marzNC
Angel Diva
I meant to write "KSL Resorts is an independent management company, while KSL Capital is an investment company that specializes in travel and leisure."
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ski travel
- Thread starter sorcamc
- Start date
Lmk92
Angel Diva
Good news - 102 out of 105 resorts have recommitted for 2023-24 Indy (two that haven't yet are both in Oregon)
www.indyskipass.com
Returning Alpine Resorts Confirmed for the 23/24 Season - Indy Pass
**Edit: As of April 9th, 104/105 resorts have been confirmed for the 23/24 season. Mt. Ashland and Mt. Hood Meadows have been confirmed since the last update. Snow Valley Mountain Resort, which was acquired by Alterra Mountain Company, is the only resort that won’t be returning. Stay tuned for...
www.indyskipass.com
sorcamc
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Dive girl, I think I am going to get one and I will be available midweek. I live in NJ.
TiffAlt
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I just bought a Crystal Mountain pass and it comes with a full IKON pass. Getting a pass is almost self-fulfilling isn't it? LOL! Since you have it might as well make good use of it! So yea, lots of ski vacation planning going on in our household.
Thankfully we all love it cause I'd hate to hear what it would sound like if my teenager didn't like it as much as his parents do. So far we've just rented hotels though. We know some other families (my son's two best friends are from "ski families" as I call it) with Indy passes that stay with friends, are part of clubs etc. They are trying to get us to join and I'm thinking about it!
jmfd84
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I got an Indy+ pass for the first time for next year. My plan is to try to stay in spots where I can combine a couple mountains whenever possible. I've stayed in all sorts of inns, AirBnBs, VRBOs, motels/hotels, and a couple hostels for skiing and hiking trips, depending on what's available and how much I want to spend for a particular trip. The Indy mountains in the East are all 3.5+ hours from me, so I'll stay overnight at least 1 night. I can do a 3.5-4.5 hour drive home after a ski/hike day, but not both ways solo the same day. I do generally prefer a travel buddy, both for the activity and driving/dinner/sharing accommodation, but I won't let being solo stop me from going. It sounds like a few Divas in the East will be on Indy next year... hopefully we can plan some meetups!
Amie H
Angel Diva
I haven't chimed in yet but...I'm able to do more ski travel/travel in general within a reasonable budget (much less if rental car isn't part of the package) because I'm obsessed with what some people call the "status match merry go-round."
What I mean by that is that through different sources ( exclusive use of airline credit cards, AARP membership, hotel loyalty programs, and status with gaming/resort companies) I'm able to snag free or low-cost premium flights, free baggage check, discounted rental car, free or deeply discounted lodging, etc. It takes some decent project management skills to make it work, and maybe being a little but nuts about it! I think I'm enrolled in almost every major hotel chain loyalty program. Think of me like a crazy coupon lady but with travel stuff.
Here's an example of the "merry go round:"
I have a certain status with Caesars Entertainment (Harrah's, Caesars, etc.) MGM Resorts (Borgata, Las Vegas properties) offers a status match to their Gold level when I pop in there w my current Caesar's card and ID. (Although this is the last year for that program.) THEN through my MGM account online, I automatically match to Hyatt Globalist. THEN I'll get an email offer from American Airlines since I'm high status (on paper, at least) with Hyatt, to "instant upgrade" to Platinum status (2 free checked bags, free cabin upgrades, etc.) Then with my American Airlines card, I maintain the instant status bump by putting all household expenses on it, gaining both airline miles for free travel and the loyalty points needed to maintain status. (NOTE: I'm not encouraging anyone to take up gambling just for points AND I *always* pay my credit card in full each month.)
Sound exhausting? For me, it's part of the fun; I genuinely get a kick out of figuring this stuff out!
Every time I see a snow report (or just want to get out of town for fun) I start researching, looking at maps, and making spreadsheets with costs of every line item, dates/times of travel, etc. Then I decide, based on what seems like the best value and most comfortable (least complicated) on my destination, vendors, and itinerary. I'd say every trip takes me at least an hour or more to plan.
I'm limited with the days I can take away from the office because of the nature of my job, but my boss is pretty cool with letting me work remotely a one or two days a month if I come up with a good plan.
There are myriad combos of "status merry go rounds" you can do; it almost always involves using a credit card (or actual heavy use of a product/ service) linked to a points program, then "status matching" to other loyalty programs AND THEN actually taking advantage of the perks you are entitled to. AARP is another huge money saver for me with rental car and hotel chain discounts. It also "status matches" for certain hotel chains, offering free room upgrades, welcome amenities, etc. I know other Divas have discussed great travel discounts with their Costco memberships.
I use my points/loyalty connections even for driving trips within the Midwest. My last two visits to ski in Wisconsin, one time I stayed at a hotel with an AARP discount and perk, another I stayed in a comp room from a Tribal casino. Last year, I also booked discounted rooms and rental cars through Hotwire (there is an easy way to figure out what the "secret hotel name" is.)
All that said, I book my Beaver Creek trip through Vail Resorts: I get a multi-day EPIC pass, giving me 20% off hotel and shuttle rates. I fly in directly, at least one way free w airline miles. That pass is a bargain for me bc my nearest little ski hill is VR-owned, and I get bonus free days there with the multi-day pass.
My daughter's wedding reception next year is at a Hilton-owned hotel and YOU BETTER BELIEVE I'm getting a boatload of Hilton Honors points for it!
SO...to answer your question in a roundabout way...I get a lower-cost multi-day pass instead of a full Season Pass because I also like to try new-to-me spots if I can make it work with travel savings obtained though my various points programs. I feel like by not shelling out $700-800 a year, I don't feel bad buying a single day ticket somewhere new to me. ALSO: I often will opt for lower-cost night skiing in the Midwest because of smaller crowds, cheaper lift tickets, and less time to take away from work.
If you are comfortable sharing a room with a buddy, that is an easy way to save money. I'm not keen on that idea personally, because I snore horribly and would feel terrible about keeping someone up! And from prior trip reports I've posted on this website, you can see I often travel with/prepare my own food.
What I mean by that is that through different sources ( exclusive use of airline credit cards, AARP membership, hotel loyalty programs, and status with gaming/resort companies) I'm able to snag free or low-cost premium flights, free baggage check, discounted rental car, free or deeply discounted lodging, etc. It takes some decent project management skills to make it work, and maybe being a little but nuts about it! I think I'm enrolled in almost every major hotel chain loyalty program. Think of me like a crazy coupon lady but with travel stuff.
Here's an example of the "merry go round:"
I have a certain status with Caesars Entertainment (Harrah's, Caesars, etc.) MGM Resorts (Borgata, Las Vegas properties) offers a status match to their Gold level when I pop in there w my current Caesar's card and ID. (Although this is the last year for that program.) THEN through my MGM account online, I automatically match to Hyatt Globalist. THEN I'll get an email offer from American Airlines since I'm high status (on paper, at least) with Hyatt, to "instant upgrade" to Platinum status (2 free checked bags, free cabin upgrades, etc.) Then with my American Airlines card, I maintain the instant status bump by putting all household expenses on it, gaining both airline miles for free travel and the loyalty points needed to maintain status. (NOTE: I'm not encouraging anyone to take up gambling just for points AND I *always* pay my credit card in full each month.)
Sound exhausting? For me, it's part of the fun; I genuinely get a kick out of figuring this stuff out!
Every time I see a snow report (or just want to get out of town for fun) I start researching, looking at maps, and making spreadsheets with costs of every line item, dates/times of travel, etc. Then I decide, based on what seems like the best value and most comfortable (least complicated) on my destination, vendors, and itinerary. I'd say every trip takes me at least an hour or more to plan.
I'm limited with the days I can take away from the office because of the nature of my job, but my boss is pretty cool with letting me work remotely a one or two days a month if I come up with a good plan.
There are myriad combos of "status merry go rounds" you can do; it almost always involves using a credit card (or actual heavy use of a product/ service) linked to a points program, then "status matching" to other loyalty programs AND THEN actually taking advantage of the perks you are entitled to. AARP is another huge money saver for me with rental car and hotel chain discounts. It also "status matches" for certain hotel chains, offering free room upgrades, welcome amenities, etc. I know other Divas have discussed great travel discounts with their Costco memberships.
I use my points/loyalty connections even for driving trips within the Midwest. My last two visits to ski in Wisconsin, one time I stayed at a hotel with an AARP discount and perk, another I stayed in a comp room from a Tribal casino. Last year, I also booked discounted rooms and rental cars through Hotwire (there is an easy way to figure out what the "secret hotel name" is.)
All that said, I book my Beaver Creek trip through Vail Resorts: I get a multi-day EPIC pass, giving me 20% off hotel and shuttle rates. I fly in directly, at least one way free w airline miles. That pass is a bargain for me bc my nearest little ski hill is VR-owned, and I get bonus free days there with the multi-day pass.
My daughter's wedding reception next year is at a Hilton-owned hotel and YOU BETTER BELIEVE I'm getting a boatload of Hilton Honors points for it!
SO...to answer your question in a roundabout way...I get a lower-cost multi-day pass instead of a full Season Pass because I also like to try new-to-me spots if I can make it work with travel savings obtained though my various points programs. I feel like by not shelling out $700-800 a year, I don't feel bad buying a single day ticket somewhere new to me. ALSO: I often will opt for lower-cost night skiing in the Midwest because of smaller crowds, cheaper lift tickets, and less time to take away from work.
If you are comfortable sharing a room with a buddy, that is an easy way to save money. I'm not keen on that idea personally, because I snore horribly and would feel terrible about keeping someone up! And from prior trip reports I've posted on this website, you can see I often travel with/prepare my own food.
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marzNC
Angel Diva
There ski safari I did in late Feb a few years ago based on Indy covered 3 Indy mountains: Catamount, Berkshire East, and West Mountain. All three were in reasonable day trip distance of Lee, MA. I booked a timeshare week at the Holiday Inn Club Vacation resort there. There are a variety of lodging options in the Berkshires. A couple of Ski Divas were supposed to meet up with me in Lee. One had to cancel staying overnight but still met up at Berkshire East. Other than the holiday weekend, we didn't plan in advance exactly where we would ski the rest of the week.
That week was Pres. Day week, which was busy because of the New England winter break. We still had a good time skiing at Berkshire East on Sunday and West Mountain on Monday, Pres. Day. It was an unusual situation where I was actually interested to see how a holiday week would be. Plus that week fit into the rest of my winter plans best.
I drove up from North Carolina. In addition to the Indy mountains, I also stopped at Windham using Ikon, and Plattekill. Lucked out and caught a powder day at Plattekill. By then I was solo so did 1-night stays the last few days. Finished by using Indy at Montage in the morning before heading home.
The Indy Pass can lead to fun short trips, solo or with friends.
