Mountain Collective/Ikon/Epic 2021-22

tseeb

Well-known member
Ikon pass will go on sale on 3/12/2021 and be immediately usable at Big Bear Mountain (So CA) and Snowshoe (WV). Renewal discounts are offered to 20/21 Ikon Pass holders for winter 21/22 if purchased before Wednesday, May 5, 2021, with savings of up to $100. I did not buy 20/21 Ikon Pass, but as previous passholder received email saying I get $50 off Full pass or $40 off Base pass.

Other 2021 Spring Access
Starting April 5, 2021: Solitude Mountain Resort, Sugarbush, Tremblant
Starting April 12, 2021: Mammoth Mountain, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, Winter Park

Note that customers who bought 20/21 pass and deferred it will get $80 off Full pass (that they got $200 off last year), but there are complaints that they will not have access to skiing until April 19 and they should just get the pass, not have to pay $120 for it.

Ikon Pass offers a payment option with Affirm that allows pass holders to buy now and pay over time. Promotions apply through May 4, seewww.ikonpass.comfor more details. Payment options through Affirm are provided by these lending partners:affirm.com/lenders. According to FAQ, this works for customers who want to use pass this Spring.

Full pass price is $999, Base pass is $729 and Base Pass including Aspen and Jackson Hole is $879. I'm probably going to buy Full pass for both my wife and I as besides going to Aspen with SkiTalk group (even though I hear it may be tougher to stay with friends in El Jebell), I should be able to ski some days Base Pass is blacked out at Squaw. It's also possible that I will be in LA area on 3/31 and may have to try Big Bear Mountain if they still have much open.
 
Are these mega-passes too popular for their own good? Lots of stories of traffic jams, long liftlines and powder getting skied off in an hour at the bigger resorts. Even Solitude is being referred to as "Multitude" by Utah locals. I looked into the Indy Pass, which sounds better but entails a lot of driving.
I used to like the Mountain Collective, as it would pay for itself in one trip to SLC (where I can stay with friends), but their resorts are subject to the same overcrowding.
 
baldyskier":3fw9w3zx said:
Are these mega-passes too popular for their own good? Lots of stories of traffic jams, long liftlines and powder getting skied off in an hour at the bigger resorts.
There was much discussion of this topic at the end of Ikon's first season in 2019.
It's a complex topic that varies by resort, and I don't think there's a lot to add since 2019. Some resorts have tweaked their affiliations in response to crowds:
1) A-Basin switched from unlimited Epic to 5 or 7 day Ikon plus Mountain Collective starting 2019-20.
2) Aspen and Jackson require full Ikon or a $150 surcharge on base Ikon starting 2019-20.
3) Crystal Mt. will allow only 5 days on base Ikon starting 2021-22.

Data for 2019-20 and 2020-21 will be highly influenced by COVID effects.

As for 2020-21 it was obvious to me that reduced lift capacity for social distancing would increase liftlines at popular resorts and peak times. That was the motivation for our "pandemic tour" of more under-the-radar areas, which Liz and I both viewed as a success. Alta/Snowbird are high profile areas, but being onsite for our timeshare weeks mitigates some of the issues, notably parking. Still, we skied neither the incoming nor outgoing Saturday of our week.

Mammoth spring skiing is still ahead of us, but I expect it all to be midweek and manageable.
 
Thanks, Tony. Do you think smaller resorts may be a better bet for finding powder that lasts more than an hour going forward? There is likely a lot of pent up skier demand that could result in serious lines at the big resorts next season. I'm looking into Indy or Powder Alliance, although they don't have that much presence in SLC or CA. Also considering Ikon and looking to ski powder at June and SLC. Do you know if Solitude has gotten any better, ot is it still "Multitude"?
 
Received the following from Mountain Collective this AM. To buy, go to https://store.mountaincollective.com/ec ... egoryid=17

GET YOUR 2021/2022 PASS FOR JUST $499 USD
2021/2022 passholders will receive two days at 23 world-class destinations with half off additional days, zero blackout dates and for a limited time, a free 3rd bonus day at the resort of your choice. Don’t forget about kids passes (12 and under) for just $129 USD and new this year, teen passes (ages 13-18) for $399 USD.

We are all hopeful that the 2021/2022 ski season will send the pandemic packing and we will be free to travel to our favorite destinations but, in the meantime, to provide you with peace of mind, we are bringing back our "No Questions Asked” guarantee which allows you to receive a full refund on your pass purchase any time prior to August 31st, 2021.

