Mountain Collective 2020!!

[bsskier]

Yes, you’re correct, my Vail people are Epic. I’m thankful to receive the buddy benefit, but next year DH is coming along and I think we’ll buy tickets rather than expect buddy passes to be offered. I’ll look into EPIC Day Pass. Thank you for sharing your expertise on this subject.

You mean MTN aka Epic buddy passes, right? Vail is not on the MCP and never will be.

Have you looked to see if the new Epic Day Pass would help for 3 days at Vail? Price will go up after Oct. 13. Don't have to pick the dates in advance.

It's be easy for me to use the MCP and Ikon because my friends and I like the destination resorts included. Alta was one of the original MCP locations and that's where I go the most. But we didn't go to Taos or Telluride for quite a while because they weren't on the MCP.


Where you go, lodging is a better piece of the cost and being with friends and family is . . . as they say . . . "priceless."

 

[marzNC]

Yes, you’re correct, my Vail people are Epic. I’m thankful to receive the buddy benefit, but next year DH is coming along and I think we’ll buy tickets rather than expect buddy passes to be offered. I’ll look into EPIC Day Pass. Thank you for sharing your expertise on this subject.

There used to be an Epic 4-Day and an Epic 7-Day. The Epic Day Pass is 1-7 days, although getting 4+ days is necessary to get to the partner locations. Pretty much designed for someone like you who only needs a few tickets and plans trips early enough to buy tickets before Nov.

I've considered getting an Epic pass for a season to explore Vail, BC, and so on in Colorado. That much more likely now that I could also use it in PA to ski with friends in the DC area.

 

[marzNC]

The MCP price went up in early Oct, per usual. Now $509/$199. In the past few years, there were two more price increases before the MCP went off sale completely at the end of January.

For someone who can get to 2+ MCP locations out west and ski for at least 7 days, it's still a reasonable option since the price is half of the cost of Ikon Base. Even for a 1-week ski vacation to a single destination resort, it's worth doing the math. Flying to SLC for a week and skiing LCC provides 4 ski days since Alta and Snowbird are separate. Then can use the 50% discount in LCC or just get individual discounted tickets for other SLC ski resorts. Other online discounts are rarely more than 40% off.

 

[skiwest]

The MCP price went up in early Oct, per usual. Now $509/$199. In the past few years, there were two more price increases before the MCP went off sale completely at the end of January.

For someone who can get to 2+ MCP locations out west and ski for at least 7 days, it's still a reasonable option since the price is half of the cost of Ikon Base. Even for a 1-week ski vacation to a single destination resort, it's worth doing the math. Flying to SLC for a week and skiing LCC provides 4 ski days since Alta and Snowbird are separate. Then can use the 50% discount in LCC or just get individual discounted tickets for other SLC ski resorts. Other online discounts are rarely more than 40% off.

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I don't think you need 7 days to make it worth it, do you? I'm doing some rough pricing and just two days each at Big Sky and Jackson Hole (assuming ticket window prices) puts you over $600. I'm sure you could save some money buying online or buying two-day consecutive tickets, but still, it looks like the pass can be worth it for more like 4 days of skiing.

 

[marzNC]

I don't think you need 7 days to make it worth it, do you? I'm doing some rough pricing and just two days each at Big Sky and Jackson Hole (assuming ticket window prices) puts you over $600. I'm sure you could save some money buying online or buying two-day consecutive tickets, but still, it looks like the pass can be worth it for more like 4 days of skiing.

You need 7 days to make it worth buying the MCP if you only go to one location. That's why people who find the MCP useful generally know they will use it at least for two locations. Of course, if going to SLC that's relatively easy for a skier because the MCP includes 2 days at Alta and 2 days at Snowbird.

Keep in mind that online discounts for a destination like Jackson Hole can be quite different compared to less well known ski resorts. Pretty sure JH doesn't work with Liftopia or GetSkiTickets but I haven't looked in a while.

In general, have to do the math to see if a multi-resort pass makes sense for a specific situation. I got good value from the MCP for several years. However, I could always go to two locations, and sometimes even get to three. Made it a lot easier because my ski buddies were using the MCP too. Now we have shifted to Full Ikon, even though the entry price is higher. Getting 7 days instead of 2 plus 50% for the other 5 days works out better. I'll end up using Ikon at two resorts for 7 days, plus get in other days at a few other resorts. That's hard for someone who is working to do.

 

[skiwest]

You need 7 days to make it worth buying the MCP if you only go to one location. That's why people who find the MCP useful generally know they will use it at least for two locations. Of course, if going to SLC that's relatively easy for a skier because the MCP includes 2 days at Alta and 2 days at Snowbird.

Keep in mind that online discounts for a destination like Jackson Hole can be quite different compared to less well known ski resorts. Pretty sure JH doesn't work with Liftopia or GetSkiTickets but I haven't looked in a while.

In general, have to do the math to see if a multi-resort pass makes sense for a specific situation. I got good value from the MCP for several years. However, I could always go to two locations, and sometimes even get to three. Made it a lot easier because my ski buddies were using the MCP too. Now we have shifted to Full Ikon, even though the entry price is higher. Getting 7 days instead of 2 plus 50% for the other 5 days works out better. I'll end up using Ikon at two resorts for 7 days, plus get in other days at a few other resorts. That's hard for someone who is working to do.

Thanks for this context. I ended up buying the MCP last night because I'm planning to hit 4-5 resorts this year, but won't be going much more than 1-2 days at each so Ikon didn't make sense. First time I've ever had one of these passes!

 

[Jersey Ski Girl]

https://www.nzski.com/footer/mountain-collective/

Looks like it's back.....

Thanks for the info.

 

[Jersey Ski Girl]

Thanks for this context. I ended up buying the MCP last night because I'm planning to hit 4-5 resorts this year, but won't be going much more than 1-2 days at each so Ikon didn't make sense. First time I've ever had one of these passes!

Sounds good! So true!

 

[Jersey Ski Girl]

Sounds good! So true!

I had already bought the IKon. Maybe next year for MCP.

 

[marzNC]

Thanks for this context. I ended up buying the MCP last night because I'm planning to hit 4-5 resorts this year, but won't be going much more than 1-2 days at each so Ikon didn't make sense. First time I've ever had one of these passes!

Although the initial idea for the MCP was to limit the locations to one per region, it quickly shifted to be perfect for someone planning what you have in mind. It has a lower entry price, is great for checking out a new resort for a couple days, and provides the flexibility to add a 3rd or 4th day for a lower price than is available online. 50% off is a good deal for an additional day or two. Especially for someone who has paid for a plane ticket.

 

[marzNC]

The $509 price for the MCP might be gone by Thanksgiving. Most likely will go up to $529 until the week before Christmas.

 

[marzNC]

The $529 price will probably end before Christmas week. In the last few years, the MCP was available after the holidays until late January but there will be another price increase.

 

[marzNC]

Final price for MCP 2019-20 is $579, a $50 jump from early Dec. Wonder if the late Dec snowstorms were a factor in setting the price?

Based on the last few years, the MCP will not be available after late Jan.