To Epic, IKON or Season Pass or Not
This is the time of year when one starts planning ski trips. Maybe not the details such as booking hotels and flights, but at least beginning to let the “where” rattle around in your brain.
And, as you think about this, unless you live near a ski area and are a season pass holder, the cost of lift tickets is part of the discussion. Day pass tickets are now well north of $100/day. Last year, the daily rates pushed $200/day for some areas. Lift tickets are now the second most expensive item on the trip after the hotel or condo.
What’s emerged over the past few years are multi-area passes, i.e., Epic, IKON, and others. They provide access to areas in the U.S., Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, but are they worth the cost?
If you are considering buying one of these multi-area passes, the first question is how many days will I use it? The prices drop dramatically for weekdays only and no major holidays.
Depending on where you plan to ski, the break-even is around seven days. In other words, if the area’s multi-day rate comes out to $100/day, and a multi-area pass costs $700, it’s a push. However, once you pass break even. The daily cost of skiing comes down in a hurry. So, if you’re going to ski 12 days, the cost drops to $58/day.
Second question is, where do you plan to ski? Look at the multi-pass websites very closely. While they list an area, when you read the fine print, you may be limited to five or seven days and/or no major holidays. But then again, if you subscribe to SeniorsSkiing.com, you probably aren’t skiing those days unless it is with your grandkids.
Are there other options? YES!!! One, if you are active duty, Reserve, National Guard or retired from one of our Armed Services, many areas offer very good deals on a daily rate. Or contact a Morale Recreation and Welfare office at a military base near the mountains and see what they offer. FYI, the discounted costs for the multi-area passes make them a no-brainer even if you plan to only ski for a week.
Another is senior discounts. They’re out there, but they are not as big as they were in prior years. Bad news is the minimum age (back when I was in my 60s, it was around 72 keeps going up. Now that I am 78, many of the areas want you to be 80!!!). Enquire if it is not on the area’s website.
One last note about the multi-area passes. They come with substantial discounts on clothing, food at the resort, and hotels and condos. All help reduce the cost of the trip and enable you to ski more for the same budget. Now that is truly an Epic or IKONic thing!!!
What’s New In Utah for 2023/24 Season
After a record-breaking 903” of snow last season, resorts are eager to welcome guests back with more lifts, terrain and amenities.
Here’s what’s new for the new season from Ski Utah member resorts in alphabetical order since that’s the only fair way –
Powder Mtn
Alta Ski Area
The final five Wyssen towers (Remote Avalanche Devices or RACs) have been installed on Mount Baldy, to modernize and streamline avalanche mitigation work. In addition, the snow-making pipes in the Wildcat base area are being replaced and upgraded, and the old, inoperative Albion lift has been removed. Again this season, Alta requires parking reservations on weekends and holidays.
Beaver Mountain Ski Area
Beaver Mountain is in year one of a two-year project on the new Marge’s Cabin, to include a new rental shop, snowsports school, skier services, retail space and cafe. Beaver is also adding additional parking.
Brian Head Resort
Brian Head Resort now offers a “Free On-Snow Experience”, a series of self-guided, step-by-step clinics to prepare guests for the on snow experience. It is open to all ages and a great way to learn on-mountain and skier safety basics. There is also new gladed terrain, ranging from beginner to most difficult, under the Wildflower Lift. The Shotgun trail near the Giant Steps Express, also received extra glading. The resort collaborates closely with the U.S. National Forest to reduce the risk of wildfire, while protecting wildlife and watersheds.
Brighton Resort
Brighton has replaced the old Crest lift with the new Crest6, a high-speed, six-passenger chairlift, which provides access to runs in just 5 minutes. The resort also has upgraded snowmaking and grooming, including purchase of a new Piston Bully diesel electric hybrid snowcat. Parking reservations are required between 7am and 1pm daily.
Cherry Peak Resort
This family-owned resort near Logan adds tubing and improved snowmaking this season. Cherry Peak is nearly 400-acres featuring three triple chairlifts and a 1.25 mile-long run.
