The electronic lift passes create an opportunity to follow the day’s vertical. There have been wrist computers for the same purpose for a long time.
Checking files I see I logged several international ski trips on my Vertech Avocet as early as 1995. It totals the vertical and also gives a max. vertical speed reading. The wrist computer is still working. Later I added a Suunto S6 ski computer with the same facilities and a way of downloading a file on computer. It would show a graphic illustration of the ascents and descents giving a choice of 2, 10, or 60 second interval measurements. Later I added a Suunto X6HR with heart rate measurement, allowing you to follow how a steep downhill would result in quick increase in heart rate. I had used Polar herat rate monitors when they first came out and found it interesting to follow the rate when at glacier heights. In early days resting heart rates at 3000 m already entailed a aerobic (endurance level) workout. At that height a heart rate monitor with a warning signal is useful to indicate when the heart rate rises too high.
The vertical maximum is a derivative of the efficiency of the lifts (and dependent on queues). Cable cars generally are the most efficient reaching vertical speeds of near 400 m/min (I am not counting helicopters). This allows for a lot of vertical downhill, as well.
I have usually reached a large vertical at Bad Hofgastein, and looking up a 2004 visit, the maximum daily was 18,665m, but this is in no way maximising the verical since a day’s skiing would include a lot of less efficient lifts, even very slow T-bars. I have seen mentions of twice this vertical. I have yet to try to maximize the vertical since after 6-8 runs "racing the cable car down" I get bored and want to try something else.
A wrist computer may encourage competing (with oneself), but the major benefit is to allow you to pace yourself and follow your development. At great heights, getting a warning signal for the risk of altitude sickness is valuable.
