Ikon Pass

[MontuckyFried]

I love how people get so pissed about how much a Vail day pass costs, but in the same breath say how much the mountain sucks. Who cares how much they charge?

I don't think many of us are complaining about Vail ticket prices so much as how it's indicative of where the industry is quickly headed. What is Big Sky now for a ticket window price these days? $154/day? Pretty sure that's been hiked substantially from only a few years ago. I think when I moved to MT, Big Sky was like $78 or so per day and you could get Moonlight discount tickets for like $40. We're seeing pretty dramatic price hikes across the board at all the large resorts. That's fine by me, though. Just more incentive to support my favorite independent hills more frequently instead. Which reminds me. Time for another trip to Showdown!

[comish]

I priced out a trip to Europe this winter to either the Arlberg or Switzerland. With airfare, hotel, train to resort, and estimated food and bev with 7 day lift tickets, it came out to be almost the same price as a trip to an Epic or Ikon pass resort in CO or UT. Only reason I didn't pull the trigger on Europe this year was mainly due to some serious work projects and dealing with the jet lag issues of a short week long trip. But how long before the local hill isn't so local?

^This is why we have dragged 3 kids across the pond a bunch of times. Only reason we don't at the moment is ski team and all the obligations and time we are paying for at Mammoth. The experience of going to Yurp is also so much more interesting and "fun" than a US trip. Throw in free plane tickets from CC miles and that makes the Yurp trip cheaper than a US trip.

The IKON does change that for us. We would consider a fam trip to an IKON resort now, whereas last year we wouldn't have. We are locked into the IKON since Alterra bought Mammoth. That is our season pass for Mammoth so works out well for us.

I do wonder how the industry thinks they will attract new participants when to get rentals, a lift pass, and lessons is >$200 or $250 a day at most "resorts". We looked into it for a friend and were just blown away. How do you take a family skiing that has never done it remotely affordably? Very challenging. In Yurp, we could get lessons, lunch, and lifts for the kids for something like $350 a WEEK!?!? and that was somewhere reasonably expensive, ala St. Anton.

[Core Shot]

Telluride

https://www.telluridenews.com/the_wa...b022ea21d.html
Last Saturday we had 3,200 season pass skiers on the mountain, representing 50 percent of our skier visits that day,” Jensen said. “And 500 Epic Pass skiers, representing only eight percent of skier visits that day.”

Of the 10 or 12 busiest days this season, Jensen said, Epic users were not a factor in skier counts.

“The factor is and will continue to be our season passholders skiing in an incredibly good snow year,” Jensen said. “And I couldn’t be happier for them.”

When compared to the 2015-16 ski season — a strong snow season without the Epic or Mountain Collective (MC) passes, but still with the highest number of passholders — current skier numbers are up less than one percent.

Jensen explained that Telski joined the MC Pass program from 2016-18 as a trial to attract people to the resort in hopes that they would return. He said the average skier use under the MC Pass was 2.2 days.

“I didn’t feel that there was any economic benefit to the community,” Jensen said. “What we’re seeing now with Epic is a higher household income demographic and a stronger financial benefit to Telski and the community because guests are flying in and staying four, five, six nights and they’re spending more dollars in the community.”

“We’re a town that, in the winter, struggles to maintain a 50 percent occupancy number,” he added. “And as these people fly in from out of state, Telluride Express benefits, the air program benefits and the lodging community benefits.”

Michael Martelon, president and CEO of the Telluride Tourism Board, believes “Mother Nature’s generosity” has made more of an impact on winter tourism than the Epic Pass. The average length of stay, he said, affects average spend, and both are up as are mid-week occupancies.

“Are there Epic Pass-holders on the mountain? Certainly,” Martelon said. “But with the embarrassment of riches blanketing the San Juans, we’re enjoying a ski season that looks to be a benchmark for us. The Epic did what the resort claimed it would: Had a positive impact reversing shorter stays, introduced Telluride to a new marketing footprint, increased average spend and in turn, produced more employment opportunities and pushed sales tax up for both towns.”

Matt Skinner, COO of Telluride’s Colorado Flights Alliance, said that the number of passengers flying into Montrose and Telluride airports is up 10 percent over last winter, which he anticipates will make for the largest year yet for air traffic.

“With the additional length of stay on these passholders and potential incremental visits, it does appear that the Epic Pass is contributing to destination visitation this winter,” Skinner said.

As for the locals’ benefit from the Epic Pass, Jensen pointed out that season passholders enjoy 50 percent off tickets at Vail Resorts and Telski employees get $50 lift tickets at the same resorts.

In order to avoid crowding, Jensen said that Telski deliberately “fenced” passholders who could come to Telluride.

