Mountain Collective, how to plan trips?

[jimk]

Interesting thread. I'll have MCP for first time next year and also trying to decide how to maximize. I have a fair amount of "vacation" time, but not so much spontaneity. The cluster of three UT resorts make a logical trip and I have family in SLC. I'm interested in Banff, Sun Valley and Telluride as I've never been to those, but they're not exactly easy to do as a combined trip I might do a couple of two week trips or maybe a one week trip and a three week trip. As an older guy I find it easier to go to one good mtn and stay there a longer time, as opposed to fewer days at numerous resorts. But it looks like another year of vagabonding. All fun stuff to ponder in the off-season.

 

[Duncanator24]

Banff, Lake Louise, and Revelstoke are all near each other and centrally located between Calgary and Kelowna airports. I have not heard much about Banff and Lake Louise but I plan on researching all of the mountains to really figure out which ones I HAVE to hit. I will definitely end up using the 50% off days to extend some trips.

 

[xwhaler]

I'm struggling a bit on buying this because they make you select the 3rd bonus day up front at time of purchase.
No plans will come together on how I am actually going to use this pass until the Fall I'm guessing so I don't want to pick the 3rd day incorrectly.

I suppose I could just play it safe and pick Sugarbush but not sure I even would go to SB 3 days.

 

[Duncanator24]

Yeah, I kinda wish it was open-ended and you could just use the third day when you want to. But I guess that wouldn't make sense financially for them or something. I just picked one so that I could get the pass before the price went up. I figured I wouldnt go wrong no matter where I picked. The price did just go up but only $30 so it's still fairly cheap.

 

[jimk]

I'm struggling a bit on buying this because they make you select the 3rd bonus day up front at time of purchase.
No plans will come together on how I am actually going to use this pass until the Fall I'm guessing so I don't want to pick the 3rd day incorrectly.

I suppose I could just play it safe and pick Sugarbush but not sure I even would go to SB 3 days.

If there is a duo you definitely want to hit like Aspen/Telluride, Jackson/Sun Valley, or Mammoth/Squaw, then picking a third day at one of those makes for a nice week-long itinerary with a rest/drive day in the middle.

 

[xwhaler]

For sure....I just can't get my brother to comimtt to any particular itinerary at the moment. His 3rd day was at Sun Valley so that is probably the safest pick for me.
2 days SLC (Alta/Bird) then drive to Sun Valley for 3 days, then back and hit Snowbasin/Alta/Bird for a day or 2 might be how I do it.
Would like to not be gone for 2 wknds at home if possible.

 

[xwhaler]

Does anyone know if there is another price increase to the MC pass coming up?
And does that 3rd bonus day promo expire at some point?
If there is no incentive to buy now I may just wait a bit and see if MC pass gets any additional mtns added (Stratton?)

 

[thetrailboss]

I recently purchased my Mountain Collective Pass for the 2017/2018 season. So I am super pumped for that! Just curious if any of you have purchased the pass in previous seasons (or this season) and how it worked out. I am trying to figure out which resorts have easy airport access and plotting trips that hit more than one place.

So far I have come up with the following:
- 6 days included in Utah, all within an hour of SLC (Snowbasin, Alta, Snowbird). This will probably be 2 trips.
- 4 days included in Colorado, should be able to fly in/out of Aspen and hit both Aspen Snowmass, Telluride
- 4 days between Sun Valley and Jackson Hole, I think I can fly in Boise, out in Jackson Hole.
- 3 days at Mammoth (I took the extra day there), would plan to travel from LA
- 2 days at Squaw, Could fly into Reno real easily
- 4 days between Banff and Lake Louise, guess I would fly into/out of Calgary

That would be basically my whole season, with the exact dates planned around how the snowfall plays out. I would just look to do 2 trips per month and that would cover all of that. All of this will of course be made cheaper with my planned move to the LA area, but its the same concept either way.

