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Tricia

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IKON PASS ANNOUNCES THE ADDITION OF ARAPAHOE BASIN SKI AREA IN COLORADO FOR WINTER 2019/2020



Ikon Pass Now Offers Access to 40 Global Destinations, Six in Colorado



DENVER, CO, August 2, 2019 – The Ikon Pass community continues to grow with the addition of Arapahoe Basin Ski Area in Colorado. Now Ikon Pass holders have access to snow at 40 global destinations, including six in Colorado.


A-Basin is located just 68 miles from Denver and boasts the longest season in Colorado, many seasons running through the 4th of July. Affectionately known as “The Legend,” A-Basin sits on the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains and offers a high-alpine, big-mountain experience, paired with a laid-back atmosphere. Its 1,428 acres of iconic terrain includes the East Wall and Montezuma Bowl, plus The Beavers and The Steep Gullies, some of North America’s newest terrain. The Beach, a stretch of prime real estate near the lower-mountain chairlifts, transforms into a Colorado après tradition.


Ikon Pass holders will have seven-day access to A-Basin on the Ikon Pass with no blackout dates, and five-day access on the Ikon Base Pass, with selected blackout dates.


“Arapahoe Basin is a beloved brand among skiers and riders and we are proud that the destination has joined the Ikon Pass community,” said Erik Forsell, Chief Marketing Officer of Alterra Mountain Company. “We can feel winter around the corner as we offer skiers and riders another iconic reason to hit the slopes in Colorado.”


“Arapahoe Basin is thrilled to partner with the Ikon Pass and join its community of like-minded mountain destinations. A-Basin is a bold, aspirational mountain with legendary character that invites skiers and riders to find adventure at every turn, an ideal fit for the Ikon Pass,” said Alan Henceroth, Chief Operating Officer, Arapahoe Basin Ski Area.


The Ikon Pass unlocks adventure with access to 40 iconic winter destinations across the Americas, Japan, Australia and New Zealand and is a collaboration of industry leaders – Alterra Mountain Company, Aspen Skiing Company, Boyne Resorts, POWDR, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, Alta Ski Area, Snowbird, SkiBig3, Revelstoke Mountain Resort, Taos Ski Valley, Sugarbush Resort, Thredbo, Mt Buller, Niseko United, Valle Nevado, and NZ Ski. Each demonstrates integrity, character and independence that is reflected in their mountains and guests.


Ikon Pass Stats

Destinations: 40

Continents: 4

States: 12

Canadian Provinces: 4

Total Acres: 80,885

Trails: 4,712*

Lifts: 665*

*Does not include CMH stats


The Ikon Pass is available now at www.ikonpass.com.




As you know, back in February we announced that there would be some changes to make the skier experience at A-Basin even better. Over the last 15 years, Arapahoe Basin has expanded the ski area twice adding The Beavers and The Steep Gullies and Montezuma Bowl. We added Black Mountain Lodge, the Kids Center, Black Mountain Express and more, all to improve our guest experience. With these improvements we have seen substantial visitation growth and have, at times, had trouble maintaining the quality of experience that we aspire to. We realized, as many of you have, that changes were necessary.

Our focus has always been to provide extraordinary mountain experiences and we already have the terrain and staff to make that happen. Staying true to our guests, our employees, our business, our community and the environment, we searched for the best path forward for The Basin. We have targeted a substantial reduction in ski and snowboard visits on weekends and holidays next season to improve our ability to provide the services and experiences we are known for.


Today we are proud to announce that we have entered into a partnership with the Ikon Pass. Skiers and riders will have 7-day access with no blackout dates on the Ikon Pass, and 5-day access with selected blackout dates (Christmas holidays, Martin Luther King weekend, President’s weekend) on the Ikon Base Pass. These restrictions and blackout dates will make our already busy periods more manageable.

We know that many of our guests want a multi-resort pass. We believe this pass solution will provide the ideal access to Arapahoe Basin while joining a team of excellent resorts and providing us better control of our business. With this addition, we will only be part of two limited passes (Ikon Pass and Ikon Base Pass) and we will no longer be part of very low-priced multi-resort passes.

