Epic vs. Ikon vs. Mountain Collective vs. Indy: Which Should You Choose?

The current ski season may not be fully over, but now is the best time to commit to a multi-resort pass for the 2024-25 season. The lowest rates for the popular Ikon Pass suite won’t be around for long, with prices set to rise after April 18, 2024. Current Epic Pass prices will likely remain for the next few months, but those who want 10 discounted buddy tickets will need to purchase a pass by April 14, 2024.

With these deadlines fast approaching, you may be debating whether to pick up one of these passes for next season. You may also be wondering whether any alternatives to these two big-name but costly products exist.

In this piece, we’ll aim to shed light on the differences between the Epic and Ikon pass suites. We’ll also dive into how they compare to the cheaper and lesser-known Mountain Collective and Indy Pass products.

Resort Offerings

Multi-Day Access: Epic and Ikon

Both Ikon and Epic offer a substantial portfolio of resorts. But in recent years, Ikon has evolved to cover a considerable depth of destination regions, while Epic has become more of a specialty pass for certain regions.

The overwhelming majority of destination resorts on the Epic Pass are in Colorado and Tahoe, with the pass offering multiple options across both regions. The pass also offers access to one resort each in Utah, Washington state, and the Canadian Pacific Northwest. Those who opt for a full Epic Pass will get access to several resorts in the Canadian Rockies and Quebec. Epic also includes access to several resorts in more local regions such as Vermont, New Hampshire, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Midwest.

The Ikon Pass includes access to resorts in every region detailed above, including multiple offerings in Colorado, Utah, Vermont, Washington state, and the Canadian Rockies. However, Ikon also offers access to several resorts in southern California, the Northern U.S. Rockies, and Maine, as well as one each in Oregon and New Mexico. None of these regions are included on Epic.

Unlike Ikon, the Epic Pass covers several local, regional mountains in addition to destination resorts. Ikon either offers five or seven days of access (depending on the type of pass) at Windham, Camelback, Blue Mountain (PA), Blue Mountain (Ontario), Boyne Mountain, and Highlands at Harbor Springs, as well as unlimited access to Snowshoe; those in the NYC, DC, Toronto, and Northern Michigan areas may find these options valuable. However, those looking for unlimited access resorts in many major metropolitan areas—especially in the Midwest—will find Epic a better choice. Those looking to visit only local mountains next season may benefit from looking at Vail’s cheaper regional pass options before committing to a true Epic product (more details on these passes can be found here).

For the 2024-25 season, several resorts are not included on the cheapest Epic and Ikon pass products. For those based in the United States, the Ikon exclusions are likely to impact significantly more passholders, with Jackson Hole, Aspen/Snowmass, Alta, Deer Valley, Sun Valley, Snowbasin, and Taos all absent from the Base Pass. Telluride is the only U.S. resort missing from the Epic Local Pass, but the six Canadian mountains owned by Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (including Kicking Horse, Fernie, Kimberley, Nakiska, Mont Sainte Anne, and Stoneham) are also absent from Epic’s lower-tier product. Those hoping to visit Telluride and the six RCR mountains will have to splurge for the full Epic Pass, while those looking to visit the premium Ikon resorts can still save a bit of money from the full Ikon Pass and purchase an $200 Ikon Base Pass Plus add-on.

A large percentage of purchasers will likely be satisfied by the base offerings on both passes. However, many of the resorts excluded from the base passes offer some of the best overall experiences in North America. Alta is the 2nd best overall mountain we’ve reviewed, while Jackson Hole is 3rd, Snowmass is 7th, Snowbasin is 8th, and Telluride is 10th. That being said, both base products still include top-tier resorts, such as Whistler, Vail, and Beaver Creek on the Epic side, as well as Snowbird and Banff Sunshine on the Ikon side.

The Ikon Base and Ikon Base Plus passes offer at least 5 days of non-holiday access at each North American resort, while the base-tier Epic Local Pass includes 10 total days between Vail, Beaver Creek, and Whistler, and unlimited access—with a few holiday blackouts—at every other Vail-owned mountain. Both full passes offer at least 7 days of access with no holiday restrictions at each North American resort.

