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Multi-resort passes for 2019-20: Ikon, MCP, Epic, Freedom, Indy, Peak, etc.

marzNC

Angel Diva
The Indy Pass added 8 locations. Three are in the midwest (MI, MN) plus Terry Peak in SD gets listed under "midwest." Also added Mohawk in CT, Ober Gatlinburg in TN, and Shawnee in the Ponocos of PA.

From what I've seen walking around the bases of Ober and Shawnee, they are well run ski hills that cater to families with kids getting started.

The Pacific NW is where the Indy Pass started, so has quite a nice list. Seems as if the fact that VR bought Stevens Pass and is putting up two new base lifts there had an impact on the local competition thinking that a marketing partnership like Indy would be useful.

Hurricane Ridge, WA
White Pass, WA
Mission Ridge, WA
49 Degrees North, WA
Hurricane Ridge, WA
Hoodoo, OR
Mt. Shasta, CA

Unofficial Networks did a complete list by state after the count went to 44.
 
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marzNC

Angel Diva
REGIONAL MULTI-RESORT PASSES

Regional passes have been around for a while. The list below are examples from last year’s multi-resort thread. If you know of any others, please let us know by posting in this thread!

• Ski3 Pass for ORDA mountains in NY
• New England Pass for Boyne in NH/ME
• White Mountain Super Pass (NH)
• Utah Gold/Silver
• NY Gold Pass
• Midwest Premier Pass
• NC Gold Pass

Canada
• Rocky Mountain Passport
• Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR) Rockies
• Canadian Ski Council Gold/Silver ticket packs
If you close enough to consider a season pass, check to see if there are days included at nearby ski areas/resorts.

For example, Arapahoe Basin passholders get 3 days at Monarch and 3 days at Taos. But it's not as simple as a 3-way agreement. Taos passholders get 3 days at A-Basin and 3 days at Copper. Monarch is part of the Powder Alliance so season passholders get 3 days at a long list of other locations. Copper has premier passes with perks like early access to lifts but no free days at another resort.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Fair to say that VR and Alterra are putting a lot of emphasis on early opening dates. Also applies to Ikon partners, including Boyne Resorts and POWDR. Both Boyne and POWDR have important Ikon locations in the northeast or midwest in terms of competing with Epic. All the bigger multi-resort companies plan to have open resorts in every region by Thanksgiving week.

EARLY SEASON OPENINGS 2019-20 FOR IKON/MCP OR EPIC

Opened Oct. 11: Arapahoe Basin, CO - Ikon/MCP
Opened Oct. 12: Keystone, CO - Epic

Announced opening dates before Nov. 17 - as of Oct. 30, 2019
Nov. 1: Eldora, CO - Ikon, owned by POWDR
Nov. 1: Mt. Norquay, Canada - Ikon, SkiBig3
Nov. 2: Winter Park Resort, CO - Ikon, owned by Alterra
Nov. 8: Copper Mountain, CO - Ikon, owned by POWDR
Nov. 8: Lake Louise, Banff Sunshine, Canada - Ikon/MCP, SkiBig3
Nov. 8: Breckenridge, CO - Epic
Nov. 9: Mammoth Mountain, CA - Ikon/MCP
Nov. 15: Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows, CA - Ikon/MCP
Nov. 15: Big Bear, Snow Summit, CA - Epic
Nov. 15: Vail, CO - Epic
Nov. 16: Loon Mountain, NH - Ikon, Boyne Resorts

Other Ikon locations likely to open before Nov. 17: Killington, VT (POWDR), Sunday River, ME (Boyne), Brighton, UT (Boyne).
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
A lot of deadlines are coming up for multi-resort passes in the next month or so. The last day to buy any sort of Epic pass is Nov. 24. No word yet about how long Ikon passes will be available. Last fall was the first season for Ikon and sales ended mid-Dec. The price for the MCP is likely to go up around Thanksgiving.

The price goes up $20 for the Indy Pass on Dec. 1.

Nov. 7, 2019, The Know Outdoors (Denver Post)
Watch out: The deadline for buying an Epic Pass is looming
Ikon Pass hasn’t announced its deadline yet
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
It's fair to say that anyone who lives close enough to consider a season pass for one mountain should look to see if there are perks that cover days at other places. If a ski area is part of a partnership like the Freedom Pass, it's relatively straightforward. But there are also 1-1 reciprocal agreements that are less obvious.

For instance Diamond Peak in Tahoe has agreements with a pretty long list.
“Diamond Peak’s 2019-20 season pass holders will enjoy at least 58 complimentary lift tickets at 15 (or more) partner resorts across the country this winter – up to four days at each resort. Participating resorts (as of September) include: Beaver Mountain (UT), Beech Mountain (NC), Bogus Basin (ID), Boreal (Donner Summit, CA), Brundage (ID), Cooper (CO), Homewood Mountain Resort (Lake Tahoe, CA), Lee Canyon (NV), Mission Ridge (WA), Moose Mountain (AK), Mt. Ashland (OR), Red Lodge (MT), Snow King (WY), Tahoe Donner XC & Downhill (Truckee, CA), and Whitefish (MT).”

But when I checked Beech Mountain in NC, there are only three other mountains listed: Diamond Peak, Shawnee Peak in ME, and Bogus Basin in ID.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
So Epic passholders who go to the destination resorts have had EpicMix for a while. Ikon just announced an app. Look for APP under FAQ on an Ikon webpage.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
In early Nov, the last day to buy Epic passes was Nov. 24. However, the deadline seems to have been quietly extended for another week. Now the last day to buy an Epic pass for 2019-20 is Dec. 2, 2019. Perhaps the delayed openings in Tahoe are a factor.

