Indy Ski Pass

[Zand]

Today has been quite the letdown. Worth Chair has been down since before I got here. Nothing exciting off the Sheehan Lift. Stuff off Bailey Falls has a weird crusty surface. Some cool looking terrain over there but the woods aren't all that fun to ski when you don't know whether you're going to be able to turn when you want to.

Major race going on down the main face so while the Worth stuff is accessible via about 20 minutes of lift rides and green trails from Sheehan to Bailey, the middle of the mountain has some stuff closed. Would like to check out far skiers left a little more (aforementioned Loop trail) but those 25 minute round trips are getting old quick and Bailey closes at 3 which is lame.

I fully expected to get sent down to the shuttle lot which would be fine, but the parking lot attendant told me, a first timer coming from the Hancock side, that the shuttle would pick up at the Cross Country Center. So I parked over there and waited, and waited, and a few others joined in waiting. Finally someone noticed that actually the shuttle bus goes to the parking lot across the street, so that was a nice waste of ~30 minutes. There's no signs coming from the east telling you that this lot even exists as you can't see it from the road. I believe there is a sign coming from the west, but that doesn't help much. And it really doesn't help when the parking lot attendants at the base area say to park AT the cross country center.

I've had a good streak of Sunday Indy days but today is definitely a major dud. Will try this place again as the terrain looks really good, just tough to ski the stuff that actually has a lift running due to crust, and the stuff that doesn't have a lift running has better snow but only yields about 2 runs per hour.

 

[AdironRider]

I encourage you to look at life as a glass half full, outside of one ragged trip report, I've noticed you have a pretty negative view on skiing the past few years.

 

[RH29]

Had an excellent day at Bolton. Skied 9:15-4 with about a half hour break for lunch. Great snow, crazy deep in most areas, some windblown thin spots but by and large great conditions as it snowed last night and all day today. I'd been twice before and never skied it until today, but there's some intense terrain there - namely the areas around Preacher and off lookers right of the Wilderness chair.

I've already paid off my Indy Pass this year, with days at Catamount, Berkshire, Mohawk, Whaleback, Dartmouth, and now Bolton. Barring a March meltdown I'll hit Magic, Waterville, Cannon, and Berkshire again.

 

[Killingtime]

Today has been quite the letdown. Worth Chair has been down since before I got here. Nothing exciting off the Sheehan Lift. Stuff off Bailey Falls has a weird crusty surface. Some cool looking terrain over there but the woods aren't all that fun to ski when you don't know whether you're going to be able to turn when you want to.

Major race going on down the main face so while the Worth stuff is accessible via about 20 minutes of lift rides and green trails from Sheehan to Bailey, the middle of the mountain has some stuff closed. Would like to check out far skiers left a little more (aforementioned Loop trail) but those 25 minute round trips are getting old quick and Bailey closes at 3 which is lame.

I fully expected to get sent down to the shuttle lot which would be fine, but the parking lot attendant told me, a first timer coming from the Hancock side, that the shuttle would pick up at the Cross Country Center. So I parked over there and waited, and waited, and a few others joined in waiting. Finally someone noticed that actually the shuttle bus goes to the parking lot across the street, so that was a nice waste of ~30 minutes. There's no signs coming from the east telling you that this lot even exists as you can't see it from the road. I believe there is a sign coming from the west, but that doesn't help much. And it really doesn't help when the parking lot attendants at the base area say to park AT the cross country center.

I've had a good streak of Sunday Indy days but today is definitely a major dud. Will try this place again as the terrain looks really good, just tough to ski the stuff that actually has a lift running due to crust, and the stuff that doesn't have a lift running has better snow but only yields about 2 runs per hour.

Thanks for the info on this. I've been hearing the same things on weekends there. I have a choice to hit either Middlebury or Burke on my way up to Jay this weekend. Looks like Burke may be the way to go even though its only an Allied partner on the Indy. I hate paying for lift tickets but Middlebury will have to wait until I can go during the week.

 

[Edd]

Too lazy to confirm but I think this is different than the other article posted above.

Can Tech Save Small Ski Resorts From Extinction?

