2024-25 Indy Base Pass Renewals Will Cost Less Than 1 Peak-Day Lift Ticket at Park City, Vail, Beaver Creek, Deer Valley
Indy Pass Guarantees 200 Resorts, Holds 2024-25 Renewal Base Pass Price at $279
I mean, these prices, Man:
$279 for returning Indy Base Pass holders, for the third consecutive year. That’s less than or equal to the 2023-24 single-day peak walk-up lift ticket price at Park City ($299), Vail Mountain ($299), Beaver Creek ($299), Deer Valley ($289), Breckenridge ($279), Palisades Tahoe ($279), and Steamboat ($279), for two days each at what Indy Pass is guaranteeing will be a minimum of 200 ski areas. Here’s the current roster, and Indy Pass Director Erik Mogensen told The Storm on Tuesday that, as renewal talks continue with current partners, “we haven’t gotten a single no yet”:
That’s no guarantee that all 186 partners will return (Powder Mountain’s new ownership has indicated that they may leave Indy). But new partners will certainly join, including popular ski areas in the East and West, Mogensen confirmed. He also expects new partners overseas. If the number of resorts (Alpine and cross-country combined), does not hit 200 by Nov. 15, passholders can request a refund. Skiers can also request a refund by Dec. 1 “if their favorite resort” from the 2023-24 ski season does not renew for 2024-25 – in other words, if any ski area leaves, you can get your money back.
But why would you want to? Even at $329 for the waitlist price or $349 for the general public, this thing is the best deal in skiing.
“The Indy Pass team has worked hard to create sustainable pricing while the cost of skiing and riding continues to increase at astronomical rates,” said Mogensen. “This pricing plan demonstrates our commitment to our passholders and partner resorts that the Indy Pass will continue to lead the industry in affordable, independent skiing.”
Mogensen is not messing around. There’s a reason I pulled that quote from Indy’s press release when I typically avoid staged quotes like they’re laced with anthrax. He means it. He watched helplessly as a teenager when Tamarack, New York went under. He made his own backyard cross-country ski area to cope. In just the past year, he’s intervened to help save Antelope Butte, Wyoming; Black Mountain, New Hampshire; and Hickory, New York. He created an entire software company – Entabeni Systems – specifically to help independent ski areas modernize their technology. I talk to Mogensen all the time – he is messianic in his quest to ensure the future of independent skiing. He’s doing this by bringing them into the digital age (Entabeni), helping them actualize new operating models (Black, Antelope Butte), and building out a pass (Indy) that can compete, in many markets (especially New England and the Midwest), directly with Epic and Ikon.
And he’s doing all this for resorts while making the Indy Pass better for consumers. Renewing is as simple as scanning the QR code on their physical 2023-24 Indy Pass. He expects the number of blackout dates to shrink for 2024-25, he told me. And while I can’t reveal the expected new partners, some of them would be instant headliners that would significantly boost the pass’ appeal among destination skiers.
But Indy will continue to limit the number of passes sold. Renewing passholders – a category that includes anyone who’s owned an Indy Pass in any season – can purchase the Base Pass for $279 starting at 10 a.m. Mountain Time on March 1. Anyone on the winter waitlist can also purchase at that time, for $329. If anything is left over, passes will go on sale to the general public ($349 for Base), on March 8. Once they sell out, Indy will pause sales for at least several months, before potentially coming back on the market at a higher price once the full resort roster drops later this year.
With Indy and Mountain Collective prices now set for the 2024-25 ski season, Epic and Ikon are on deck. I’ll break down those offerings as soon as they’re live, and I’ll continue to analyze the broader national season pass landscape.
The Storm publishes year-round, and guarantees 100 articles per year. This is article 14/100 in 2024, and number 514 since launching on Oct. 13, 2019.
fun idea for you Stuart --> if you ever feel like surveying your subscriber audience, I'd be curious to know how many of us have what passes. I'd be surprised if the IndyPass rate isn't at least 10% of your readers. I'm sure Epic/Ikon are higher, but the alignment btw your readership and Indy has to be pretty strong. I'd likewise be surprised if I'm unique in that I've at least before bought Indy and not redeemed a single day, but still renewed because I support the idea of what Doug and Erik are doing and want to see them be successful.
There should be some truth in advertising here. Yes it is $279, but they also get you for another $10 for a new card for the 24/25 season. I understand it is a way to help for pay things (like hopefully scanners at the resorts), but in terms of waste, it is unnecessary. Many areas use the same card year after year. I have used the same Blue Mt (PA) and Epic cards for last 5 years. It would also be another matter if the card could be used as a direct-to-lift scanner, but many of the areas insist on you going to window to get their card (often for an additional cost).