2021-22 Season Passes

[Smellytele]

Having done similar on Mountain Collectives, I would say the length of the 4 hrs drive isn't a problem.

However, Indy pass doesn't have the 50% off option as MC pass has. So you're stuck with the exact 2 days in each mountain. You lose the flexibility of staying longer or moving on earlier if the weather pattern so dictates.

That's where IKON shines. With 5 days, you don't feel strongly about "wasting" a day if condition doesn't warrant staying any more. And you have more rooms to plan your stay to straddle an incoming storm to maximize your potential for powder

Indy does have a 3rd at a discount

 

[dblskifanatic]

Indy does have a 3rd at a discount

you can purchase a third ticket at each resort for 25% off the daily rate

 

[abc]

You did a western trip in 2018 or so where you traveled all around, right (took a hiatus from work)? If so you are familiar with the drives.

My "road trip season" was done with 2 passes, Epic Local and Mountain Collective.

But the year prior, I did 2 separate trips on Mountain Collective alone. I strategically pick 2 "clusters" of resorts on the MC pass and made 2 week long trip out of it (also, my "week long trip" is often 9-10 days)

Truth be told, moving base every 2 days with a 4 hr drives is pretty exhausting. Though that's when the 50% off on additional days came in handy. I planned longer stay on some resorts, just to take a break from the constant packing and unpacking!

I mostly leave a couple hour early on the last day, "moving day", so I could get on the road when there's still some daylight left. Driving on lonely roads of the west well into the night isn't for the faint of heart, which I wasn't. Still, I had to drive into the darkness, though at a more "reasonable" hour such as 7/8 pm.

Some resorts, I stayed only 2 days. With the 2nd day a shorter one, a "shortened" 2 day stay really doesn't do justice to many of the resorts. That's why I stayed additional days in some.

I also had to take into account of incoming storms to alter my "moving day" accordingly. The last thing I need is to turn those 4 hr drives into 6-8 hr drives by driving through storms! Do you know many western states stop plowing after 5pm?

"Change of plan is part of the plan", as one TV add puts it.

It can be done. It can be fun. But it's not for everyone.

 

[Hawk]

I'm sorry, I can't understand doing trips like that at all. At lease if it is not like a sabbatical for a month or more. If you add up all the time packing, unpacking, traveling, not to mention the time lost not know your surroundings and looking for stuff, your wasting so much of your vacation. I could see doing camper trips over a longer duration when you have all your stuff organized. But I am the anti you when it comes to my experience I guess. I pick a place and stay there and maybe a day trip to another place. I think my only exception will be my Revi - Kicking Horse vacation in the near future. I actually like European skiing for bigger adventure where the places are so big it is like skiing many different places but the lifts or busses always get you back to your place. Half of the fun on the skiing vacation is that you can kick back and not worry about always going 100mph to then next destination. Just a different mind set I guess.

 

[2planks2coasts]

I'm sorry, I can't understand doing trips like that at all. At lease if it is not like a sabbatical for a month or more. If you add up all the time packing, unpacking, traveling, not to mention the time lost not know your surroundings and looking for stuff, your wasting so much of your vacation. I could see doing camper trips over a longer duration when you have all your stuff organized. But I am the anti you when it comes to my experience I guess. I pick a place and stay there and maybe a day trip to another place. I think my only exception will be my Revi - Kicking Horse vacation in the near future. I actually like European skiing for bigger adventure where the places are so big it is like skiing many different places but the lifts or busses always get you back to your place. Half of the fun on the skiing vacation is that you can kick back and not worry about always going 100mph to then next destination. Just a different mind set I guess.

There's a place, time, and market for both. With my work having me in random different cities every day, I'm used to never really unpacking and being out of the hotel room in minutes. I love the two week 10 mountain Grand Tour of the American West.

I also like to settle down in one place and ski locally for a week. I have a timeshare in St. Johann, Austria that is ideal for this. It's too bad that Cooper lost their MCP partners because a week based in Ogden hitting PowMow, Nordic Valley and Snowbasin (off pass) was the highlight of my 2019 season.

I"ll often use the former type of trip to determine what mountains I should do the latter at.

 

[Hawk]

Ah, Kitzbuhel and the surrounding area. We almost did that and ended up in St Anton because a friend got us a 2nd story walk up right in town 100 yrds from the lift. Great trip. The Austrians are complete animals. Ski all day, drink til Dark and ski down in the dark. I saw more people stumbling around in ski boots at 11:00 at night.
I really want to go to Kitsbuhel though. Is it best to stay in St Johann?

 

[abc]

I pick a place and stay there

But how do you "pick" without going there and seeing it first hand?

(I know, I know, that's what this forum is supposed to be...)

I"ll often use the former type of trip to determine what mountains I should do the latter at.

That being the point of the "2 days in each mountain" tour!

Some mountains I never return, however famous it is (Sun Valley fit that. It's not my kind of terrain). Others got put into a list of priority for future long visits.

