Ikon Pass

[Duffman]

So you want an ikon resort with no crowds and good snow at Christmas break?

Costa Rica?

Ha ,true. No, I expect crowds and mediocre terrain open most places to be honest. Just wondering which are least ridiculous. Figured Aspen like said above but Jesus, rooms are silly. Have a line on places to stay in Big Sky or Jackson but have no idea what the holiday gong show is like at either of those

[Ørion]

Ha ,true. No, I expect crowds and mediocre terrain open most places to be honest. Just wondering which are least ridiculous. Figured Aspen like said above but Jesus, rooms are silly. Have a line on places to stay in Big Sky or Jackson but have no idea what the holiday gong show is like at either of those

It is B+ tier at best but Crystal Mountain had a solid storm over Christmas this year and wasn't too crowded.

Seems like everyone who skis there travels elsewhere during breaks and Crystal isn't a big travel destination (though they're trying to change that with the planned base improvements).

[Fofo]

Sorry if this has been said before in this thread, but I had a revelation a couple of days ago while we were getting food ready for our lunch break on the mountain.

We boot up in the car, bring our food and drinks with us, and at the end of the day get back to the car and grab a beer from the cooler. With the Ikon pass we are getting the cheapest skiing ever on a per day basis.

But Alterra doesn't care about us, we are a side effect. Their main interests are the über rich that don't care about paying $4 for a single banana at the mountainside cafe, and the family of four that go skiing once a year and treat it as their vacation and splurge on hotels, gear rentals, lessons, sweatshirts and hats from the resort, dinners, etc.

OK, off my chest. Back to your regularly scheduled content.

[Duffman]

Sorry if this has been said before in this thread, but I had a revelation a couple of days ago while we were getting food ready for our lunch break on the mountain.

We boot up in the car, bring our food and drinks with us, and at the end of the day get back to the car and grab a beer from the cooler. With the Ikon pass we are getting the cheapest skiing ever on a per day basis.

But Alterra doesn't care about us, we are a side effect. Their main interests are the über rich that don't care about paying $4 for a single banana at the mountainside cafe, and the family of four that go skiing once a year and treat it as their vacation and splurge on hotels, gear rentals, lessons, sweatshirts and hats from the resort, dinners, etc.

OK, off my chest. Back to your regularly scheduled content.

Yeah, this is the business model of the megapass. Epic even moreso with them buying tons of little feeder hills to drive vacation traffic.to their big mountains

[Duffman]

iKon question for new holders: I know that when you buy a pass for next year, it works at the alterra mountains now. Can you use it at the limited use mountains that only have 7 days, or do you need to wait till next year for them to be eligible

[Brock Landers]

Sorry if this has been said before in this thread, but I had a revelation a couple of days ago while we were getting food ready for our lunch break on the mountain.

We boot up in the car, bring our food and drinks with us, and at the end of the day get back to the car and grab a beer from the cooler. With the Ikon pass we are getting the cheapest skiing ever on a per day basis.

But Alterra doesn't care about us, we are a side effect. Their main interests are the über rich that don't care about paying $4 for a single banana at the mountainside cafe, and the family of four that go skiing once a year and treat it as their vacation and splurge on hotels, gear rentals, lessons, sweatshirts and hats from the resort, dinners, etc.

OK, off my chest. Back to your regularly scheduled content.

Go back to your shanties!

[Name Redacted]

Sorry if this has been said before in this thread, but I had a revelation a couple of days ago while we were getting food ready for our lunch break on the mountain.

We boot up in the car, bring our food and drinks with us, and at the end of the day get back to the car and grab a beer from the cooler. With the Ikon pass we are getting the cheapest skiing ever on a per day basis.

But Alterra doesn't care about us, we are a side effect. Their main interests are the über rich that don't care about paying $4 for a single banana at the mountainside cafe, and the family of four that go skiing once a year and treat it as their vacation and splurge on hotels, gear rentals, lessons, sweatshirts and hats from the resort, dinners, etc.

