2023/2024 Season Passes

[urungus]

Berkshire East early bird pricing $549, a $50 increase from last year. Still a pretty good deal for unlimited access to Berkshire East (new high speed lift next season), Catamount, Bousquet, and the $100 discount on the Indy Pass add-on. New perk for renewers is two free early/late season “buddy tickets” for your friend. https://berkshireeast.com/winter/season-passes

 

[Dickc]

Pat’s Peak passes go on sale Monday. Looks like a $10 increase from last year. Given inflation, that’s pretty good!

 

[KustyTheKlown]

my full ikon has served me really well this year and its a no-brainer for me to repurchase.

my question mark is indy. i have used 2 days - jay and powmow. i could have gone back to powmow for a second day but i actively decided to go ski snowbasin for more vert and faster lifts. i hope to put the indy to work at jay, cannon, and magic over the next month, which will at least make it a reasonable cost per day, but still not a steal. unfortunately, i dont know if i can roll the dice on weather/conditions for the indy again. i also feel like the indy pass and the indy pass online community has created crowding issues at many independents that are just as bad or worse than the majors. the majors at least have the lifts to move the people.

 

[deadheadskier]

my full ikon has served me really well this year and its a no-brainer for me to repurchase.

my question mark is indy. i have used 2 days - jay and powmow. i could have gone back to powmow for a second day but i actively decided to go ski snowbasin for more vert and faster lifts. i hope to put the indy to work at jay, cannon, and magic over the next month, which will at least make it a reasonable cost per day, but still not a steal. unfortunately, i dont know if i can roll the dice on weather/conditions for the indy again. i also feel like the indy pass and the indy pass online community has created crowding issues at many independents that are just as bad or worse than the majors. the majors at least have the lifts to move the people.

Interesting. Where has that been the case with Indy?

I haven't noticed that to be the case at Pat's, Cannon, Waterville and Bolton.

I'll be renewing Gunstock plus Indy. Depending on what Vail does with Epic day prices in NH, perhaps grab a couple of days to show the kids Wildcat and Attitash. I'd like to check out the new HSQ at Attitash Don't really want to give Vail money, but also could use a couple more days outside of Indy. We will get 11 or 12 days on Indy this year.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

my only experience this year was a jay saturday. granted, flyer and tram were down, but the lines at jet and bonnie were bigger than i have ever seen. when i went to redeem my indy reservation, every single other person in queue was doing the same. last year, magic. significant lines each sunday i visited. that will be relieved by the black chair eventually.

anecdotally, i hear waterville is mobbed this year, but havent been.

cannon is excellent at capacity management. have not been to bolton this year (but last year indy pass powder day was very busy. but saturday powder day).

indy is cheap enough to get again i suppose, but the full ikon really hits all the marks for me. i get stratton for reliable grooming and snowmaking when shit is marginal, i get windham for 'local', i get my unlimited sugarbush, i get my 2 early season and 5 late season killington days, and i get to travel the world. the indy feels a bit superfluous. i would miss jay and magic but i can also just go to jay and magic and give them $90.

 

[deadheadskier]

my only experience this year was a jay saturday. granted, flyer and tram were down, but the lines at jet and bonnie were bigger than i have ever seen. when i went to redeem my indy reservation, every single other person in queue was doing the same. last year, magic. significant lines each sunday i visited. that will be relieved by the black chair eventually.

anecdotally, i hear waterville is mobbed this year, but havent been.

cannon is excellent at capacity management. have not been to bolton this year (but last year indy pass powder day was very busy. but saturday powder day).

indy is cheap enough to get again i suppose, but the full ikon really hits all the marks for me. i get stratton for reliable grooming and snowmaking when shit is marginal, i get windham for 'local', i get my unlimited sugarbush, i get my 2 early season and 5 late season killington days, and i get to travel the world. the indy feels a bit superfluous. i would miss jay and magic but i can also just go to jay and magic and give them $90.

I'd be all about iKon if they had a second NH area other than Loon for day trips. The VT and Maine areas are great, but too far without frequent hotels. That's why Indy works for us. 6 days at WV, Cannon and Pat's >>> 5 days at Loon.

 

[ColdRain&Snow]

Next season I plan to upgrade from the Stratton only pass to the ikon pass.

I read here, or maybe ski talk, Costco sold ikon passes and gave a $200 gift card for 2022/23, so I’m keeping an eye out for that.

 

[ThatGuy]

Magic definitely gets hit hard with Indy pass users, and Jay was number one for redemptions. Also the Indy Pass crowd tends to skew gaper imo (the FB group is full of idiot questions and people sharing secrets that should be left unsaid).

Agree with your assessment Kusty, alot of the Indy pass resorts don’t have to infrastructure to deal with the increasing crowds. This really shows on powder days, I’ll be at Magic tomorrow and I’m ready for some serious lines.

 

[ThatGuy]

Anecdotally I’ve been to Brundage and Tamarack twice and almost every person I talked to was there on the Indy Pass.

 

[thebigo]

Definitely getting ragged again for the kids race program.

Question is second pass. Boyne bronze at $475 after rewards and renewal discount was a great value this year, will end up with 30 - 40 days between SR and Loon. Loon is fun in april and SR can be counted on for November.