The small Colorado company Entabeni Systems is quietly working to upend the ski industry with a business model built on handshake deals made in ski resort parking lots.

www.wired.com

 

[TyWebb]

Another great weekend on Indy - Magic (1st time) on Sat for the 1st time. Had a group of six - myself, son and his buddy plus my girlfriend and her two girls. Skiing experience/level across the board and everyone loved it - what a place and great on all levels.

Did Berkshire east yesterday as it’s a lil closer for the drive home to the Philly Burbs considering I always live to hit the New Haven pizza joints when I can pull it off going to NE

Have NH boomed for my Bday weekend March 15th so def gonna hit Ragged, WV and Cannon - depending on conditions of each but 3 days to hit any of them but hopefully one each day.

Saddleback hotel reservations for the last weekend of March with some choices as it gets closer to break up my drive

Saving Jay and Bolton for April b4 I retire the skis and move to my clubs and fly rod.

Son’s soccer season has been ramping up showcase tournies (annother this weekend) and spring season games being scheduled.
March looks favorable with a few Friday night games so doing Greek and/or Catamount are easily doable as I can leave Sat AM and stay over one night for two days of turns with him.

Poconos closest to me and always used for the few midweek days when I want to get some turns in for a few hours.

Love this pass since I left epic 3 seasons ago- perfect for my location and other commitments enable you to get 15/20 ski days in

 

[deadheadskier]

Seems like a few Indy mountains in New England were overwhelmed by large race + holiday crowds this weekend.

This was certainly my experience at Ragged on Saturday. Virtual no parking attendants when we arrived at 9 and people all driving aimlessly through the lots until finally heading down to lot 9 and waiting 20 minutes for a shuttle to show up after someone called because the mountain didn't realize that's where people were parking. I'm not lazy, but that's about a half mile down a significant hill that would have been too much for my 6 year old daughter to march up in ski boots. 20-30 minute lift lines all day. That said, it was a gorgeous day and excellent conditions. So my kids and I had an absolute blast in the Ravine and other trees. I just now know Ragged isn't a place to avoid crowds anymore during holidays like it once was. Good for them.

Zand shared his experience. I had another friend at Black Mountain of Maine that said it was also a bit overwhelmed Sunday due to a race.

The reality is these smaller areas don't have the infrastructure and staffing to manage holiday + race crowds well. However, they can't exactly turn away business as these big days are crucial for their business survival. So, you just need to exercise a bit more patience and lower your expectations.

 

[TyWebb]

Seems like a few Indy mountains in New England were overwhelmed by large race + holiday crowds this weekend.

This was certainly my experience at Ragged on Saturday. Virtual no parking attendants when we arrived at 9 and people all driving aimlessly through the lots until finally heading down to lot 9 and waiting 20 minutes for a shuttle to show up after someone called because the mountain didn't realize that's where people were parking. I'm not lazy, but that's about a half mile down a significant hill that would have been too much for my 6 year old daughter to march up in ski boots. 20-30 minute lift lines all day. That said, it was a gorgeous day and excellent conditions. So my kids and I had an absolute blast in the Ravine and other trees. I just now know Ragged isn't a place to avoid crowds anymore during holidays like it once was. Good for them.

Zand shared his experience. I had another friend at Black Mountain of Maine that said it was also a bit overwhelmed Sunday due to a race.

The reality is these smaller areas don't have the infrastructure and staffing to manage holiday + race crowds well. However, they can't exactly turn away business as these big days are crucial for their business survival. So, you just need to exercise a bit more patience and lower your expectations.

I found Magic to be fine on Saturday but since my 1st time no past to reference on. Never waited more thn 5 minutes if that. I have done Berkshire all 3 years on Indy and found yesterday to be the busiest by far. Even with the new lift - line were more crowded yesterday than Prezzie weekend '24. That said - did a ton on single slots for me which worked and in the market for new skis. Night before saw they were having demos so I didn't ski my skis all day and was able to cross some skis off my list and add a few I never thought of.

As busy as it was for Berkshire - didn't compare to my last year on Epic and the lines at Okemo and Mount snow that year

 

[snoseek]

If avoiding holiday crowds half price burke is the best part of indy pass imo

 

[AdironRider]

I don't know guys, I feel like you are trying to have it both ways a bit here. You want all the parking attendants, never have to wait more than a minute for a shuttle, and no racing? OK that's Stowe and you pay for that, both in crowds and cost. I also think that expecting a completely hassle free experience during a holiday weekend bluebird day, with mild temps, during one of the better ski seasons the East Coast has had in decades is well, wishful thinking.

