Ikon Pass

[WTF is dat]

This is the million $ question. Will enough people vacate Epic and make Ikon a shit show while VR are deserted or will enough stay Epic and allow Ikon to be be an escape? Ikon has me excited for something different (though I don’t love the local unlimited options) but the fear of sub par terrain choices combined with massive crowds has be thinking twice. At least there’s good options for road trips....

Yeah I am tempted by ikon pass for the aspen option.

However the only local unlimited Ikon option that really appeals to me is copper. Eldora is a windy shithole. Winter park has too weird of a layout for my tastes and nothing there can really compete with the high alpine at Breck, the May skiing at ABasin, and beaver creek. I would stay on the Epic for those 3 things alone but vail and keystone are nice to have too.

I will stay epic and buy an aspen 4 pack if I want to go to aspen.

[ski-wpk]

Ikon over RMSP+ means $500 more in passes for me, the wife, and kids with less skiing where I want to be local to the FR. Ugh.

[MakersTeleMark]

Ikon over RMSP+ means $500 more in passes for me, the wife, and kids with less skiing where I want to be local to the FR. Ugh.

PM Bunny.

[GPP33]

As an Epic Pass holder I am stoked about this new pass!

Hopefully big numbers of people will switch to the IKON pass and I can enjoy reduced crowds at beaver creek.

As a Denver skier there are pluses and minuses. Pluses are some awesome places that are drivable. However, I think Copper and WP will be more crowded for day trips. With a 2-year-old and another coming in April getting to the new resorts for a multi day trip won’t be easy.

I hope Vail comes out with something awesome so people stay there.

The EB Berthoud backups next year will start at 1st Creek all weekend.

Yeah I am tempted by ikon pass for the aspen option.

However the only local unlimited Ikon option that really appeals to me is copper. Eldora is a windy shithole. Winter park has too weird of a layout for my tastes and nothing there can really compete with the high alpine at Breck, the May skiing at ABasin, and beaver creek. I would stay on the Epic for those 3 things alone but vail and keystone are nice to have too.

I will stay epic and buy an aspen 4 pack if I want to go to aspen.

A basin is an anchor mountain for me. Late season without a basin would just not be right. Though Aspen could make me look past that.....agreed about not getting the alpine at Breck, nothing touches it for extended steeps. I haven’t skied the terrain at copper that used to be hike to with cat assist. Probably been 14 or 15 years since I skied there.

[MakersTeleMark]

I for one welcome the Ikon overlords. Make vail rich again.

[powdrhound]

I found this while digging through their FAQs:

CAN I USE MY 2018-2019 IKON PASS TO SKI OR RIDE AT PARTICIPATING DESTINATIONS DURING SPRING 2018?
Yes. You can use your 2018-2019 Ikon Pass or Ikon Base Pass starting March 6, 2018 at Big Bear Mountain Resort, June Mountain, Blue Mountain and Snowshoe; and starting on April 9, 2018 at Winter Park Resort, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows and Mammoth Mountain.

This makes it sound even better to me.

Considering that Kirkwood has announced April 8 as Closing day,...

[alpinevibes]

Both passes are at a lower price than I expected, for their perks. This will absolutely up the Denver-Aspen weekenders, but they won't necessarily have a lot of appropriate lodging options:

*wheels begin turning in my head on how to monetize the increased flow of weekend traffic*

[doebedoe]

Ikon over RMSP+ means $500 more in passes for me, the wife, and kids with less skiing where I want to be local to the FR. Ugh.

I get the $ thing (although RMSP+ would've gone up this year, and early season it was $539 last year) cause kids don't ski free.

But how is it less skiing? All the same resorts unlimited. And instead of 6 Steamboat + 3 CB days == 9 days on RMSP+, you get 5 Steamboat and 5 Aspen days == 10 days on the Ikon.

[El Chupacabra]

For a travel pass, this looks a lot better than I expected. $200 more than the Mountain Collective but a lot more days, plus the unlimited days at some places. The main negative vs the MC is Snowbasin, but more days at Alta or Snowbird offsets that.

I wonder if the idea is to make the pass look great on paper, knowing that very very few people will actually use a bunch of the days at farther away areas. They'll sell a bunch to people planning a vacation trip for a week, and the vacationers will get their money worth in that week.

[Vt-Freeheel]

In the East this is going to load up the weekend chump change skier visits at Sugarbush, Killington ,some of the Maine Resorts possibly.
Just what they need, more weekend traffic, Saturday especially.

