What you miss completely is Epic’s Retired Military Pass for under $200 and virtually unlimited. Two days on my local speed bump and it’s paid for. Everything after that is free.
In Calgary, many of the local hills offer discount cards*. Taken together, 2-3 of these cards can end up pretty competitive (very similar list of resorts) with Ikon and Mountain Collective, at least locally (Alberta and BC).
If you don't know for sure you'll be able to travel (but still want the option), or want to spend a little less upfront/hedge your bets, a combination of discount cards (Sunshine Super Card, Louise Plus Card, RCR Rockies Card) is an excellent option.
If you KNOW you will be travelling a bunch (at least 4-6 days after your 5-7 local days), then MC/Ikon are better than those local discount cards. Awesome season, but the travel is required, unlike with the discount cards where it's optional.
If you're happy at a single hill for 10+ days, then a regular old fashioned season pass is the way to go (though a Louise pass gets discounts elsewhere)...
*The cards generally cost a little less than a one day adult ticket, but then days 1, 4, and 7 are free, with other days at a discount (20% or so, varies by time of year, weekday/weekend, etc):
Sunshine Super Card gets you Sunshine, Revelstoke, and Marmot
Louise Plus Card gets you Louise, Castle, Panorama, and Red
RCR Rockies Card gets you Fernie, Kicking Horse, Kimberley, and Nakiska
If you got/get into Indy, its hard to let go. My 'home' mountain next year is Powderhorn CO, several thousand miles from where I live. Why, because between Indy Addon, reciprocal days in the west and a few Epic Days, you can build an epic (pun intended) western trip and get more than enough skiing in the east, particularly given the PGRI relationship between Powderhorn, Jay & Ragged. Oh, yeah, dirty secret, PH offers a 'junior' pass whereas Ragged does not, yet you get unlimited at Ragged on the PH pass.
We have stitched together a decent upcoming winter using Epic’s granular offerings. The Northeast Midweek Pass (senior), coupled with an Ikon-branded Sugarbush Boomer pass, added to a Killington employee pass, rounds out our winter. (We’re not planning any long trips.)
We would have done an Ikon-only solution if it was comparable, but the Epic gives us more options. The five Stowe days are icing on the cake.
You hit the nail squarely with the Speed Bump resorts which is my case. Its 20 minutes away so I make my decision based on that which is EPIC though my friends do epic to get the local pass and Ikon for the bigger mountains which I see you make a solid case for. Thanks
What you miss completely is Epic’s Retired Military Pass for under $200 and virtually unlimited. Two days on my local speed bump and it’s paid for. Everything after that is free.
Such a helpful post. Love the decision tree.
In Calgary, many of the local hills offer discount cards*. Taken together, 2-3 of these cards can end up pretty competitive (very similar list of resorts) with Ikon and Mountain Collective, at least locally (Alberta and BC).
If you don't know for sure you'll be able to travel (but still want the option), or want to spend a little less upfront/hedge your bets, a combination of discount cards (Sunshine Super Card, Louise Plus Card, RCR Rockies Card) is an excellent option.
If you KNOW you will be travelling a bunch (at least 4-6 days after your 5-7 local days), then MC/Ikon are better than those local discount cards. Awesome season, but the travel is required, unlike with the discount cards where it's optional.
If you're happy at a single hill for 10+ days, then a regular old fashioned season pass is the way to go (though a Louise pass gets discounts elsewhere)...
Here's a spreadsheet tracking cost per day for a variety of pass options out of Calgary for a family (2 adults, 1 youth, 1 child): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VpKnhgodT74jxgRbvgSbGj3c3lu1SvqaMNd8MzvdOnE/edit?usp=sharing
*The cards generally cost a little less than a one day adult ticket, but then days 1, 4, and 7 are free, with other days at a discount (20% or so, varies by time of year, weekday/weekend, etc):
Sunshine Super Card gets you Sunshine, Revelstoke, and Marmot
Louise Plus Card gets you Louise, Castle, Panorama, and Red
RCR Rockies Card gets you Fernie, Kicking Horse, Kimberley, and Nakiska
If you got/get into Indy, its hard to let go. My 'home' mountain next year is Powderhorn CO, several thousand miles from where I live. Why, because between Indy Addon, reciprocal days in the west and a few Epic Days, you can build an epic (pun intended) western trip and get more than enough skiing in the east, particularly given the PGRI relationship between Powderhorn, Jay & Ragged. Oh, yeah, dirty secret, PH offers a 'junior' pass whereas Ragged does not, yet you get unlimited at Ragged on the PH pass.
We have stitched together a decent upcoming winter using Epic’s granular offerings. The Northeast Midweek Pass (senior), coupled with an Ikon-branded Sugarbush Boomer pass, added to a Killington employee pass, rounds out our winter. (We’re not planning any long trips.)
We would have done an Ikon-only solution if it was comparable, but the Epic gives us more options. The five Stowe days are icing on the cake.
You hit the nail squarely with the Speed Bump resorts which is my case. Its 20 minutes away so I make my decision based on that which is EPIC though my friends do epic to get the local pass and Ikon for the bigger mountains which I see you make a solid case for. Thanks