None the less, I also don't think Zand is giving Midd a fair shake really. I was there yesterday also and enjoyed it. Their social media accounts were very clear that the shuttle ran to the Rikert field lot, which is guess what, at their cross country center. There was also signage, he just missed it (I know because I saw it and parked there myself). I also think dinging them because of snow conditions, which were nothing short of fantastic given it hadn't snowed in a week, and on their backside which gets sun and is primarily ungroomed terrain is a bit of a stretch, certainly compared to Waterville which I skied the day before and it was much firmer. Bailey's skied great in my opinion, and the groomed terrain on the frontside was spectacular. Worth being down isn't ideal, but you could ski the entire mountain none the less. Middlebury also exists because of their ski team, so racing is part of the jam there. To hold that against them is a tad unfair given it is their reason for existence. Regardless, despite needing to take a shuttle from a far lot, I never waited in line more than a minute or two at Sheehan, was able to buy lunch including beers for my three person family for like 40 bucks total. That is a five star ski day no matter how you slice it, but I guess where there is a will to be annoyed there is a way.

I think if you went to Stowe, Okemo or Killington yesterday you had a vastly different experience and not in a good way.

 

[deadheadskier]

Reading is fundamental

"The reality is these smaller areas don't have the infrastructure and staffing to manage holiday + race crowds well. However, they can't exactly turn away business as these big days are crucial for their business survival. So, you just need to exercise a bit more patience and lower your expectations."

I wasn't knocking Ragged. I was admitting that this is the economic reality for many Indy places. Giving an honest assessment of the experience isn't being negative. I also said we made the best of it and had a great day.

Are you related to ABC by chance?

 

[KustyTheKlown]

I found Magic to be fine on Saturday but since my 1st time no past to reference on. Never waited more thn 5 minutes if that. I have done Berkshire all 3 years on Indy and found yesterday to be the busiest by far. Even with the new lift - line were more crowded yesterday than Prezzie weekend '24. That said - did a ton on single slots for me which worked and in the market for new skis. Night before saw they were having demos so I didn't ski my skis all day and was able to cross some skis off my list and add a few I never thought of.

As busy as it was for Berkshire - didn't compare to my last year on Epic and the lines at Okemo and Mount snow that year

Magic actively manages capacity to ensure a pleasant experience, and good on them for it

 

[AdironRider]

Reading is fundamental

"The reality is these smaller areas don't have the infrastructure and staffing to manage holiday + race crowds well. However, they can't exactly turn away business as these big days are crucial for their business survival. So, you just need to exercise a bit more patience and lower your expectations."

I wasn't knocking Ragged. I was admitting that this is the economic reality for many Indy places. Giving an honest assessment of the experience isn't being negative. I also said we made the best of it and had a great day.

Are you related to ABC by chance?

Oh internet tough guy DH is in the house.

You spent 200 words complaining about a lack of parking attendants, shuttles, and lift lines, so no, its not a reading comprehension thing I just think you are full of shit.

 

[thebigo]

The reality is these smaller areas don't have the infrastructure and staffing to manage holiday + race crowds well. However, they can't exactly turn away business as these big days are crucial for their business survival. So, you just need to exercise a bit more patience and lower your expectations.

'lot 9' is a running joke in my family 'that mountain was lot 9 busy'

I suspect you had the misfortune of skiing ragged during their u10 stubby day. They typically get >150 registrations from across the state and for some ridiculous reason there are three runs. I agree with you that small mountains and even most large mountains are simply not setup to run large events. We had a christmas week race at loon, who on earth thought that was a good idea? The math however is pretty simple, race parents buy day tickets, cafeteria food and beer.

Not sure there is a solution other than hold every race at mittersill but I am of course biased. However if I have to finish ref anymore races this year I may not reach the summer with a full set of fingers and toes.

Race schedules for the entire state are on the NHARA website, probably worth a quick look when planning weekend. I suspect the same for VARA and MARA.