 

[dblskifanatic]

My "road trip season" was done with 2 passes, Epic Local and Mountain Collective.

But the year prior, I did 2 separate trips on Mountain Collective alone. I strategically pick 2 "clusters" of resorts on the MC pass and made 2 week long trip out of it (also, my "week long trip" is often 9-10 days)

Truth be told, moving base every 2 days with a 4 hr drives is pretty exhausting. Though that's when the 50% off on additional days came in handy. I planned longer stay on some resorts, just to take a break from the constant packing and unpacking!

I mostly leave a couple hour early on the last day, "moving day", so I could get on the road when there's still some daylight left. Driving on lonely roads of the west well into the night isn't for the faint of heart, which I wasn't. Still, I had to drive into the darkness, though at a more "reasonable" hour such as 7/8 pm.

Some resorts, I stayed only 2 days. With the 2nd day a shorter one, a "shortened" 2 day stay really doesn't do justice to many of the resorts. That's why I stayed additional days in some.

I also had to take into account of incoming storms to alter my "moving day" accordingly. The last thing I need is to turn those 4 hr drives into 6-8 hr drives by driving through storms! Do you know many western states stop plowing after 5pm?

"Change of plan is part of the plan", as one TV add puts it.

It can be done. It can be fun. But it's not for everyone.

Remember reading your posts and thought to myself - not sure if I could do that. Yet when I lived in Colorado, my wife and I day tripped 1.5 -2.5 hours one way whih amount to a lot of driving per day of skiing.

Good on you that you did it - sounded like lots of planning and work.


We plan on going back to Colorado or Utah and are hoping to be closer to the resorts.

 

[abc]

Good on you that you did it - sounded like lots of planning and work.

Actually, it wasn't all that much "planning". I simply "plan" to be flexible.

(For example, I don't pre-book hotel, at least not the kind that's non-refundable. I mostly staying "in town" instead of on mountain. It's usually not a problem finding lodging away from the slopes. Also, having sufficient fund makes that a lot easier. I found typically budget motels tend to sell out fastest. So occasionally, I 'have to' live it large! )

 

[2planks2coasts]

Ah, Kitzbuhel and the surrounding area. We almost did that and ended up in St Anton because a friend got us a 2nd story walk up right in town 100 yrds from the lift. Great trip. The Austrians are complete animals. Ski all day, drink til Dark and ski down in the dark. I saw more people stumbling around in ski boots at 11:00 at night.
I really want to go to Kitsbuhel though. Is it best to stay in St Johann?

Apologies, I should have specified which Sankt Johann my place is in. Kitzbuhel is near Sankt Johann in Tirol. Mine is in Sankt Johann Im Pongau, closer to Salzburg. It's in the giant Ski Amade circuit including Alpendorf, Wagrain, Flachau, Dachstein, etc. Mostly intermediate terrain.

Otherwise, it's pretty similar, eat, drink, ski, repeat. Only adding sleep when absolutely necessary.

 

[Dickc]

Boynes latest email on the flash pass sale. Selling Fast We've already sold through 75% of our Flash Sale inventory of New England 5-Day ticket packs, and they're going fast. Grab one now for as little at $299 while supplies last.

​ ​ UNLIMITED​ $389​ Unrestricted access any five days at Sugarloaf, Sunday River or Loon this season for just $389.​ BUY NOW​ ​ ​ ​ LIMITED​ $299​ Five days to use this season at Sugarloaf, Sunday River, or Loon with 15 blackouts for $299.​ BUY NOW​ ​ ​

 

[dblskifanatic]

​

​ ​ ​ Boynes latest email on the flash pass sale. Selling Fast ​ We've already sold through 75% of our Flash Sale inventory of New England 5-Day ticket packs, and they're going fast. Grab one now for as little at $299 while supplies last. ​

​

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ UNLIMITED​ $389​ Unrestricted access any five days at Sugarloaf, Sunday River or Loon this season for just $389.​ ​ BUY NOW​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ LIMITED​ $299​ Five days to use this season at Sugarloaf, Sunday River, or Loon with 15 blackouts for $299.​ ​ BUY NOW​ ​ ​

A lot depends on how much your daily average is for a day of skiing. The first is about $78 per day which high in my book and the second is more palatable at $60 but even that is high. Yet that pricing is better than Epic 5 day pass or the Ikon Session 4 day and close to being in line Copper. I never really saw the value in 4 or 5 day passes except for Loveland where the average daily rate was between $29 and $37 over the past 5 years. With my Epic pass I can get the daily average really low. Heck my Epic Veteran this year was only about $60 more than the Unlimited 5 day and my A Basin is cheaper than either choice.

 

[Hawk]

But how do you "pick" without going there and seeing it first hand?

(I know, I know, that's what this forum is supposed to be...)