OK, off my chest. Back to your regularly scheduled content.

Wait, you mean to say that Alterra is beholden to shareholders just like any other company? You know how much it costs to get a banana from the jungles of Central America to a world class ski resort in the middle of the rockies? They can't just give that kind of sustenance away to everybody! Potassium ain't free bud.

[old goat]

Sorry if this has been said before in this thread, but I had a revelation a couple of days ago while we were getting food ready for our lunch break on the mountain.

We boot up in the car, bring our food and drinks with us, and at the end of the day get back to the car and grab a beer from the cooler. With the Ikon pass we are getting the cheapest skiing ever on a per day basis.

But Alterra doesn't care about us, we are a side effect. Their main interests are the über rich that don't care about paying $4 for a single banana at the mountainside cafe, and the family of four that go skiing once a year and treat it as their vacation and splurge on hotels, gear rentals, lessons, sweatshirts and hats from the resort, dinners, etc.

OK, off my chest. Back to your regularly scheduled content.

So, you're getting cheapest per day skiing ever. What else would you like Alterra to do to make you feel loved?

[tuco]

So, you're getting cheapest per day skiing ever. What else would you like Alterra to do to make you feel loved?

A proper reach around?

[Toadman]

I'm guessing he wants the banana for $0.99 and for the resort staff to peel it for him.

[SoVT Joey]

iKon question for new holders: I know that when you buy a pass for next year, it works at the alterra mountains now. Can you use it at the limited use mountains that only have 7 days, or do you need to wait till next year for them to be eligible

https://www.ikonpass.com/en/spring-skiing

[yeahman]

You might see yourself as a "side effect," but don't think for a minute that Alterra doesn't know you're out there. And over time they will do everything they can to squeeze money out of you, and make it harder and harder to ski on the cheap. You are just unrealized potential profit to them...but they're working on it.

[Fofo]

So, you're getting cheapest per day skiing ever. What else would you like Alterra to do to make you feel loved?

Oh, nothing! I'm happy with the current situation. I didn't mean to imply that I'm annoyed by this.

It's just that I realized this. Just like for gyms the ideal customer is not the gym rat that comes every day, uses free weights and leaves, but the guy who signs up in January, uses machines for a few sessions and then doesn't come back but doesn't cancel, the ideal customer for Alterra is the destination skier who splurges in rentals, lessons, on-mountain food, souvenirs, etc.

[Fofo]

A proper reach around?

I mean, that's just common courtesy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wRHcfF1Sqs

[Fofo]

You might see yourself as a "side effect," but don't think for a minute that Alterra doesn't know you're out there. And over time they will do everything they can to squeeze money out of you, and make it harder and harder to ski on the cheap. You are just unrealized potential profit to them...but they're working on it.

So true... It's probably already in a PowerPoint slideshow at headquarters, in the section "Roadmap to Profit Growth Goals"

[bobz]

But Alterra doesn't care about us, we are a side effect. Their main interests are the über rich that don't care about paying $4 for a single banana at the mountainside cafe, and the family of four that go skiing once a year and treat it as their vacation and splurge on hotels, gear rentals, lessons, sweatshirts and hats from the resort, dinners, etc.

As far as the Ikon Pass sales are concerned, their main interest is urban/suburban folks who are doing well enough to have disposable income (but mostly aren't exactly rich), who don't have time to ski lots of days but figure they'll get out enough to make the pass worthwhile, and who inevitably will end up getting up to the mountains fewer days than they expect.

The actually rich, resorts would just as soon sell them full-price day passes, but whatever, because a rich family ski trip is mostly spending on plenty other than lift access. Super-passes may even be a disadvantage for attracting the "uber rich", because more crowded resorts might discourage them from visiting at all.

[Boosh]

I got the base pass this year and have used it 14 days so far; my company has a 50% health club reimbursement benefit and I just found out today that ski season passes qualify, so I'm lookin' at a value of approx. $30/day on lift tickets for the season which I feel happy about.

