Poll Canadians: What pass are you getting?

[albertanskigirl]

Hey there, Canadians!

I'm torn about what passes to get next year - do you have any thoughts? What are you getting? Has this multitude of passes changed the way you do things?


I ski mostly locally, but SO and I are thinking of doing a trip to Whistler as well next yer.

Right now, I'm torn between getting:

1) Sunshine or Louise season pass AND RCR card. Maybe a 5 day Edge card if SO and I decide to go to Whistler.

or

2) Mountain Collective pass AND RCR card

Option number 2 would allow me to do Taos ski week, which I am considering for next year! Option 1 though would allow me to easily do the 6 week ladies freeriders at Louise (or whatever they call it...)

I'm not considering any Epic products.

 

[noncrazycanuck]

I do the whistler season pass and a Louise and RCR card then local day or compt/discounted tickets on my road trips. Epic pass has never had any value to me - this year one of my favorites Kicking Horse was added but as it only works with the Epic pass I am pretty sure i'll just stick with the same and still be ahead .

 

[Kiki]

I am getting the whistler season pass for 2018/19 as I want the snow school discounts and don't plan to travel this year. Not bored with WB yet! Maybe the following season I'll do the Epic and visit Fernie or one of the other BC options.

 

[Kiki]

And @albertanskigirl if you make it out to WB maybe we can meet up!

 

[blah]

Not a Canadian, but have been hitting the Mountain Collective pass hard the past several years, so just a little bit of info that may be relevant...

Taos is an amazing place. I had such a good time there last season. Great terrain, great ski school, and the mexican food in town is legit. Taos is having a terrible snow year this season, though, so from opening day until the middle of Feb only a limited set of groomers was open. And with mostly man-made snow on those groomers. Being that far down south (and with climate change these days), it is a lower snow destination compared to what you're used to. Be prepared if you can to build some flexibility into your travel plans (in terms of refundable plane tickets and lodging reservations that can be cancelled) in case next season is similar with low snowfall for New Mexico.

Another option:
Given that Big Sky is newly added to the MCP for next season, you might consider flying into Bozeman, Montana. Then with a rental car, Big Sky, Jackson Hole, and Sun Valley are all within a few easy hours drive. And then you can pick and choose which one to ski depending on which resort has the best snow conditions.

I've had very good experiences with the snow schools at Jackson Hole and Big Sky, and it looks like both have women's clinics and camp programs:
https://www.jacksonhole.com/elevate-womens-camp.html
https://bigskyresort.com/the-mountain/mountain-sports-and-lessons/specialty-clinics

 

[Pumba]

I only wish I was Canadian.

 

[albertanskigirl]

And @albertanskigirl if you make it out to WB maybe we can meet up!

I would totally love that! I've only been to Whistler once (last season) and had a great time. I've been itching to get back.

Not a Canadian, but have been hitting the Mountain Collective pass hard the past several years, so just a little bit of info that may be relevant...

Taos is an amazing place. I had such a good time there last season. Great terrain, great ski school, and the mexican food in town is legit. Taos is having a terrible snow year this season, though, so from opening day until the middle of Feb only a limited set of groomers was open. And with mostly man-made snow on those groomers. Being that far down south (and with climate change these days), it is a lower snow destination compared to what you're used to. Be prepared if you can to build some flexibility into your travel plans (in terms of refundable plane tickets and lodging reservations that can be cancelled) in case next season is similar with low snowfall for New Mexico.

Another option:
Given that Big Sky is newly added to the MCP for next season, you might consider flying into Bozeman, Montana. Then with a rental car, Big Sky, Jackson Hole, and Sun Valley are all within a few easy hours drive. And then you can pick and choose which one to ski depending on which resort has the best snow conditions.

I've had very good experiences with the snow schools at Jackson Hole and Big Sky, and it looks like both have women's clinics and camp programs:
https://www.jacksonhole.com/elevate-womens-camp.html
https://bigskyresort.com/the-mountain/mountain-sports-and-lessons/specialty-clinics

Thanks @blah - this is helpful. I'm not sold on Taos specifically because of the weather, so that's good to know. Big Sky is actually one of the big reasons I'm considering the MCP too. Both SO and I are leaning for a trip to either Whistler of Montana next year. And we wouldn't fly to Bozeman, just drive. We did the drive last summer - it's a full day of driving, but totally doable from here. It's about 8 hrs. However, if we did Big Sky, we'd probably take a week, drive to Fernie and ski, then Whitefish, then Bridger, then Big Sky, then Castle and back home. That would be my dream ski safari! But I just don't know realistically if both SO and I can take a week off at the same time.

 

[DavidSkis]

Unfortunately the two hills I spend the most time at (Blue and mont-Sainte-Anne) are on different passes :|

However, my travelling ski club visits a lot of the Ikon pass destinations, so I'll probably get that. Our local hill (Blue) is unlimited on the Ikon pass. Wish RCR had gone with Ikon instead.

If Blue had gone with Epic, I would have held my nose and gotten it, then skied Whistler too. Oh well.

 

[albertanskigirl]

I only wish I was Canadian.

It's never too late...

 

[Jilly]

Ikon as Tremblant is unlimited and the condo is there. No real use for anything else. Both weeks for next at are at Tremblant. CSIA Edge Camp and Diva East.