Join the Mountain Collective Today!
.
BUY NOW
.
If you think you'll qualify for a credit for low or no use of your 20-21 season pass due to COVID related closures (see the first FAQ on our website for more info.), we'll refund the credit towards your purchase price once approved (June - Aug. 2021 timing).
 
baldyskier":ob2hybom said:
Thanks, Tony. Do you think smaller resorts may be a better bet for finding powder that lasts more than an hour going forward? There is likely a lot of pent up skier demand that could result in serious lines at the big resorts next season. I'm looking into Indy or Powder Alliance, although they don't have that much presence in SLC or CA. Also considering Ikon and looking to ski powder at June and SLC. Do you know if Solitude has gotten any better, or is it still "Multitude"?
The key to powder is flexibility, to which many of us give lip service but few in reality (including me) give top priority in ski trip planning. Powderchaser Steve is the only person I know who constructs his entire season around chasing powder and he has job flexibility and a ton of frequent flyer privileges to enable that.

My friend George (now living in Las Vegas) prioritizes powder in his drives to Utah but was at Iron Blosam with us and skied all of two days last week and though retired is only skiing 10-15 days per season.

So my list of best interesting but uncrowded areas prioritizes terrain quality as much as snowfall:
Canada
Castle Mt.: Anyone who reads my TR's knows my enthusiasm here.
Apex: Interesting terrain, mostly north exposure but modest snowfall. If you get powder midweek you'll have little competition.
Red Mt.: The most challenging tree skiing I've seen anywhere, but let's say excessively challenging if it hasn't snowed recently.
Montana
Lost Trail: Most terrain is mellow but it's high, gets good snow and is closed Mon-Wed. Most Thursdays would deliver powder, but not the first week of March this year so we skipped it.
Discovery: See description of Apex above, but I rate Disco's terrain second only to Castle on this list.
Idaho
Brundage: Consistent intermediate pitch with ideal tree spacing. Quiet midweek, but was very busy with big liftlines on weekends this year.
Silver Mt.: Locals swear by low skier density, but this year the access gondola had significant lines on weekends. Silver is north facing with good snowfall.
Washington
49 Degrees North: This is almost a clone for Silver in terrain and exposure. It gets less snow but delivered the least busy Saturday skiing I saw this season.
Utah
Powder Mt.: Yes it's obvious but expansive intermediate pitched terrain really does keep powder from being tracked out fast. The caveats are that its snowfall is overstated (reality is 350 not 500) and that low altitude and sunny exposures often degrade the powder faster than it gets tracked out.
Wyoming
Grand Targhee: This is surely the best combination of high snowfall and low skier density overall. I do not know if Mountain Collective will raise visitation significantly.
Colorado
Sunlight: Interesting terrain and completely ignored with Aspen and Vail an hour down the road. Snowfall <250 is modest like Disco and Apex.
Wolf Creek: Well known for snowfall and very remote location usually cuts crowds. BUT Texans will drive there for a whole week, so avoid Christmas and particularly Texas spring break. Also, this year we learned that Denver skiers will drive there when Front Range conditions are poor.

I removed Solitude from this list when it became unlimited Ikon. Honeycomb Canyon is still slow to track out because it takes a 3-lift circuit to get back there.

As far as passes are concerned, I don't see how any one in SoCal can NOT get Ikon with both Mammoth and Big Bear unlimited on it. In my case the Snowbird timeshare week is further reinforcement.

For second tier areas, the Loveland Pass is the standout because it has key side exchange agreements in addition to Powder Alliance:
1) Powder Mt.
2) Schweitzer
3) Whitefish
4) The "Power Pass" group: Purgatory, Sipapu. Pajarito, Arizona Snowbowl, Brian Head
5) Other Colorado independents: Monarch, Sunlight, Powderhorn, Cooper

Jamesdeluxe, Liz and Lonnie got Loveland passes for 2020-21. Liz used hers 8 days and I think Lonnie used his about 12 before his season ended prematurely with a broken ankle at Taos March 3.
 
Tony Crocker":18c7hccs said:
Jamesdeluxe, Liz and Lonnie got Loveland passes for 2020-21. Liz used hers 8 days and I think Lonnie used his about 12
After my trip at the end of the month, I'll end up with 11 days on the Loveland pass. I was hoping to get closer to 20 but COVID and a lousy early season in Colorado kept those numbers down.
 
Surely James will return to Loveland in April, often its best month and the time of both of my days there in 2011 and 2015! Loveland normally closes first weekend in May.
 
Loveland, depending on the year, can also have excellent conditions the first weekend in May when they close. I've definitely skied powder on closing weekends several times (though usually have to get it in the AM).

