Share

The Mountain Collective Pass today added Alberta monster Marmot Basin to its 2022-23 roster, bringing its total destination count to 24 and its tally in Western Canada to six, tying it with Ikon for the most ski areas in the region among U.S.-based multi-mountain passes. Passholders will receive two no-blackout days at Marmot Basin and each of the 23 other destinations – 48 days total at some of the most ferocious mountains on the planet:

Marmot Basin joins Mountain Collective just three months after leaving the Indy Pass. The resort was an Indy partner for only one season, and it is the third mountain this year to join Mountain Collective after leaving another pass – Sun Valley and Snowbasin re-joined the Collective in March after departing the Epic Pass. While it is too soon to dub 2022 the Year of the Crazypass Switcheroo, Marmot’s migration could foreshadow a future in which ski areas passhop at their own convenience, seeking the optimal blend of crowds, prestige, profile, and per-visit payout.

Just three-ish hours northwest of Mountain Collective partners Banff and Lake Louise on reliably open highway 93, Marmot Basin grants Mountain Collective passholders six days total at three massive ski areas in close proximity to one another. The resort is also just 20 minutes from the resort town of Jasper. With 1,720 skiable acres on a 3,000-foot vertical drop, Marmot Basin has plenty of terrain to occupy two days. What it lacks is abundant snowfall – with just 173 inches per year, Marmot Basin becomes the least-snowy North American destination on the pass, behind Lake Louise (179 inches), Sun Valley (200), Sugarloaf (200), Buttermilk (200), and Panorama (204). But with the highest base elevation in Canada – 5,570 feet – the mountain holds what snow it gets.

The addition of Marmot Basin also further differentiates Mountain Collective from the Ikon Pass, adding an exclusive destination and building regional density in an important part of the ski world. It underscores Mountain Collective’s ability to adapt in a brutally competitive market, and suggests a viable future should Ikon decide to disallow partner mountains from participating in both passes, (Epic requires exclusivity to participate).

Marmot Basin will continue its membership in the Powder Alliance, a reciprocal coalition that gives its passholders three days each at Castle Mountain, Snow King, White Pass, and 15 other ski areas. It is the only ski resort that will be a member of both coalitions.

Here’s a bit more about Marmot Basin, and what the partnership means for the resort, Mountain Collective passholders, and the North American multi-mountain pass landscape at large:

Follow on Twitter

Follow on Instagram

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast

Mountain Collective Adds Marmot Basin, Its…

Comments on this post are for paid subscribers