“We were very cautious in our agreement on Epic to only accept the full Epic product,” Jensen said. “Jackson Hole, for example, did not fence their Ikon Pass product. You can buy the cheapest Ikon Pass and be able to ski a limited number of days at Jackson Hole and Big Sky. With the Epic Pass, you have to buy the most expensive pass to get seven days.”

[BobMc]

Seen in an Alta bathroom...

[Skidog]

Seen in an Alta bathroom...

why were you in the ladies room?

[BobMc]

why were you in the ladies room?

SEEN, not I saw.

[Benny Profane]

Yeah, so, where'd you SEE it.

[hutash]

The problem with the ski high walk up is it discourages the occasional trip to a resort you don't have a pass for. Granted, nobody wants to ski Vail, but it does happen where situations occur one one finds oneself at such a place. I skied Vail once, mostly to hit East Vail (they shut it down after our first lap) and so skied a few more runs in-bounds. I would love to hit up a day at Whistler, (did that before and after a hut trip, but now probably won't go back to that hut) but it is no longer on my pass, and I just can''t see myself paying walk up prices.

[Supermoon]

The problem with the ski high walk up is it discourages the occasional trip to a resort you don't have a pass for. Granted, nobody wants to ski Vail, but it does happen where situations occur one one finds oneself at such a place. I skied Vail once, mostly to hit East Vail (they shut it down after our first lap) and so skied a few more runs in-bounds. I would love to hit up a day at Whistler, (did that before and after a hut trip, but now probably won't go back to that hut) but it is no longer on my pass, and I just can''t see myself paying walk up prices.

This. Skied one day at Alta, and one day at DV last week when I was there on a biz trip, and those two days of walk up rates were like half the price of an IKON pass. It doesn't make sense to NOT buy the pass really.

[Ireallyliketoski2]

Should I get the epic pass or ikon pass next year?

[Skidog]

Should I get the epic pass or ikon pass next year?

Cover it all and get both. Still probably cheaper than the gold pass to JH.

[Elkhound Odin]

I remember the good 'ol days in the 90's when the wife & I took a trip out to Salt Lake and skied a different place each day - Alta, Snowbird, Solitude, Deer Valley, Canyons, Snow Basin. We bought window tickets each day. There is no way we could/would do that now.

[Ireallyliketoski2]

I remember the good 'ol days in the 90's when the wife & I took a trip out to Salt Lake and skied a different place each day - Alta, Snowbird, Solitude, Deer Valley, Canyons, Snow Basin. We bought window tickets each day. There is no way we could/would do that now.

You could buy the $10 off discounted tickets from the website, save time and money!

[buttahflake]

I remember when you could buy Alta tickets at the 7/11 for $19
Go on Now

[Bunion 2020]

Yeah well I remember when you could walk up to the window and pay 12.

This is going to backfire for a lot of larger areas. It is ridiculous to charge $ 154.00 a day walk up while at the same time collecting around $53.00 a day for an IKON passholder from Alterra.

[Supermoon]

I remember when you could buy Alta tickets at the 7/11 for $19
Go on Now

Shit I could ski all season on a ten punch pass once you figured out how to avoid getting punched.

[Core Shot]

Shit I could ski all season on a ten punch pass once you figured out how to avoid getting punched.

Asking for a miracle was 50/50 on getting punched
Once on the upper mountain, no punches

The other scam was to clip a pass from the upper mountain and send it to the base with a fresh wicket.

[Benny Profane]

Yeah well I remember when you could walk up to the window and pay 12.

This is going to backfire for a lot of larger areas. It is ridiculous to charge $ 154.00 a day walk up while at the same time collecting around $53.00 a day for an IKON passholder from Alterra.

You wonder how this has effected the US to Europe market. I'm over in France right now, and, boy, are tickets a lot cheaper at the window. And the lift infrastructure is awesome.

[m2711c]

See dude? Told ya!

[MontuckyFried]

You wonder how this has effected the US to Europe market. I'm over in France right now, and, boy, are tickets a lot cheaper at the window. And the lift infrastructure is awesome.

See?! Proof we're getting ripped off. Make sure to post a TR!!!

Now you too can laugh at the US mega resort companies trying to offer us their faux "Alp" experience.

[Benny Profane]

It's fucking stunning. Had a bluebird day at La Plagne today with a little fresh. Jezuz.

[m2711c]

Yeah, it’s no Breckenridge... but it is pretty sweet.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

It's fucking stunning. Had a bluebird day at La Plagne today with a little fresh. Jezuz.

But do they have back bowls?

[Shredhead]

Pretty nice here too!

I think the Ikon’s been good for Aspen.
Getting a lot of first timers here, changing a lot of misconceptions.

[hutash]

It's fucking stunning. Had a bluebird day at La Plagne today with a little fresh. Jezuz.

...and the food on the hill is better as well.