A major Epic advantage is unlimited access to a significantly higher number of resorts. Epic offers unlimited access to all mountains owned by Vail Resorts, with a grand total of 39 (36 in North America), 33 of which are on the Local Pass. Ikon’s unlimited access resorts, mostly owned by Alterra, only come out to 17 (14 for the Base Passes). The Epic Local Pass also includes fewer blackout dates than the Ikon Base and Base Plus Passes, with only eight resorts blacked out during holiday periods on Epic, versus 34 on Ikon (counting each of Killington/Pico, SkiBig3, and Aspen/Snowmass as one destination).

Two-Day Access: Mountain Collective and Indy

Those planning on doing weekend trips or road tripping between resorts may want to consider the Mountain Collective or Indy Passes, which offer two-day access to a broad range of resorts for more reasonable asking prices than Epic and Ikon.

The Mountain Collective Pass includes access to 25 resorts, 20 of which are in North America. Most Mountain Collective offerings overlap with the Ikon Pass, with the exceptions being Grand Targhee, Sugar Bowl, Le Massif, Bromont, and Marmot Basin. Most of the resorts excluded from Ikon’s Base Pass, including Alta, Jackson Hole, Sun Valley, Snowbasin, Aspen/Snowmass, and Taos, are included on the Collective. Mountain Collective also offers a third bonus day at one resort of your choice, as well as 50% off all additional days spent at its destinations.

While it only offers two days of access at each resort, the Mountain Collective Pass has no holiday blackouts. Unlike the Ikon Pass, which considers Alta and Snowbird as the same access, Mountain Collective considers them to be different resorts; as a result, those planning a five-day holiday trip to Alta/Snowbird may find the Collective Pass—with the utilization of the third bonus day—to be a better option than the Ikon Base Plus Pass. Additionally, passholders will have to use more than two additional 50% off days at most resorts to spend more than an Ikon Base Pass—and more than five to spend more than a full Ikon Pass. Planning on doing two holiday trips next winter? Mountain Collective is secretly your best friend.

The Indy Pass concentrates primarily on smaller, local mountains, rather than the destination offerings central to the other three pass suites, but provides access to at least 120 downhill ski resorts—with more likely signing up for the partnership before the start of next season. Several small-and-medium-sized offerings across key regions such as the Pacific Northwest, Northern Rockies, Midwest, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic are on Indy. Select Indy offerings, such as Canada’s Big White, Vermont’s Jay Peak, and Oregon’s Mount Hood Meadows, are competitive with nearby Epic and Ikon destinations. However, Powder Mountain, a popular Utah mountain, has left the pass for the 2024-25 season. The Indy Pass is currently sold out for the 2024-25 season, but a limited number of passes may be released in fall 2024.

The base Indy Pass has severely restrictive blackout dates. Blackouts haven’t been finalized for 2024-25, but last year, the product excluded weekend access at 13 resorts, Saturday access at an additional seven, holiday access at an additional 29, and December break access at an additional 23. The premium Indy+ Pass has no blackouts, although it retains the two-day access terms of the base Indy. Both Indy Pass tiers offer 25% off an additional third day spent at its destinations.

For certain individuals, it may make sense to pair a two-day pass product with one of the more expensive multi-day passes. The Epic and Indy Pass products complement each other well, with Indy offering access to the Northern Rockies region that Epic is missing, and Epic covering Indy’s Colorado and Tahoe blindspots.

Destination Region Deep Dives

Colorado

Epic arguably has a slight—but not terribly significant—edge over Ikon in Colorado. Epic offers unlimited access to nearly every resort on the pass (the exceptions being Telluride on the full pass and Vail and Beaver Creek on the base pass), while Ikon only offers unlimited access to Copper, Eldora, and Winter Park. While Snowmass is our highest-rated Colorado resort, Vail, Beaver Creek, and Telluride, all of which are on Epic, are not far behind on the experience. Other very competitive options on the passes include Winter Park, Arapahoe Basin, Steamboat, and Copper on Ikon and Breckenridge, Keystone, and Crested Butte on Epic. Ikon also offers access to Eldora, which is more of a day-trip mountain from Denver.

Mountain Collective doesn’t offer much in Colorado, but the two accesses it does have—Aspen/Snowmass and Arapahoe Basin—are quite compelling for a weekend trip. In addition to a few small hills, Indy will offer access to Sunlight, Powderhorn, and Granby Ranch for 2024-25; these resorts are nowhere near the size of Colorado’s true destinations, but they may be fun for those looking for more local hills with fewer crowds.

