Between us, Liz and I received this info in at least 4 e-mails from Alterra last week:
Meanwhile on Sept. 10 Al's blog said this about A-Basin:
1) Their own passholders
2) Ikon and MCP
3) Day tickets
Jackson Hole has a detailed webpage about its advance reservation system for day tickets which is also silent about season passholders, Ikon and Mountain Collective. But I sent an e-mail this morning and got a prompt response:
Finally, Ski Area Management Magazine has an anonymous polling feature which they recently used to inquire of selected areas whether lodging packages for 2020-21 would include lift tickets. They did not get confirmed answers from all the places they called, but the trend seems to be in that direction. This will be a key point for Iron Blosam Week in 2021. There is currently nothing on Snowbird's website about advance reservation policy.
Left unsaid was whether reservations would be required of Ikon passholders. So I sent an e-mail to Mammoth and was pleased to get this response:We are prioritizing access for season pass holders and will tightly regulate the number of daily lift tickets that will be available by advance purchase only. To this end, walk-up window sales will be eliminated, and the sale of most undated lift ticket products will be discontinued until further notice.
Given Alterra's less centralized style vs. Vail, I believe each Alterra resort will be allowed to set its own reservation policy. Do I expect Mammoth's policy of not requiring reservations of Ikon passholders to stick? I'm cautiously optimistic. For years Mammoth has been monitoring hotel reservations to predict attendance, particularly on weekends. They also have data since 2012 on RFID and probably back to the late 1990's of the daily split between season passholders and day tickets. So presumably they believe that Ikon passholders alone cannot breach whatever COVID limit they have set for daily capacity. They will use hotel reservation trends to ration the number of available day tickets.At Mammoth Mountain and June Mountain, we will not be limiting Ikon Passholders. We will manage mountain occupancy by limiting the amount of daily lift tickets sold, which reservations are strongly recommended. We do not have an estimated date for when these reservations will become available.
Meanwhile on Sept. 10 Al's blog said this about A-Basin:
A-Basin found out when they reopened May 27 that they need a 3-tiered system:-Reservations will not be required for Arapahoe Basin Season Pass and Any Day Pass holders. The number of passes sold will be limited.
-Ikon and Mountain Collective Pass holders are welcome and are encouraged to ski and ride A-Basin. Access details are still to be determined.
-Lift tickets will be available every day. Arapahoe Basin will require all lift tickets to be purchased in advance, online through our website. The number of tickets sold each day will be variable to reduce peak visitation periods.
1) Their own passholders
2) Ikon and MCP
3) Day tickets
Jackson Hole has a detailed webpage about its advance reservation system for day tickets which is also silent about season passholders, Ikon and Mountain Collective. But I sent an e-mail this morning and got a prompt response:
This upcoming ski season, anyone who has purchased any season pass from JHMR will have full mountain access without limitation this winter per the terms under which their pass was purchased. However to allow for physical distancing, we are limiting the number of daily lift tickets that are available for purchase to manage our daily capacity limits.
For any Ikon pass holders intending to visit JHMR this winter, advanced reservations will be required. Ikon pass holders can make reservations right off of Ikon's website or app beginning on November 9th.
As for any Mountain Collective pass holders who are visiting with us this upcoming winter, reservations are not required for the 2-or3-days included in the Mountain Collective pass. However any additional 50% off days Mountain Collective pass holders would like to ski are subject to availability.
Finally, Ski Area Management Magazine has an anonymous polling feature which they recently used to inquire of selected areas whether lodging packages for 2020-21 would include lift tickets. They did not get confirmed answers from all the places they called, but the trend seems to be in that direction. This will be a key point for Iron Blosam Week in 2021. There is currently nothing on Snowbird's website about advance reservation policy.