Which multi-resort pass did YOU feel the best about?

[Gaperious Basterd]

This question is directed at flatland middle class mags.

I didn't buy a pass this year bc I didn't think I'd take trips, but I did. And seven days of skiing is going to be $900. Thing is the places I went wouldn't have been collectively-covered on any pass system.

I had the EPIC Local pass in '14-'15, and man did that pay for itself with nine days at EPIC mountains. But I've done it, and I'm not gonna lie the options aren't that great.

I'm wondering if anyone did that MAX pass, which is a bit more, but has five days at so many places.

Also wondering how people felt about Mountain Collective, bc I'd likely not take a vacation just to get two days of skiing (have done that before and the trip experience felt rushed to me, but I suppose it is cheaper overall that way). And no-way, no-how am I going on six trips, so a lot of the days are wasted. (But if you have general advice on the recreational satisfaction from six two-day-skiing trips versus three four day-skiing trips I'm open to hearing it).

[El Chupacabra]

I'm not a flatland mag, but I'd point out that you don't have to take six 2-day trips to use the Mountain Collective pass. You could do 6 days in Utah alone (Snowbird, Alta, Snowbasin), and if you want to drive some, add on 2 days at Jackson.

Could do something similar with Tahoe/Mammoth: fly to Reno, use 2 days at Squaw/Alpine, drive to Mammoth, use 2 days there.

The other MC areas are going to take more time to connect. Could do an Aspen/ Telluride/ Taos trip -- fly to Denver, get rental car, hit all the areas, return car in Albuquerque. If I were in the area, I'd add in Silverton too, because I've never been.

Extend trip by paying 50%-off rack rate at any of the places. Or buy it early and get a 3rd day free at any of the areas (have to pick which one at time of purchase.)

[auvgeek]

Another option: find a mtn you like with a reasonable total trip cost (cheap pass, flight, transportation, and lodging), and go there every time? You'll learn the mountain better, and maybe have more fun with less time spent on figuring things out.

[mntlion]

with the MC pass the banff area now has 4 days total (2 at SSV AND 2 at LL) easy flight into calgary


also the powder alliance might be an option?

[ncskier]

I threw down for the Solitude family pass for this year. Purchased last summer for $1600 and that was for two adults and two kids. With the pass I got unlimited blackout free days at solitude, 4 days at Deer Valley and 2 at Brighton. We have used 6 adult days at Deer Valley so 6x$124= 744 plus 6 kid day at 80 at deer valley= 480. plus all 8 days at brighton roughly $500 equals $1724. Then we collectively have about 36 days at solitude 4 people x 9 days, but I also skied about 2 days alone with a friend so 38 days at Solitude which based on the other passes was essentially free. We will head out for spring break and ski Solitude. I consider it a success.
With a wife and two kids I was tired of trying out new places and throwing down $125 plus a day to ski. We went to Winter Park last spring break and walk up ticket prices were $149 per adult $75 per kid. So $450 a day to ski. ironically the following year season pass was only like $399 and had I decided to go back I would have sprung for a season pass. But I always wind up in utah every season and figured my pass deal was a no brainer. Cheapest amount I've spent on lift tickets since the kids were born. Added bonus is they rip and don't go to ski school anymore. 11 and 13 but damn in prior years i got hammered with ski school bills as well.

[jacob_dbu]

I'm a flatland mag and I bought EPIC this year being the first year I bought a pass. TBH, it's great but it sucks. The resorts are so packed with people it's like the NYC of skiing.

Next year I'm thinking about going with Mountain Collective simply because it gives you so many options - plus at $399 you're still going to be cheaper than buying individual tickets if you hit Utah once (per above). I don't know exactly where I'll want to ski next year, but 16 resorts gives me lots of options.

OTOH, I might still buy EPIC too because it gives flexibility - esp. with them adding Whistler this year. But damn EPIC is like shopping at Costco.

[jvskinn]

I'm not a flatland mag, but I'd point out that you don't have to take six 2-day trips to use the Mountain Collective pass. You could do 6 days in Utah alone (Snowbird, Alta, Snowbasin), and if you want to drive some, add on 2 days at Jackson.

Could do something similar with Tahoe/Mammoth: fly to Reno, use 2 days at Squaw/Alpine, drive to Mammoth, use 2 days there.

The other MC areas are going to take more time to connect. Could do an Aspen/ Telluride/ Taos trip -- fly to Denver, get rental car, hit all the areas, return car in Albuquerque. If I were in the area, I'd add in Silverton too, because I've never been.

Extend trip by paying 50%-off rack rate at any of the places. Or buy it early and get a 3rd day free at any of the areas (have to pick which one at time of purchase.)

I did the Mtn Collective this year (+ Epic local, but I live in Summit), and was impressed at how easy/nice it was to do with a car. Telluride, Aspen, and Taos are all a reasonable drive from one another, and we added in Jackson Hole as well. Feel great about the value of the pass after only three days ($140 * 3 = more than I paid for the pass, based on window rate at JH and Telluride). And the quality of the mountains you get is amazing. I know I don't technically count because I live in the mountains, but I still reccomend it.

[mooseknuckles]

...also the powder alliance might be an option?

Powder Alliance is fantastic if you never want to ski/ride on a Saturday and you enjoy blackout dates.

