Ikon Pass

[Bunion 2020]

Todays NY Times:

For Some Resorts, Multi-Mountain Passes Mean Crowded Slopes and Longer Lift Lines


By Christopher Steiner

Jan. 28, 2020

Last month, the Crystal Mountain Resort announced it would no longer sell ski-lift tickets at its windows on weekends, a startling move in an industry that has historically sought volume and the high margin returns from single-day lift ticket sales.

The resort, in the shadow of Washington’s Mount Rainier, has been plagued this season with overfilled parking lots, long lift lines and mountain roads choked with skier vehicles. The crowds were brought on by a cycle of big storms, yes, but also the crush of skiers who hold Ikon Passes, which grant riding privileges at Crystal all season long.

“It’s a very imperfect science, pairing demand with snow and terrain,” said Rusty Gregory, chief executive of Denver-based Alterra Mountain Co., which owns Crystal. “Each resort has to do what’s right for its conditions and its skiers.”

Crystal, which will continue honoring Ikon passes and lift tickets that have been purchased in advance, is not an outlier. The recent introduction of multi-resort passes have pushed more skiers to more places, making once-sleepy mountains more crowded. Resorts that are within driving distance of major metropolitan areas, in particular, are coping with powder day throngs not seen before.

Private-equity-backed Alterra kindled an intense round of consolidation among ski resorts when it was formed in 2018 as a rival to Vail Resorts, a public company that owns Vail, Whistler-Blackcomb and Park City, among others. Vail was already selling several forms of its Epic Pass when Alterra introduced the Ikon Pass soon after its formation. The dueling passes, both backed by large balance sheets and aggressive marketing, ushered in a new age for skiers. The two passes now cover every major ski resort in North America in some form.
ImageA Ikon pass holder at Crystal Mountain Ski Resort.
A Ikon pass holder at Crystal Mountain Ski Resort.Credit...Tegra Stone Nuess for The New York Times

Skiers who once may have taken a single trip to Colorado or Utah, plus a weekend or two at a mountain within driving distance, all via single-day lift passes, now find value in multi-resort passes that can be fairly comprehensive for as little as $700.

As single lift ticket prices at many resorts now approach $200, passes continue to grow more popular. Vail announced in December it had sold more than 1.2 million passes for this winter, an increase of 22 percent. Alterra doesn’t make its numbers public, but the company said it sold more than 250,000 passes for last winter, and sales for this season, Mr. Gregory says, “were up markedly.”

The number of pass holders comprise new ground for the ski industry, which must learn how to deal with crowds popping up in unlikely spots. Eldora Mountain, which was once a quiet local mountain 40 minutes from Boulder, Colo., has been dealing with hordes of skiers since joining the Ikon Pass. The mountain regularly advises carloads of skiers to turn around on weekend days when the parking lots fill up before noon.
Image

Utah’s Alterra-owned Deer Valley halted lift ticket sales five days this winter to keep skier numbers below its target maximum. At the end of last season, Colorado’s Arapahoe Basin, independently owned but then aligned with Vail’s Epic Pass, announced it would depart the alliance because of crowding issues that ranged from overloaded parking lots to cafeterias where open tables had become rare commodities. A-Basin is now aligned with the Ikon Pass, but with more restrictions.

Many skiers plan trips far ahead of time, but there’s a growing number who embrace the freedom of Epic and Ikon and take a wait-and-see approach, sometimes booking lodging just a few days out.

“These passes facilitate the snow chaser,” said Mary Kate Buckley, president of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

Independently owned Jackson saw record amounts of snow last winter, which, combined with the new Ikon Pass (which made up 15 percent of skiers that year), caused volume to “get out ahead of us,” Ms. Buckley said. Jackson has since added a ski lift, increasing its uphill capacity, and brought online more parking options to decrease crowding on the roads and around the ski area’s base.

In some resort communities new to the Ikon Pass, local gripes last winter grew sharp. Frustrations were so vocal in Jackson and Big Sky, Mont., that resort executives published open letters to their communities, pledging to do better in handling the crowds. In Big Sky’s case, the resort implored locals to welcome out-of-town guests, lamenting a bumper sticker being sold in the area with a play on words: “IKON [not] wait for you to leave.”