Screen Shot 2019-11-26 at 10.32.24 PM.png

The deadline for Ikon was mid-December last year. Haven't seen anything definite for 2019 yet. Deadline of Dec. 12 just announced.

EDIT: found an article from Nov. 25 about the extension that included the Ikon deadline

https://theknow.denverpost.com/2019/11/25/ikon-pass-epic-pass-deadlines-2019/229307/
 
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santacruz skier

Angel Diva
In early Nov, the last day to buy Epic passes was Nov. 24. However, the deadline seems to have been quietly extended for another week. Now the last day to buy an Epic pass for 2019-20 is Dec. 2, 2019. Perhaps the delayed openings in Tahoe are a factor.

View attachment 11597

The deadline for Ikon is mid-December.
Agree about the delayed openings..... ha but weather is storming now up in Tahoe. Roads closed east and west of Truckee last I heard. It is a cold storm and dumping - heard 3 ft expected but you never know with Tahoe storms.
Following Bryan Allegretto from Open Snow.....
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
As the season gets going in earnest, not much time left to buy a season pass that has perks at other mountains or a major multi-resort pass. The Epic passes are off sale already. Ikon sales end Dec. 12. The MCP will probably be unavailable during the holiday weeks, and then come back at a higher price for a few weeks in January.

The new Indy Pass is making the most news in the last few months. The latest announcement this week was the addition of Black Mountain in NH and Detroit Mountain in MN. The price is $219, goes up to $239 on Jan. 1, and it goes off sale for 2019-20 by March 1. The count is to up 46 locations. In some ways, the Indy Pass is a collection of regional multi-resort passes. Someone in the PacNW isn't too likely to travel to the midwest or northeast. Someone in the northeast is unlikely to travel south to the mid-Atlantic or southeast. But most regions includes a few locations within reasonable driving distance. The outliers are Terry Peak in SD and Sunrise in AZ.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
For those who already have a multi-resort pass but haven't finalized travel plans yet, check out the ideas in a recent NY Times article. It was in Dec. 1 Sunday paper Travel Section about skiing after coming out online early last week. Some of the advice is directly related to driving between destination resorts out west, which can be quite a different situation than driving around in the northeast or midwest for assorted reasons.

11/25/19, NY Times
Multi-Mountain Passes Upended the American Ski Trip. Here Are 9 Rules.
The passes have encouraged fans of snow sports to visit more than one mountain on a vacation. Here’s how to navigate the new landscape.
" . . .
6. And the road-assistance coverage

Like many New Yorkers, I don’t own a car — yet each year I renew my AAA membership. I mostly use it for various discounts but it came in handy when my rental wouldn’t start on my first morning in Jackson. AAA dispatched a tow truck that got me to the Budget office (which, luckily, was less than five miles away, the maximum distance for free towing on my plan). I was given new wheels and took off for the Jackson Hole slopes. . . .
. . ."
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
For those who already have a multi-resort pass but haven't finalized travel plans yet, check out the ideas in a recent NY Times article.
Had to think for a while. For my situation and personality, the ideas that resonate the most with me from the article are:

1) Think in clusters
8) B.Y.O.G. - Bring Your Own Gear
9) Most important, make new friends

For my mid-season trip in February, my friends and I are staying in a VRBO house in SLC. That makes it easy to use Ikon in all three canyons (Alta/Snowbird, Solitude, Brighton, Deer Valley). We always have a car so can decide based on snow conditions where to go on a daily basis. Probably wouldn't be driving from SLC to Steamboat without the Ikon pass. Only going to ski a few days, plus a day at Winter Park before flying home from Denver. The idea is to get a feel for Steamboat for a future trip.

Have been following #8 for a decade since I bought all-mountain skis. Nice to have skis I know I like because there have been times when finding fun rental skis was difficult because I'm petite. Helps that I live near an airport served by Southwest. Almost always have to change planes for flights to ski out west, but no baggage fees and no fees for changing or cancelling a flight makes a huge difference. I tend to plan trips months in advance. Can be even before the flight schedule is available for the winter.

#9 is key. Online ski forums, ski clubs, or being willing to start a conversation on a lift with a friendly stranger. . . all helpful. Not only ski buddies willing to do trips together, but also locals or fellow travelers who are interested in taking a few runs together. Even just meeting up for a meal to chat skiing makes a trip more fun.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Wanted to note for future reference that Brian Head in southern UT is being bought by James Coleman's company, Mountain Capital Partners. So it's part of the regional Power Pass even for 2019-20, which includes Nordic Valley in UT, but is mainly locations in the southwest including Purgatory and AZ Snowbowl.
 

santacruz skier

Angel Diva
Skied several days at Brianhead, UT in 1990. Planned a trip to Mammoth with San Diego college friends. Arrived at SD airport and was met by friends who said Mammoth had no snow and how did I feel about a road trip to Brianhead, UT. They had just received 2-4 ft in the last few days. So we went to Brianhead!
Fun fun place !
 

Christy

Angel Diva
I wonder if Alterra is sorry they bought Crystal yet. We had an unseasonably dry early season, then the mess with overcrowding and no parking/traffic, now it's been one weather event after another.

20200206_084342.jpg


20200206_084322.jpg
 

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