Alterra Buys Schweitzer Mountain, Already an Ikon Pass Partner
Road to Schweitzer Resort Photo by Bobby Stevenson on Unsplash
Alterra Mountain Company, the guys behind the Ikon Pass, have added yet another resort to their collection of destinations they own and/or operate, bringing the portfolio to 17 year-round mountain destinations throughout North America.
The agreement to purchase Idaho’s Schweitzer, further expands the company’s portfolio in the Pacific Northwest, joining Crystal Mountain in Washington, purchased recently.
Schweitzer is the largest ski area in Idaho and Washington, located in the Selkirk Mountains overlooking the picturesque town of Sandpoint, Idaho, only 80 miles from Spokane, Washington. It offers 2,900 acres of big mountain terrain with stunning views of Lake Pend Oreille, Washington, Montana, and Canada and is often recognized for its renowned tree skiing and family fun.
Schweitzer has been an Ikon Pass partner since 2021. SeniorsSkiing has been told there are no changes to Ikon Pass 23/24 winter access at this time.
In the last decade, Schweitzer has invested more than $100M in capital to fortify itself as a premier destination in the Pacific Northwest. That includes terrain expansion and new lifts, a new on-mountain lodge, Sky House, and Humbird, a 31-unit boutique hotel in Schweitzer’s village.
Future capital improvement plans include development of the new Schweitzer Creek Village portal, adding approximately 1,400 additional parking spots with easy access to the new Creekside Quad lift. Eventually, Schweitzer Creek Village also will be home to a new day lodge and other year-round amenities.
“With an incredible mountain in one of the most beautiful settings in the country and a world-class operating team, Schweitzer has everything we look for in a destination,” said Jared Smith, Alterra’s President & CEO.
“The mountain has been a valued partner on the Ikon Pass for several seasons, so we’ve been able to see the exceptional team, community, and opportunities for continued investment up close.”
“Since becoming an Ikon Pass partner in 2021, we’ve had the good fortune of learning how Alterra Mountain Company has quickly evolved into an industry leader,” said Tom Chasse, President and CEO of Schweitzer. “The company’s commitment to preserving the authenticity of their mountain communities while investing in the overall mountain experience is what we’re most looking forward to as the newest member of the Alterra family.”
The MKM Trust, which has been the owner and developer of Schweitzer for the past 18 years, will retain non-ski operations and real estate holdings, and will continue to lead future real estate development projects that support the vibrancy of the Schweitzer community.
Alterra Mountain Company destinations are spread throughout six states and three Canadian provinces: Steamboat and Winter Park Resort in Colorado; Palisades Tahoe, Mammoth Mountain, June Mountain, Big Bear Mountain Resort and Snow Valley in California; Sugarbush and Stratton in Vermont; Snowshoe in West Virginia; Tremblant in Quebec, Blue Mountain in Ontario; Crystal Mountain in Washington; Deer Valley Resort and Solitude Mountain Resort in Utah; and CMH Heli-Skiing & Summer Adventures in British Columbia.
The company was created when affiliates of KSL Capital Partners and affiliates of Henry Crown and Company initially purchased Intrawest, Mammoth Resorts and Deer Valley Resort in 2017.
In January 2018, Alterra introduced the Ikon Pass for winter 18/19, the premier ski and snowboard season pass. Today, the Ikon Pass offers skiers and riders access to more than 50 mountain destinations throughout the Americas, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.
Also included in the portfolio is Alpine Aerotech, a worldwide helicopter support and maintenance service center in British Columbia, Canada, Aspenware, the ski industry leader in technology services and e-commerce, and Ski Butlers, the global leader in ski and snowboard rental delivery. For more information, please visit www.alterramtnco.com.
How many Ikon Pass destinations have you skied or snowboarded?
Which one is your favorite?
ICYMI for June
There’s always something happening at our favorite ski and snowboard destinations, with and without snow. There are plenty of outdoor concerts, food & wine festivals, vintage car shows, mountain biking, hiking, and ziplines and news about new lifts, too.
Here’s your ICYMI for June, with tidbits of this and that, in case you missed it –
Free Gondola Rides in Aspen/Snowmass
Book a minimum three-night stay at least three days in advance through the resort’s lodging bureau and get some money-saving extras:
- Up to 20% off lodging rates.
- Receive up to two free 3-Day Sightseeing Tickets, featuring up to three days of gondola and chairlift rides at Aspen Mountain’s Silver Queen Gondola and the Elk Camp Gondola and chairlift at Snowmass.
Valid for visits October 1, 2023, online and over the phone (877-850-5518).