Deer Valley Resort
More than $12 million in improvements this season include a new village on the Jordan Valley side and access via U.S. Route 40. There also is upgraded food and beverage including renovating the second level of Royal Street Café into a 21+ apres-ski bar called “The Royal”, a new Kids Ski School lunch center on the second floor of Snow Park Lodge, and upgrading the interior of Silver Lake Lodge.
But the really big news is that Deer Valley will more than double its skiable terrain in the next few seasons, adding 3,700 additional acres The new terrain will include 16 new chairlifts, including a 10-passenger gondola and ski access across South Peak, Park Peak, Big Dutch, Pioche and Hail Mountains on the east side of Bald Mountain. Boasting nearly a 3,000 vertical drop from the highest point on Park Peak at 9,350 feet, the additional terrain will offer skiing for all abilities across 135 planned ski runs, including several wide-open bowls and gladed areas. More information can be found here: https://expandedexcellence.deervalley.com/.
Eagle Point
Eagle Point has updated the Skyline and Monarch lifts and made road improvements to Highway UT-153 and Upper Meadows Drive for easier access.
Nordic Valley
Nordic Valley is cutting two new trails on the Nordic Express terrain and expanded parking by 200 spots.
Park City Mountain
For its 60th anniversary season, the resort has upgraded the Red Pine Gondola with brand-new cabins offering 360-degree views and a quieter, smoother ride. The new My Epic app will allow guests to buy a pass or lift ticket online, activate and store it on their phone, put their phone in their pocket, and get scanned, hands-free, via Bluetooth® technology. This will reduce the need to visit the ticket window or get a pass or lift ticket in the mail. This change reduces the waste created by plastic cards and RFID chips and supports the company’s Commitment to Zero sustainability commitment.
Powder Mountain
Under new management this season, a new cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trail network near the Village lift offers additional ways to get onto the snow. A new activity hub, dubbed the Launch Pad Yurt, opens in December near the top of the Village chair as the jumping off point for cross-country skiing,
snowshoeing, moonbike tours, snowmobile tours and more. Also, The Tiger Tow is being replaced with a new Sunkid surface lift and will be open for night skiing.
Powder Mountain also is opening access to 500 acres of some of the steepest terrain accessible from the mountain. Called DMI (Don’t Mention It), the new terrain offers incredible views of the Eden Valley and the Ogden Divide and 3000’ of vertical drop through tight chutes and open bowls. For safety, access is only via guided snowcat up Lightning Ridge, followed by a short hike to the drop-in point. Each group will be accompanied by two guides and provided with all necessary backcountry safety gear, including an avalanche beacon, probe and shovel.
Snowbasin Resort
The Strawberry side of the resort opens a new 5,000 sq. ft. outdoor patio alongside the new six-pack high-speed DeMoisy Express, due to open in December 2023, increasing access to this popular area. It will feature a heated cobblestone patio with nearly 200 seats and multiple dining options at the base of Strawberry Gondola and the new lift. Snowbasin also has added more than 100 additional parking spots to the Canyon Rim lot, with free shuttle service to the base area.
Snowbird
Snowbird’s original Wilbere Lift—installed for the mountain’s opening in 1971 and named for Founder Ted Johnson’s wife and partner, Wilma—is being replaced. The current fixed grip double chair becomes a quad chairlift, increasing uphill capacity to 1,800 people an hour and reducing lift lines.
Snowbird also has introduced the first-of-its-kind Kids Freeloader Pass program, to reduce barriers to entry for snow sports. The program gives anyone ages 18 or under a free Snowbird Season Pass when linked to an Adult, Military or Senior Snowbird Summit Pass. This 1:1 pass program means that a Snowbird Summit Passholder can give their Kids Freeloader Pass to a dependent, family member or community member at no cost, with no restrictions. And the new Mountain Center is a one-stop shop to make dinner reservations, book a snowcat or helicopter seat with Snowbird Mountain Guides, schedule a lesson with Snowbird Mountain School, buy lift tickets, and more. The Mountain Center is on the Snowbird Plaza Deck, just steps from new the Aerial Tram.
