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Multi-resort passes for 2022-23: Ikon, Epic, Indy etc.

teppaz

Angel Diva
If you are willing to drive a little farther from Denver, or start in Albuquerque, consider pricing out midweek lift tickets for Wolf Creek and Monarch. Assuming you want to go somewhere that often has untracked powder and short lift lines.
That is exactly what’s on my mind! I’d hit Taos for a couple of days then Wolf Creek.
 

Peaheartsmama

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
We deffered the ikon for the last two years. Bought it again for this coming winter - hoping to finally be able to use it. Was thinking to get some use out of it this spring but I’m not sure the schedule is lining up well….
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
As expected, the prices for Epic passes were announced on March 21. Prices increased but remain very competitive with Ikon.

For those unfamiliar with Epic, keep in mind that there are variations that are regional. Someone who lives in New England has different choices to make compared to someone in the midwest, Colorado, or California.

Screen Shot 2022-03-21 at 8.59.51 AM.jpg

For an analysis of Epic for 2022-23, including the changes for folks in western PA:
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
If someone just wants to sample selected Epic ski areas/resorts or meet up with friends for a day there are new options for the Epic Day Pass (1-7 days). For 22 of the locations, it's possible to buy an Epic Day Pass for one day for $44 non-holiday. That list excludes all Western resorts, plus the three Vermont mountains and Hunter so only for the small hills in the midwest and PA. For another $28 that covers 32 locations, could pay $72 for one day at Stowe, Okemo, Sunapee, Hunter, plus Tahoe, Keystone, Crested Butte, or Stevens Pass.

The Epic Day Pass for All Locations, 22 locations, or 32 locations can cover 1-7 days, non-holiday or holiday for addition money. Since the cost per day goes down as the number of days goes up, it would be possible to get 5 days at the Vermont Epic resorts for $65/day, non-holiday. Or someone who lives in NY/NJ/New England might consider having Ikon plus a few days on an Epic Day Pass to ski VT or Hunter plus a few days at Keystone or in Tahoe. Or someone within driving distance of Stevens Pass might want to combine a few days there with Tahoe.
 

Pequenita

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
The most frustrating thing about the Ikon pass is that it is the only pass for some mountains (Palisades and Mammoth come to mind), so if you want a pass at those resorts, you have to get the base pass at minimum. I wish Ikon would do something like how Epic has the Tahoe Local pass and drop the price by $100 or so. I haven’t traveled to ski since 2018.
 

kmb5662

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
If someone just wants to sample selected Epic ski areas/resorts or meet up with friends for a day there are new options for the Epic Day Pass (1-7 days). For 22 of the locations, it's possible to buy an Epic Day Pass for one day for $44 non-holiday. That list excludes all Western resorts, plus the three Vermont mountains and Hunter so only for the small hills in the midwest and PA. For another $28 that covers 32 locations, could pay $72 for one day at Stowe, Okemo, Sunapee, Hunter, plus Tahoe, Keystone, Crested Butte, or Stevens Pass.

The Epic Day Pass for All Locations, 22 locations, or 32 locations can cover 1-7 days, non-holiday or holiday for addition money. Since the cost per day goes down as the number of days goes up, it would be possible to get 5 days at the Vermont Epic resorts for $65/day, non-holiday. Or someone who lives in NY/NJ/New England might consider having Ikon plus a few days on an Epic Day Pass to ski VT or Hunter plus a few days at Keystone or in Tahoe. Or someone within driving distance of Stevens Pass might want to combine a few days there with Tahoe.
Happy that they have this option and it's something I am highly considering. I've recently been getting the Ikon Pass + season pass to a local indy mountain. Before doing Ikon, I would take annual trips to Stowe which financially doesn't make sense for me now given the price of day passes with doing Ikon, but I really miss my trips up there. As someone who skis a lot in PA, doing Epic only would be a smarter financial decision on my part but I enjoy too many Ikon destinations and hate to say no to my hometown indy mountain, especially as they've been putting in a lot of money and effort to improve things (and less crowds!). This is also a great option for people like my sister who likes to go on a ski trip once a year but doesn't get enough usage or want to shell out the money for a season pass.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Ikon has a Session Pass for 2, 3, or 4 days. But still a premium price. The prices are $249, $349, $419. For those prices, seems worth considering if the MCP makes sense for people who want to ski at destination resorts out west. Assuming they are not set on skiing one of the Alterra resorts no longer on the MCP.