I have been to most of the largest and best mountains out west except for Taos, Crested Butte and Oregon. I have been all through Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Washington and California so I know where I like. Actually I do a tremendous amount of research on line and networking at Sugarbush. One of benefits of being a long time Sugarbush skier is that I know most everybody that is a regular. There is a ton of long time older skiers that have been pretty much everywhere. a couple of sit downs with a beer or two and I know most of what I need. Some even have real-estate holdings at other mountain's out west. Most of my stays are from direct recommendations from people I know. I also read all the reviews on Vacasa, Trip advisor and such as well as forums like this. I also read all the reviews from forums and news outlets about restaurants, shops and the do's and don'ts.

Lastly I go on google maps and street view and spend some time moving around virtually so I get the lay of the land before I get there so I know exactly how to get to the place, where the closest bars and restaurants and the closest supermarket/liquor/Beer outlet is.

The skiing is usually the biggest adventure but that is the fun. I get a good enough idea from forums and friends to figure it out.

 

[abc]

I have been to most of the largest and best mountains out west except for Taos, Crested Butte and Oregon. I have been all through Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Washington and California so I know where I like. Actually I do a tremendous amount of research on line and networking at Sugarbush. One of benefits of being a long time Sugarbush skier is that I know most everybody that is a regular. There is a ton of long time older skiers that have been pretty much everywhere. a couple of sit downs with a beer or two and I know most of what I need. Some even have real-estate holdings at other mountain's out west. Most of my stays are from direct recommendations from people I know. I also read all the reviews on Vacasa, Trip advisor and such as well as forums like this. I also read all the reviews from forums and news outlets about restaurants, shops and the do's and don'ts.

Lastly I go on google maps and street view and spend some time moving around virtually so I get the lay of the land before I get there so I know exactly how to get to the place, where the closest bars and restaurants and the closest supermarket/liquor/Beer outlet is.

The skiing is usually the biggest adventure but that is the fun. I get a good enough idea from forums and friends to figure it out.

So a quick spin of 2 days each to 3-4 resorts is no less valid way of "research"!

With the bonus of getting a whole lot of skiing in.

 

[Hawk]

No one said it was not a way to do research. All I was saying was I would never travel that way. Pack, Unpack, ski, pack, drive, unpack ski, ON and ON. While you are doing that, I am drinking in the bar meeting interesting people, going ski mobiling at night, hot tub and not driving, packing and unpacking. That is all I am saying. Don't get me wrong. I have done that on several vacations and said I will never do that again. You are more like my 24 yo nephew. He has to cram in everything. Never again. Actually with my job I can't really take weeks to go on an extended vacation. Maybe in a few years in retirement I will take on a vacation more like that but a for a month so the stays are longer.

 

[p_levert]

No one said it was not a way to do research. All I was saying was I would never travel that way. Pack, Unpack, ski, pack, drive, unpack ski, ON and ON. While you are doing that, I am drinking in the bar meeting interesting people, going ski mobiling at night, hot tub and not driving, packing and unpacking. That is all I am saying. Don't get me wrong. I have done that on several vacations and said I will never do that again. You are more like my 24 yo nephew. He has to cram in everything. Never again. Actually with my job I can't really take weeks to go on an extended vacation. Maybe in a few years in retirement I will take on a vacation more like that but a for a month so the stays are longer.

Well I'm in the abc camp. It's a lot of fun to go exploring in the American West. Yeah, it can be tiring but it's also rewarding. I think it's probably easier to do if you are by yourself because you don't have to put up with the complainers in the car.

 

[jaytrem]

I think it's probably easier to do if you are by yourself because you don't have to put up with the complainers in the car.

Just gotta be selective with who you bring along. No matter how crazy a plan I come up with, both my kids and 2 best ski buddies are happy to come along. Been doing it so long I wouldn't know what to do with myself if we just stayed in one place. Started taking the kids on "safari" type trips when they were 5. Luckily they don't know any better!

 

[machski]

Boyne sold out of the New England 5 day passes today, at the lowest pricing anyway. Who knows what #s they were offering, but that was fast for a 5 ticket pass.

 

[Mum skier]

Boyne sold out of the New England 5 day passes today, at the lowest pricing anyway. Who knows what #s they were offering, but that was fast for a 5 ticket pass.

Yes, just went to buy ours after getting home from work, credit card all ready in my hand, and all gone! Seems like I have until September to decide whether to do the Maine 4 day ( which I did last year) so will wait and see if the New England option come back late in the summer. Thought they were kidding with their 90% sold message!

 

[ss20]

Well I'm in the abc camp. It's a lot of fun to go exploring in the American West. Yeah, it can be tiring but it's also rewarding. I think it's probably easier to do if you are by yourself because you don't have to put up with the complainers in the car.

Same with me. Get time off, start driving. I did a 4 week roadtrip out west in late November/December and a 10 day New England trip in March and early April. I had an idea of where I was going to go when I left the house.