Ikon Pass

[tmokes]

I agree. In last 25 years, I think I bought maybe 5 season passes. Rest are all employee passes. I would have looked into another part time job when I moved 3 years ago but the pass was only like $200...


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[TahoeJ]

Yep... which is why I said like $2500 in today’s dollars. Good for staffing and a real commitment to buying a pass. It used to be that SKIERS had season passes and people who ski bought day tickets.

[GPP33]

^^^ that's where I've arrived at, although in fairness, I gave up on WP in 1999.

People say it's improved, and that it's not all about MJ bumps and a punch card with your orthopedic surgeon.

With the increased crowds, I'll never find out.

... Thom

Nope, I skied there last weekend on a free day pass. That mountain seems to form bumps in places no other mountain would. They had panoramic, eagle wind and the cirque shut down due to wind, haven’t skied those areas so maybe they hold hope.

[Danno]

It's all about the trees.

[detrusor]

I’d gladly go back to high priced passes to cut down on the shit show tourist factor. Never happen though. The transition from ski area to all season resort is in full swing. They see the end of snow and are getting people used to coming for other things.


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[Foggy_Goggles]

It's all about the trees.

If you like bumps in the trees. I live here and I don't really want to move but Winter Park ain't what is used to be. They even have a blog now outing all the good tree lines. I try to keep a good attitude but between the questionable conditions, the parking scene and the front range cool guy choad factor, it has been a challenge this year.

Hopefully, spring will deliver with snow and a good vibe, the IKON will be net positive by letting me travel to ski, and my customers take my 10% price increase with a smile.

Thankfully, I don't have to deal with the "tourist economy" much and I have other passions to keep me busy. This place has changed. I used to love skiing at BP, work day powder mornings at the Jane, and fly fishing on the Fraser. For me, all those activities have reached a point where they are too busy for me to enjoy it. Life goes on...

[zion zig zag]

Thankfully, I don't have to deal with the "tourist economy" much and I have other passions to keep me busy. This place has changed. I used to love skiing at BP, work day powder mornings at the Jane, and fly fishing on the Fraser. For me, all those activities have reached a point where they are too busy for me to enjoy it. Life goes on...

Man, I'm feeling this lately. Local skiing, mtb and hiking has become more of stressor than stress reliever. Even just dog walks in the foothills that used to be a time for quiet, end of day reflection have become crowded and less enjoyable. Sigh....

[skaredshtles]

If you like bumps in the trees. I live here and I don't really want to move but Winter Park ain't what is used to be.

It all started to go downhill when they removed the 190cm minimum ski length sign from Outhouse.

[Long duc dong]

The other thing w the low pass prices is that it takes away incentive for skibums to work at the mtn and has impacted staffing. Getting s free pass was a nice tradeoff to give up some ski days to work. Now it makes more sense to work a night job if you want to ski a lot

When I lived in Tahoe lots of people instructed part-time at Squaw for that reason. I do wonder how the ski school is now, with a cheaper pass there is little incentive to work part time. Like you said, just work nights and ski during the day.

[blazes_boylan]

Man, I'm feeling this lately. Local skiing, mtb and hiking has become more of stressor than stress reliever. Even just dog walks in the foothills that used to be a time for quiet, end of day reflection have become crowded and less enjoyable. Sigh....

This sentiment seems to be on the mind of everyone these days. I hear so many people talking about it...even the most positive ones. Seems like its all slip sliding away.

[simple]

Overpopulation will do that.

[Tryingtostaywarm]

If you like bumps in the trees. I live here and I don't really want to move but Winter Park ain't what is used to be. They even have a blog now outing all the good tree lines. I try to keep a good attitude but between the questionable conditions, the parking scene and the front range cool guy choad factor, it has been a challenge this year.

Hopefully, spring will deliver with snow and a good vibe, the IKON will be net positive by letting me travel to ski, and my customers take my 10% price increase with a smile.

Thankfully, I don't have to deal with the "tourist economy" much and I have other passions to keep me busy. This place has changed. I used to love skiing at BP, work day powder mornings at the Jane, and fly fishing on the Fraser. For me, all those activities have reached a point where they are too busy for me to enjoy it. Life goes on...

This hits too close to home.
I used to really enjoy WP because it was close to the Front Range, not as crowded as the west of the Eisenhower resorts, and offered decent terrain given the resort.
Now, Friday is as busy as the weekends, parking is a shit show even at the Jane, the pass price is going up, Eagle Winds and Cirque are never open(I understand why), and even the california frat boys at DU are talking about going Ikon.
It's just a sign of the times for Front Range Colorado. There is no turning back now.

[skaredshtles]

You guys sound like the locals in the early 90's when the 1st big round of relocations started...

[Vt-Freeheel]

Maybe telling every East Coast skier it sucks in the East and move West wasn't the best move.

[Hott Butt Mud]

You guys sound like the locals in the early 90's when the 1st big round of relocations started...

Ya, holy shit. Talk about a depressing last few pages. Whew, we get that Colorado is overcrowded and all, but unfortunately, at this point, it's not going to get any better in our lifetime. Only more crowded.

Maybe 75 years from now Pagosa Springs will have 250,000 people which will spread out the ski crowds. Cross your fingers.

