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The Mountain Collective is still alive and kicking after the announcement of the IKON Pass and the disappearance of the MAX pass – as many of the resorts that were in the latter, where absorbed by Alterra Mtn Co with its IKON pass.
Each 2018-19 pass-holder will receive 2 days at the Collective destinations for a total of 32 days, plus a third day at the destination of their choice.
$555 Million Budgeted at 12 Mountain Destinations Over the Next Five Years
$130 Million Budgeted for 2018/2019 Including New Gondola and Three New Chairlifts
Alterra Mountain Company reinforces its commitment to growth and investment in its family of 12 mountain destinations by announcing its initial capital improvements, with an investment plan totalling more than half a billion dollars over the next five years, spending $130 million for winter 2018/2019.
Alterra Mountain Company, created in 2017, is comprised of 12 mountain destinations spread throughout five states and three Canadian provinces: Steamboat and Winter Park Resort in Colorado; Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, Mammoth Mountain, June Mountain and Big Bear Mountain Resort in California; Stratton in Vermont; Snowshoe in West Virginia; Tremblant in Quebec, Blue Mountain in Ontario; Deer Valley Resort in Utah; and CMH Heli-Skiing & Summer Adventures in British Columbia.
The EPIC pass offers access to 61 ski areas in 8 countries. The IKON Pass, its contender, goes now head to head with the EPIC Pass.
What is new this year with the EPIC Pass:
• New for 2018-19, Epic Pass holders receive limited access to Telluride in Colorado, Hakuba Valley in Japan and Resorts of the Canadian Rockies across Canada, bringing the worldwide resort access total to 61.
• In celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Epic Pass, Vail Resorts is honouring its heritage with the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division with a $99 Military Epic Pass and a $1 donation for every 2018-19 season pass sold to Wounded Warrior Project.
• Vail Resorts season passes offer a number of unique advantages over other industry passes, from direct to lift access to discounted tickets for family and friends
United States. Canada. Australia. Japan. France. Switzerland. Italy. Austria. No other season pass gives skiers and snowboarders access to so many celebrated resorts around the world than the Epic Pass, including unlimited, unrestricted access to 15 mountain resorts and limited access to 46 more. Priced at $899 for the 2018-19 winter season, the Epic Pass remains unmatched in the mountain resort industry for the variety and value it offers skiers and snowboarders.
New for next winter, the Epic Pass will feature access to Telluride in Colorado; Hakuba Valley’s nine ski resorts in Japan; and Resorts of the Canadian Rockies across Canada, including Fernie Alpine Resort, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort and Kimberley Alpine Resort in British Columbia, Nakiska in Alberta, and Mont Sainte Anne and Stoneham in Quebec, all in a long-term alliance.
The Magic Pass, this multi-area ski resort pass launched in the Swiss French regions last year – with 25 ski resorts of all sizes, attracted by the end of February 2018, 2.177 million skier-days which brought a 30% increase in visitor numbers compared to the previous season on the same date. In terms of turnover, an increase of 10% was achieved by the end of February compared to the season total from 2016/17.
These results were very encouraging, from very small resorts such as Rathvel, which got 220%, increase in visits, to larger resorts, such as Crans-Montana, that their numbers rose more than 30%.
This spirit of cooperation amongst ski areas has guaranteed an appreciable level of stability for the smaller, less well-known ski areas.
Now looking to the 2018-19 ski season, the Magic Mountains Cooperation is launching the MAGIC Pass with more ski areas- The new areas waiting to be discovered by pass holders are: the Espace Dent Blanche (Evolène – La Forclas – Arolla), the Vallée de Joux (L’Abbaye, – L’Orient – Le Brassus), and the Riviera (Les Pléiades- Rochers-de-Naye). In total, Magic Pass 2018/19 includes more than 30 ski areas of all shapes and sizes.
SkiBig3, Revelstoke Mountain Resort and Sugarbush Resort Join the Ikon Pass Community Available for Purchase March 6, 2018, Starting at $599
The Ikon Pass, North America’s newest season pass product for winter 2018-2019 announces SkiBig3 in Alberta, Canada, Revelstoke Mountain Resort in British Columbia, Canada and Sugarbush Resort in Vermont, as its newest partners, for a total of over 63,000 skiable acres of unique terrain at 26 premier mountain destinations in North America. The Ikon Pass will go on sale Tuesday, March 6, 2018 and will be available for purchase at www.ikonpass.com.
