I contemplated buying both passes because my local mountain is Crystal (Ikon) and I usually make two to three trips to Whistler (Epic) every year. But since I'm a Washington State resident I can get a 5-day Edge card for $330 that includes unlimited skiing through Dec 13 at Whistler. My in-laws live in the Vancouver area so I can day- trip to Whistler early season from their house two or three times. Along with a planned five-day trip in January, I can get at least 7 or 8 days total at Whistler next season with the Edge card. I have two trips planned with the Ikon, Banff mid-winter and Mammoth or Squaw in the spring. Just wish I had an unlimited travel budget and the time off from work to utilize both!
This is the scenario I contemplate but will probably decline. I have a Crystal pass which became Ikon. I had a Crystal pass before, I'll have a Crystal pass in the future.
In theory I'd like to drive up to Whistler once or twice a season at the last minute. This year, we went up once, bought 2 day Edge cards. We were committed with friends. It felt like a ripoff, but even without an Edge card, pre-purchasing 2-3 days online is better than buying an Epic product if you aren't using it otherwise. The 5 day Edge card sort of makes sense, if you do an early December trip and use a couple days (2 of 5) at Stevens. But even though I like Stevens, grew up skiing there and consider it a "home," a day at Stevens isn't really a "savings" when I already have Crystal passes, prefer Crystal's terrain and definitely prefer to avoid the weekend drama of parking and Highway 2. But those are decisions I typically would not make more than a week in advance. So my answer is probably to forget about Whistler for a while and focus on Crystal + Ikon locations. Or indies where the lift cost is either inexpensive or packaged up attractively with lodging.
But the skiing duopoly is definitely changing behavior. I am typing this from Squaw Valley. . . typically this would have been a Spring Whistler trip. But when you consider the expenses all-in (including the absurd daily parking charges at Whistler hotels), it was a no-brainer to fly to Reno and ski Squaw/Alpine this time.
I am not surprised that Whistler skier days are off this season. Vail is good at many things, but they don't yet understand how to tap a "secondary" local market like Seattle to Whistler. Rather than create incentives for us to come up during non-peak season, midweek and fill beds and the Village, they've treated Seattle more like they treat the Denver market and created disincentives for anyone who doesn't buy into the Epic universe early. You are either in or out. And then, Alterra came in and effectively divided the Seattle market, creating incentives to go elsewhere. So that doubles the hurt. Again, I am not surprised that their numbers are off this season.
Vail probably doesn't care, but eventually they might figure it out and create a somewhat compelling product for Crystal, Snoqualmie, Baker skiers again (like the old Edge card, with valuable re-load privileges, before Vail made it a thinly veiled multi-day ticket). One of the assets of Whistler is that it has a huge, growing, ski-focused secondary market with relatively easy access (or people conditioned to believe it is easy access; forgetting that it is effectively the same drive time to Sun Peaks at most times of the day, and all considered, easier to get to Alta/'Snowbird than either). But what made the old Edge Card compelling, and well-tuned to the dynamic of the market and the variable weather environment, was the fact that some of the economic risk was shared. You bought into a certain number of discounted days, so the mountain locked you into a visit or two, but the re-load privileges were more than nominal (50% on a non-inflated daily rate) and incentivized return visits. I get that Vail isn't into risk sharing with its customers, but the point wasn't getting people to "buy" more full-price skiing. It was to fill beds and restaurant seats when they were otherwise under-utilized.
When Vail took over WB, they not only raised prices across the board, they also de-incentivized the non-Epic universe. Up until this year, it might have worked out; we would have just paid once or twice a year, been annoyed at our friends who bought more Edge days early, and gotten on with it. But along comes Alterra, pulling in Crystal and Snoqualmie, and for half the Seattle market the incentives changed. Overnight, it became economically wiser to fly to UT or Tahoe or Big Sky. All short direct flights away (2 hr or less). So behavior changes this season, because from a skiing/hassle/quality perspective I'll take Alta'bird over WB every time. And at least this spring, Tahoe has more coverage and better weather. Off to go check out Squaw. . . .
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. Kicking Horse is unreal, so I would completely understand. It's definitely underrated. I really want to check out the new Ozone terrain. Of all of the mountains that could greatly improve with a couple of new strategically placed lifts (or the addition of a gondola mid-station), Kicking Horse is high up that list.