[WTF is dat]

Ya, holy shit. Talk about a depressing last few pages. Whew, we get that Colorado is overcrowded and all, but unfortunately, at this point, it's not going to get any better in our lifetime. Only more crowded.

Maybe 75 years from now Pagosa Springs will have 250,000 people which will spread out the ski crowds. Cross your fingers.

Honestly it’s not even that bad. Ski on the weekdays and there is basically never a line.

It’s not like Tahoe is any less crowded. Living in a city and enjoying the job opportunities and culture a big city provides comes with some sacrifices

[tmokes]

Does anybody know how much profit these guys make? I mean real Vail corporate annual report? Or ikon parent company annual report? I’m sure they have figured out that whatever they are doing it maximize their profit, at least for a short term period.


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[adrenalated]

Ikon fucking RUINED the Mountain Collective!!!!!
https://mountaincollective.com/

Or not.

[summit]

Vail is offering full Epic for $99 next year if you are active/retired/dependent military.

Wonder what other promotions they'll do to celebrate the 10th anniv of Epic... Katz says he's not afraid of Ikon.

[GPP33]

Does anybody know how much profit these guys make? I mean real Vail corporate annual report? Or ikon parent company annual report? I’m sure they have figured out that whatever they are doing it maximize their profit, at least for a short term period.


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Nope. They offer cheap passes as a charitable community outreach.

Of course they make more money by playing this game, are you fucking serious? Consider all the money a family spends on a ski trip outside of the ski pass. Give em a “cheap” pass and they’ll spend all that other money at your lodging, your restaurants, your retail stores, etc. since 95% of people ski less than 5 days per year they are still getting $100 a day for the ticket plus all the other revenue. The “locals” who rack up serious day counts and really get their $/day down are just rounding errors in the vail books.

[Dantheman]

Man, I'm feeling this lately. Local skiing, mtb and hiking has become more of stressor than stress reliever. Even just dog walks in the foothills that used to be a time for quiet, end of day reflection have become crowded and less enjoyable. Sigh....

Skiing is kind of unavoidable since it's snow=go for everyone and a lean year makes it worse (though I will say, despite the drive up and parking being a junkshow, even on weekend powder days liftlines in BCC haven't been an issue this year IME). For MTB there's enough directional and/or obscure stuff to ride here that it largely compensates for the crowds. There's also no "powder panic" factor. Hiking though, really? I'm mean, yeah, stuff like Cecret Lake, Bells, White Pine, Lake Blanche, etc. are pretty ruined, especially on weekends, but there's still a multitude of cool places you can go and see no one or nearly no one. If you get off-trail it becomes rare to see anyone.

[zion zig zag]

Skiing is kind of unavoidable since it's snow=go for everyone and a lean year makes it worse (though I will say, despite the drive up and parking being a junkshow, even on weekend powder days liftlines in BCC haven't been an issue this year IME). For MTB there's enough directional and/or obscure stuff to ride that it largely compensates for the crowds. There's also no "powder panic" factor. Hiking though, really? I'm mean, yeah, stuff like Cecret Lake, Bells, White Pine, Lake Blanche, etc. are pretty ruined, especially on weekends, but there's still a multitude of cool places you can go and see no one or nearly no one. If you get off-trail it becomes rare to see anyone.

When I say local I mean walk to from home or less than a half hour drive. There are no obscure/directional MTB trails that fit that requirement. Despite having 10x (more?) riders now, we essentially have the same amount of trail. And the foothill trails that I walk to from my house for the dog walks have people on them in all but the worst possible weather. So yeah, I've taken to off trail for that, but it's limited by cliff face and boulder fields.

And crowded is all in the eye of the beholder I guess. I'm sure if you're used to the trails and ski resorts in SLC, Ogden would seem pretty good by comparison. I still read on TGR that Snowbasin is great because of the 'lack of crowds,' but it sure seems crowded to me. And I get it, I'm part of the problem, we all came for a reason. I just had the fortune of seeing it 25 years ago compared to what it is now.

[The Dad]

Katz says he's not afraid of Ikon.

Well then, he obviously mustn't be.

[Kailua_Boys]

Vail is offering full Epic for $99 next year if you are active/retired/dependent military.

Wonder what other promotions they'll do to celebrate the 10th anniv of Epic... Katz says he's not afraid of Ikon.

Seriously?

Squaw was giving free passes for military the last couple seasons. Don't know if they'll continue.

[Dantheman]

When I say local I mean walk to from home or less than a half hour drive. There are no obscure/directional MTB trails that fit that requirement. Despite having 10x (more?) riders now, we essentially have the same amount of trail.

Yeah, I forget that you guys haven't had the trail building boom that has happened in Draper and Park City. If we still had the same trail networks as 10 years ago, even 5 years ago, I'd probably be signing a different tune. Most of the hikes I'm thinking of are 10-20 minute drives but wouldn't be dog-friendly if dogs were even allowed, so I feel you there too. I haven't skied Snowbasin in 10 years, but I can see how the changes that have happened there are tough to adapt too. Man, that place used to be simply deserted. I remember GT40 telling me that they only made back like half of their operating costs in a typical year in the ol' days.