The last of four Ikon Announcements, Niseko Japan!

[SecretAgentMan]

1-day ticket for $39. Food for thought: https://www.liftopia.com/arapahoe-basin.

 

[Pat AKA mustski]

1-day ticket for $39. Food for thought: https://www.liftopia.com/arapahoe-basin.

Those prices($39-$45) are for early season only and end on Dec 15. I checked for Jan 5 and it is $58.00. Prices tend to get higher as the season takes off. I also suggest making all your purchases early. I learned the hard way that those liftopia deals end - some rather quickly.

 

[Jully]

Doesn’t Liftopia sell $30 lift tickets to Stratton?

The Ikon Pass offers little to no value to the "average Joe" skier who skis 10-20 times per year mostly at ski areas within 3 hours by car of his house. 97% of skiers are average Joes.

Liftopia certainly does not sell $30 lift tickets to Stratton. A number of years ago in December it may have, but Stratton went upscale and fewer deals a number of years ago.

While you can ski without a season pass 20 times a year for under $600 (early season Ikon Base price) you usually have less flexibility in terms of your dates, liftopia being a prime example where you select cheapest dates weeks if not months in advance. Also usually you are stuck at smaller resorts where most average Joes do not ski.

Ikon allows you to ski large 1500+ acre resorts with flexibility on when and where. I do not think it is physically possible to ski 10-20 days at resorts that size for under $700, never mind being flexible in when you go.

Obviously larger resorts are not always better and are certainly not for everyone, but average skiers do ski at those resorts. The typical vacationing skier does not ski at Loveland or Monarch, they ski at Vail, Breck, Winter Park and for those skiers Ikon is a really good deal IMO.

 

[KingGrump]

Liftopia certainly does not sell $30 lift tickets to Stratton.

I skied Stratton for a few days last Dec (before Xmas) for $32/day. Had to work in my new boots. Bought the tickets from Liftopia a week prior. The deals all disappeared as time draws near.

That $32 day tickets were the most expensive days of my season. My Taos pass averaged around $7.00 per day. Expect my Ikon pass thiis season to work out to around $6.00 per day.

So it all depends on one's perspective.

If it works for you. Go for it.

 

[mikel]

The typical vacationing skier does not ski at Loveland or Monarch, they ski at Vail, Breck, Winter Park and for those skiers Ikon is a really good deal IMO.

Ikon is the only option for Winter Park.

 

[Jully]

Ikon is the only option for Winter Park.

Well that and lift tickets bought in advance. Seems to be a growing trend in resorts.

 

[SecretAgentMan]

The Ikon Pass marketing campaign is slicker than your hair was with Brylcreem back in 1965. If you live in or around Billings Montana join the The Powder Alliance and remember to ski Snowbowl and Red Lodge every year. 2 hidden gems.

 

[David Chaus]

First of all that has nothing to do with Ikon pass and benefits in Japan, and furthermore neither of those resorts is actually participating in the powder alliance.

 

[SecretAgentMan]

First of all that has nothing to do with Ikon pass and benefits in Japan, and furthermore neither of those resorts is actually participating in the powder alliance.

Comparative Analysis.

 

[Bruuuce]

yep, for some of us @Bruuuce included here, we are still celebrating a season pass for $250 less and the addition of Copper alone. Everything else to us is gravy .

And as an aside from this thread, I'm totally psyched that they added Taos. I LOVE Taos.

 

[David Chaus]

Yes, but to specifically note Snowbowl and Red Lodge and fail to mention Lost Trail and Discovery is somewhat baffling.

And Powder Alliance is a reciprocal agreement amongst different ski areas which wouldn’t benefit anyone in Billings unless they buy a seasons pass to Bridger, which is 2+ hours away.

So comparative analysis for Billings residents: season pass at Bridger, currently $690, includes Powder Alliance benefits. Weekdays free, weekends and holidays at 50% off. 3 days total. Make a trip to Schweitzer, Whitewater, Castle all 8-10 hours from Billings for a road trip. You would have to pay for day tickets to Red Lodge if you didn’t have a season pass there. Same for Snowbowl. Admittedly the day rates are pretty good, but they are not free.

