Really good stuff as always Stuart. I wonder about the future of the wider/shallower passes like MC and Indy given the ever-increasing value prop from Epic and IKON as they add more mountains to the pass. You made a good point about the hypothetical family from MA, but that's a lot of logistical work each weekend to make things pencil out and, outside of that geo it gets harder still. From my current perch in SoCal, Indy Pass is an obvious non-starter, as the closest option is China Peak, but that's just 30 mins closer than Mammoth, so why bother? Ultimately, Indy only works when you are within reasonable driving distance of 4-5+ hills where you can use it. Even then, you have to ask yourself if the juice is worth the squeeze for many of those locations - there are only so many that are worth spending the lodging $ if you're not doing a day trip.
As you touch on, it will take quite a few more additions to make this a viable product for anyone living in CA, UT or CO. Beyond those states, this isn't relevant for anyone who lives more than ~5 hrs from a handful of member hills - so basically all of the South, Great Plains and Southwest.
Bad moves by Indy this year. Large price increase with more blackouts. There needs to be one tier of blackouts because this us way too confusing. Also the Cannon and Saddleback tier is absolutely ridiculous. The price hike is basically from $199 to $379 + their new BS fee.
Stuart, I’m surprised you didn’t mention MC since Indy+ is $379, why not pay $120 more and get the Mountain collective pass! $1256 for the family of four which is just $160 more than Indy+
Really good stuff as always Stuart. I wonder about the future of the wider/shallower passes like MC and Indy given the ever-increasing value prop from Epic and IKON as they add more mountains to the pass. You made a good point about the hypothetical family from MA, but that's a lot of logistical work each weekend to make things pencil out and, outside of that geo it gets harder still. From my current perch in SoCal, Indy Pass is an obvious non-starter, as the closest option is China Peak, but that's just 30 mins closer than Mammoth, so why bother? Ultimately, Indy only works when you are within reasonable driving distance of 4-5+ hills where you can use it. Even then, you have to ask yourself if the juice is worth the squeeze for many of those locations - there are only so many that are worth spending the lodging $ if you're not doing a day trip.
As you touch on, it will take quite a few more additions to make this a viable product for anyone living in CA, UT or CO. Beyond those states, this isn't relevant for anyone who lives more than ~5 hrs from a handful of member hills - so basically all of the South, Great Plains and Southwest.
Bad moves by Indy this year. Large price increase with more blackouts. There needs to be one tier of blackouts because this us way too confusing. Also the Cannon and Saddleback tier is absolutely ridiculous. The price hike is basically from $199 to $379 + their new BS fee.
Stuart, I’m surprised you didn’t mention MC since Indy+ is $379, why not pay $120 more and get the Mountain collective pass! $1256 for the family of four which is just $160 more than Indy+