Ikon Pass Debuts for 2024-25 with Minimal Changes; Crystal Back to Unlimited

UPDATE 3/23/24: Edited to correct the full Ikon Pass price.

Earlier today, Alterra released the Ikon Pass product suite for the 2024-25 season. Adults can purchase a full Ikon Pass, which comes with unlimited access to 17 resorts and no holiday blackout dates, for $1,249—an increase of 8% from last year. An Ikon Base Pass, which offers unlimited access to 14 resorts with holiday blackouts, goes for $869, an increase of 5% from last year. As in previous years, children and young adults under 23—as well as military personnel, college students, and nurses—are eligible for significantly cheaper pass rates.

Seven full Ikon destinations are excluded from the base pass, but those looking to visit the excluded destinations without splurging for the full pass can opt for the Ikon Base Plus Pass. The Base Plus goes for $1,119 for adults, an increase of 7% from last year.

Ikon has maintained their Session Pass suite for the 2023-24 season, continuing to offer 2, 3, and 4-day access to select destinations. 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. Unlike the competing Epic Day Pass product, there are no 1, 5, 6, or 7-day access products for the Ikon Session Pass.

As in previous years, returning Ikon Pass holders are eligible for discounted renewal rates. Full Ikon Pass adult renewals cost $1,149, making for a $100 discount, and Ikon Base Pass renewals start at $819, making for a $50 discount. Base Plus Pass renewals start at $1,069, a $50 discount. These renewal discounts will likely last through early May. While Session Passes do not come with renewal discounts, 2023-24 Session Pass holders are eligible for renewal discounts should they choose to upgrade to one of Ikon’s other products.

For 2024-25, most Ikon access terms remain the same. However, Washington’s Crystal Mountain has returned to unlimited access on the full Ikon Pass after only offering seven days of access this past season. Crystal has also made some changes to its parking policies as part of this access change, and guests will now be able to reserve their spots for free if they do so within five days of their visit. In addition, Ikon Passes now come with 12 Friends & Family discount tickets, which provide at least 25% off the window rate of an Ikon Pass destination the day the ticket is used; this is up from 10 last year.

As with every season since COVID, Ikon is including pass deferral benefits on every pass. This policy allows pass purchasers to defer the use of their pass by December 12, 2024, and will allow those who choose to exercise this option to use a proportional credit towards the purchase of a pass for the 2025-26 season.

For 2024-25, 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 14.

Our Take

As with last season, the changes to this year’s Ikon Pass suite are largely uneventful. With Epic generally maintaining the status quo with its passes this season, it seems like the general pass landscape versus last season remains unchanged. Ikon continues to command a price premium over Epic with fewer unlimited mountains and more restrictive blackouts on the base passes, while Epic continues to offer access to Vail-owned mountains at competitive prices.

The biggest news comes with Crystal’s return to unlimited access on the full Ikon Pass. While extremely high demand is still an issue for this Seattle-area mountain, the resort has introduced strict parking reservations in recent years, which have cut down on the number of folks trying to access the resort on weekends and holidays. In addition, last year’s $1,800 unlimited Legend Pass may have been a tough pill to swallow for Crystal guests who had unlimited access for hundreds of dollars less via Ikon in 2022-23—and it’s unclear how many folks actually bought this pass during the 2023-24 season.

However, Crystal’s return to unlimited access on Ikon’s full pass does come with a big catch. Other Ikon mountains that have introduced free peak-time parking reservations, including Palisades Tahoe, have seen these slots fill up at a lightning fast cadence—based on our experience, this can sometimes happen as fast as 30 seconds after they open. Depending on demand, Ikon-holding Crystal visitors who are not on top of their game may not be able to reliably secure parking spots with this new system. But unlike Palisades Tahoe, Crystal will remain a non-unlimited mountain on Ikon’s base products, so perhaps there won’t be as many folks competing for parking on any given day.

The second biggest story here is perhaps the lack of changes surrounding Arapahoe Basin access, which Alterra acquired earlier this year. Many feared that with this acquisition, this modestly-sized Colorado mountain would move to unlimited access on Ikon’s passes, eradicating the locally-oriented feel and modest crowds that the resort is known for. But with Arapahoe Basin remaining as a seven-day partner on the full Ikon Pass and a five-day partner on the base passes, it looks promising that at least for now, this won’t be the case.

For more information on resorts on the Ikon Pass, see our Ikon Pass mountain reviews as well as our Colorado, Tahoe, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Western Canada rankings.