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Roguerider - Consider yourself lucky. If I could get a season pass to a mountain for $150 to $200, I'd probably buy one to several mountains. I'm a Coloradoan at heart and growing up my favorite mountain was and still is Arapahoe Basin. Longest season and not as crowded as Breck and Keystone. Although things may have changed in the last decade.

I am getting a pass to Brighton this year ($850 early bird pricing ). Most of my friends and wife aren't into BC but I'm slowly converting them. Typically my backcountry excursions consist of dawn patrol outings. I'd say I ride 80% inbounds just because its hard to line up a BC buddy for splitting.

Being that I have a serious chronic, incurable pow addiction, a pass is a must. Lifts are the cheapest and most efficient means of riding lots of pow. And Squalpine is just soooo rad! I can see how some could argue against a pass based on available time or other factors, but I agree that it is very hard to maintain a high level of riding just using skins. And resort riding is so damn fun when it's good, I can definitely push myself harder there riding with no pack, familiarity, and seeing other people pushing it. In the backcountry I tone it down a bit, as rescue is way more complicated and there is lots more that can go wrong. That shouldn't be a factor in how I ride, but it is.

Wow, this thread really took off! I'm inclined to agree with Ale on this one.

That being said:
I think if you want to get better at resort riding, ride more resorts.
If you want to get better at backcountry, ride more backcountry.

I spent $46 dollar on lift tickets in 10/11 and $14.50 in 11/12. That's plenty in my book.
I get a pass every year... A Berthoud Pass. Zero dollars and 45+ minutes from my house

For me a pass is not about progression, it is about maximization. A pass provides more time on the hill be it powder or corduroy or with your bros who are not set up for backcountry. If you got the partners to only bc it, then go for it. If you got the cash to get a pass, go for it. If you don't have the cash but have the equipment, knowledge, and partners to primarily do bc, then shine the pass and go for it. It is about how you want or need to maximize it.   

My wife and I were doing some math last night, actually she was doing the math as I'm none too smart.... This is our 14th season passes @ Steamboat. $28,000 bucks give or take.... Best money I have ever spent . Tonight we will tally how much I have spent on apre.

I certainly do feel pretty lucky having spent previous years in CA trying to scrape up for a Mammoth Mtn pass (Before the MVP).

As for the other comments, I have to agree that it really depends on schedule & partners availability. I had a pass last year and went exactly twice on the weekends before I realized that I really do not like riding in a zoo (of course if they had more snow = more open terrain = less density on open areas). Therefore, if I have a school schedule that has at least one week day off then a pass works out. Plus most of my BC partners can only make weekends so it works out.

Thanks again for all the input, I think I have been convinced to get the A-Basin/Keystone pass to use on the weekdays when I will go solo, and then hit up the BC on the weekends