Kids to 15 Ski Free at Copper Mountain
Purchase an adult Season Pass and you’ll get a companion Kid’s Ski Free pass for kids and grandkids to age 15.
https://www.coppercolorado.com/plan-your-trip/season-passes/copper-season-pass-2023-24
The pass also includes discounts on food, retail, lodging, rentals and lessons, and free scenic chairlift rides all summer.
Note – the Military Pass does not include a Kid’s Ski Free pass.
Tuesday Bluesdays
Every Tuesday from June 13 to August 29, enjoy top blues musicians performing at the Village at Palisades Tahoe.
The series is known as Bluesdays, and features performances by Mighty Mike Schermer Band at 3pm and Roy Rogers & the Delta Rhythm Kings at 6pm.
There’s a special performance on Tuesday, July 4th, with a special name – Red, White and Bluesday – and the first 400 people attending receive a free commemorative t-shirt.
Whistler Blackcomb Upgrades Fitzsimmons Express
The popular Fitzsimmons Express Chairlift at the base of Whistler Mountain is being upgraded over the summer from a four-seater to a high-speed, eight-person chairlift, doubling uploading capacity from Whistler Village.
Construction will continue through the 2023 bike park season in the Fitzsimmons zone of the bike park. While they impact riding this summer, the upgrades will significantly reduce wait time for mountain bikers starting in summer 2024.
For this summer, the Whistler Village Gondola will be the primary access to the bike park from Whistler Village, along with the newly built Creekside Gondola in Creekside Village. The Creekside zone of the bike park will feature 20 kilometres of new trails, making it a great area to explore this summer while construction is underway in the Fitzsimmons zone.
Sun Valley Tour de Force
Fans of vintage vroomers should head to Sun Valley July 20-22 for one of the best vintage car events of the year, the Sun Valley Tour de Force.
The signature is the ‘NO SPEED LIMIT’ runs at Phantom Hill. Located in the heart of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, 3.2 miles of scenic state highway becomes a no-speed limit zone – and drivers can reach 200mph. Or more. Additional weekend events include a curated standing-still Car Show, hosted sponsor events and a live auction fundraiser; Cars & Comedy.
The weekend raises funds for The Hunger Coalition, a 501(c)(3), running the local food pantry, children’s programs, organic garden and education programs, and local partnerships for the 52% of Idaho residents struggling with food insecurity. In 2022, the three-day event raised $600,000 for the Hunger Coalition.
This year, the Tour de Force is sponsored by Porsche Cars North America. Porsche is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2023. Watch the 2022 highlights here.
What are your plans for the non-snow months? Let us know.
Big Sky New Tram and Price Policy
Big Sky celebrates its 50th Anniversary in the 2023/24 season with a brand new Lone Peak Tram and a new pricing policy for riding it.
The old tram opened in 1995, big enough – or small enough – for only 15 passengers at a time, making it feel like an elevator with windows. On powder days, it could be a one hour wait to reach the double and triple diamond chutes and couloirs, including the famous Dictator Chutes.
Pricing was dictated by conditions and demand. On one of those blue-sky days after a knee-deep dump, it could cost close to $100 for a Tram-only lift ticket offering unlimited rides for the day. Which could be 5-4 rides, if you started early and stopped only to find and devour the granola bars squirreled away in your parka pocket or daypack for lunch.
The new tram is a high-tech wonder which can hold 75, with gi-normous floor-to-ceiling picture windows that add excitement to the view and the anticipation. Also new is the pricing – which will be cost per ride. How much is the question.
The Big Sky website says $10 to $40 per ride –
https://bigskyresort.com/lone-peak-tram-faqs
which will change “dynamically, based on volume, conditions and other factors”, much like airline tickets. So that knee-deep powder day still will cost more than the twenty-below wind-chill day in zero visibility fog (yes, I’ve skied Big Sky in both – haven’t we all). Rates will be posted daily, and not change during the day.
Season passes – including Ikon and Mountain Collective passes, and most Big Sky resort season passes including Twin Tip – do not include Lone Peak Tram. You’ll still have to purchase an add-on ticket to ride. There’s no information yet whether you’ll be able to pre-pay online – perhaps with the incentive of a discount – at base area ticket windows, at the base of the tram, or all three.
For other types of passes – it’s complicated.
Gold + Ikon Base and Gold passes have unlimited Tram rides, and Double Black Passes have 25 ski rides and 10 scenic rides pre-loaded on each individual’s pass.
Downhillers planning to ride the Tram without a Gold + Ikon Base, Gold or Double Black pass must enable Autocharge and provide a form of payment on their Big Sky Resort account. To create or update account visit shop.bigskyresort.com.
Check out the Big Sky video about the new tram.
[authors_page role=contributor]