Utah

Ikon has a clear edge over Epic in Utah—unless you live there and ski constantly. Alta and Snowbird are much better than anything else on these passes in Utah, and Snowbasin is quite compelling as well. Ikon also offers access to Deer Valley, Brighton, and Solitude, all of which are solid mountains but fall short of the best destination areas. Epic only offers access to Park City, which is a very good mountain but can’t match the Alta/Snowbird duo in snow quality. Ikon becomes less valuable when you’re using it as a Utah season pass; the pass only offers unlimited access to Solitude, while Epic offers unlimited access to the substantially larger Park City. Additionally, a Utah trip is probably the most compelling case for an Ikon upgrade to the Base Pass Plus, with Alta, Snowbasin, and Deer Valley all excluded from the lowest-tier pass product.

For those vacationing in the region, the Mountain Collective proves a compelling budget alternative to Epic and Ikon. Mountain Collective includes two-day access to each of Alta, Snowbird, and Snowbasin—the top three resorts in our Utah rankings.

On the other hand, the Indy Pass has lost some of its appeal in Utah, with the massive Powder Mountain moving off the pass. However, the pass still offers access to the smaller Beaver Mountain, which is in northern Utah, and Eagle Point, which is in very remote southern Utah. Indy also offers an “Allied” discount to the small northern Utah Nordic Valley ski resort.

Lake Tahoe

It’s harder to make a decision between Epic and Ikon for Tahoe. Ikon offers unlimited access to Palisades Tahoe, which is our highest rated resort in the region. However, Epic offers unlimited access to Heavenly, Kirkwood, and Northstar, all of which are decent options. Palisades and Northstar are located in northern Tahoe, whiIe Heavenly and Kirkwood are located in southern Tahoe; as a result, Ikon might be a bit more competitive on the North Shore, while Epic might be better for those on the South Shore. If you’re planning to venture south to Mammoth, Ikon offers unlimited access to this highly competitive destination.

With Palisades and Mammoth access gone, Mountain Collective is now really only useful for its two days of Sugar Bowl access, and can’t be used for a multi-resort trip in the region. The Indy Pass entirely lacks offerings in Tahoe; while the pass does include access to California’s Dodge Ridge, China Peak and Mt. Shasta, these resorts are much smaller than the Tahoe destinations and several hours away from the region.

Northeast

Those considering a trip to a destination East Coast mountain may find Ikon slightly more appealing than Epic. The Ikon Pass offers access to Killington and Tremblant, which are our top rated resorts in the region, as well as the highly-competitive Sugarbush, Sugarloaf, and Sunday River and conveniently-located Stratton and Loon. The Epic Pass does include Stowe access, but the other resorts on the pass, including Okemo, Mount Snow, Wildcat, and Attitash, aren’t quite at the same level as Ikon’s best regional mountains.

On the other hand, we’d argue Epic does include better access to day trip mountains than Ikon, with offerings such as Hunter and Mount Sunapee that appeal to those from New York and Boston. Ikon does have Windham, Camelback, and Blue Mountain, but these resorts aren’t unlimited—and in the case of Windham, it can be hard to secure a reservation.

For those who don’t need the fanciest amenities or a full week at each resort, Indy is a highly competitive alternative to Epic and Ikon in the Northeast. The pass offers access to Jay Peak and Saddleback, which are two of the most unique mountains in the region, as well as Magic Mountain, Bolton Valley, Cannon, Waterville Valley, and a range of other smaller mountains. Notably, Indy offers access to a handful of resorts in Massachusetts and Connecticut—states that Epic and Ikon are entirely absent from.

While Mountain Collective is arguably the least compelling pass in this region, it does offer access to Quebec’s Le Massif and Bromont, which are not included on any other passes. Le Massif is tough to reach from most US cities, but thanks to its location on the St. Lawrence River, it offers some of the most unique views of any East Coast ski resort. As with Ikon, Mountain Collective also offers access to Sugarloaf.

Northern Rockies

Ikon has the clear advantage over Epic in the U.S. Northern Rockies. The former offers access to four resorts across Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana (Schweitzer, Sun Valley, Jackson Hole, and Big Sky), while the latter is completely shut out from the region. This region is another compelling case for a Base Plus upgrade, as Sun Valley and Jackson Hole are absent from the lowest-tier Ikon Base Pass.