[Name Redacted]

I hope this helps Copper and WP bear the brunt of weekend skiers more. No relief for I70 though. First Steamboat weekend pow day should be interesting. This is basically just the RMSP+ with more hype and better travel destinations. But how many ski trips out of state does the average Front ranger take? Especially with unlimited days at multiple resorts.

[hatchgreenchile]

To the masses, Aspen days are much more appealing than Crested Butte.
Most people don't leave the state, maybe a single trip to SLC if the cards align. It's a big state with a ton of quality options, why rush to leave?

[Danno]

I hope this helps Copper and WP bear the brunt of weekend skiers more. No relief for I70 though. First Steamboat weekend pow day should be interesting. This is basically just the RMSP+ with more hype and better travel destinations. But how many ski trips out of state does the average Front ranger take? Especially with unlimited days at multiple resorts.

Exactly that, it's not that big a change for most people. But it seems like a big one. So your "hope" is my fear (because I'm already a RMSP/WP skier and you're Epic).

[skaredshtles]

To the masses, Aspen days are much more appealing than Crested Butte.
Most people don't leave the state, maybe a single trip to SLC if the cards align. It's a big state with a ton of quality options, why rush to leave?

Because the snow here usually sucks? Just a guess...

[johnnyg82]

East coaster/Tremblant skier here; I usually get the Sublime pass (it's pretty much a season pass, minus the busiest days), and the Ikon base looks like a good deal for me as it's an unlimited Tremblant pass, but includes some more mountains as well we will visit. I'm hoping the RFID will work at those gates, but I'm guessing it won't as the RFID gates are a 'privilege' with the $1400 season pass.

[skaredshtles]

Ikon over RMSP+ means $500 more in passes for me, the wife, and kids with less skiing where I want to be local to the FR. Ugh.

Easy solution to this: don't ski next year.

[hatchgreenchile]

Because the snow here usually sucks? Just a guess...

Yep, something like that.

[Name Redacted]

Exactly that, it's not that big a change for most people. But it seems like a big one. So your "hope" is my fear (because I'm already a RMSP/WP skier and you're Epic).

I'm not even an Epic pass holder. Basin only with a MC this year, but will probably drop the MC next year and just buy lift tix where the snow falls. Still waiting to see where CB falls in all of this.

[Scooter65]

Considering that Kirkwood has announced April 8 as Closing day,...

Maybe good motivation for Epic to extend the '18 season at Kwood? one can dream...

[Iowagriz]

Seems like a perfect pass for someone like me stuck in Iowa. I'd take the blackout days as those weekends are already packed. $599 allows me to make a Thanksgiving trip to Copper; an early January trip to Steamboat and a Feb trip to Jackson/Big Sky or Alta/Bird. Kids are now out of the house and I can work remotely, so swinging the trips and just looking ahead for flights and hotels would make it possible to 3x my skiing.

I think I am the market they are after, not the locals. My normal 1 week guys trip to any major resort is still close to $100 a day for tickets. We go 4 days, so they can suck me in for an additional week someplace for food/drink/lodging.

[Danno]

Seems like a perfect pass for someone like me stuck in Iowa. I'd take the blackout days as those weekends are already packed. $599 allows me to make a Thanksgiving trip to Copper; an early January trip to Steamboat and a Feb trip to Jackson/Big Sky or Alta/Bird. Kids are now out of the house and I can work remotely, so swinging the trips and just looking ahead for flights and hotels would make it possible to 3x my skiing.

I think I am the market they are after, not the locals. My normal 1 week guys trip to any major resort is still close to $100 a day for tickets. We go 4 days, so they can suck me in for an additional week someplace for food/drink/lodging.

I agree that you are the market. Front range skiers is close to a zero sum game. Sure, you may get a few new pass buyers, and you may steal a few from Vail, but the real money is in selling lots of $600 passes to people like you.

[muted]

the real money is in selling lots of $600 passes to people like you.

And them buying lodging because of it, that's a big money-maker.

[Danno]

Of course. And $20 cheeseburgers too.

[Danno]

Anyone know what the wholesale rate is on lift tickets to Vail, WP, etc? Because a $600 season pass to someone in Iowa probably will net them at least that, I'm guessing.

[TahoeJ]

Wow, just noticed it's only $149 for kids under 12 if you order by April 9th... that's pretty nuts, actually. Pays for itself on the second day, more or less.