Will others follow the Basin's lead?
Arapahoe Basin Ski Area Chief Operating Officer Alan Henceroth announced in a blog post Thursday, Sept. 10, that the ski area will not require reservations for season pass or day pass holders for the 2020-21 ski and snowboard season.
That said, Henceroth wrote that the number of passes sold will be limited.
The ski area chief said access details are still to be determined for Ikon and Mountain Collective passholders.
As for single-day lift tickets, Henceroth said they will be available each day of the season and that all lift tickets will be required to be purchased in advance online. He added that the number of tickets sold each day will vary to reduce visitation during peak periods.
edit add:
Apparently Copper will also not require erservations for on snow activities, but plans to limit crowds by requiring parking reservations instead (hint: take the Summit Stage to Copper to get around the limit)
I've seen that Whitefish is not going to use a reservation system of any kind.
Jackson Hole is trying to avoid reservations as well. MCP holders are already being guaranteed they won't need reservation. Same for JH season passholders. No announcement yet for Ikon holders.
What is taking some people by surprise is that season passes are going off sale much sooner than usual. So people who were reluctant to commit in the spring or summer may be out of luck. For example Boyne Resorts cut off sales of the New England pass for Loon, Sunday River, and Sugarloaf in June. That option is no longer being offered. No Boyne passes for New England are on sale right now. May come back in early October.
and Steamboat (Alterra) says:
"
The health and well-being of Alterra Mountain Company guests, employees, and local communities has and will always be our company’s highest priority. Since last winter’s resort closures, our teams have been working to develop operating plans and protocols designed to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. We are intently focused on complying with local, county, and state regulations and offering the best guest experience possible for the 20/21 season. The effectiveness of these plans will rely on your cooperation with our enforcement of face coverings, social distancing and crowd management on and off the mountain.
This effort starts with controlling resort visitation levels to avoid overcrowding. We are prioritizing access for season pass holders and will tightly regulate the number of daily lift tickets that will be available by advance purchase only. To this end, walk-up window sales will be eliminated, and the sale of most undated lift ticket products will be discontinued until further notice.
The pandemic has disrupted our lives in so many unpredictable ways. Medical professionals and scientists tell us that this constantly changing dynamic will likely continue until effective vaccines and therapeutics are developed and become available to the general public. Alterra Mountain Company and our destinations are committed to staying on top of the inevitable changes to come as best practices and health regulations throughout the two countries, six states, three Canadian provinces and 15 mountain communities in which we operate rapidly evolve. Our teams will communicate these changes to you as soon as possible so we can all adjust and plan accordingly.
Like you, I’m excited to get back to winter and the skiing and riding to come. These unprecedented times will continue to challenge us and will require tolerance and effort by all of us to help keep each other healthy and our destinations open for your enjoyment.
I look forward to seeing you on the mountain.
Rusty Gregory
Chief Executive Officer
Alterra Mountain Company"
Note that Gregory's statement only applies to resorts owned by Alterra. ABasin is an Ikon partner, not an Alterra property.
Look at the new Ikon webpage about reservations. According to that, anyone with an Ikon pass will need a reservation at ABasin. However, people with ABasin passes won't have to deal with a reservation system. At least that's the plan.
https://www.ikonpass.com/en/reservations
Actually, there's the Maine Pass on sale now through October 12th. It covers Sugarloaf and Sunday River. But at $899. too expensive for my blood. Luckily, I bought MCP early enough.
https://www.sugarloaf.com/season-passes
marzNC wrote:
What is taking some people by surprise is that season passes are going off sale much sooner than usual. So people who were reluctant to commit in the spring or summer may be out of luck. For example Boyne Resorts cut off sales of the New England pass for Loon, Sunday River, and Sugarloaf in June. That option is no longer being offered. No Boyne passes for New England are on sale right now. May come back in early October.
nakedskier wrote:
Actually, there's the Maine Pass on sale now through October 12th. It covers Sugarloaf and Sunday River. But at $899. too expensive for my blood. Luckily, I bought MCP early enough.
https://www.sugarloaf.com/season-passes
My mistake. Getting hard to keep straight everything that's happening since I'm curious about more than one region for different reasons. It's JH that took season passes off sale last week until early Oct.
I have a friend who lives in the Boston area who went for the Boyne New England Pass back in June. She got a slopeside seasonal rental at Sunday River. Used to rent a condo that required driving to SR. She noted that the Maine Pass is more expensive than the New England Pass was in the spring.
I'm headed to Jackson in Dec with a couple of friends who will be using the MCP for JH and GT. I have Ikon so will see what happens. They haven't been before so more important for them to be able to ski JH for a couple days. I have Indy and a few days at Snow King would work too. But not really expecting to have an issue with lift access during early season.