[Name Redacted]

I did the Mtn Collective this year (+ Epic local, but I live in Summit), and was impressed at how easy/nice it was to do with a car. Telluride, Aspen, and Taos are all a reasonable drive from one another, and we added in Jackson Hole as well. Feel great about the value of the pass after only three days ($140 * 3 = more than I paid for the pass, based on window rate at JH and Telluride). And the quality of the mountains you get is amazing. I know I don't technically count because I live in the mountains, but I still reccomend it.

This is exactly what we are doing next year. Thought about going to Whistler on our Epics this year but didn't make it happen and I never ride anywhere but Abasin anyways. So next season it is ABasin only pass and the MC. There are a lot of good mountains within striking distance from Summit on the MC.

[Danno]

But damn EPIC is like shopping at Costco.

[Costco] Hey, man, that's harsh! [/Costco]

Not a true flatlander but I would think it would be cheaper in general to pick a resort and do trips to that resort. I have a SuperPass+, although this year I have not gone anywhere but Winter Park.

[half-fast]

Eastcoaster. Bought MC in the fall for $419. Did a trip west in early feb. 1 day at Aspen, 1 at Highlands, 2 at Telluride and 2 at Taos. Planning on using 2 at Stowe before the end of the season.

[jacob_dbu]

After skiing legitimately for the first time this year, I honestly don't see why anyone who isn't a softcore skier would buy an EPIC pass...

Unless you live next to Vail.

[jvskinn]

This is exactly what we are doing next year. Thought about going to Whistler on our Epics this year but didn't make it happen and I never ride anywhere but Abasin anyways. So next season it is ABasin only pass and the MC. There are a lot of good mountains within striking distance from Summit on the MC.

I would totally do this if I weren't moving to Breck this Summer. A-Basin + MC is really all you need, but I'm thinking if I live in Breck I'll want to ski there. We'll see after a year if I follow through with that or just keep heading up to the basin.

[Timberridge]

This season I went all in and bought the Bro-Brah Pass at Core Mtn. It's only good on lifts that serve blacks and double blacks, and one ride on realjwin's mom on a non-holiday weekend.

[californiagrown]

Get a Snoqualmie pass for $500 and you will be able to fly into a major international airport hub 1 hour away, ski the padded seats for free, attend BBI18 for free, and get $36 tickets to a big close-by resort that hosts a 4* FWT qualifier and averages nearly 500" of snowfall per year.

Or just get an epic local and split your time between Heavenly and Kirkwood.

[Duffman]

The problem with the break even calculations on the MTN collective is that they only work if you are truly paying walk up rates. I was at sunshine / Louise and alta/bird this year and it was a better deal to book through skibig3.Com for Banff and a good ski and stay deal at the bird. Granted this isn't always the case, and with these areas now having 4 total days each instead of 2 and plus the extra day ,that makes this a better deal. But generally there are other ways to get discounted Tix to these mountains other than walking up to the window.

The epic pass, despite the crowded resorts full of annoying EC dbags like me , is a better financial deal because it's damn impossible to get a decent deal at Vail resorts, unless you have a friend with buddy passes. This is the beauty / suck of Vails model, they essentially force you to lock into a season pass in the spring of the year before. If you do you get a sick deal, if not you take it up the butt.

Again this is purely financial analysis, not ski mtn comparison. I don't get an epic becuase outside of tahoe and soon to be even more insanely crowded whistler, I'm not that interested in going to the VR properties.

[jacob_dbu]

This is the beauty / suck of Vails model, they essentially force you to lock into a season pass in the spring of the year before. If you do you get a sick deal, if not you take it up the butt.

Again this is purely financial analysis, not ski mtn comparison. I don't get an epic becuase outside of tahoe and soon to be even more insanely crowded whistler, I'm not that interested in going to the VR properties.

Exactly, I bought EPIC because I didn't know and did the financial calculation. But VR are just flat out not fun in my opinion.

[El Chupacabra]

I don't look at MC days in the context of breaking even vs. day ticket prices -- I think about it in terms of how many days do I get for the $380 (now $400) of the pass?

2016/17 season is going to be 2 days each at Whistler, Jackson, Snowbird/Alta (plus 3rd bonus day), Squaw/Alpine, and Mammoth. 11 days for $380 = $35 per day. Pretty satisfied with that.

[jacob_dbu]

Get a Snoqualmie pass for $500 and you will be able to fly into a major international airport hub 1 hour away, ski the padded seats for free, attend BBI18 for free, and get $36 tickets to a big close-by resort that hosts a 4* FWT qualifier and averages nearly 500" of snowfall per year.

Or just get an epic local and split your time between Heavenly and Kirkwood.

Summit Pass is enticing, but Seattle is a far trip for a flatlander on the opposite coast. Same goes for the Tahoe area - Reno is expensive AF to fly into and SF is far AF to drive.

Colorado is cheap to fly, but when you add in the 2+ hour drive, the price of an AWD car, and the chance to get stuck on I-70 for days because of stupid people it just doesn't make sense.

Utah is a happy medium and I'd say, aside from the Mormons, probably the best place to ski for a travel-to-ski destination. The MC makes a ton of sense for Utah as noted above.