Wife has the full April vacation week off which is a rarity, she has greenlit a western week. Ikon would be perfect for palisades in april but think I would be pissed at limiting SR/loon days to five each next year. Other option for April is Crystal spring pass but absolutely nothing to do there but ski. Timberline has a cheap spring pass and we have family in portland but skiing flat groomers would get old fast.

Need to make decision quick, boyne flash sale is next week. A bunch of first world problems.

 

[thebigo]

Magic definitely gets hit hard with Indy pass users, and Jay was number one for redemptions. Also the Indy Pass crowd tends to skew gaper imo (the FB group is full of idiot questions and people sharing secrets that should be left unsaid).

Agree with your assessment Kusty, alot of the Indy pass resorts don’t have to infrastructure to deal with the increasing crowds. This really shows on powder days, I’ll be at Magic tomorrow and I’m ready for some serious lines.

Seriously doubt Jay will be on indy next year.

 

[parahelia]

Definitely getting ragged again for the kids race program.

Question is second pass. Boyne bronze at $475 after rewards and renewal discount was a great value this year, will end up with 30 - 40 days between SR and Loon. Loon is fun in april and SR can be counted on for November.

Wife has the full April vacation week off which is a rarity, she has greenlit a western week. Ikon would be perfect for palisades in april but think I would be pissed at limiting SR/loon days to five each next year. Other option for April is Crystal spring pass but absolutely nothing to do there but ski. Timberline has a cheap spring pass and we have family in portland but skiing flat groomers would get old fast.

Need to make decision quick, boyne flash sale is next week. A bunch of first world problems.

Boyne’s New England Pass platinum level includes an Ikon base - would that do the trick? We got it this year to have western options as well as the occasional Sugarbush/Killington day. Heck of a lot pricier than the bronze, obviously, but at least you get what you pay for in terms of new lifts/snowmaking.

 

[thebigo]

Boyne’s New England Pass platinum level includes an Ikon base - would that do the trick? We got it this year to have western options as well as the occasional Sugarbush/Killington day. Heck of a lot pricier than the bronze, obviously, but at least you get what you pay for in terms of new lifts/snowmaking.

Thanks for this, got me thinking. K throws in a free ikon if I am not mistaken. K and SR are equal drives from home. Not cheap but don't have to buy k spring and still have five SR days over Thanksgiving. Five days only at loon in April will suck but a week at palisades with the potential for a crystal weekend in June will make up for it.

 

[cdskier]

Thanks for this, got me thinking. K throws in a free ikon if I am not mistaken. K and SR are equal drives from home. Not cheap but don't have to buy k spring and still have five SR days over Thanksgiving. Five days only at loon in April will suck but a week at palisades with the potential for a crystal weekend in June will make up for it.

K only throws in the free Ikon base pass if you buy the "Beast 365" pass for year round access.

 

[Edd]

I’m just going to think about what pass to buy while banging my head against the wall for 6 weeks, skiing as much as possible.

 

[Bosco DaSkia]

indy only gives you 2 days at each place, and you guys are vastly overestimating how many indy passes are sold in the first place.

 

[machski]

Thanks for this, got me thinking. K throws in a free ikon if I am not mistaken. K and SR are equal drives from home. Not cheap but don't have to buy k spring and still have five SR days over Thanksgiving. Five days only at loon in April will suck but a week at palisades with the potential for a crystal weekend in June will make up for it.

You have to watch out with the Platinum NEP/Beast365 iKon Base pass depending on if you plan to head west. Many west resorts are now off the Base and you need Base + or higher to access (JHMR, Aspens, SV/SB, etc). You cannot upgrade the add on Base with these passes. Which is whyy wide and I will go NEP Silver again and a full iKon next year. Be almost the same price as a NEP Platinum and get full iKon access including recovering 7 of the blackout days at SR on the Silver NEP (and could recover all 12 NEP blackouts by visiting Loon and/SL as you get 7 unlimited full iKon at each). Take a look at options for sure before purchasing the high tier local to get a limited base iKon.

 

[ThatGuy]

indy only gives you 2 days at each place, and you guys are vastly overestimating how many indy passes are sold in the first place.

Those two days are typically used the same days though. So if 80% of the people who use it, use it on the same day that makes a significant difference in crowds.

 

[machski]

Magic definitely gets hit hard with Indy pass users, and Jay was number one for redemptions. Also the Indy Pass crowd tends to skew gaper imo (the FB group is full of idiot questions and people sharing secrets that should be left unsaid).

Agree with your assessment Kusty, alot of the Indy pass resorts don’t have to infrastructure to deal with the increasing crowds. This really shows on powder days, I’ll be at Magic tomorrow and I’m ready for some serious lines.

Thus why Indy Pass will be limiting their passes sold this coming season

 

[KustyTheKlown]

I have seen with my own eyes the gapers that come out of the woodwork with Indy passes, and as TG said, the Facebook page is just a constant stream of facepalms. I’ll visit those areas a la carte from now on. The product has jumped the shark.

Also if Jay is leaving Indy, which seems likely, it’s overall value to me takes a nosedive.