Heard of the Indypass yet? I came across it a month or two ago, but wasn't really paying much attention since the places on the initial list were mostly out west. But there are ski areas in VA and NC on the list now. Ski areas in the midwest are also getting involved. All are considered independently owned, meaning not part of a major multi-resort company such as Peak or Alterra or Boyne.
http://www.indyskipass.com
The price is $199 for 2019-20, available after Sept. 1, 2019. Here's what that covers:
As of early May, Massanutten and Bryce are included. Also Cataloochee in NC. The places in New England so far include Bolton in VT, and Berkshire East and Catamount (same ownership) in western MA.
6/7 EDIT: Blue Knob and Magic added in early June
12/4/2019 EDIT: price up to $219
wgo wrote:
I've skied both Tyrol Basin in Wisconsin and Big Powderhorn in Michigan, both of which are on the list. It will be interesting to see if there is a market for this pass.
How do they compare to the mid-Atlantic? Are they ski areas like Liberty or ski resorts like Whitetail?
Tyrol is a very fun little area that really makes the most of its 300 ft of vert. We would usually head up to Cascade from Madison when I lived there, but would hit Tyrol for a change of pace. Definitely a day trip area.
Big Powderhorn is in the Upper Peninsula, which is more of a destination location for folks living in the Upper Midwest. I was only there once and do not recall specifically if there was onsite lodging. The UP is an interesting place - the hills are only around 500-600 ft (with the exception of Mt Bohemia) but they get a ton of snow and there is a definite ski culture.
wgo wrote:
Tyrol is a very fun little area that really makes the most of its 300 ft of vert. We would usually head up to Cascade from Madison when I lived there, but would hit Tyrol for a change of pace. Definitely a day trip area.
Big Powderhorn is in the Upper Peninsula, which is more of a destination location for folks living in the Upper Midwest. I was only there once and do not recall specifically if there was onsite lodging. The UP is an interesting place - the hills are only around 500-600 ft (with the exception of Mt Bohemia) but they get a ton of snow and there is a definite ski culture.
Interesting. Guess for Big Powderhorn the idea is to get people to keep driving past the Boyne resorts and use the Indy Pass to try something different. Boyne Mountain and Boyne Highlands were added to Ikon last fall, relatively late in the game for 2018-19. Big Powderhorn has only 600 vert, but about 250 acres. Compared to the southeast ski areas, that's a lot of terrain. Only double chairs. Presumably the folks who live up there know how to dress for frigid weather. ;-)
As of 2009 Michigan had 38 ski areas and Wisconsin had 34. Pennsylvania had 32. West Virginia had 5 back then. By 2015 the numbers were Michigan 42, Wisconsin 30, PA 26, WV 5. Wonder what the numbers will be for 2025?
marzNC wrote:
As of 2009 Michigan had 38 ski areas and Wisconsin had 34. Pennsylvania had 32. West Virginia had 5 back then. By 2015 the numbers were Michigan 42, Wisconsin 30, PA 26, WV 5. Wonder what the numbers will be for 2025?
That's interesting. Does 5 for WV count White Grass? Or one that never opened? I can't think of others.
Does NY have the most of any state?
camp wrote:
marzNC wrote:
As of 2009 Michigan had 38 ski areas and Wisconsin had 34. Pennsylvania had 32. West Virginia had 5 back then. By 2015 the numbers were Michigan 42, Wisconsin 30, PA 26, WV 5. Wonder what the numbers will be for 2025?
That's interesting. Does 5 for WV count White Grass? Or one that never opened? I can't think of others.
Does NY have the most of any state?
White Grass as the fifth ski area makes sense to me.
Yep, NY has the most. 48 in 2015 according to the Snowbrains article.
https://snowbrains.com/u-s-state-ski-resorts/
Looking at the numbers for the midwest (MI, WI, MN), I understand a bit better why Vail Resorts went after that market first when they decided to look for small areas/resorts to buy in order to pull in people away from the Rockies for Epic passes.
Isn’t there s WV ski area called Oglebay Park? Near Wheeling? This is the 5th WV ski area?!
