October is here and it has started snowing on many mountains, which is great news for skiers and boarders alike. As usual, once the snow begins to fall, the price of many ski season passes rises. A few weeks ago, the price for the Epic Pass creeped upward, and tomorrow the price for the Ikon Pass will do the same. Beginning on October 10, the price for the Ikon Pass will increase by $50. If you want to avoid that increase, the time to purchase is now.
Ikon has two levels of passes — the Ikon Base Pass ($699) and the Ikon Pass ($999). Each pass includes unlimited skiing/boarding at select resorts and then up to five or seven days at a larger number of resorts.
Participating unlimited ski resorts on both passes include: Copper Mountain, Winter Park, Tremblant and Big Bear. Mammoth, Squaw Valley and Solitude are also unlimited mountains included on both passes, though with some blackout dates.
On the pricier Ikon Pass, and with limited access on the Base Pass, you will find Steamboat, Aspen Snowmass, Jackson Hole, Taos, Deer Valley, Killington, AltaSnowbird and more. Those looking to take advantage of the temporary 60,000 Marriott Rewards points cap on standard award pricing at St. Regis properties may want to look toward Aspen and Deer Valley using the Ikon Pass this year!
Since single-day ski lift tickets can be so expensive, families planning to ski more than one trip per year will often come out ahead by securing a ski season pass of some sort. Sadly, our family is still deciding on exactly which ski resorts to visit this season, so we will have to deal with the price increases to make sure we make the right decision. However, if your ski plans are set, now is the time to buy.
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