Those looking to travel to the Northern Rockies may find the best destination use cases for both Mountain Collective and Indy. The Mountain Collective Pass offers access to all the same resorts in Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana as Ikon, but it also includes two days of access to Grand Targhee. Indy offers access to five Idaho resorts, as well as three each in Wyoming and Montana; most of these resorts are smaller, local hills, but Silver Mountain and Tamarack are decently-sized.

Global

Epic, Ikon, Mountain Collective, and Indy all provide access to select resorts outside North America. All four pass products include access to destinations in Japan, while Epic, Ikon, and Mountain Collective offer multiple partners in Oceania and Europe. Ikon and Mountain Collective also offer one South American partner—Valle Nevado in Chile.

Select European destinations on the full Epic Pass only come with 3- or 5-day access, rather than the typical 7-day access—and at some of them, you can only use the pass if you book lodging with the resort—which can be prohibitively expensive. It’s also worth noting that every European partner is excluded from the Epic Local Pass.

Pricing

Multi-Day Access: Epic and Ikon

As has been the case for years at this point, the Epic pass suite holds a price advantage over Ikon at a first glance. However, this picture isn’t quite as straightforward for certain age groups.

Both Ikon and Epic offer two season pass tiers, with the higher-tier for each featuring no blackout dates and access to a few extra resorts. For those over the age of 23, prices for Epic are substantially cheaper. A full adult Epic Pass is currently $982, while a full adult Ikon Pass is $1,249. The lower-tier Epic Local Pass is $731, while the Ikon Base Pass is currently $869.

However, some teens and young adults may actually find better value in the Ikon Pass. Both Ikon tiers offer young adult discounts ($929 for the full pass, $629 for the base) for 13-to-22-year-olds. Only Epic’s Local Pass offers a discounted $591 teen rate—the full pass doesn’t offer one—and it only covers ages 13 to 18. Consequently, those between the ages of 19 and 22 will actually save a bit of money with an Ikon product over an Epic one. Those aged 13-18 will save slightly on a full pass purchase with Ikon, but will still pay slightly less on a base pass purchase with Epic.

Ikon’s 5-to-12-year-old child discounts ($369 for the full pass, $299 for the base) are stronger than Epic’s ($501 full, $380 Local), especially for the full pass. On top of that, an adult Ikon Pass can be paired with a child pass to save up to $200 total ($100 each) on both passes.

For those age 4 and under, Epic has the upper hand thanks to free passes for these youngsters. For ages 0-4, Ikon charges $149 for the full pass and $99 for the base. For families with children of different ages, the value-adds from these differing price policies may effectively cancel each other out.

Both Epic and Ikon offer discounts for college students, though once again, Epic’s special college deal only applies to the Local Pass. At $661, Epic’s Local College Pass isn’t that much of a discount from the regular Epic Local Pass and still comes out slightly above the Ikon Base Pass’s $619 college rate. Ikon beats Epic price-wise when it comes to full passes as well; the full Ikon Pass’s $899 college rate comes out below the full Epic Pass, which has no college equivalent, by $83.

Epic offers substantially better military deals than Ikon. Ikon’s military discounts are the same as the college discount, but Epic offers special Military Pass products that range from just $172 for active and retired military personnel and dependents to $561 for veterans and their dependents. These passes offer unlimited access to Vail-owned resorts but do not include partner mountains. As a result, military members or veterans can save several hundreds of dollars with an Epic product over Ikon. However, Ikon offers their same discounted rate for nurses, whereas Epic does not.

Rather than having its own variable pricing, Ikon’s mid-tier Base Pass Plus is a flat $250 upgrade across all ages and specialty groups. This makes it tough to justify for young adults, college students, military members, and nurses, who can upgrade to the full Ikon Pass for a minimal premium. The Plus upgrade is a downright foolish purchase for children 12 and under, where the full Ikon Pass actually costs hundreds less. Ikon has been employing this pricing strategy for years, and we suspect that it’s a move to get families who want access to the non-Base Pass mountains to upgrade to full Ikon.

For those who can’t afford to pay in full now, both the Epic and Ikon Pass suites offer a payment plan. However, going this route requires a soft credit check for both passes. In addition, a 0% APR on the payment plan is not guaranteed for the Ikon plan.

Two-Day Access: Mountain Collective and Indy

You’d think given the weaker access terms, the Mountain Collective and Indy Passes would be cheaper than Epic or Ikon. And for a typical adult, you’d be right. But for certain groups, the savings from these passes are minimal.