The Colonel wrote:
Isn’t there s WV ski area called Oglebay Park? Near Wheeling? This is the 5th WV ski area?!
Olgebay is on or near the golf driving range. I believe it has 2 short trails and one lift. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1RYeDgOzVk
My WV count:
Lift Served
Non Lift Served
Status Unknown
Blue Don 1982 wrote:
The Colonel wrote:
Isn’t there s WV ski area called Oglebay Park? Near Wheeling? This is the 5th WV ski area?!
Olgebay is on or near the golf driving range. I believe it has 2 short trails and one lift. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1RYeDgOzVk
Looks like Oglebay caters to the folks in Ohio, not DC/NoVA. Have extra night skiing hours during the Ohio winter school break.
Full service ski resort with $259 season passes, ski school, snow tubing, and night skiing until 9pm on weekends. Reminds me of Sapphire Valley in the NC mountains. Just took a look at Sapphire (no snow) because it's a timeshare resort more or less close to Biltmore House and Gardens in Asheville. Had a nice mini-vacation with my husband and a friend who had never been to Asheville before. I think the slopes at Oglebay and Sapphire are shorter than Bryce, but would be good places to get little kids started as part of a winter family vacation.
Aha! Looked to see what Wisp and Wintergreen were offering to season passholders for 2019-20 in terms of getting access to the other ski resorts owned or operated by Pacific Group Resorts, Inc. (PGRI). A season pass to Wisp is $279 and includes 6 tickets to each of the other locations, which includes Wintergreen. Also Buddy Passes. May continue the Resort Swap program with 7Springs/HV/Laurel. The Wintergreen season pass was $279 in March with the same perks, price is $329 unti 9/2/2019 and there is a Family Pass option. More importantly, all Wintergreen passholders will get access on Saturdays and Sunday mornings for the first time.
The changes for Wisp and Wintergreen put pressure on Massanutten and Bryce. So joining the Indy Pass makes good sense.
Are you saying that WTG may have the swap with 7 Springs/HV/Laurel, or does this just apply to Wisp?
wgo wrote:
Are you saying that WTG may have the swap with 7 Springs/HV/Laurel, or does this just apply to Wisp?
I found the reference to the Resort Swap on the Wisp website. Probably makes more sense geographically given where most Wintergreen regulars drive from.
As far as I've seen over the past few years, it's just been with Wisp. Don't think you'd get too many Highlands regulars trekking down to VA for a day.
I hope it does well enought to spark dome interest from the bigger NC and VA resorts. I doubt that Wintergreen or Sugar would participate without significant blackout criteria.
superguy wrote:
As far as I've seen over the past few years, it's just been with Wisp. Don't think you'd get too many Highlands regulars trekking down to VA for a day.
Agreed. I was just hoping against hope that @Marznc had stumbled upon some super-secret page with hidden resort swap benefits.
Anyway, we will be using the reciprocal benefits with Wisp. Note that since the WTG pass has restricted saturday hours we will not be eligible for saturday lift tickets at Wisp. We may do something like Saturday at CVR and then drive up to Wisp Sunday morning.
wgo wrote:
Anyway, we will be using the reciprocal benefits with Wisp. Note that since the WTG pass has restricted saturday hours we will not be eligible for saturday lift tickets at Wisp. We may do something like Saturday at CVR and then drive up to Wisp Sunday morning.
Ah, I didn't read the details about Saturdays at WIntergreen. Didn't pick up that it doesn't start until 4pm. At least Sunday mornings are included now.
crgildart wrote:
I hope it does well enought to spark dome interest from the bigger NC and VA resorts. I doubt that Wintergreen or Sugar would participate without significant blackout criteria.
Does seem like Beech would benefit from joining the Indy Pass. Perhaps App and Wolf too.
Not sure Sugar needs more people on the slopes. Given they are planning to spend big bucks on a detachable quad to replace the beginner lift, must be doing okay from a business standpoint.
The Indy Pass list is growing. Added Blue Knob and Magic Mountain recently.
