Pass Notes: October 2023 – A New England Uphill Megapass, Vermont & Colorado Discounts, No Boundaries, a Bohemia Partner Pass, & More

There are still a lot of great deals out there.

Welcome to Pass Notes, a monthly ski pass-specific newsletter exclusively for paid Storm subscribers. The Pass Tracker 5001 is updated:

And here is your breakdown of upcoming season pass deadlines by region (national, East, Midwest, and West), a bunch of cool new pass products, upcoming megadeals in each region, and thoughts on recent pass developments, including disgruntled Camelback and Blue Mountain passholders, Winter Park’s Early-Ups program, the continued evolution of Ski Cooper’s partner roster, and more:

NATIONAL

This month’s pass deadlines

Oct. 10: Epic Pass – will jump to tier four prices. The first two price increases for 2023-24 passes were minimal.

Oct. 12: Ikon Pass – set to increase $50, which would take the full Ikon to $1,309, Ikon Base Plus to $1,199, and Ikon Base to $979. The high prices for the 2022-23 ski season were $1,229, $1,119, and $919, respectively. The Mountain Collective, meanwhile, currently sells for $650.

Sold out (for now): Indy Pass and Indy+ Pass – officials have indicated that both will go back on sale in some form later this fall.

A word on: pass price increases

Vail is funny. I’ve seen hurricane evacuation warnings delivered with less urgency than Epic Pass price deadline emails. My point of view is skewed, of course, by the fact that I subscribe to/follow pretty much all of the company’s properties on email and social media. But the recurring message, as a price increase approaches, is consistent in its urgency: BUY YOUR PASS NOW OR PREPARE TO HAVE YOUR CAT REPOSSESSED WHEN YOU SEE HOW MUCH THIS EPIC PASS WILL COST YOU COME TUESDAY.

And then, inevitably, two things happen. First: nothing. The doomsday countdown clock hits zero, and prices stay exactly the same for 36 to 60 hours. Then, prices tick up. A little. Like, really a little:

Compare Vail’s incremental price ticks to Ikon’s surges. It’s like comparing snowfall totals between the Poconos and the High Sierras.