I am just jumping in here, so maybe someone has already said it, but I am pretty sure that they count "Alta/Snowbird" as one resort, so you don't get 4 days, you get 2. After that you get 1/2 an Alta/Snowbird day ticket, which comes to about $67 or so.

That said, you get 4 days in Utah. Base in SLC and go to LCC two days and Snowbasin the other two.

It's also a relatively easy four hour drive from SLC to Jackson Hole. Just be sure to watch the weather because it can get nasty between here and there.

 

[TheArchitect]

I am just jumping in here, so maybe someone has already said it, but I am pretty sure that they count "Alta/Snowbird" as one resort, so you don't get 4 days, you get 2. After that you get 1/2 an Alta/Snowbird day ticket, which comes to about $67 or so.

That said, you get 4 days in Utah. Base in SLC and go to LCC two days and Snowbasin the other two.

It's also a relatively easy four hour drive from SLC to Jackson Hole. Just be sure to watch the weather because it can get nasty between here and there.

That changed this year. It's now 2 for each of them.

 

[thetrailboss]

That changed this year. It's now 2 for each of them.

Ah, interesting. They probably had a lot of complaints from folks because it was confusing the way it was initally marketed. I just was checking their page and it looks like it did change.

 

[TheArchitect]

Ah, interesting. They probably had a lot of complaints from folks because it was confusing the way it was initally marketed. I just was checking their page and it looks like it did change.

Yeah, it probably was. In the FAQ they now have a section explaining the ones that are destinations versus individual mountains.

 

[thetrailboss]

Yeah, it probably was. In the FAQ they now have a section explaining the ones that are destinations versus individual mountains.

Confusing. It will be interesting to see if Steamboat, Winter Park, Tremblant, and Stratton are added to the line up.

 

[TheArchitect]

Confusing. It will be interesting to see if Steamboat, Winter Park, Tremblant, and Stratton are added to the line up.

I agree. I'm hoping they add them so I have another option in Vermont. I'm not a huge fan of Stratton but my son likes to go there. We'll see how it shakes out. Interesting times with all of these changes in ownership.

 

[thetrailboss]

I agree. I'm hoping they add them so I have another option in Vermont. I'm not a huge fan of Stratton but my son likes to go there. We'll see how it shakes out. Interesting times with all of these changes in ownership.

Stratton is what it is. Is it a "Mountain Collective Resort" in the initial sense of the program? No, not really. I don't see it as an iconic big skiing-mountain like the others, but it is a well-established ski resort that was one of the first to have a base village and all that.

For me adding Cannon to the list would be cool.

 

[TheArchitect]

Cannon would be a good one to add. For me it would be Jay Peak.

 

[abc]

Yea, right! How about Magic. It fits the Mountain Collective to a tee, NOT!

 

[TheArchitect]

Yea, right! How about Magic. It fits the Mountain Collective to a tee, NOT!

No one was suggesting it would actually fit or happen. Just dreaming.

 

[Duncanator24]

Who actually runs the Mountain Collective? And I wonder if there is any sort of investment or other benefits (outside of marketing and increased traffic) that the mountains get by joining. I am thinking it's entirely different than how something like Epic works, where Vail basically owns everything. It seems like a hodgepodge of mountains that all have great skiing but I wonder who is in charge of it all.

 

[thetrailboss]

Who actually runs the Mountain Collective? And I wonder if there is any sort of investment or other benefits (outside of marketing and increased traffic) that the mountains get by joining. I am thinking it's entirely different than how something like Epic works, where Vail basically owns everything. It seems like a hodgepodge of mountains that all have great skiing but I wonder who is in charge of it all.

I think it is Liftopia that heads it up. They partnered with the mountains.

 

[thetrailboss]

Cannon would be a good one to add. For me it would be Jay Peak.

Yeah, I thought so, but then you'd have to add Burke and even though I love Burke and grew up there, it is not the same caliber as Alta or Sugarbush.