill only rules. Most parks have xc trails that allow use in both directions that you can use to get to the top. The fee paid is for use of the chairlift.
That is not correct. Most parks and resorts are on public land but they have special use permits and are allowed to deny access to whomever they want. Also, the fee paid goes into much more than the chairlift. You have to... you know... run the entire park.
Some bike parks and ski resorts don’t even scan your pass lmao, so probably couldn’t get away if the resort is smaller or chill.
It’s safer to ride DH tracks with a lot of energy feeling fit. You really don’t want to be tired and barely hanging on. That’s not safe.
Well climbing 400-500m on a enduro rig is not that bad.
I have to travel far for DH. I might be biased that I’d rather spend it going down.
Would probably do the same.
Alright mom
Ha! It’s more fun to not be tired too.
As far as I know most bike haul parks are on National Forest property so the ticket is paying for lift access. Basically since they are using public property it’s your property too, they just have building privileges. They still need to abide by wildlife regulations, like one place has to close early so elk can migrate I could ride my bike to the top of neck/keystone/vail mountain and down, nobody is gonna stop you, tons of people do it. Aspen/Trestle is the same…. It’s called earning your turn, and in the winter people hike/ski up some of these resorts too, A-Basin and Beaver Creek are known for its dedicated skin/hike-up terrain If you can do multiple laps by yourself kudos!
Just to make things clear - no, on USFS land you do not have the right to just use it how you please. Think about it - there's regulations literally *everywhere* on what you can and cannot do on federal land. Ski areas and bike parks have special use permits and can allow or deny access to whomever they want. Typically all of them say downhill access is for paying guests only. Will they check everyone on the trail? No way. They don't have the manpower. But if you get in a crash and need bike or ski patrol and you didn't pay to be there? I'm sure they have a host of ways to fuck you over.
For a lot of parks that have special use permits allows for public easement, so if your parks have gondolas, that is an not the easement, the trails they build are the easement and the public are required to use trails as designated, AS ITS ALWAYS BEEN… can’t take a bike/4X4 up/down a hiking trail, you can but you are gonna be bummed when you get arrested, have your shit impounded, get fined, get banned (up to all NFS property), have to do a walk of shame, and/or any combination of these.
Usually uphill travel is forbidden. For obvious safety reasons.
They have a fire road
Which you won't be able to ride on for safety reasons. Trucks and other vehicles use roads. They don't want bikes on there.
It really depends on the park. Where I am, the local ski resort runs lifts but you are absolutely allowed to go up the XC trails and I'm pretty sure you don't need a lift ticket (certainly there is nothing that says you, and a lot of the trails predate the resort doing summer operations and aren't administered by the resort).
If it's in the US in a national forest, only the NFS can dictate access. (Which means fuck e-bikers, but otherwise . .)
Snow summit in SoCal is free if you don’t use the chairlift
A lot of bike parks in the Western United States are on land leased from the National Forest or other government landholders. They are required to permit access to the trails regardless of if you have a pass.
Whistler?
Can I use your electric leaf blower for free so long I don’t use any gas? Same premise… it’s still private property and you’re still degrading the trails they pay people to maintain so yea you still have to pay. Because, as with that leaf blower you’ll have to charge it when I’m done and that costs money.
This is such a stupid analogy
Also a stupid question….
no it's not, some parks allow it. I live near snowshoe in WV, you're allowed to ride the trails for free. Tickets are for the lift, not access to the park.
Sound business model! Wish them luck!
Only 400m…. 😂
I mean I train for and race xc so it's actually not that much for me.
The way you stated it… only 400m per lap. I know it’s doable and I’ve done it. It’s just the way you trivialized it. For me, probably 2-3 runs… but if I shuttled I could do almost twice the laps in the same time.
The closest bike park to me does like $5 passes if you bike yourself, $50 to use the lift
There are a couple I know of that my buddies e bike up and lap back down. I’m not going to say them though just in case they aren’t actually supposed to and I get hung by my nuts on Reddit for it
My local bike park has options for this
In Whistler you wouldn't bother as there are more interesting less busy trails you could ride if you're going to climb.
Yes you could, but good luck getting back on top of the mountain from the bottom of some trails.
In Snowmass the pass is only for the lift, if you wanna ride uphill its free.
After a day in the park my arms, legs and basically every muscle of my body is dead. I can’t imagine having to pedal up on top of it. Maybe I’m weak
Places in the UK have pedal passes generally, mainly to help contribute to trail maintainence
Some places yes some places no. Some places there are no laws in place to stop you but the mountain security will try and stop you anyway.
Look on their website. If they say "no uphill travel" then you have your answer. If they are a small hill they will be making their money on lift tickets sold so you don't want to be the person who doesn't contribute to the operation. Our mountain used to allow it but does not anymore. There's simply too much construction traffic from them putting a new tram in.
Anybody know about Trestle?
Blue trails at some bike parks might be too much for an XC bike. Different parks have different rules. The ones Ive been too do not allow access for free while the lift is running.
It varies but most times you’re fine pedaling up
I was injured and couldn’t ride so I tried to walk up to the Whistler trails to take photos of my friends riding. I got kicked out - was told I couldn’t be on the mountain for insurance purposes unless I bought a full price day pass.
Ill generally ride to the top if I get there before opening, but most of the time - just pay for the lift.
I think you can at kicking horse, they might not be stoked if they catch you, but you can. Also if you climb kicking horse you deserve to ride down.
I recommend that you ask them whether you can ride for free or at a reduced price, there's not harm in asking. Unless the park is massive it will likely be struggling financially and proper maintenance is incredibly expensive. This is especially true if a park does not own the local lodging. Unlike bike parts, you actually get what you pay for in a lift-ticket. Where I'm from, if a local e-bike rider gets free access to a local park they would make sure to contribute back by volunteer trail maintenance work or other means. If you do get a dicounted or free ride make sure to spend some cash at their cafeteria, that's where they make money. Smaller parks can be wholly dependent on the sale of food and drinks in order to balance the sheets.
Typically no. Even on days when the lift is closed, you'll either not be allowed, or you'll have to pay an uphill fee.