Ikon info for 2019-2020 has begun to dribble out

[mustski]

They need some marketing help.

Agreed. This is the same company that instituted parking fees at some of their resorts last year to encourage carpooling. Cars with more than 3 get free parking but everyone else pays. They justified it as a method of reducing the carbon footprint. It's a pretty mixed message to sen out new passes when it is not necessary and a large plastic keychain that no one will use.

 

[Lilia]

Do the stickers that come with the pass have any value, such as discounts or something else?

 

[Tvan]

Our passes came last week. I put the key chain on my boot bag with my name on the back (written in sharpie). Do I need it? No. But since I have it, it will make my bag more identifiable, along with my Okemo WAA and SkiDiva tags.

 

[marzNC]

Do the stickers that come with the pass have any value, such as discounts or something else?

There are discounts that go with having on Ikon pass for resort lodging and food. But only need to have the pass. The stickers are for marketing only, assuming people put them on something that others can see. For instance, a Ski Diva sticker on skis can be a way to start a conversation on a chairlift with a friendly random stranger.

What do you do with ski stickers?

 

[marzNC]

Thredbo in Australia has announced they will have a new gondola in 2020. Replacing an old double that serves beginner/intermediate terrain so will have quite an impact on traffic from the base. Epic has three locations (Perisher, Hotham, Falls Creek) in Australia, while Ikon has two (Thredbo, Mt. Buller) plus three locations in New Zealand.

People with a 2019-20 Ikon pass get access in 2020 for Australia and NZ. Even though the skiing may be better in S. America during July-Aug, heading across the Pacific is what's on my bucket list for the N. American off-season.

https://www.thredbo.com.au/wp-conte...release-First-Gondola-in-Alpine-Australia.pdf
" . . .
The Merritts Gondola is a high speed, eight person Gondola that will quadruple the capacity of the current Merritts Chairlift, lifting approximately 2,000 people per hour;

• The new Gondola will transport skiers, snowboarders and sightseers from the village to the intermediate and beginner terrain of the Cruiser area. The Cruiser area also has access to some of the resort’s advanced trails like Dream Run;
• There’ll be a mid-station close to the base of the High Noon trail, allowing guests to access Friday Flat or alternatively load to get to the Cruiser area or to the village;
• Travel time from the Village to the Cruiser area is approximately six minutes, saving 15 minutes on current times;
• Construction will commence in October 2019.

. . ."

 

[Mary Tee]

No pass yet Do repeats get them before first timers?

 

[marzNC]

No pass yet Do repeats get them before first timers?

Hard to know since this is only the second season for Ikon. I would say that the priority should be for first time buyers.

Doesn't hurt to call. Last year some people found out there was an issue with their photo. I remember I didn't get mine until after I left home for trip that included a pre-Thanksgiving day at Killington. Wasn't an issue since Killington could make one for me on the spot.

 

[Bookworm]

No pass yet Do repeats get them before first timers?

I’m a firs timer and I just got mine yesterday. I’m in the Midwest.

 

[MissySki]

I’m a repeat and got mine last week. I’ve seen a mix of first timers and repeats getting them the past couple of weeks on social media, so there must be some other criteria of how they are printing/sending. Maybe based on when you ordered or where you live or name? I haven’t been able to find a common link except @diymom and I are both in MA and got them on the same day I believe.

 

[marzNC]

I'm in NC, a repeat who bought in mid-April to get the $30 discount, and got mine about a week ago. I didn't change my photo.

 

[marzNC]

Prices for Ikon passes are going up on Oct. 17. The current prices are what they were after 10/17/2018 during the first season Ikon was sold, $1049 for Full Ikon and $749 for Ikon Base for an adult 23+ .

 

[MissySki]

I somehow weirdly stumbled upon the fact that you can supposedly order your Ikon pass through Amazon. I’m not sure why one would want to do that, but here it is.

https://smile.amazon.com/Ikon-Base-...1570133776&s=gateway&sprefix=ikon+pass&sr=8-1

 

[marzNC]

I somehow weirdly stumbled upon the fact that you can supposedly order your Ikon pass through Amazon. I’m not sure why one would want to do that, but here it is.

Interesting, last year it was a $200 Costco gift card . . . now Amazon wants people to get a credit card to save $50 off Ikon Base.

 

[MissySki]

Yeah, I think it’s $100 off the full when you go to that option too. I would have never searched Amazon for a ski pass, but there are some reviews from people who have bought it there! Haha I don’t even know how I accidentally got to the page the first time, I was like wait is this real???

 

[Mary Tee]

Yippee, got my pass today! And with the temp dropping more than 30 degrees last night, can snow be far behind??? I am so excited!

 

[marzNC]

Most of the Ikon locations will be open by the end of November. The opening dates are on a separate webpage that has a link in the FAQ, but it hasn't been updated since mid-Sept. Arapahoe Basin and Killington will be the first in their regions. The places that won't open until Dec are Alpine Meadows, Deer Valley, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, The Summit at Snoqualmie, and June Mountain.

https://www.ikonpass.com/en/opening-closing-dates

 

[MissySki]

Most of the Ikon locations will be open by the end of November. The opening dates are on a separate webpage that has a link in the FAQ, but it hasn't been updated since mid-Sept. Arapahoe Basin and Killington will be the first in their regions. The places that won't open until Dec are Alpine Meadows, Deer Valley, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, The Summit at Snoqualmie, and June Mountain.

https://www.ikonpass.com/en/opening-closing-dates

I wonder where they get these dates.. Sunday River doesn’t have a set date to my knowledge, they just say “as soon as possible” yet here it says November 9th. They always target Halloween or sooner if possible, and usually open the same or within a day of Killington.. so this doesn’t seem like it would be correct to me. Guess we’ll see!

 

[marzNC]

I wonder where they get these dates.. Sunday River doesn’t have a set date to my knowledge, they just say “as soon as possible” yet here it says November 9th. They always target Halloween or sooner if possible, and usually open the same or within a day of Killington.. so this doesn’t seem like it would be correct to me. Guess we’ll see!

These are marketing dates for Ikon, but Sunday River isn't an Alterra resort. Right now the dates are as of 9/11/19. SR is listed for early Nov, Loon for mid-Nov, and Sugarloaf was TBD. Just guessing, but perhaps the owner, Boyne Resorts, was confident enough on these dates to want season passholders to think about making plans for a visit before Thanksgiving. Or to encourage a potential season passholder to make the commitment. A-Basin, Killington, and Snowbird are TBD. Presumably because they hope to be open as soon as possible once snowmaking can start in earnest.

Copper will be the first Alterra resort to open. The Copper website has lots of stuff about Nov. 8, 2019 being opening day. Same is true for Mammoth for Nov. 9.

How info about opening dates is handled is clearly different between Ikon and Epic because the ownership/partnership business models are different.

 

[marzNC]

Interesting promotion for Ikon passholders found by @MissySki recently. Can can a free ticket the the ski expos put on by SkiSnowExpo this fall in Boston and Denver.

https://www.ikonpass.com/en/event-free-ticket-request

Also can get a free ticket to the Mountain Time Ski Expo in Dallas, TX, Oct. 19-20. The list of ski resorts that plan to be represented include Schweitzer, along with ski areas/resorts in Utah and NM.

 

[MissySki]

Seems to have worked! I received an email with a link to redeem the ticket, now have it in email and my apple wallet.