Ikon Pass, currently $699 for the Base pass, includes 5 days with no restrictions at Big Sky, and if you want to travel to Banff and have another 5 days, or to Jackson for 5 days, or to SLC and have 5 days at Alta/Snowbird, 5 days at Deer Valley, 5 days at Brighton, plus unlimited access to Solitude. It’s 5 hours or so to get from Billings to Jackson, 8 hours or so to get from Billings to SLC, 9-10 hours to Banff.

And we haven’t even gotten to Japan......

 

[noncrazycanuck]

10 hours from Vancouver - 3 flights a day

 

[SecretAgentMan]

Yes, but to specifically note Snowbowl and Red Lodge and fail to mention Lost Trail and Discovery is somewhat baffling.

And Powder Alliance is a reciprocal agreement amongst different ski areas which wouldn’t benefit anyone in Billings unless they buy a seasons pass to Bridger, which is 2+ hours away.

So comparative analysis for Billings residents: season pass at Bridger, currently $690, includes Powder Alliance benefits. Weekdays free, weekends and holidays at 50% off. 3 days total. Make a trip to Schweitzer, Whitewater, Castle all 8-10 hours from Billings for a road trip. You would have to pay for day tickets to Red Lodge if you didn’t have a season pass there. Same for Snowbowl. Admittedly the day rates are pretty good, but they are not free.

Ikon Pass, currently $699 for the Base pass, includes 5 days with no restrictions at Big Sky, and if you want to travel to Banff and have another 5 days, or to Jackson for 5 days, or to SLC and have 5 days at Alta/Snowbird, 5 days at Deer Valley, 5 days at Brighton, plus unlimited access to Solitude. It’s 5 hours or so to get from Billings to Jackson, 8 hours or so to get from Billings to SLC, 9-10 hours to Banff.

And we haven’t even gotten to Japan......

I stand corrected (my bad).

If you live in or around Billings Montana join the The Powder Alliance and remember to ski Snowbowl, Red Lodge, Lost Trail, and Discovery every year. 4 local hidden gems.

 

[KingGrump]

And as an aside from this thread, I'm totally psyched that they added Taos. I LOVE Taos.

Come on down.

https://www.pugski.com/threads/taos-mini-gathering-2019-planning.11408/

 

[Bruuuce]

Come on down.

https://www.pugski.com/threads/taos-mini-gathering-2019-planning.11408/

Thanks for the heads-up! I'll definitely keep an eye on that thread. We're starting to look at dates now so I'll try to keep a spot open. I'd love to get back there this year.

 

[headybrew]

Ikon is the only option for Winter Park.

Not 100% true, they also sell a WP only pass, which is one of the passes I bought this year.

 

[mikel]

Not 100% true, they also sell a WP only pass, which is one of the passes I bought this year.

Yep, agreed. You can buy an WP only version (Ikon Advantage) or even a 4 or 5 pack still. It's all Ikon though not WP. Your previous WP info and account was probably deleted (for some reason not everyone's got deleted but most everyone's did) and you had to create a new Ikon profile and submit a new picture. Ikon removed all discounts and benefits from the real WP season pass.

 

[headybrew]

Yep, agreed. You can buy an WP only version (Ikon Advantage) or even a 4 or 5 pack still. It's all Ikon though not WP. Your previous WP info and account was probably deleted (for some reason not everyone's got deleted but most everyone's did) and you had to create a new Ikon profile and submit a new picture. Ikon removed all discounts and benefits from the real WP season pass.

Yes I suppose I am IKON even though I bought a WP only pass. And in removing all discounts and benefits (trying to coerce people into buying their more expensive passes) all they did was lose more of my business. When I have out of town friends and family visit we'll be at Loveland skiing on my other pass.