 

[WheatKing]

If i lived more east.. i'd get a pass.. if i lived more west.. i'd get a pass.. but i'm stuck in the south.. and the only place close is 3 hours on the ikon pass so it's local again for me.. If I were to get a pass it'd be the Ikon.. between blue mountain and the loaf I'd put it to good use

 

[noncrazycanuck]

bit of edit on my comments.
my whistler season pass is at the senior rate so its about 860 Canadian and includes the 20% off other items
the Louise Card and an RCR card is about 200 Canadian dollars. both have 1,4,7 day free plus discounts, a very good road trip
the epic pass does not have a senior rate and is sold in us dollars, so after exchange it's going to be just under 1300 Canadian
so I can spend almost another 300 on day tickets elsewhere and still break even.

The spread is not nearly as good if your under 65 and getting the regular Whistler season pass
(however I think most of us would happily pay more if we could exchange it for years)

 

[JohnnyG]

I'm on the fence about a Tremblant Tonik pass or the Ikon base pass, although I'm leaning towards the Ikon. I haven't skied as much as I would have liked this year due to many factors, but I'm hoping to get out more next year,

 

[Jilly]

The Tonik is similar to the Sublime...so if you don't need holiday days...go for it.

 

[Mike Rogers]

i'm still trying to decide!

Liz is in school full time right now for her second masters degree. It's a professional degree with more classes than independent research...so it is really tough to get away! We've skied weekends the last two years with a Louise pass (cheap for students!) and RCR and Sunshine cards.

She will (hopefully) be earning a regular paycheque next year, which will make vacations for the two of us a bit easier to manage. I am not sure how easy it will be for her to get vacation DAYS though (new job, possibly filling in for leave)...and it can be a bit tough for me to take extended breaks in mid winter (though a week should be manageable).

We would really like to ski some American resorts next season, and we can only afford the big ones with a discount program or pass.

In my opinion, Mountain Collective and IKON have a better line up than Epic (though I love Whistler), so we will likely do a pass plus MC or the 5 day IKON.

5 day IKON would probably make most sense if we can do Big Sky with the Pugski gang.

I will probably get a Louise pass, the RCR card (for fernie and kicking horse) and IKON 5 (for sunshine, revelstoke and beyond).

If the RCR super pass is available, I might go with that one, but I wouldn't be able to add MC or IKON due to the higher cost of the Super Pass. I would get a sunshine card though.

Awesome local passes, or the ability to travel?

If RCR drops the Super Pass, it might be an easier decision!

 

[albertanskigirl]

This is a real dilemma for me now too. I did some quick calculations, if this helps anyone. But like you, @Mike Rogers , it's a question of staying locally or travelling. For me and SO, it's difficult to travel as university professors. So, reading week in February is a good option, but besides that, our skiing is usually single mid-week days or occasional weekends when we go with the kids.

So, I have been thinking about MCP or Ikon. Here are some numbers in case it helps anyone.

Option 1:

With MCP, I would get my extra day at Big Sky (because I think it costs more than the tickets at home). So, if I'm calculating:

3 free days at Big Sky + 2 half-price days at Big Sky + 4 (free) days at SkiBig 3 + additional 5 half-price days at Skibig 3 + 2 free days at Revy = about $1150CAD

This wouldn't be enough for locally, so I would also get the RCR card. If I used the 7 days on the RCR card, that would be approximately $450CAD for those 7 days.

So MCP + RCR card would be about $1600CAD total.

My concern with this is that this might not be enough to cover skiing at home, but I would have additional half price days at Skibig 3 and discounted days on the RCR card.

Option 2:

Ikon Base Pass + Sunshine Card + RCR card

This would be about $770CAD for the Ikon Base Pass - I would use the 5 days at Big Sky, 5 days at Louise and 5 days at Revy.

7 days on the Sunshine card would be about $450

7 days on the RCR card would be about $450.

Ikon Base + Sunshine + RCR is about $1670CAD total.

So, it actually seems like it's a bit of a toss up between the Ikon and the MCP. They are pretty similar for similar skiing days. Though Ikon does offer the possibility for other trips etc. For example, I could use it if I wanted to attend the Diva East at Tremblant. The lift tickets would be covered, I could fly AC on points, and try to rustle up some cheaper accommodation. If we decide to visit SO's family during the winter in Colorado, we could use the Copper and Winter Park days.

Or, of course, we could screw the travelling, and I could just get a season pass here, and some other discount cards. Or, for that amount, I could also do an early bird SuperRCR pass plus Sunshine card. That price range for option 1 and 2, could also put me in the same budget for an early bird midweek Rockies Super Pass, which includes all of the RCR and SkiBig 3 resorts.

 

[albertanskigirl]

btw @Mike Rogers - I'm kind of in awe of Liz - you two ski so much, yet apparently she gets everything done, which is amazing for students!

 

[jseeski]

The Whitewater season pass includes Powder Alliance privileges. It's only 3 days at the other resorts, but that's enough for the limited travelling I might bother to do.

 

[PTskier]

Also look at the four flavors of WhistlerBlackcomb Edge Cards...5 or 10 day, restricted or unrestricted holiday blackout days.
https://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/plan-your-trip/lift-access/edge-cards.aspx

 

[albertanskigirl]

Thread bump! Anyone pulled the trigger?

I have not yet - I was hoping that season pass rates would come out a little earlier because of all the passes available, but no such luck. Only Castle and Marmot have posted season pass rates from what I can see.

Leaning towards MCP right now because DD is still eligible for the $1 pass (the age limit is at time of purchase apparently, and she's still 12 now!).