Solitude Mountain Resort
Eagle Express has been removed to make way for a new high-speed 6-person lift. Installed in 1989, it was the first high-speed detachable chairlift in Utah. In addition to shortened wait times, the increased uphill capacity is expected to decrease congestion throughout the mountain. Eagle Express is projected to be operational by mid-December 2023.
The resort also has added three new Wyssen tower remote avalanche control systems (RACS) across Fantasy Ridge, which will allow Solitude’s avalanche mitigation team to detonate explosives remotely in terrain that currently requires personnel to manually deploy hand charges. With these detonations, crews will be able to move through avalanche terrain quicker, allowing terrain in Honeycomb Canyon to open sooner after a major snowfall.
Sundance Mountain Resort
Sundance Mountain Resort is offering expanded season pass benefits including a Friends & Family Program, 20% off daily ski or snowboard rentals and three days of skiing at a variety of partner resorts. The new Jake’s Lift area improvements include a road realignment to eliminate skier road crossings and additional parking. There is also a new beginner run from Jake’s lift to the upper parking lots.
Woodward
Woodward Park City has improved lighting to the tubing park and resurfaced the parking lot. Winter Camp returns Feb. 19-21, 2024 for skiers and snowboarders, ages 7-17. New for 2024, US Ski and Snowboard athletes will join as guest coaches/pros.
What’s New in Idaho for the 2023/24 Season
Idaho’s mountain resorts were busy all summer adding and upgrading lifts, snowmaking and amenities for the new season including introducing or expanding RFID ticketing. Here’s what’s new at Idaho’s downhill and Nordic destinations, in alphabetical order, because that’s the only fair way.
Brundage scenic with snowcat
BRUNDAGE MOUNTAIN
The resort has replaced the Centennial fixed-grip triple with a high-speed quad. The new Centennial Express cuts uphill time from 16 minutes down to just six. That gives Brundage two high-speed quads on the front side, easing congestion across the mountain’s 1,920 acres of terrain.
There’s also a new RFID point-of-sale system. Each guest will be issued an RFID card, which can be loaded and re-loaded online with season pass or day tickets, allowing for straight-to-lift access. The new system also streamlines reservations for the resort’s signature guided Snowcat Adventures, which are offered on 18,000 acres of pristine backcountry terrain. Those looking to book a private snowcat can view an online calendar showing availability in real-time.
The resort also is working to expand the free shuttle service between McCall and the base area, where construction of a new base lodge is well underway with opening planned for January 2025.
GRAND TARGHEE
The resort is making infrastructure upgrades to the Colter Lift, which opened last season, accessing 600+ acres of new terrain. Adding bathroom facilities and other tweaks will allow skiers/riders to spend the entire day on the pristine south side of the mountain. Targhee also has made significant upgrades to the beginner ski area by the Shoshone Lift, including widening the beginner area, moving the magic carpet and renaming it the Huckleberry Lift. Plus, there is a new cover over the magic carpet, an important addition considering how much snowfall Targhee enjoys.
KELLY CANYON RESORT
The resort has replaced Chair 4 and also installed a magic carpet at the summit of Chair 2 to improve access to terrain accessible before by bootpacking. They’re building reservoirs for new snowmakers, have rebuilt the lower parking lot and made enhancements to the lodge after an ice dam caused damage this spring.
LOOKOUT PASS
They’ve finished improving the gearing on the new Eagle Peak Express quad that opened last winter so chairs move at full capacity, shaving 2.5 minutes off the ride time. will move faster. Lookout Pass also cut dead trees in some glades on Eagle Peak, opening up lines, and continued to grade some trails there to smooth out the ride and remove stumps, all to allow earlier opening of this new terrain. In addition, Lookout Pass purchased a new Prinoth Bison X groomer, is adding new demo skis and snowboards to the demo fleet, and installed a new White Peaks point-of-sale ticketing system.