Many years that first weekend in May is the likely last decent powder/winter conditions at Loveland/ABasin. After that it's too warm and even OK-ish snowfalls can't cover up the hard underneath crust. eg despite OK snowfall in May, it not usually worth trying to ski the 'powder' at a place like ABasin after the first May weekend IMHO. You're better off waiting for spring skiing days.
 
The last couple of weeks in April and the first week in May are when Loveland/A-Basin often shine relative to other ski areas. It's much more common for them to still be in winter mode than anywhere else.

After that first weekend in May, A-Basin will shut down its steep terrain after the first sustained warm spell of 3+ days with no overnight freeze due to wet snow instability.

First weekend of April should not be James' last trip. He should get one more as it will still be much better than December and January were.
 
Tony Crocker":18xdj54b said:
First weekend of April should not be James' last trip. He should get one more as it will still be much better than December and January were.
I'm wondering how late Loveland will make it this season given the 206" YTD; however, it looks like some March/April snow is in the cards. Here's Joel's current five-day forecast:

Berthoud Pass: 20"
Rocky Mountain National Park: 19"
Echo Mountain: 18"
Eldora: 18"
Loveland Pass: 18"
Loveland Ski Area: 18"
Winter Park: 17"
Arapahoe Basin: 16"
Vail: 15"
 
Loveland Pass looks interesting. I wish more ski areas accommodated overnight parking; seems cheap lodging is hard to come by, esp. when traveling alone (my ski buddy retired at 60 a few years back, even though he was skiing better than ever). I don't have a rig for overnight winter vehicle camping, though I would look into it if more areas allowed overnight parking. Colorado doesn't allow overnight vehicle camping in general on public streets, rest areas.
 
jamesdeluxe":1qk7svu9 said:
I'm wondering how late Loveland will make it this season given the 206" YTD

If its a wet spring (eg snow for them on a regular basis), they will have no trouble making it to their closing date. Wet springs are probably about a 3 out of 4 chance for the continental divide ski areas. If it suddenly dries out and warms up then it's much more possible that they will have limited terrain by their closing date due to the low snow year.

baldyskier":1qk7svu9 said:
I wish more ski areas accommodated overnight parking

From talking to a few folks that make the rules, this is usually due to two things. 1) RV's take up too much space limiting the numbers of cars/skiers they can pack in (at least for areas drivable from the front range). 2) Unlike many western locations, Colorado typically gets smaller but much more frequent snowfalls and having overnight-ers in the parking lots impacts plowing out of the lots far too regularly
 
EMSC":1xccithw said:
If its a wet spring (eg snow for them on a regular basis), they will have no trouble making it to their closing date. Wet springs are probably about a 3 out of 4 chance for the continental divide ski areas. If it suddenly dries out and warms up then it's much more possible that they will have limited terrain by their closing date due to the low snow year.
+1 A-Basin and Loveland spring skiing are indeed dependent on that Continental Divide spring snowfall. The last premature collapses of spring snowpack were in 2002 and 2012. Snowfall through the end of March at Loveland was 197 inches in 2002 and 175 in 2012. It's fairly clear that this year is not as bad as those, but Loveland still being only 76% open on March 15 is not a good sign if spring turns dry.

A-Basin was worse than Loveland in 2002 and 2012 (139 and 132 inches through end of March) and in both cases closed before the beginning of May. However, this year A-Basin was 87% open Feb. 15 and has been 96% open in March.

In the Pacific States snowfall declines significantly in April and anything as much as a foot in May is a bonus. So length of season at Mammoth is almost entirely based upon stockpiled snowpack and can usually be predicted in March. The same would be true at Bachelor until Powdr Corp took over and ended the season at Memorial Day despite 2/3 of the prior seasons with the Summit lift making it to July.
 
It's difficult to decide what if any pass to buy for us from Australia this time around.
Mountain Collective (bonus third day) almost works for us if we can buy at parity. It is still doubtful that we will have the opportunity to ski the northern hemisphere next winter. I'm thinking most likely will be Japan (Niseko) but that isn't ideal if we can't travel until next March or April. Canada would be next most likely I would think and they have some hills that suit March and April skiing in Revelstoke, Panorama and Banff.
The Loveland pass sounds great and is something I would certainly entertain if travel possibilities become clear. When does the discounted pass rate usually finish?
 
Loveland was available until Dec. 1, 2020 for $439 for 2020-21. All the passes extended their deadlines in 2020 for 2020-21 due to COVID uncertainty.

I think Ikon was mid-June last year, but they are saying May 5 this year for lowest price.
 
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