Ikon Adds Sun Valley, Snowbasin, and Chamonix for 2022-23, Drops Alta and Deer Valley from Base Pass

Earlier today, Alterra released the Ikon Pass product suite for the 2022-23 season. Adults can purchase a full Ikon Pass with unlimited access to 15 resorts and no blackout dates for $1,079 and an Ikon Base Pass, which offers unlimited access to 13 resorts with holiday blackouts, for $769. Children and young adults under 23 are eligible for substantially cheaper pass rates.

Returning passholders can purchase discounted passes, with full pass adult renewals costing $979 (for a $100 discount) and base pass renewals starting at $719 (for a $50 discount). These renewal discounts will likely last through early May.

For 2022-23, Ikon has made some access changes to its pass products. Sun Valley, Snowbasin, and Chamonix-Mont Blanc move to Ikon for the upcoming winter, with 7 days of access on the full Ikon Pass; the latter will also allow 5 days of access on the Ikon Base Pass. The regular Ikon Base Pass will no longer grant access to Alta and Deer Valley, but those interested can purchase 5-day access to these areas for an additional $150 with the Ikon Base Pass Plus. The Base Plus pass will also offer 5-day access to Snowbasin and Sun Valley.

After dropping from unlimited to just 5 days of access on the Ikon Base Pass, Washington’s Crystal Mountain will see a similar move on the full Ikon Pass, moving to 7-day access on this product.

Ikon has revamped their Session Pass suite for the 2022-23 season, adding 2- and 3-day passes in addition to the previously existing 4-day pass. As with previous seasons, Session Pass products will offer flexible days of access to the overwhelming majority of resorts available on the Ikon Base Pass.

As with the 2021-22 season, Ikon is including Adventure Assurance on every pass. This policy allows pass purchasers to defer the use of their pass until the 2023-24 season by December 8, 2021. In addition, if Ikon Pass destinations close due to COVID-19 between December 17, 2022 and March 5, 2023, passholders will receive a “proportional credit” towards the purchase of a 23/24 Ikon Pass product.

For 2022-23, Ikon is continuing to partner with Affirm to offer payment plans. For a limited time, purchasers will be able to lock in 3, 6, or 12-month installment plans, with rates ranging between 0-15% APR depending on creditworthiness.

Passes go on sale March 10.

Our Take

While many of its offerings remain the same, Ikon’s announcement suggests a changing landscape in the ski pass world, and one that sends mixed signals about expansion and contraction.

First, the additions. Snowbasin and Sun Valley are major coups from the Epic family, with the former giving Ikon control over six of the eight major Salt Lake City-area ski resorts (the exceptions being Park City and Powder Mountain), and the latter essentially turning Ikon into a Northern Rockies destination monopoly, completely shutting Epic out from Idaho and the entire Northern Rockies region (pending any access additions from Vail Resorts). Neither resort will be on Ikon’s Base Pass next season, but for those willing to splurge for a modest upgrade, the 2-day access on the Epic Local Pass will be replaced with 5-day access on the Ikon Base Pass Plus. The addition of Chamonix should also help with Ikon’s appeal in Europe, although the pass already offered a number of competitive options in the region.

Now, onto the access reductions. Alta and Deer Valley’s removals from the Ikon Base Pass will likely be disappointing to a number of guests, with the resorts becoming the third and fourth entities—following Jackson Hole and Aspen/Snowmass—to move to an Ikon Base Plus model for the cheapest access. But for those in the region, a number of nearby Utah mountains, including Snowbird and Brighton, will still provide 5-day access on the Base Pass. Nearby Solitude will continue to provide unlimited access with blackouts for Base passholders.

On the other hand, Crystal’s bump down from unlimited to 7-day access has considerable implications for Washington, as the Ikon Pass will no longer be usable as a season pass in the state, let alone anywhere within reasonable driving distance. For those in the Seattle area, the closest unlimited Ikon options for 2022-23 will be Palisades Tahoe and Solitude, both of which are more than 12-hour drives from the city.

That being said, one doesn’t have to look hard to understand the rationale for these access contractions. At at least two of the three resorts seeing reduced Ikon access for 2022-23—Alta and Crystal—capacity has been a serious problem in recent seasons, with both resorts having to implement parking reservations this winter to prevent lots from filling up. It’s clear that the current operating model at both mountains has not been sustainable, and with some of the Ikon crowds gone from these resorts next season, we hope the capacity restrictions can be lifted. While Deer Valley has not seen the same capacity issues as Alta and Crystal (at least to our knowledge), the resort has historically built its brand on keeping crowds down and limiting lift ticket sales, and the move off the Ikon Base Pass makes sense from that standpoint. We wouldn’t be surprised to see more Ikon resorts reduce their access in future seasons for similar reasons to the above.

It’s also worth touching upon the Ikon Base Plus Pass itself, which has become a much more relevant product this season, given that six Ikon offerings now start with this tier, versus two in previous seasons. Those doing trips to multiple Rockies mountains next winter, especially in Utah and the Northern Rockies, will now unlock considerable access benefits with the upgrade versus the Base Pass.

Pass prices have inched up slightly versus last year, suggesting that Ikon has no intention of further democratizing access to their season pass products. However, Ikon’s expansion into two and three-day offerings for its Session Pass makes this product much more practical for those wanting to do one or two weekend trips next season and looking for access flexibility. This diversification brings the Ikon suite closer to Epic, which offers one to seven days of flexible access to its resorts in its similar Epic Day Pass product.

It’s also worth touching on Ikon’s Adventure Assurance, which seems like it’s here to stay despite COVID-19 moving towards a manageable, endemic state. The policy’s flexibility is a nice feature in the event of any unexpected circumstances that upend one’s travel plans before the season starts.

It should be interesting to see whether Epic responds with any meaningful new pass partners or access changes this season.