The Mountain Collective has a similar model-just two days at each of 25 resorts, plus a steep discount for purchasing extra days-but focuses on more luxury spots, including Sun Valley, Sun Peaks, Jackson Hole, and Aspen. The no-blackouts Indy Plus version currently sells for $429 and is good at a whopping 119 mountains, including Mission Ridge, White Pass, Hurricane Ridge, Ski Bluewood near Walla Walla, Mount Hood Meadows, and Hoodoo near Bend, plus a smattering of small British Columbia and California areas. With two days at each small mountain, plus discounts on future ticket purchases, the Indy is basically a small town road trip rolled into a ski pass. When Doug Fish launched the Indy Pass a few years ago, he saw it as a way to boost the independently owned (and smaller) ski hills that suffered as Vail and Alterra bought up midsize resorts and gave them luxury makeovers. Still, with no local all-you-can-ski spots and much pricier than the Epic, it's a choice that appeals to serious travelers only. The Ikon (currently $1,299) with just seven days at Crystal is nowhere near the deal it used to be, though Northwest skiers can still use it for seven days at Summit at Snoqualmie, Mount Bachelor, Schweitzer, and Sun Valley, plus Sun Peaks in central British Columbia the Ikon Base Pass (currently $919) is similar but for five days with some blackouts. Image: Jean Pierre Chamberland / Flickr CC (Update: Crystal Mountain posted an outline of its planned expansions through 2025, including new terrain, a rebuilt summit restaurant, and a second gondola-meaning that elite season pass will grant access to quite a lot in coming years.) Cold comfort: When they originally announced the change in March, pass holders were told they would have to shell out for parking or add a pricey season parking pass Alterra backtracked on that within days. A cheaper Crystal Roots Pass is good for weekdays only midseason.Ĭrystal visitors will also be greeted by major construction at the base area this winter as Alterra begins a multi-year, $100 million upgrade, including base lodges and a luxury hotel. An anytime Crystal season pass is currently selling for $1,849, nearly twice what the Crystal-and-more cost last year. This year, Alterra Mountain Resort, Colorado-based owner of Crystal, took unlimited Crystal off the Ikon altogether. Last season, Crystal Mountain skiers who wanted unlimited access had to go from the Ikon Base Pass (sort of like the Epic Local) to the full Ikon Pass-but they didn't know how bad sticker shock could get. (Tip for the Canada-bound: The $308–334 five-day Edge Card, good at Whistler but also redeemable for a few days at Stevens, is only available to Washington state buyers.) Ikon Pass With Stevens still unlimited on the Epic Local Pass-currently $669 and cheaper than the $899 full Epic Pass-the mountain remains one of the best deals on the West Coast the Epic Local also gives 10 non-holiday days to Whistler Blackcomb. Vail tried to course correct by bringing in an interim general manager with local roots, and this summer named University of Washington alumna Ellen Galbraith to the position. In fact, Vail Resorts had such bad customer and staff experiences that they cut their signature Epic Pass prices by 20 percent last year. But large crowds and a loss of the mountain's signature funky local vibe annoyed longtime customers, and last season staffing issues kept the ski area from opening all terrain.

The global Epic Pass gave unlimited access to the Highway 2 ski area, plus days at Whistler Blackcomb, Vail, Park City, and more. When Vail Resorts, based in Colorado, bought Stevens Pass, it came with upsides and downsides. Here's the 2022–23 breakdown note that prices and availability change as fall rolls toward winter. Washington, home to 20 or so ski areas, can be explored with a number of the multi-mountain passes.

Tracy / Stevens PassĬhoosing between ski season passes gets more complicated every year, to the point where we might need a spreadsheet, an atlas, and a calendar to make sense of it all.

Ikon local pass