Swissinfo.ch published a very good table with all the ski resorts’ lift ticket rates – which is good to see when planning a ski holiday – even though the price of the lift ticket is not all, and it accounts to only a 6% of the ski holiday, but, every little helps!
| Country and ski resort | Child weekday | Adult weekday | Child 6-day | Adult 6-day |
| SWITZERLAND | ||||
| Adelboden | 30 | 55 | 138 | 258 |
| Aletsch Arena | 26 | 51 | 144 | 287 |
| Arosa/Lenzerheide | 21 | 64 | 81 | 291 |
| Champèry (Portes du Soleil Pass) | 39 | 52 | 196 | 261 |
| Crans-Montana | 33 | 59 | 169 | 299 |
| Davos/Klosters | 24 | 60 | 117 | 293 |
| Grindelwald/Wengen | 27 | 55 | 128 | 258 |
| Laax | 22 | 67 | 106 | 319 |
| Saas Fee (Saas Fee Pass) | 31 | 62 | 157 | 312 |
| St. Moritz/Corviglia | 22 | 67 | 107 | 322 |
| Verbier/Nendaz (4 Valleys/High season) | 32 | 64 | 160 | 319 |
| Zermatt | 34 | 67 | 162 | 325 |
| FRANCE | ||||
| Alpe d’Huez | 43 | 52 | 211 | 267 |
| Avoriaz (Portes du Soleil) | 39 | 52 | 195 | 260 |
| Chamonix (Le Pass) | 43 | 50 | 215 | 252 |
| Courchevel (3 Valleys) | 49 | 61 | 240 | 300 |
| Flaine/Grand Massif | 35 | 47 | 185 | 246 |
| La Plagne | 42 | 52 | 212 | 265 |
| Les 2 Alpes | 40 | 50 | 200 | 250 |
| Les Arcs | 42 | 52 | 212 | 265 |
| Megeve (Evasion Mont Blanc Pass) | 37 | 46 | 185 | 231 |
| Morzine | 29 | 40 | 149 | 199 |
| Tignes/Val d’Isère | 46 | 57 | 228 | 285 |
| AUSTRIA | ||||
| Ischgl | 30 | 49 | 148 | 247 |
| Kitzbühel | 27 | 55 | 133 | 266 |
| Lech/Zürs am Arlberg | 32 | 53 | 164 | 275 |
| Mayrhofen | 23 | 52 | 112 | 249 |
| Skiwelt Wilder/Kaiser/Brixental/Söll | 24 | 49 | 120 | 239 |
| Obergurgl/Hochgurgl | 34 | 52 | 157 | 285 |
| Schladming/Planai/Hochwurzen | 26 | 51 | 128 | 257 |
| Serfaus/Fiss/Ladis | 31 | 51 | 158 | 273 |
| Skicircus Saalbach/Hinterglemm/Leogang/Fieberbrunn | 26 | 53 | 127 | 255 |
| St. Anton am Arlberg | 32 | 53 | 164 | 275 |
| Sölden | 29 | 53 | 157 | 285 |
| Zell am See/Schmittenhöhe | 25 | 51 | 126 | 252 |
| ITALY | ||||
| 3 Peaks Dolomites | 37 | 53 | 182 | 260 |
| Alpe di Siusi/Seiser Alm | 38 | 54 | 191 | 273 |
| Alta Badia | 38 | 54 | 191 | 273 |
| Bormio | 34 | 41 | 138 | 214 |
| Cervinia/Breuil | 32 | 46 | 169 | 242 |
| Cortina d’Ampezzo | 38 | 54 | 191 | 273 |
| Courmayeur | 12 | 47 | 60 | 239 |
| La Thuile | 31 | 44 | 161 | 229 |
| Livigno | 34 | 47 | 139 | 240 |
| Madonna di Campiglio | 25 | 50 | 124 | 247 |
| Val Gardena/Gröden | 38 | 54 | 191 | 273 |
| Val Senales/Schnalstal | 27 | 45 | 155 | 238 |
This is not an exhaustive list, but you have something to compare. I am assuming that the prices within the Dolomiti Superski area, are showing all the same rates, as they must be selling the Dolomiti Superski lift.
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You can read our resort guide to Val di Fiemme and the one to Courmayeur
Featured Image: Freezing Temperatures – Photo by Rob Bye – Unsplash
The mountain village of Les Diablerets has launched it’s own local currency, called the “Iserau” to help save an endangered ski area and secure the village’s future.
There is a trend in Switzerland where some complementary currencies are popping up as ways of raising funds and encouraging people to buy and think local.
The Panoramic Mont-Blanc lift finished in the ground after suffering very weird conditions. A thick ice cover, thicker than the width of the cable covered a very long stretch of cable creating a very heavy mass, which made the cable collapse.
In what is another chapter of this saga of the two giants trying to get the biggest slice of the cake, Vail Resorts adds Telluride as one of the resorts you can ski if you purchase the Epic Pass.
As per Vail Resorts website, they have entered a “long-term alliance” with Telluride Ski Resort in Colorado, adding it to the Epic Pass starting in 2018-19. The Epic Pass now offers access and benefits to a total of 46 mountain resorts worldwide.
I was very sad to hear that Warren A. Miller, the pioneer ski movies filmmaker has passed away yesterday. He was 93, but he did have a great life. He promoted the idea of ‘pure freedom’ that is associated with skiing. He was a self-taught filmmaker who started filming himself for an annual narrated ski movie shown in small theatres. Over the years, he continued narrating all his films, his voice is very warm, and recognisable. He makes fun out of skiing and is ok of making fun out of himself. His company, Warren Miller Entertainment, has produced more than 500 adventure sport films.
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