Indy Ski Pass Releases 2021-22 Passes, Adds 3 New Mountains Including Powder Mountain
Earlier today, the Indy Ski Pass announced its partner resorts, prices, and blackout policies for the 2021-22 season. 63 independent resorts across the East Coast, Midwest, Rockies, and West Coast will return to the pass this coming winter. For 2021-22, the pass also adds three new areas: Powder Mountain, a massive 8,400-acre Utah resort; Mt. Ashland, a mountain in the Oregon Cascades; and West Mountain, a small hill in upstate New York. Theoretically, passholders can ski for 132 days next season if they hit every resort on the pass.
The base Indy Pass will offer two days at each partner resort with some notable blackouts for $279, while the Indy+ Pass will offer the same product with no blackout dates for $379. This is a notable price hike from last season, when the base pass started at just $199 and the Indy+ cost $299. Indy’s website says that quantities at this early-bird rate are limited, suggesting that prices may go up soon.
As with last season, kids 12 and under will be eligible for discounted rates. Prices now start at $119 for the base pass and $169 for the Indy+. Full pricing information can be found here.
Passes are on sale now.
Our Take
Indy’s prices have gone up compared to last season, but the pass continues to add more competitive resort options. The addition of Powder Mountain brings what we believe to be a true destination resort to the pass for the first time; while we haven’t reviewed Powder yet, its claimed footprint of over 8,000 acres, even if much of it is serviced by snowcat, is nothing to laugh at.
However, the list of blackouts for the base Indy Pass has expanded substantially since last season, when only three resorts maintained holiday blackouts. Now, more than 20 resorts come with blackouts, and four—including the aforementioned Powder—have gone as far as to black out all weekends. This makes the Indy+ Pass a much more valuable upgrade than it was last year. A few notable resorts, such as Jay Peak, do have no blackouts.
The Indy Pass doesn’t make much sense as a season pass due to its two-day limit at each resort, but the product may offer an incredible value for those looking to do multiple weekend trips—or those eyeing a winter road trip across the Northeast, Upper Midwest, or Northern Rockies. However, the new blackout policies on the base pass may make it too impractical for many consumers, and the Indy+ upgrade comes with a price tag encroaching on Mountain Collective territory.
We’ve reviewed one resort on the Indy Pass: Wyoming’s Snow King, near Jackson Hole. Like many other resorts on the pass, it’s historically been a local hill with some surprisingly enjoyable terrain but underdeveloped infrastructure. However, Snow King’s experience is on track to transform next season thanks to a series of major upgrades.
