If you are a ski family and you are interested in the IKON pass, right now is the best time to purchase this pass. Starting tomorrow, the pass will go up $100 which is pretty significant. If you can figure out your ski scheduled for next year, you might find that getting this pass (or the EPIC pass which is also available for sale for 2019/2020) could absolutely save your family a boatload of money.
Although my family is located on the East Coast, we are definitely looking into the IKON pass. My husband always does at least one trip out West and then as a family we ski a bunch in the Northeast. While I have yet to do the math (I know I only have 10 hours or so left to do so!), it probably makes sense for just my husband to purchase the pass, and then to also purchase a kids pass for my soon to be 6-year old daughter (which will only cost $159-$199 depending on the pass we purchase, if purchased now).
Included Mountains
As of right now there are 38 mountains included in the pass, but as the year progresses we could also see more mountains added. There are 14 mountains where you get an unlimited number of days and then 23 mountains where the days are limited. With the restricted pass (which is less expensive option) you will not receive unlimited access at both Steamboat and Stratton, but instead just 5 days.
14 Mountains—Unlimited Access
- Steamboat, CO
- Winter Park Resort, CO
- Copper Mountain Resort, CO
- Eldora Mountain Resort, CO
- Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, CA
- Mammouth Mountain, CA
- June Mountain, CA
- Big Bear Mountain Resort, CA
- Stratton, VT
- Snowshow, WV
- Crystal Mountain, MA
- Tremblant, QC
- Blue Mountain, OH
- Solitude, UT
23 Mountains—Limited Access
- Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, WY
- Big Sky Resort, MT
- Sugarbush Resort, VT
- Boyne Highlands, MI
- Boyne Mountain, MI
- The Summit at Snoqualmie, WA
- Revelstoke Mountain Resort, BC
- Cypress, BC
- Sunday River, ME
- Sugarloaf, ME
- Loon Mountain, NH
- Taos, NM
- Deer Valley Resort, UT
- Brighton, UT
- Thredbo, Australia
- Niseko United, Japan
- Valle Negado, Chile
- Aspen Snowmass, CO
- Alta Snowbird, UT
- Killington-Pico, VT
- Ski Big 3, AB
- Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, Mt. Hutt, New Zealand
Two Pass Options
There are two big differences between the two passes: 1) The more expensive pass has no blackout dates, while the less expensive pass has a few (major holidays), and 2) At the limited access mountains you get 7 days at each of the mountains with the more expensive pass, but only 5 days with the less expensive pass. As I mentioned before, if you can plan in advance, you’ll have a better idea which pass is better for you (if any).
Pass 1—Unrestricted
The unrestricted pass will cost an adult $949. This is definitely A LOT of money. It is pretty much the same cost as the all access EPIC pass.
Pass 2—Restrictions
The restricted pass is definitely a little bit less and will only cost $646. While this is still a lot of money, if you are able to plan accordingly you can save $300 from the all access pass! Of course if your go to mountain is Steamboat or Stratton then you’ll need the first pass to receive the unlimited access.
Overall…
While this could absolutely help your family save some money on ski trips next year, plan ahead and see what makes the most sense. If you are looking to buy a pass, you might want to stick to just IKON mountains or just EPIC mountains for the year to save you money across the board.
Will you be purchasing a pass?
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