Mountain Collective’s resort offerings are more premium than Indy’s, and that’s reflected in the adult pricing. But rates for kids are much more comparable. Mountain Collective Passes for adults 19 and older go for $605; the rate drops to $485 for teens 13-18 and $205 for children 12 and under. An Indy Pass goes for just $349 for adults and $199 for children 12 and under, while an Indy+ Pass costs $469 and $259 for adults and children, respectively.

The Mountain Collective Pass may not be the right fit for college students, military members, nurses, and young adults aged 19-22. For these groups, an Ikon Base Pass is just slightly more than the Mountain Collective Pass—making for an upgrade that’s tough to pass up unless one plans on skiing holidays. In the same vein, an Epic Local College Pass is only $56 more than the Collective.

The Mountain Collective Pass may also not be the best deal for those who don’t care about visiting the biggest and best mountains during holiday periods. An Epic Local Pass, which offers much stronger access terms to its partner mountains and still includes holiday access at some destination resorts, is a $126 premium for adults. Ultimately, it depends on what mountains you plan to visit.

Military personnel and dependents may find both the Mountain Collective and Indy Passes to be extremely tough sells. Epic’s active and retired military pass is hundreds less than all Mountain Collective and Indy products, while their veteran pass undercuts the Mountain Collective Pass by $44 and only costs $100-$200 more than the Indy suite.

For those who can’t afford to pay in full now, the Indy Pass offers an interest-free payment plan with a small down payment and monthly installments through December. This is the only installment plan of the four pass products that does not require a soft credit check. Mountain Collective now offers a payment plan through the same vendor as Ikon, but the 10-30% APR interest rate is steep.

Renewal Discounts

For the upcoming winter, Ikon has announced renewal discounts for last season’s passholders, including $100 off the full Ikon Pass and $50 off the Ikon Base and Base Plus Passes. However, these rates are only useful for those aged 23 and older, and they cannot be paired with other age discounts or speciality rates. These discounts help bridge the price gap between Ikon and Epic for adult renewers, but those looking to make a purchase strictly based off price will still find comparable Epic products to be at least 11% cheaper.

For the upcoming winter, Epic and Mountain Collective are not offering renewal discounts. The Indy Pass previously offered a special renewal price, but this rate expired in early March.

Reservations

All four pass products will require reservations to access at least one mountain next winter. As with last year, Epic will require reservations for visits to Telluride for the 2024-25 season.

Ikon Passholders must make in-advance reservations to access several popular resorts for the 2023-24 season, including Jackson Hole, Big Sky, Summit at Snoqualmie/Alpental, Aspen/Snowmass, Deer Valley, and Loon. Certain resorts, such as Brighton and Taos, used to require reservations but no longer do.

Mountain Collective shares some of the same reservation mandates as Ikon, with Jackson Hole, Aspen/Snowmass, and Big Sky requiring Collective guests to reserve their spot in advance.

Indy has not finalized their reservation policies for the 2024-25 season, but last winter, the pass required reservations for ten resorts, including popular resorts such as Cannon and Magic Mountain.

Verdict

For the 2024-25 season, the multi-resort pass scene generally stays the course compared with last season. Epic remains more of a value pass than Ikon, offering a better upfront value for 23+ adults and military members, a wider local-mountain selection, and competitive destination offerings in Colorado, Tahoe, and Western Canada. Epic also offers unlimited access to considerably more resorts, has fewer blackout-restricted or fully excluded mountains on its lower-tier pass product, and does not plan to require access reservations.

However, Ikon offers access to a much broader range of destination regions for the price premium. Additionally, the Ikon suite offers decent renewal and young adult discounts, as well as a solid pass deferral policy, making the pass a stronger choice for those unsure of their plans next winter.

With only two days of access at each resort, neither Mountain Collective nor Indy are true substitutes for Epic or Ikon; however, neither are bad ways to go for those looking to get the cheapest multi-resort access rates next season. Mountain Collective offers access to many of the same world-class resorts as Ikon—including most of the mountains excluded from Ikon’s Base Pass—and lacks many of the reservation restrictions intrinsic to Ikon. Indy offers access to the most resorts of all the passes in this comparison, and its pass rates are substantially cheaper than Mountain Collective’s. However, you get what you pay for in terms of resort quality, with the majority of Indy offerings being small, local hills rather than the true destinations offered by Mountain Collective.

If you plan on purchasing one of these pass products for the 2024-25 season, the time to buy is now. We recommend picking up your pass now if you can afford to.