I don't love the corporatization of skiing, but since it's the best way to ski a lot for low dollars, I'll be renewing again for next year.. I've taken 2 big trips and really haven't dealt with lift lines or traffic, but maybe I've just gotten lucky... I've also definitely spent my fair share of moneys at the bars tho so for those keeping score you can chalk up some extra on-mountain-dining costs to that daily total

[jhyatt]

With the price increase I am kind of leaning mountain collective.
I would go to JHMR so need the full pass.
MC gets me 3 days at JH and 2 at GT.
It's 539 so with the money saved that's lots of half price days should I need them.
Does MC give 2 days each at Alta Bird?
Any coupons or whatever for MC floating around?

[Brock Landers]

With the price increase I am kind of leaning mountain collective.
I would go to JHMR so need the full pass.
MC gets me 3 days at JH and 2 at GT.
It's 539 so with the money saved that's lots of half price days should I need them.
Does MC give 2 days each at Alta Bird?
Any coupons or whatever for MC floating around?

Yeah 2 at alta and 2 at snowbird. If you get the bonus day at Jackson. I renewed the full ikon but thought for a minute about MC but the mountains in the east are limited. Also may get some sort of wpic pass w the full ikon.

[Toadman]

It sure is weird to see Glenn Plake pimping the IKON pass on tv commercials.

[Ottime]

Sorry if this has been said before in this thread, but I had a revelation a couple of days ago while we were getting food ready for our lunch break on the mountain.

We boot up in the car, bring our food and drinks with us, and at the end of the day get back to the car and grab a beer from the cooler. With the Ikon pass we are getting the cheapest skiing ever on a per day basis.

But Alterra doesn't care about us, we are a side effect. Their main interests are the über rich that don't care about paying $4 for a single banana at the mountainside cafe, and the family of four that go skiing once a year and treat it as their vacation and splurge on hotels, gear rentals, lessons, sweatshirts and hats from the resort, dinners, etc.

OK, off my chest. Back to your regularly scheduled content.

They don't care about you, but that is why you get a cheap pass from them. I love love love those families and folks who eat $20 sandwiches and book rooms on the resort and pay for private lessons each day. Helps keep my pass price affordable.

I'm sure they are trying to figure out how to monetize us, but I don't think they are working too hard. They will focus on those already with loss wallets. And as was stated about casual skiers buying passes, I know several - not rich but not poor - families who buy passes each year and sometimes break even. Like stated, they intended to ski more than they actually do, but the pass is still their choice, as you don't need to stop at the ticket office and you don't feel like you need to ski all day after dropping $200 for a single ticket.

Oh, and you are buying an Ikon pass this year, shoot me a PM to see if our group can help you or if you can help our group. This is a Maggot collective, so join in the community and help a Maggot in need this fall.

[hutash]

A ski pro whoring himself for corporate overlords...never gunna happen

[old goat]

It sure is weird to see Glenn Plake pimping the IKON pass on tv commercials.

A ski pro whoring himself for corporate overlords...never gunna happen

Pimping? Whoring? The man is trying to make a living at what is likely the only thing he is good at. If he tries to sell something that he knows is crap or if he lies about the product I would have a problem with that but I don't see anyone saying he does that. (Did the recently canonized Alex Trebek really think reverse mortgages are a good idea?) It shocks me that so many people have trouble understanding that skiing is a business.

[jhyatt]

Yeah 2 at alta and 2 at snowbird. If you get the bonus day at Jackson. I renewed the full ikon but thought for a minute about MC but the mountains in the east are limited. Also may get some sort of wpic pass w the full ikon.

I have come to the same conclusion.
It always hurts now, but feels so good next season.

[summit]

Glenn Plake is one of the longest running recognizable ambassador figures of skiing in the world. Why should he not be promoting skiing and making a living?

I'm sure the pandemic was not easy on his life.