27 Key Indy Pass Partners Commit to 2023-24 Roster; 'The Storm' Confirms 9 More
Powder Mountain, Brundage, Lutsen, Granite Peak, Nub's Nob, Cannon, and Saddleback among the returnees; Mt. Hood Meadows remains undecided
Update, March 21: after publishing this article, the following resorts confirmed to me that they will return to Indy for the 2023-24 ski season: Bryce, Shawnee.
Indy Pass also confirmed to me that the following resorts will return to the pass: Tussey, Blacktail, Antelope Butte, Sasquatch, Bluewood, Bluebird, Granby Ranch, Aomori Springs, Shimokura, Tazawako, Geto Kogen. The charts below do not reflect these confirmations.
It never used to be like this. Where you’d buy a multi-mountain ski pass just to get that one resort. Like how I hit Taco Bell just for Mexican Pizzas and when they took them off the menu I boycotted the joint for the duration of that travesty. In the olden days you’d maybe buy a pass to your local bump and then plan Western drop-ins around whatever brochure looked best. But I don’t think most people were making next year’s plans in March.
Well this world is different. In case you hadn’t noticed. Now we buy our passes based on the menu. And Jay Peak is the Mexican Pizza. And if they take it off, a lot of you are going to walk.
Luckily, Indy confirmed weeks ago that Jay Peak is staying, along with fellow New Englander Waterville Valley. Today, Indy confirmed 25 more “key resorts” - their words - will return for the 2023-24 ski season. The list – which Indy emphasizes is just a partial roster – should satisfy most of you. Nine of Indy’s top 10 resorts by redemption for last season are definitely returning, as are eight of the top 10 from the 2020-21 ski season, and seven of 10 from the inaugural 2019-20 season. I also independently confirmed that prennial Indy top-10 Magic Mountain, along with Catamount – a top 10 resort in Indy’s first season – intend to return as well:
And here’s Indy’s full 2022-23 alpine roster (I did not include cross-country or Allied partners), with everyone who intends to return highlighted in green. Uncommitted resorts are in yellow, while the sole resort that is clearly not returning – Snow Valley, California, which Alterra recently purchased – is in red. Anyone I could confirm on my own - nine ski areas total - is shaded in blue:
So that leaves us with 27 confirmed by Indy, nine confirmed by me, one definitely leaving, and 68 left to confirm.
If you don’t see your favorite Indy partner listed here, I wouldn’t worry much. The pass has only lost five partners in its four-year history. Here’s who’s left over the years, and why:
Resort partners don’t leave Indy because they seem to really like it. The redemption process is simple. It’s a passive marketing tool that tends to hook skiers who otherwise never would have tried their mountain. Indy is a cool and low-key brand that ski area operators like to be aligned with. And, most important: Indy makes them money.
Yet, every year, we have to wonder: will Jay/Pow Mow/Lutsen return. Indy needs to mitigate this uncertainty, preferably with multi-year contracts. Right now, each resort commits to just one year. To counterbalance this, Indy is guaranteeing refunds (until Sept. 1), for anyone who purchases at early-bird prices “if the resorts they plan to visit are not participating in the program.” Indy’s press release announcing the returning partners also stated that, “we fully expect resort participation to continue growing.” Translation: new partners incoming.
Here's a region-by-region look at what we know about Indy’s 2023-24 roster so far, what we know about some key holdouts (including Mt. Hood Meadows), and Indy’s opportunity to stabilize the roster for future seasons: