Ikon Pass

[Full Trucker]

I'm a "past season holder" and got an email from Ikon with a discount code... not as many doll hairs off as the renewal price but still something. I went to put it in today, and it gave me an INVALID CODE error... figure since today is the first day of pass sales I'll give it a day. If it's still borked tomorrow, I'll call shenanigans.

EDIT: I sorted it out. For whatever reason, the code I got from the Ikon people only works for full Ikon and Base, but not Base Plus. Word on the street is to just buy the Base, and then call to add the Plus for $150. Seems bassackwards to me, but whatever.

[Ottime]

Anyone has good group deals? or should I just take military discount?

Military pricing is the best other than renewals. Not sure but military might be better than renewals. Never checked.

[old goat]

The military discount used to be very generous--first a can of food, then $25, then $50, now it's a $200 discount. Maybe Biden needs to start another war.

[Ottime]

Those folks giving up their individualism for a time to serve and protect their fellow citizens are just gaming the system. Next thing you know, they’ll want civil liberties.

It used to be cheaper. kirkwood used to offer free skiing to active military on Thursdays. I met a bunch of mar one that worked it out with their command to have Thursday’s as a ski day. Bet that boss was able to keep those three in line. Piss him off, no more skiing.

[old goat]

I got an email from IKON re my 21/22 pass. Among other things it said I could select "all destinations" or a specific resort for my Adventure Assurance. When I clicked on Select it went to a page that said I was signed up for "all destinations" and my choice could not be changed.
I contacted IKON--they said that as of now "all destinations" is the only option, no more option to select a specific resort. They said that if that changes we would be notified.
So under the new policy if you bought IKON to ski all season at an Alterra resort and that resort closes due to Covid, your credit will likely be minimal if lots of other IKON resorts stay open. That should have been announced before people bought the pass. Even now the email gives the misleading impression that you can select a single resort, until you actually try. This policy sucks for those of us who ski at an Alterra resort and have no option for a resort specific season pass.

OTOH if some small resort you have no interest in closes for a week, you might get a credit for a few pennies.

BTW--this season Squalpine offered a resort specific military pass that was a lot cheaper than the IKON. I don't know about next season.

[Ottime]

I doubt resorts will close next year based on almost noneclosing this season. But yeah, that kind of sucks and hope they just have not set it up yet. Imagine they will need to change it cause their media releases make it sound like there is an option.

[powdrhound]

They sent me a former-passholder price code of $949 full, $689 base.

[Ottime]

Are you returning? Give me a pm and that’s another beer or two at the resort.

[Hott Butt Mud]

"The duel between ski industry titans over season pass sales took a stunning turn Tuesday when Vail Resorts announced that prices for next season’s Epic Passes will be 20% lower than what it charged for those passes this season.

The Epic Pass for next season, which goes on sale Tuesday, is priced at $783. That’s $196 less than the 2020-21 Epic Pass when it went on sale a year ago, and $216 less than rival Ikon Pass is charging for a comparable 2021-22 season pass. Ikon announced its 2021-22 prices on March 11.

The more limited Epic Local Pass is priced at $583, which is $146 lower than last year’s price of $729. Ikon is charging $729 for its comparable 2021-22 product, the Ikon Base Pass.

Both Vail Resorts and rival Alterra Mountain Co. (Ikon Pass) are headquartered in metro Denver, and there was no immediate response from Alterra to Vail’s escalation in the season pass wars. Epic passes haven’t been this cheap since the 2015-16 season, when the Epic Pass was good at only 11 U.S resorts. Now it’s good at six resorts in Colorado alone, and more than 70 destinations around the world.

“The main driver here is, we want to move ticket buyers to a pass,” Vail Resorts chief executive Rob Katz said in an interview. “That has been a strategy of ours going all the way back to the introduction of the Epic Pass back in 2008. We’ve made huge inroads on this front. We started looking at some of our learning over the last couple years, and we thought we could actually reduce the price, bring more people into the program, and actually have it be profitable and a good decision for the company.”

RELATED: Ikon Passes have been on sale since March 11

Katz said Epic Pass sales for the 2020-21 season were strong, helping the company withstand the challenges that came with COVID-19 capacity restrictions and the reservations system it employed to control numbers on its mountains. That helped drive the price cut for next season’s passes.

“We’re not cutting the price of a lift ticket,” Katz said. “We’re cutting the price of a pass, which means you have to buy it before the season. That, we believe, is the crux of how you ensure stability and economic prosperity for the entire skiing and riding ecosystem.”

Katz said Vail Resorts sold 1.4 million Epic Passes for this season. That meant lots of money in the bank before the first snowflake fell. That triggered us to say, ‘We’re doubling down on this strategy,’ Katz said. “We think skiers and riders can be the beneficiaries. It’s actually making a great trade with our guests to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to keep providing you more and more value to help us make this business and this industry more successful.'”

Vail Resorts business declined this season because of the pandemic, which included operating lifts at 50% capacity or less. Katz sent a letter to pass holders last week, saying the company does not plan to use a reservations system next season.

“Obviously this year was not as good as previous years,” Katz said. “But given the environment that we were operating in, and all the challenges that we all faced around COVID, we feel like this year has been absolutely successful. I think it’s been due to a few things. One is pass sales, which was very strong going into this year.”

Epic passes are good at all resorts owned by Vail Resorts as well as “partner” resorts owned by other companies. Those destinations include Telluride, Sun Valley in Idaho and Snowbasin in Utah. Ikon Passes are good at Alterra mountains, including Winter Park and Steamboat in Colorado, as well as partner resorts that include Aspen Snowmass, Copper Mountain, Arapahoe Basin and Eldora."

[RootSkier]

Am I correct in reading https://www.epicpass.com/passes/epic-pass.aspx that the resorts listed in the top section are unlimited access with an Epic Pass? Including Whistler?

[Ottime]

^^^^ Yes, correct. But that is a 20/21 Page.

This may be different with this new 21/22 Pass that is much cheaper. Don't see anything yet for 21/22 pricing on Vail's sight. Suddenly curious how much they will asl for my Kirkwood Only Pass. Betting that one goes up another $30 bucks.

[Hott Butt Mud]

This was from a press release that was supposed to be put out today, but VR delayed the announcement due to the Boulder shooting.

[Toadman]

VR taking a shot across the Alterra bow. Interesting timing.

[iriponsnow]

VR taking a shot across the Alterra bow. Interesting timing.

Pretty much...... not feeling the ikon love now @ $899

[uglymoney]

If that actually includes Tride and Whistler we will consider canceling our MC and switching to Epic.

Sent from my SM-G981U using Tapatalk

[phatty]

If that actually includes Tride and Whistler we will consider canceling our MC and switching to Epic.

Sent from my SM-G981U using Tapatalk

Yeah, I can see fallout for Mountain Collective. I can get an Epic local for less than $100 more for way more skiing.

[wolfelot]

How will Ikon respond to Vail resorts? Will they at all? That pricing is going to sway some people in the front range.

[phatty]

How will Ikon respond to Vail resorts? Will they at all? That pricing is going to sway some people in the front range.

I don't think they can really respond to the pricing without looking like idiots. They may make group buys and other discounts a little better, but would be tough to wholesale drop the price.

They are helping Crystal in Seattle. Now Steven's + Whistler for under $600? Almost a no brainer. I wonder if it kills off the Edge Card we can get for Whistler.

[stupendous_man]

Definitely intrigued: this with an ABasin midweek pass might be perfect.

good option for van ski bumming about too

[Benny Profane]

This thread should be archived and then picked apart next winter when all of the penny pinchers are whining like little bitches about the awful lines and crowds at the Epic resorts. I mean, really? Good luck. Betcha you would gladly pay that 20% you were discounted and 20% more just to avoid shit like this:



Fuck Vail.

[m60687]

hi yall

[HankScorpio]

Definitely just shelled out nearly $1k each for Ikon passes for my wife and I so we're committed. I don't see Ikon giving credits or doing anything but maybe this means Epic resorts will be slammed less than Ikon.

If it wasn't for the Jackson Hole days, I would've looked harder at Epic.

[Toadman]

Vail Resorts trying to generate revenue. They will make it up else where in F&B and lodging. Bonus for ski lessons and rentals.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/vail-reso...120057703.html

Vail Resorts reported a 28% decline in revenue through January, compared to the same time period last season.

Skier visits are down 8% with the new pandemic reservation system, but the company announced it won't require reservations next season.

ETA: VR probably timed it to take advantage of all those stimulus checks being sent out.

[old goat]

ETA: VR probably timed it to take advantage of all those stimulus checks being sent out.

Sorry hon, can't pay the rent this month, but we got a killer deal on Epic passes. Sure is dark in here since they turned the electricity off. Pass the cornflakes please.

[yogachik]

Ikon has changed the definition of "defer".

I never used my pass this season, with the assurance (their word) that I could DEFER my pass to 21/22. So, I chose the option yesterday to defer, because I got an email that I had to do it by 4/11 or my pass would not defer.

Here's their confirmation email:

We received your request to defer the purchase price paid for your 20/21 Ikon Base Pass. The deferral has been processed. Your pass is no longer eligible for use during the 20/21 season. You will receive a credit toward the purchase of an eligible 21/22 pass.

So - what they're doing is crediting my 20/21 purchase price into my Icon Account on April 19. Not a refund, not an automatic pass renewal for 21/22. I have to use the "credit" to purchase a 21/22 pass, at whatever price they decide to charge that day (I called, no one would commit that it was enough credit to buy even a Base Pass).

I expected a full deferral, as that was what they advertised, thinking the pass would just transfer over to the next season.