Lastly, as I look at the Ikon Pass partner destinations—Alta, Snowbird, Jackson, Big Sky, Revelstoke, Lake Louise, Sunshine Village, Aspen Snowmass, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, Mammoth Mountain and more—I realize that most of my ski vacations have been to these resorts (Yes, I still go on ski vacations). We are pleased to partner with these destinations whose brands are so in sync with ours.

I am very excited for the next chapter in A-Basin’s history. The Ikon Pass will be a fantastic new partner. As skiers and riders, all of you will have even more exciting ways to enjoy The Basin. The new partnership is designed to preserve that culture and vibe we all love. Those of us who call Arapahoe Basin home will have that same great feeling upon arrival, except now … we will have a fair bit more “elbow room.”


posted by alan henceroth - coo at 7:12 am 3 comments:
 
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Tricia

Tricia

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I can't tell you how much this pleases me.
We have the base pass but it may be worthwhile to pay the extra to get the full pass.
 
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Tricia

Tricia

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People who don’t live in Front Range: :golfclap::golfclap::golfclap::golfclap:

People who live in Front Range: :huh::popcorn::huh::popcorn:
Do you think the limited days will make a difference over the unlimited that Vail?
 

jmeb

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Do you think the limited days will make a difference over the unlimited that Vail?

On the whole...maybe a bit. The reality is that even Front Range Epic pass holders probably only averaged 7 days at ABasin over course of a season. Limited days I imagine will swing those days to the beginning and end of season.

I imagine it will be a bit calmer mid season, but this will also cause a sig bump in Front Rangers buying an Ikon. So maybe it’s a wash. They also lose the backup parking at Keystone which has been highly utilized for the past few seasons. Given the choke point for ABasin is parking not lift capacity I’m interested to see how that works out.

I’ll be watching from over the pass.
 

Philpug

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People who don’t live in Front Range: :golfclap::golfclap::golfclap::golfclap:
Quite frankly, A-Basin going with Ikon has a lot to do with Pugski coming back to A-Basin in May. If they didn't partner with iKon, we were considering other options like Mammoth (which might be an additional event) but this pretty much assures that we will be back at the Beach in May.
 

crgildart

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Great for travelers/tourists. How do the locals feel about it?
 

Snowflake2420

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Isn't a shocking turn of events, but still disappointing given the reasoning to leave Epic was crowded parking and base area. Guess I'll be using my Luv pass a lot more.

Does anyone know the mix of pass holders in the Front Range area? Is it 2 Epic to 1 Ikon?
 

jmeb

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Does anyone know the mix of pass holders in the Front Range area? Is it 2 Epic to 1 Ikon?

May have been in the past. But the Ikon is now a clearly superior pass for Front Rangers. At least the half dozen texts I’ve received in the last hour indicate as much.
 

Philpug

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People who already bought a-basin pass: suckers?:philgoat:
Not at all. This is limited, 5 or 7 days. A-basin said from the start that they were looking at all options AND they also said...if you are planning to ski there more than 7 day...to buy a pass. That right there was a good indication that this (or MCP) was a distinct possibility.
 

Coach13

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Great for travelers/tourists. How do the locals feel about it?

I sure it’s better than that devil Vail Resorts!! lol

The big complaint I always heard was the crowds associated with the Epic Pass. I’m not sure how this helps other than the exorcism of Vail Resorts.
 

coskigirl

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So I've posted before how I feel like this is a good move for me personally but maybe not overall but I started my morning with some bad news work-wise, just shot off several emails to deal with that and popped over here to give my brain a moment to rest before moving on to the next thing. This made my morning!!!!!
 

mike_m

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Having a limited number of visits allowed on Ikon may help the crowds somewhat, as the Epic pass was unlimited visits. Losing the Keystone parking may hurt quite a bit. Parking is the big problem at the Basin. I must admit I was hoping for no pass hook-ups to ease the congestion. Guess we'll see how it plays out.
 

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