IKON Pass Pricing Revealed

[marzNC]

The previous unlimited senior pass cutoff was, I believe, 65. And it used to be that at 75 you could get a pass for about $200, then they upped that age to 80 the year before last. The Tonik prices marz quotes are in CDN but you have to add on the Tremblant tax and royalty - close to 20%. They also used to offer a weekday pass (both regular and senior), but no more, which is pissing some people off.

Does seem as if not enough thought went into the Tremblant offerings for 2018-19. But hard to know who made the final decision, new Alterra management or Tremblant management.

Certainly clear that each of the Alterra resorts is handling local pass options differently.

 

[marzNC]

Reminder emails are going out that the price for the Ikon passes go up $100 on May 1.

Mammoth, Squaw/Alpine, and Winter Park are still open for a few more weeks. People who buy a 2018-19 Ikon pass can use them at those resorts for spring skiing.

 

[diymom]

I just wish they would stop sending them out with a "Max Pass" title. It isn't the Max, it is the Ikon.

 

[marzNC]

I just wish they would stop sending them out with a "Max Pass" title. It isn't the Max, it is the Ikon.

Hmm, I was never on a Max Pass e-list. What I get is from Ikon and has no mention of the former Max Pass.

 

[marzNC]

Alterra is pushing the Ikon pass hard this week. Got another reminder email. Also noticed a video ad on one of the major ski magazine websites. Specifically made the point that May 1 is the price increase date.

 

[marzNC]

Alterra is making Father's Day part of the marketing for Ikon. Have a pretty cute video posted. I think it was made at Squaw but it's edited to be generic so that it could apply to any ski resort with nice lodging with an outdoor pool.

https://www.ikonpass.com/en/my-ikon/dad

 

[Pequenita]

I've already used my IKON pass, which is remarkable given that my normal pass only stopped having any effect 2 weeks ago.

 

[WaterGirl]

It's mammoth. I know its fathers day but ? wheres Mom?

 

[marzNC]

Alterra is making Father's Day part of the marketing for Ikon. Have a pretty cute video posted. I think it was made at Squaw but it's edited to be generic so that it could apply to any ski resort with nice lodging with an outdoor pool.

https://www.ikonpass.com/en/my-ikon/dad

Ah, having been to Squaw and Mammoth recently but only spending a little time I wasn't quite sure. Plus we didn't get to see a lot of the beginner/intermediate terrain at Mammoth.

It's mammoth. I know its fathers day but ? wheres Mom?

I wondered that too.

 

[mustski]

Ikon just announced 5 days at Thredbo, Australia. July 2018 looks pretty much blocked out, but a good deal if you were going to be there anyway.

 

[marzNC]

Anyone who is a U.S. Costco member who is thinking about the Ikon Pass may want to check out to the offer for the full Ikon currently available online. Hard to know how long it will be available. Same price but get a Costco Cash Card worth a fair amount of money since it's for 20% of the value of the pass purchased (price varies by age).

 

[mustski]

That deal kind of ticked me off. Effectively ur’s $799 for the full pass which is $100 Lowe than their early bird deal!

 

[marzNC]

That deal kind of ticked me off. Effectively ur’s $799 for the full pass which is $100 Lowe than their early bird deal!

Understandable to be annoyed. If I looked at the lists properly, people who could make use of unlimited access with no blackouts at Mammoth or June, Squaw/Alpine, Steamboat, or Stratton would benefit by being a Costco member. Although those are the people who were more likely to buy during the early bird period.

Presumably Costco is hoping that some people will decided it's worth getting a membership. Wonder whether Alterra approached Costco or the other way around? Costco deals usually don't last that long.

For a traveler who is already a Costco member who hasn't already bought a multi-resort pass, makes the full Ikon the same price as Ikon Base. $799 is $100 less the the full Epic pass.

What will be more interesting is what Ikon decides to do in 2019. They've had some stumbles this first year.

 

[Pequenita]

What will be more interesting is what Ikon decides to do in 2019. They've had some stumbles this first year.

Indeed. I can't imagine that all the unlimited days at partner resorts will remain.

 

[mustski]

There aren’t unlimited days at partner resorts. They are all capped at 5 or 7 days depending on the pass. The unlimited days are at resorts owned by Alterra.

