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EPIC FOR EVERYONE Pass Launched

mustski

Angel Diva
That $129 is so amazing but I had that pass this year and had no one to ski with because everyone I know got IKON. Does anyone know a reason not to but IKON now? Are there any potential price reductions or benefits to wait?
There is really no benefit to waiting, in your case, because you will immediately be able to use your Ikon pass in Big Bear and then at both Mammoth and Squaw after April 8th. It's going to be a good spring season all around. Also, you can add kid's passes for $199 if that is something that would work well for you. You can pay your pass off before this season even ends.
 

Ski Sine Fine

Angel Diva
Not intending to derail the thread, but is spring skiing generally confined to more difficult terrain, blue & black with slushy/choppy stuff on top? I’m thinking of late April.
 

alison wong

Angel Diva
is spring skiing generally confined to more difficult terrain, blue & black with slushy/choppy stuff on top?
Stay in upper part of mountain is preferred as I am told. Because the bottom part tends to get sticky and slushy. I found sticky snow can be hard on my knees. You need to have narrower stance, more "edging" in slushy, sticky conditions (again, I was told by my instructor).

Can't comment on whether the terrain is more difficult or not....

There are few places I can think of that are still open in late April: Banff - Sunshine Village and Lake Louise, they may not have all lifts open though by that time. e.g. the Platter lift at LL will likely be closed.

Mammoth, Alpine Squaw will open still. I have not been to either. According to my friend, lifts at Mammoth / Alpine Squaw starts spinning at 7:30, optimal condition is around 10 - 11, usually people quit by 1 pm because it gets warm and sticky.

I think Alta, Snowbird may still open in mid-late April. Alta shall still open in Easter this year, I believe. Snowbird may not open everyday in late April, probably just weekends(?). But Snowbird is not the most intermediate skier friendly mountain.

I am no longer keen on spring skiing because of the sticky / slushy condition, it is just too hard on my knees.
 

mustski

Angel Diva
Not intending to derail the thread, but is spring skiing generally confined to more difficult terrain, blue & black with slushy/choppy stuff on top? I’m thinking of late April.

It depends where you are thinking of going. I have never skied Squaw in spring, but have skied -at Mammoth- with folks who normally ski Squaw and prefer Mammoth in spring. In April, you can hit full winter conditions or full spring conditions or a combination of the two. Full spring conditions means a melt/freeze cycle. The peak at Mammoth is 11,000 feet and the midstation of the gondola is at 9600, while the base is at 8700. During full spring conditions, you will want to follow the sun as the morning will be rock hard corduroy, softening to corn. We always ski the bottom of the mountain in the morning and then ski the upper mountain when the bottom starts to get too soft. Right about then the top is softening nicely. Mammoth does salt main runs which continues to provide a nice firm surface to ski to the bottom of the mountain. Sometime in April, Mammoth does start to close areas of the mountain starting with the Eagle (Juniper Springs) base area, followed by the Canyons (Village area) and the backside. Once the snow is really deteriorated, they close the Mill base area. In April this year, I would expect the backside, the Mill and Main to stay open through Easter, which is late April and possible also Canyons. I plan to ski in both May and June this year ... and July if the snow is favorable. In short, you can pretty much count on some very good blue terrain in the mornings and then possible slushy stuff in the afternoon. The top of the mountain is mostly black and double black terrain, though it skis slower in spring so it is easier than during the main season.
 

Jenny

Angel Diva
A couple of years ago when we were there in April we had spring at the beginning of the week and then full on winter at the end. And I whined, because I’d gotten accustomed to the spring conditions just that fast! I missed sitting outside in the sun with my drink after I was done for the day . . .
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
I say you can still prepurchase the night before you want to go on the website and save off the window rate and then you have the benefit of not being locked in.
Have you found online discounted rates for Epic locations for 2018-19? I have never looked. I know there are MCP locations that are don't participate in Liftopia.
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I skied at Mammoth in June two years ago and the first three nights of my trip were below freezing in town.
Mammoth salts its groomers, which keeps them from getting sticky. When it got warm, the melt came quickly, but early-morning skiing was still firm and really fun.
 

CarverJill

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
So who is coming to mammoth in July or June? I know a bunch of people going on the 4th but I sort of have plans. I'd love to go for my birthday July 26th but I guess that depends on the snow.
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
So who is coming to mammoth in July or June? I know a bunch of people going on the 4th but I sort of have plans. I'd love to go for my birthday July 26th but I guess that depends on the snow.

OMG, I wish. The three weeks I spent in Mammoth Lakes were an amazing, beautiful, dream. I skied until 1 or two, grabbed a protein shake, then mountain biked all afternoon. Evenings were for hanging out at the brewpub, next to a campfire, or in a hot spring. It was NOT easy to get on a plane to Newark at the end of that trip!
 

