I understand what you are driving at, but in a very high-end business, that is the way to go. I am not saying I would make lift tickets $200/day, but supply and demand works to a T in resort business. If you have the most desired resort, you can do that. Vail is the best example. Personally Vail is my favorite mountain/resort in Colorado. On a pow day I think it is incredible. So, I am willing to pay more a couple of times a year. Whenever people perceive something as the best, studies show that they are actually happier paying a high premium to be satisfied with the product. I am not just taking guesses at things like this, I am a small business owner who reads and researches how these things work. To use an alternate example, since I ski Colorado mostly, Copper Mountain will never be as expensive or packed as Breckenridge. It is not perceived to be as nice. As second-tier resort will definitely kill their business if they go after the same pricing that Vail employs.
And I do totally agree that all money cannot be made on the 30-40% of non-regulars. That is why season passes are so affordable - resorts build a revenue base they can count on. They also offer deals for buddy passes etc, because again they can build a solid base from the local market by making it more affordable. I would never be able to go skiing if I paid the prices that standard vacationers do. I have friends that live in Breck, ski where I can find deals, also use skis and boots that are a few years old, etc.
To get back to the original point - while sometimes we are annoyed with young snowboarders that scrap off soft snow and old grouchy men from Texas who seem entitled, they help us to have the amazing resorts we have today.