MAGIC MOUNTAIN
The beginner snow sports terrain has been expanded. Magic’s tubing area has been expanded with more lanes and tubes, and there are new weekday group tubing opportunities available by reservation. All-new Sno-Go trikes have been added to the rental and retail shop so more folks can experience sliding. A third snowcat has been added to the grooming fleet, and aggressive brush cutting will re-open various terrain and allow for earlier use in most areas.
PEBBLE CREEK SKI AREA
The resort celebrates its 75th anniversary this season with a torchlight parade and other events throughout the year. A new public ADA compatible restroom has been installed with easy access from the parking lot and the Aspen beginner area. New equipment was added to the rental fleet and a new Prinoth snowcat purchased to improve grooming.
SCHWEITZER
Schweitzer’s sale to Alterra has been finalized,
https://www.seniorsskiing.com/alterra-buys-schweitzer-mountain-already-an-ikon-pass-partner/
so this winter is the first one under the new ownership. They are also debuting a new high-speed detachable quad lift called the Creekside Express, plus it’s the first full season for Cambium Spa, which focuses on treatments to help you prepare for and recover from the slopes.
SILVER MOUNTAIN
The Jackass Snack Shack, which was slated to open in late winter last season, will now open this winter. It is located at midway Chair 4 on the site of the resort’s original lodge.
SOLDIER MOUNTAIN
Soldier staff has worked over the last two summers to restore the resort’s snowmaking system, which was installed in 1976 but laid dormant for decades and damaged by the Phillips Fire that swept through the area in August 2020. Thanks to these efforts, the resort will have a fully functional snowmaking system that extends from the base to the top of Chair 1 for the first time since the late 1970s. This will let Chair 2 start spinning earlier, too.
The resort also has expanded brush cutting to open more terrain earlier in the season and be able to leave it open longer. One of its three snowcats was replaced with a top-of-the-line Piston Bully PB600. The resort will also redesign the tubing park this winter to make it more fun and user friendly.
SUN VALLEY
The resort has replaced the old Warm Springs lift with two new lifts, Challenger and Flying Squirrel. The new Challenger lift is a six-pack (Idaho‘s second, after Schweitzer’s Stella lift, and Ski Idaho‘s third, after Targhee’s Colter lift). The expansion also adds another 54 acres of new gladed tree skiing in Little Scorpion. More details regarding development progress and updates are available at https://www.futureofsunvalley.com.
TAMARACK RESORT
Enhancements include a new interactive family-friendly zone, Lumberjack Land, located off of Waltz, 5.5 acres of sculpted terrain learning area adjacent to the Discovery Lift, and new snowcat technology with a new Prinoth Winch Cat and additional winch points for better grooming of steeper terrain. Snowmaking improvements include a 30 percent increase for winter 23/24 covering 150 acres of named runs and the majority of those accessed from Tamarack Express quad, made possible by the addition of six new TA TT10 Automated snow guns – these are the most efficient in the world, one mile of new snowmaking pipe and a 40 percent increase in snowmaking capacity.
Tickets and passes upgrades include a new automated ticket/pass kiosk on the Village Plaza so skiers can skip the ticket line and print/reload tickets or passes and go straight to the lift. New ticket products include 4 Fun Pass multi-day consecutive day tickets. Nordic upgrades include a new Nordic Center in the Lodge at Osprey Meadows at the foot of the Nordic trail system, including rentals, retails and lessons. The 20K+ trail system is family-friendly and suitable for XC, skate skiing, snowshoeing and fat biking. In addition, the Buttercup Chair will operate on weekends and holidays for more ski-in/ski-out access, paid overnight RV camping will be available in the lower Aspen Parking Lot, and guests can make online reservations for rental equipment.
EXTRAS — Local Freshies are creating a Southern Idaho digital backcountry snowboarding and skiing guide for Visit Southern Idaho that should go live this fall.
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