 

[Pequenita]

There aren’t unlimited days at partner resorts. They are all capped at 5 or 7 days depending on the pass. The unlimited days are at resorts owned by Alterra.

Sorry. I used the wrong terminology. My main point, though, is that my pass last season gave me unlimited at my home resort + 50% off MC locations. And for $50 more this upcoming season, I get unlimited at my home resort plus 11 other resorts and a week at a bunch of other places. And that can't be sustainable.

 

[marzNC]

Sorry. I used the wrong terminology. My main point, though, is that my pass last season gave me unlimited at my home resort + 50% off MC locations. And for $50 more this upcoming season, I get unlimited at my home resort plus 11 other resorts and a week at a bunch of other places. And that can't be sustainable.

So you're talking about how things work for Mountain Collective resorts, not the Ikon and Alterra. Correct? With the overlap for 2018-19, it's very confusing.

Whether or not the MCP continues after 2018-19 is certainly open to debate. But that's for another thread.

 

[Pequenita]

So you're talking about how things work for Mountain Collective resorts, not the Ikon and Alterra. Correct? With the overlap for 2018-19, it's very confusing.

Whether or not the MCP continues after 2018-19 is certainly open to debate. But that's for another thread.

I'm talking about Alterra/Ikon. For Squaw, the unrestricted, no blackout passes last year if purchased early bird was $850. The only other resort perk for 2017-18 was 50% off Mountain Collective resorts, but there were a number of Squaw specific perks. For 2018-19, I paid $899 for the Ikon pass and am receiving unlimited, no blackout at 12 resorts, plus a week at a dozen more resorts. And, to be clear, the only season passes available for Squaw/Alpine are the Ikon and the Ikon Base pass. There isn't a local pass for just Squaw/Alpine. It doesn't seem sustainable to maintain this pricing for Squaw/Alpine skiers - we've already demonstrated that we're willing to pay $850+ for an unlimited pass that barely does anything. I feel like next year's passes are going to be adjusted so that you actually need to pay more to get more.

 

[marzNC]

I'm talking about Alterra/Ikon. For Squaw, the unrestricted, no blackout passes last year if purchased early bird was $850. The only other resort perk for 2017-18 was 50% off Mountain Collective resorts, but there were a number of Squaw specific perks. For 2018-19, I paid $899 for the Ikon pass and am receiving unlimited, no blackout at 12 resorts, plus a week at a dozen more resorts. And, to be clear, the only season passes available for Squaw/Alpine are the Ikon and the Ikon Base pass. There isn't a local pass for just Squaw/Alpine. It doesn't seem sustainable to maintain this pricing for Squaw/Alpine skiers - we've already demonstrated that we're willing to pay $850+ for an unlimited pass that barely does anything. I feel like next year's passes are going to be adjusted so that you actually need to pay more to get more.

Ah, that's clearer. Do you think people who had a Squaw/Alpine pass last season mostly bought a full Ikon? Or did some go with Ikon Base? I guess it will be more obvious what the impact of Ikon is next season in terms of whether there are more travelers who bought the Ikon Base to use at Squaw/Alpine and other Ikon places. It was clear in the spring that the decision process was quite different for Californians versus folks in New England who also fly to ski out west.

The Epic Pass came out in 2008. Dropped season pass prices for Vail Resorts in Colorado a lot. Stowe season passes dropped from about $2000 to $800 after VR took over. I presume locals happily bought another Epic pass for 2018-19. My sense is that having a large number of people putting down money way before the fall is what has made that business model quite successful in the last decade. Presumably Alterra is following that concept, with the biggest difference being the limited days at "partner resorts" for 2018-19. Alterra gets to sell more Ikon passes to people who have a partner resort on a bucket list, without having to spend any money on operations.

 

[Jenny]

Sorry. I used the wrong terminology. My main point, though, is that my pass last season gave me unlimited at my home resort + 50% off MC locations. And for $50 more this upcoming season, I get unlimited at my home resort plus 11 other resorts and a week at a bunch of other places. And that can't be sustainable.

Luckily for them there's people like us who bought the pass (base) simply to get our two weeks down to a reasonable price per day to offset the people who can use it all season - at least a little bit.