U10/U12/U14

www.nhalpine.org

 

[deadheadskier]

Oh internet tough guy DH is in the house.

You spent 200 words complaining about a lack of parking attendants, shuttles, and lift lines, so no, its not a reading comprehension thing I just think you are full of shit.

Hahahaha

Too funny. 20 years on and you're still the same captain agro you were when you signed on as a know it all SLU student. Never change

 

[Edd]

The site won’t let me post the photo I want but the snow in Bolton’s woods buries my ski poles close to the handle.

 

[TyWebb]

Email from today - think prices went up $20 but haven’t looked up what I paid last year. Also looking like all resorts stay and they will add some more:

Dear Indy Pass Family, I have four important items to cover: 1) Our "Easy Renew" process is now live for returning and lapsed passholders, which guarantees the lowest possible price and first access to the pass ahead of our public sale date slated for March 1. 2) We are launching a 250 Resort Guarantee for the 25/26 Season, adding more places to use your Indy Pass. 3) Pricing and Payment Plans 4) The "Pass with a Purpose"

Easy Renew The biggest inbound customer service requests at Indy revolve around the renewal priority processes. Starting today, we are drastically simplifying the process by launching "Easy Renew" enrollment, giving every current and past Indy Passholder an opportunity to secure their pass before inventory is offered to the general public. Participating in Easy Renew will provide a significant cost savings. Returning or lapsed passholders that use the Easy Renew technology can purchase an Adult Base pass for $299 before March 1, after which the price increases to $349 and spots are made available to the public. When you log in to your account, you'll be asked to "Enroll in Easy Renew". A few clicks later your pass is secured for 25/26. Payments will be processed before the public sale for those who have enrolled. Our no bank/no interest payment plan is available with all purchases. All passes will incur a $10 Indy Card fee. You must enroll BEFORE March 1 to secure a spot and pricing before the public sale and you can unenroll at any time. 250 Resort Guarantee The 25/26 Indy Pass comes with a 250 Resort Guarantee for the 25/26 season. If we don't hit 250 by December 1, anyone who has already purchased a pass can request a refund by December 10. We plan to announce more new resorts throughout the spring and fall, and we have some big names coming your way. While we expect all current Indy resorts to remain for next year, you also have the option to refund an unused pass by November 1, if your favorite resort from the 24/25 season does not return for 25/26. We keep it simple as that. 25/26 Public Sale Starts March 1 On March 1, the 25/26 Indy Pass will become available for everyone to purchase. Similar to past years, the sale will only be offered for a limited time at the lowest price of the year until we reach capacity. Those on the waitlist will also get early access to the 25/26 Indy Pass at their respective price starting today, via a separate email. We limit pass sales to preserve the independent and uncrowded experience found at our partner resorts. If you have friends/family who wish to join for next year and are not yet passholders, please ensure they sign up for the waitlist here. There's no guarantee the pass will go back on sale later this year. This year’s base pass starts $349 ($299 for Easy Renew), a small increase since last year, but low enough to show our commitment to affordable skiing. Indy's Payment Plan continues to be offered at zero interest and with zero 3rd party banks (unlike the big guys), and will be available to all purchasers, spreading the cost of skiing overtime. Why Choose Indy? Indy Pass’ singular purpose has remained the same since the first season: to empower more people to ski while supporting independent resorts and the communities around them. This fall we released Mountains Not For Profit, a short film that highlighted four remarkable non-profit areas on the Pass. We will continue to use this type of visual storytelling to highlight Independent resorts. Our intervention in Black Mountain, New Hampshire, continues. We are keeping our foot on the gas as we save and transition this historic ski area into a member-owned model that we think could scale across skiing. You can bet that we have some more big things in the works, and that we will always be fiercely dedicated to being the "pass with a purpose". We all have a role to play in keeping skiing independent, and we’re thankful for your support. ​

 

[LoafSkier19]

Just renewed. Tough decision when the math says I saved almost $700 and counting in window rates with Indy this season. Almost was convinced otherwise

 

[deadheadskier]

Renewed as well. Perfect pass to compliment Gunstock for us

 

[Zand]

I don't know guys, I feel like you are trying to have it both ways a bit here. You want all the parking attendants, never have to wait more than a minute for a shuttle, and no racing? OK that's Stowe and you pay for that, both in crowds and cost. I also think that expecting a completely hassle free experience during a holiday weekend bluebird day, with mild temps, during one of the better ski seasons the East Coast has had in decades is well, wishful thinking.

