As ski season comes barreling down the proverbial slope, which mountains will make your 2024/25 itinerary? If you’re undecided, unable to take big chunks of time off work or want to venture further afield without breaking the bank, a multi-resort season pass could be your key to more time on more slopes, more flexibility of dates and destinations – and more left in your budget for après-ski adventures!
These passes include Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass; the broadly similar Ikon Pass; the more affordable Mountain Collective, which offers fewer destinations; and, since 2019, the upstart and even less pricey Indy Pass which, as the name implies, offers access to smaller, independently owned resorts.
For SoCal snowhounds, the Ikon Pass can offer maximum in-state, regional and global choice. It covers over 50 destinations including six in California, eight in the Pacific Northwest and 18 in the Rockies, plus resorts in Canada, Europe, Japan and (during the Southern Hemisphere winter) Chile, Australia and New Zealand. So, whether you suddenly find yourself with a couple of days to board in Big Bear or are painstakingly planning the ski trip of a lifetime to multiple exotic resorts, there’s a pass for you.
Ikon Pass Options
There are three levels of Ikon Pass with multiple options to fine-tune each to suit your schedule, budget and slopes hopes for the season. The most comprehensive is the full Ikon Pass, which has no blackout dates and covers all Ikon resorts. As of September, it’s priced at $1,359 for adults age 23 and up with discounts for children, students, nurses and military members.
Ikon Pass is owned by the Alterra Mountain Company, which operates multiple North American resorts. The full Ikon Pass offers unlimited access to 17 of these including California’s Mammoth Mountain, Palisades Tahoe, June Mountain, Snow Mountain and Big Bear Mountain Resort. Access to a further 41 destinations is limited to seven days at each (with some still requiring lift reservations).
If you don’t envision doing sufficient skiing to merit that option and/or don’t need peak period access, consider the $969 Ikon Base Pass. This allows for unlimited skiing and lift riding at 14 destinations (including Mammoth, Palisades and Snow Valley) and up to five days at another 37 with limited blackout dates. There are also two-day, three-day and four-day Ikon Session passes starting at $289 for adults, which can work out as low as $120 per day for slopes/lift access. You can split your days among 42 domestic and international destinations (though none in Europe).
With single-day lift tickets typically priced at over $200 at major mountains and annual passes starting at around $300, an Ikon Pass can soon more than pay for itself. Plus, it allows skipping pass purchase lines for maximum ski or board time!
Here are four Ikon Pass destinations to whet your appetite – resorts where the allure of the mountains is augmented by epic après-ski attractions.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Mammoth Mountain
A Cali ski staple for over 70 years, Mammoth Mountain marries more than 3,500 acres of skiable terrain to unusually high snowfall even by Eastern Sierra standards. Whether you’re boarding on double blacks, learning to ski or even snowmobiling, Mammoth delivers. There is also après-ski for all. Of the resort’s five base lodges, Canyon Lodge is most convenient to most of the mountain, offering spectacular views from the huge sundeck of its Lincoln Bar and for those returning to the slopes, some not-too-heavy Mediterranean fare at Canyon Naan Stop. For fine American dining, book a rez for the ultra-intimate Lakefront Restaurant inside historic Tamarack Lodge, where all 10 tables are positioned for optimum Twin Lakes vistas.
THE ROCKIES
Arapahoe Basin
Known for its extended ski season and extreme terrain, Colorado’s “A-Basin” provides more than 1,400 acres of groomed runs, moguls, cornices and glades. Release some adrenaline and refuel at Arapahoe’s mid-mountain Black Mountain Lodge, where house-smoked BBQ and award-winning Bacon Bloody Marys are standouts.
For elevated dining, literally and metaphorically, A-Basin’s il Rifugio is the highest-elevation restaurant in North America, sitting at 12,456 feet above sea level. Located way above the tree line in challenging terrain, it’s also far removed from generic ski resort food courts. Despite lacking running water and being supplied by snowcats, il Rifugio is instead an ambitious European-style bistro specializing in well-chosen wines, cultured charcuterie pairings and, of course, astounding views.
CANADA
SkiBig3
If you’ve never skied the Canadian Rockies, SkiBig3 offers a trio of their greatest winter destinations – the major Banff Sunshine and Lake Louise resorts plus best-kept-secret Mt. Norquay – in a single trip. Amidst breathtaking wilderness, the “Big 3” boasts a combined 7,700 skiable acres, including something for all abilities. For refined daytime après-ski (or more accurately “mid-ski”), both the Fairmont Banff Springs and Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise serve posh afternoon teas of Victorian scones, dainty finger sandwiches, macarons and more. Known as an Olympic and World Cup training ground, Mt. Norquay also boasts Albertan-inspired eats in a retro-cool chalet setting at Cliffhouse Bistro, overlooking Banff from the top of the historic North American chairlift.
EUROPE
Austrian Alps
Winter or summer, the Austrian Alps are among the most beautiful places on Earth. The region’s picturesque medieval town of Kitzbühel is one of Europe’s most revered winter resorts, hosting annual World Cup ski races and consistently producing Winter Olympians. Complimenting the town’s storied runs are eateries like the ski-up Schi-Alm, which serves generous portions of schnitzel, jausenbrttl meat and cheese boards, Austrian kaiserschmarrn dessert and more, its expansive terrace typically fringed with patrons’ colorful resting skis. Just outside town, the charming Restaurant Schwedenkapelle is at once sophisticated and super-friendly, serving traditional Tyrolean dishes like venison and trout as well as vegetarian options in a cozy, classically Austrian setting.
-Paul Rogers