NewEnglandSkier

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Have you found online discounted rates for Epic locations for 2018-19? I have never looked. I know there are MCP locations that are don't participate in Liftopia.

I haven't found any third party discounts for Vail resorts, but for example when I skied Sunapee one day in January, I just went on the Sunapee website the night before I wanted to ski there and bought a ticket--for much less than the one day advance purchase epic pass they are advertising for next year. I paid like $85 or something similar--definitely not triple digits (and it was a discount off the walk up rate as well--not a large discount mind you since I was just buying one day prior).
So if a person wants to ski a "cheaper" vail resort like Sunapee, unless vail is vastly planning to change their lift ticket prices for next year, I'm just not convinced the 1-3 day passes are the best deal (for use at the cheaper resorts). If you want to ski Vail itself or some other resort that commands a very high ticket price then the math of the 1-3 day passes may work out in a better favor. Just depends on which resorts you plan to use the pass at.
 

mustski

Angel Diva
@lisamamot and I have toyed with the June idea a little, though just talk so far.. :beer:
If you do, aim for the FIRST week in June. 2016/17 was the only season that we skied into August. We do not have as much snow this year and the water content is different so it’s expected to melt quicker. We’ll know more mid April. If you do come out, we’ll join you.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
If you do, aim for the FIRST week in June. 2016/17 was the only season that we skied into August. We do not have as much snow this year and the water content is different so it’s expected to melt quicker. We’ll know more mid April. If you do come out, we’ll join you.

Sounds good! We were originally throwing around May or June, I’ve never skied past May so thought that would be cool but snow would definitely be a factor to consider as time goes by!
 

VickiK

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Those long days in late spring in Mammoth are great for exploring the area, especially if you have a car to get around. My BF would call it a Mammoth trifecta day: ski, ride, fish.
 

mustski

Angel Diva
Those long days in late spring in Mammoth are great for exploring the area, especially if you have a car to get around. My BF would call it a Mammoth trifecta day: ski, ride, fish.
Agreed. We love skiing in the morning and then taking a nice walk around the various lakes, in the afternoon. Now that the dogs are more mature, we may even try the shuttle to Red's Meadow. Gavin graduates May 4 and we have family in town for the first week of the month or so. We are aiming for a trip mid may, possible even Memorial weekend if Gavin can make it. We plan to camp again. I like sleeping with my skis!
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Details about Okemo and Sunapee for 2019-20 in this thread started by @Abbi. These two places were part of Triple Peaks before the recent purchase by Vail Resorts, along with Crested Butte in Colorado.

https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/index.php?threads/okemo-mount-sunapee-2019-20.23754/

"There also will be, purchased at the mountain or by phone on the Vail line only, a weekday pass, a Senior (65-69) and Super Senior(70-79) passes. There are holiday black outs, as the expiring passes. It sounds as though the weekday pass was $429 without the insurance."
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
The number of options for an Epic Pass make it more flexible but also more complicated to understand. Definitely assumes that someone only wants to ski at a Vail ski resort, presumably with at least one trip to a major destination resort. For someone who is determined to take a vacation to ski Vail or Beaver Creek or Keystone or Breck or Heavenly or Northstar or W-B but doesn't intend to ski more than 7 days at a Vail Resort during the rest of the season, I guess the Epic Day Pass sounds like a good deal. Can't imagine many people getting an Epic Day Pass for Stowe or Okemo.

Interesting that only half of VR's lift revenue comes from some type of season pass. That means the other half comes from people buying day tickets at prices well over $150 at destination resorts out west.

https://www.skimag.com/news/vail-resorts-epic-day-pass - March 2019
" . . .
Vail Resorts adds a few more options to their 2019-20 pass lineup with the Keystone Plus Pass and the Summit Value Pass. Both passes take advantage of the upgrades Keystone is planning on making with its snowmaking, providing some of the earliest skiing of the ‘19/’20 season. The Keystone Plus Pass includes unlimited access to Keystone, five days at Crested Butte (both with holiday restrictions) and unlimited skiing at Breckenridge starting April 1, 2020. The Summit Value Pass provides unlimited access to Keystone and Breckenridge, with holiday restrictions.
. . ."


https://www.summitdaily.com/news/vail-resorts-launches-epic-day-pass/ - March 2019
" . . .
Vail Resorts says the pass will save some guests up to 50 percent off of single-day, lift-ticket window prices. In Tuesday’s press release announcing the news, Vail Resorts said 47 percent of lift revenue during the last fiscal year came from guests using a season pass. That said, Vail Resorts said guests using a daily lift ticket skied, on average, 2.3 days during the season.
. . ."
 

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