Rob Katz, Vail Resorts’ chief executive, said that season pass sales have allowed the industry to better plan ahead and offer better stability to its communities and employees.

“We’re not on as much of a yo-yo anymore,” he said, but managing the additional crowds “requires a tremendous amount of thought.”

[Vt-Freeheel]

There is an online template for these articles ^^^^ which is why you feel you have read it before, because you have.

[Talisman]

Todays NY Times:

Funny that Tay Tay's letter admonishing BS locals made the article, but no mention of his terrible negotiating skills getting nothing for BS season pass holders from the IKON deal.

[snowaddict91]

Funny that Tay Tay's letter admonishing BS locals made the article, but no mention of his terrible negotiating skills getting nothing for BS season pass holders from the IKON deal.

I'm so sick of explaining that to tourists on the lift here. People are shocked to find out my Snowbird only pass costs more than their Ikon pass.

[Talisman]

I'm so sick of explaining that to tourists on the lift here. People are shocked to find out my Snowbird only pass costs more than their Ikon pass.

I don't feel any better knowing Snowbird also provides zero benefit to pass holders from the Ikon relationship. At least the tram is crowded at Big Sky and Snowbird so there is that.

[ncskier]

Is Deer Valley really that expensive? What's so great about it? Runs seemed very crowded and the drink service in the lodge was slow and lackluster the one day I went there. Maybe it was a bad/busy day but I didn't experience anything that would cause me to rush back.

It's actually $209 a day.

[Bunion 2020]

I'm so sick of explaining that to tourists on the lift here. People are shocked to find out my Snowbird only pass costs more than their Ikon pass.

Can't say for the Bird but my Gold pass at Big Sky bought at best deal is 33% higher than the cost of best deal IKON. 1549 VS 999

[snowaddict91]

Can't say for the Bird but my Gold pass at Big Sky bought at best deal is about 2x the cost of best deal IKON.

Bird or Alta on their own are $1k if you buy it in like May. $1400 combined. Not even a discount at Ikon resorts, and a valley full of Ikon passholders. Oh well, weekday skiing is still pretty fun for the most part.

[Benny Profane]

Question: Arent Ikon tourists, generally, older? Like, retired and have the time?

[Micol]

ikon not wait to ski it ,only paid like $200ish for a 3 day for solitude in march....direct no ikion

[yellofin]

Question: Arent Ikon tourists, generally, older? Like, retired and have the time?

Yes and the few that I rode the chair with especially a gentleman I met on the Colins chair last year who really wanted to exit at the mid station even though I told him that it didn’t stop. I had to Put my arm in front of him, he really wanted off but calmed down when I told him there was an easy way down.
He had a Killington patch on his jacket and child size skis. Maybe it was you bunny
Didn’t you fall off of a chair once?

[phatty]

Question: Arent Ikon tourists, generally, older? Like, retired and have the time?

Not all. Here's an example from Seattle. Parents (60s) with 5 kids (4 boys and 1 girl) now all mid 30s to mid 40s with grandkids kids ranging from high school to toddlers (around 15+ total grandkids). Parents have a cabin at Alpental and whole extended family has skied there regularly since they were kids. All are very good skiers.

This year they didn't get Snoqualmie/Alpental passes, even though they can walk to the lifts, and got basic Ikon passes for everyone. That still gets the 5 days at Alpental. Now they all ski Crystal on weekends. They have taken 3 extended family trips. First to Big Sky/Jackson, then 2 trips to Utah. These are all trips that would not have happened without Ikon.

I haven't seen any of them at Alpental this year even though they have a place there. The allure of the big name resorts with unlimited skiing at quality local resorts is totally changing the calculus for families that like to ski. For $150 more than a Snoqualmie pass, they were able to get a ton of days at awesome resorts. I love skiing at Alpental and it's 40 minutes from my house, but even I'm starting to look at the math and what it can get me.