Fair to say that the only consistent statement that can be made about the major multi-resort passes is that there is no guarantee of what the future holds based on past seasons.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
Have to agree with @Pequenita . In order to ski Tremblant I have to buy the Ikon base. But I will say that even this year, it's still less expensive than the old Tremblant only pass. Not sure how much I would use the pass outside of Tremblant. So far I only used 2 days from the years we've had it outside of Tremblant.
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
The other thing that gets me riled is that Vail is doing nothing to address the capacity issues on the hill. My local ski town has had incredible traffic and infrastructure problems since Vail sold a bazillion passes last year, and lift lines at the mountain are ridiculous. But in spite of this, nothing is being done. As far as I see, they haven't even acknowledged that there's an issue, despite being called on it all over the place on social media. This makes no sense. Sports stadiums have capacity limits. Golf courses have tee times -- they don't allow an unlimited number of participants at the same time. As far as I'm concerned, it's the same thing, and it directly impacts the customer's experience.
 

ilovepugs

Angel Diva
The other thing that gets me riled is that Vail is doing nothing to address the capacity issues on the hill. My local ski town has had incredible traffic and infrastructure problems since Vail sold a bazillion passes last year, and lift lines at the mountain are ridiculous. But in spite of this, nothing is being done. As far as I see, they haven't even acknowledged that there's an issue, despite being called on it all over the place on social media. This makes no sense. Sports stadiums have capacity limits. Golf courses have tee times -- they don't allow an unlimited number of participants at the same time. As far as I'm concerned, it's the same thing, and it directly impacts the customer's experience.
Did you get this email from Kirsten Lynch:
To All Our Pass Holders,
Thank you sincerely for being a Pass Holder. Your loyalty to our mountain resorts is greatly appreciated.
I have been the CEO of Vail Resorts for just over 100 days. In that time, it has become crystal clear to me that we can never waiver from our commitment to continuously reinvest in our team members, our resorts, and in you, our Pass Holders.
To deliver on that commitment, we have plans to address the challenges of this season and new projects to improve your experience at our mountain resorts.
My letter to you today is to share Our Commitment to You.
Strong Wages for Our Team
Our team’s passion for the outdoors, and for skiing and riding, is what makes our mountain resorts so special, and your experience memorable. Last week, we announced a pivotal shift in our company’s direction with a strategic focus on investing more in our employees.
We are raising our North American minimum wage to $20 per hour for all 37 of our mountain resorts for Winter 22/23. Combined with additional wage increases, this investment represents an average increase of nearly 30% across hourly employees in North America. This is to ensure that our resorts are fully staffed next season, and that we continue to attract and develop a strong team of passionate people, who will bring their best to your experience every day at our resorts.
This commitment represents an incremental $175 million annual investment in our employees.​
New Lifts and Terrain On-Mountain
Investments in new high speed, high-capacity chairlifts improve your experience on the mountain by reducing lift lines. This past season we added 7 new lifts across our resorts, and for next season we plan to install 21 new lifts across 14 of our mountain resorts coast-to-coast, as well as adding new lift-served Bergman Bowl terrain and a restaurant expansion at Keystone.
This commitment represents an over $300 million capital improvement plan for the 2022/23 Winter Season.
Additionally, our Operations teams at each of our mountain resorts are focused on continuous improvements to your experience – from lift-loading efficiency to improved guest service to parking efficiency.​
The Best Value for Our Pass Holders
We remain committed to providing you with amazing value for all our pass products, whether you ski and ride one day or every day. Next season will be no different. We are offering new pass options and new ways for you to pay for your pass. However, the value we provide you with always starts, and ends, with us delivering you an incredible experience while you are at our resorts.
Your loyalty is critical to us and we are committed to earning that loyalty by constantly improving your experience and always delivering incredible value. That is how we live up to our mission of providing an Experience of a Lifetime.​
I look forward to seeing you on the mountain next season.
Thank you for your loyalty,​
Kirsten, CEO, Vail Resorts
Kirsten​
 

ilovepugs

Angel Diva
Yes, which still does nothing to address the issue.
Yep, agreed. I’m very curious to know how many people from the corporate office actually have visited the eastern resorts on a regular Saturday during peak season.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
I too am concerned about crowding next season. The pass 2 seasons have been great with the Covid restrictions. No Americans, less people travelling, vaccine passports required to ski in Quebec. It kept the crowds down. And day tickets only available on line to keep the #s down.

Next year?? Group ticket sales back? Ski clubs could buy 100's of tickets to sell to their members. 2 day package tickets at Costco. Be interesting to see if all this comes back. I really hope not.
 

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