@MissySki made a
comment in the Vail buys Peak thread that led me to thinking about people in the northeast who will like the Epic Pass even more with the addition of Peak Resorts in the east. Also reasons that some people will stick to Ikon. Others may find a local season pass still a good option if traveling around for a ski vacation just isn't practical but skiing more than 10 days a season is worth the effort and money. Per usual, the situation for people in other regions (southeast, midwest, west coast) is different.
For people who want to fly out west to ski at VR resorts like Park City, Heavenly, Northstar, or in Colorado, getting some form of Epic Pass is a no-brainer. For people who live within a few hours drive of a VR resort in the northeast, Epic can make a lot of sense. Being in the southeast (5 hours south of DC), I do not fit into either of those groups. Plus my favorite destination resorts are on Ikon (Alta, Taos, Big Sky). So even for slightly more money, Ikon is what I'll continue to get for trips out west.
Note that premium season passholders at MCP resorts get 50% off at any other MCP location. So from the beginning of the MCP, the resorts protected their season pass sales to locals. Especially in the early years when MCP locations were pretty far apart. Only SLC locals have ever had any reason to consider getting the MCP instead of a local season pass.
I noticed that a Boyne Gold Pass for 2019-20 at any Boyne resort includes 3 free days and 50% off additional lift tickets at any other Boyne location, including Big Sky. Essentially can have a local season pass with MCP-like benefits for a trip to Big Sky for people who live in the northeast (Loon, Sunday River, Sugarloaf) or Michigan (Boyne Mountain, Boyne Highlands).
Boyne Gold New England Pass benefits, $1479 thru Oct 14, 2019
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