[Shaaarrrp]

Are ikon skiers really by and large, awful at the sport? I figured anyone who used it so much that they overran your mountains would inevitably get better. I can't even get my casual skiing friends who go 4-5 times a year to consider a pass, even if it is cheaper to get it than pay window for 5 days.

[skaredshtles]

Are ikon skiers really by and large, awful at the sport? I figured anyone who used it so much that they overran your mountains would inevitably get better. I can't even get my casual skiing friends who go 4-5 times a year to consider a pass, even if it is cheaper to get it than pay window for 5 days.

Sounds like your friends aren't very... shaaaarrrp.

[Shaaarrrp]

Sounds like your friends aren't very... shaaaarrrp.

You're not wrong. I know some folks who will literally carry sugar on a vacation plane to save .59 but won't even consider a ski pass that could save them hundreds.

Unrelated to this topic but just a heads up for others info: I scored what I consider a pretty good discount on a Steamboat rental property using the ikon discount recently. For all I know it could be available to everyone under a different code, but this is one of the few discounts that seemed to provide a real value (unlike ski with a friend tickets).

Lodging	$4893.00 $2935.80
SAVINGS	$1957.20
Lodging	$2935.80
Taxable Res/Service Fee	$276.71
Final Clean & Damage Waiver	$320.00
Sales Tax	$402.71
Reservation Total:	$3935.22

[phatty]

Unfortunately that is the exception.

I think by the end of the year, Crystal regulars will be begging Alterra to jack up prices 2X just to avoid another gong show for 2020-21.

Yeah, I know it's not always the case. Amazon had a group code (like we had for TGR) and I heard it was used 5000 times. That's nuts. I'm constantly amazed by the questions that get asked and I'm sure the same thing is happening at MS and other large companies around here. It doesn't surprise me at all what's going on at Crystal and Stevens.

[skaredshtles]

You're not wrong. I know some folks who will literally carry sugar on a vacation plane to save .59 but won't even consider a ski pass that could save them hundreds.

Unrelated to this topic but just a heads up for others info: I scored what I consider a pretty good discount on a Steamboat rental property using the ikon discount recently. For all I know it could be available to everyone under a different code, but this is one of the few discounts that seemed to provide a real value (unlike ski with a friend tickets).

Lodging	$4893.00 $2935.80
SAVINGS	$1957.20
Lodging	$2935.80
Taxable Res/Service Fee	$276.71
Final Clean & Damage Waiver	$320.00
Sales Tax	$402.71
Reservation Total:	$3935.22

Yeah - my wife and I got a last-minute Ikon discount on JHMR lodging right at the base - $150/nt for (almost) ski in/out hotel. Couldn't complain much...

[Core Shot]

I’m guessing ikon lodging discounts are for resort owned? Or not

[Shaaarrrp]

Here's the company I went thru. Not obviously resort owned but I wouldn't be surprised if they're in cahoots

https://www.simplysteamboat.com/Stea...ging-Discounts

For full transparency, the ikon only got me 10% off in addition to whatever other discounts I got.

[Danno]

ABasin has a discount for Ikon Base Pass folks during blackout dates: https://www.arapahoebasin.com/ticket...-pass-details/

But the way that is listed under "A-Basin Benefits for Ikon Pass Holders" could mean that it's resort specific.

[Benny Profane]

Yes and the few that I rode the chair with especially a gentleman I met on the Colins chair last year who really wanted to exit at the mid station even though I told him that it didn’t stop. I had to Put my arm in front of him, he really wanted off but calmed down when I told him there was an easy way down.
He had a Killington patch on his jacket and child size skis. Maybe it was you bunny
Didn’t you fall off of a chair once?

Such a fuckhead. Have you ever even skied out west? Doubtful. Your momma won't let you.

[Meadow Skipper]

Such a fuckhead. Have you ever even skied out west? Doubtful. Your momma won't let you.

C’mon Bunny, you can do better than this lame flame. Seriously.

[Benny Profane]

Lame NE asshole deserves no better.

[Meadow Skipper]

Lame NE asshole deserves no better.

What about us that are reading it? C’mon.

[skifishbum]

i live in the west
so does harry
he says im a better skier than bunny
iconic isnt it