None the less, I also don't think Zand is giving Midd a fair shake really. I was there yesterday also and enjoyed it. Their social media accounts were very clear that the shuttle ran to the Rikert field lot, which is guess what, at their cross country center. There was also signage, he just missed it (I know because I saw it and parked there myself). I also think dinging them because of snow conditions, which were nothing short of fantastic given it hadn't snowed in a week, and on their backside which gets sun and is primarily ungroomed terrain is a bit of a stretch, certainly compared to Waterville which I skied the day before and it was much firmer. Bailey's skied great in my opinion, and the groomed terrain on the frontside was spectacular. Worth being down isn't ideal, but you could ski the entire mountain none the less. Middlebury also exists because of their ski team, so racing is part of the jam there. To hold that against them is a tad unfair given it is their reason for existence. Regardless, despite needing to take a shuttle from a far lot, I never waited in line more than a minute or two at Sheehan, was able to buy lunch including beers for my three person family for like 40 bucks total. That is a five star ski day no matter how you slice it, but I guess where there is a will to be annoyed there is a way.

I think if you went to Stowe, Okemo or Killington yesterday you had a vastly different experience and not in a good way.

So a few points that you took the wrong way...

First off I did not look at their social media pages (not should I need to). I looked at their snow report which did not mention it. If it weren't for the post here the day before, I would not have known they were shuttling people until I pulled up to the base area. Based on that post and my arrival time, I expected to have to shuttle up, which is fine.

When I drove up to the main entrance (coming from the Hancock side, and again I had never been there or even been on Rt 125 or to Middlebury). The employee standing at the top of the driveway said to continue on to the cross country center and there would be a shuttle running between there and the ski area. So I drove down in that direction. When you're coming down the hill, you can't see the lot across the street at all due to the snowbanks. There was a small sign that said "field lot", but by then my eyes were pulled to the right side of the road by the cross country center and its large parking lot. After being told to park at the cross country center, why would I assume I should actually park in the lot I couldn't see on the way down labelled "field lot". There were 7 other people in this lot waiting with me, and I finally called the ski area after 20 minutes asking about the shuttle. Meanwhile one of the guys who was also standing there noted the shuttle pulling in across the street, which was then confirmed to me on the phone. Later on I went in the Middlebury direction and I noted there was a flashing sign for ski area parking in the field lot coming from that direction. But that does nothing for people coming from the ski area who weren't coming from the Middlebury side.

Let's call it what it was...poor communication. It is what it is. If you want to be a contrarian about it then whatever. But it would all be solved by either the employees at the main lot telling people to park ACROSS from the cross country center, or a flashing sign coming down from the ski area (or at least some kind of sign that said more than "field lot"). It's not like I'm never going back again because of that. I posted it so others are aware that see it here (because clearly I was not the only one who ended up in the wrong parking lot).

I never said it was Middlebury's fault that there was crust. But there was crust. So I posted it. It definitely made the glades rather treacherous, tough to turn at times. Trails like Youngman and Liftline were great. I know I didn't write that and I apologize for not mentioning it as a positive. The Worth lift being down isn't necessarily their fault and quite frankly it's getting tough finding a place NOT having lift problems this year. It was lame that Bailey closes at 3:00 rendering the summit inaccessible for the last hour of the day. With Worth down and a sizeable crowd present, I think it would've been nice for them to run it till 4 like Worth would have. I don't think it's unfair of me to say that. Also, no complaints about the race. Just mentioned that stuff on the middle of the main face was closed (which probably would've skied better than the Backside stuff).

To back up DHS's point about Ragged, when I arrived a couple weeks ago, I pulled off of New Canada Rd and went straight across to lot 9 as I saw a shuttle pull in. It was completely full. I drove around looking for the lot that were actively putting cars in to no avail. I finally went to lot 1 and after a couple minutes of circling, someone came back to their car and left so I took their spot. Idk if lot 9 is their last lot or not, but no one was around to direct anyone there.