NORTHEAST
Greek Peak, NY - added early June
Bolton Valley, VT
Magic Mountain, VT - added early June
Pats Peak - - added early June
Catamount, MA
Berkshire East, MA
SOUTHEAST/MID-ATLANTIC
Blue Knob, PA - added early June
Massanutten, VA
Bryce, VA
Cataloochee, NC
Well, assuming that BK can get its act together that makes this pass a bit more attractive for the Mid-Atlantic skier - couple day trips to Massanutten, a weekend at BK, a weekend at Bolton and/or Magic for $199 is pretty reasonable. I wonder who else will be added? What unaffiliated areas are left? I was wondering if this would be a good fit for CVR.
The Indy Pass is clearly still reaching out to potential members. Canaan Valley is on the list as of mid-July. Other places now on the list include Eaglecrest in AK, Hurricane Ridge in WA, Spirit Mountain in MN, and Suicide Six in VT.
Those passes include up to 6 days at Ragged Mountain, NH as well. https://raggedmountainresort.com/Mountain-Info/
Ragged is a relatively unknown gem of a resort. It might get crowded on weekends with only 2 major lifts, but one is a six pack. Flying Yankee off Spear Mountain Lift gets rated as one of the best blue diamond trails in the east. I could ski and that rolling trail all day.
Interesting. Access to Ragged Mountain is also available under a reciprocal agreement with Wintergreen. I was wondering whether it would be worth the trip, given that I would be starting 2 hours south and west of DC.
wgo wrote:
Interesting. Access to Ragged Mountain is also available under a reciprocal agreement with Wintergreen. I was wondering whether it would be worth the trip, given that I would be starting 2 hours south and west of DC.
Do you mean drive north just to ski at Ragged? It has 250 acres with snowmaking on 200 acres. I've stopped by the base just for a quick look but haven't skied there. Definitely clear they know what they are doing.
I skied several places in NH last winter. Had a very good time exploring. Was worth it when I could ski 3-4 days in a row midweek. I avoided weekends. NH is too close to Boston. Only place I would go on a weekend is Tenney in Plymouth.
Driving all the way up from DC to go to Ragged? Not sure if I'd recommend that given the distance even though I love the mountain. Then again, if I can resume the annual 3 days in February trip I'd fly from BWI to MHT. Costs a bit more with the rental car but saves miles and wear and tear on your car.
I've driven by Tenney but have never skied there. I would also avoid Loon and many others on a Saturday. Cannon might be okay on a Saturday because I think the Front Five from the highway scares off some people. Tenney: my educated guess is crowds aren't as high because it closed / opened / rumored to be open / closed so many times that people put it out of their memory and thought process.
JRunPatterson74 wrote:
I've driven by Tenney but have never skied there. I would also avoid Loon and many others on a Saturday. Cannon might be okay on a Saturday because I think the Front Five from the highway scares off some people. Tenney: my educated guess is crowds aren't as high because it closed / opened / rumored to be open / closed so many times that people put it out of their memory and thought process.
Tenney is great fun! You should give it a try.
Tenney re-opened for the entire season 2018-19. Of course, mostly based on natural snow so needs help from Mother Nature to have more than the core trails open. That's what made it difficult to open in 2017-18. I've been following their Facebook page even since the current owners started posting video clips of all the repairs and renovations that were needed to get everything back in shape. Took longer than expected, but well worth the wait. The most visible owner, Michael Bouchard, has learned to ski, drive a groomer, and is very hands-on when it comes to helping to fix stuff. I've had a chance to chat with him a few times.
https://www.newenglandskiindustry.com/viewstory.php?storyid=333
I had a great Sunday morning in fresh snow in March when I was up in the Boston area for other reasons. Both lifts were running. The parking lot has three rows of cars when I left around lunch time (had to get back for a dinner engagement). Well worth the 2 hour drive. There were three older men who drove up together from Plymouth, MA for the day booting up when I arrived shortly before the lifts opened. There were several local families with little kids by 10:00.
https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/index.php?threads/tr-tenney-mountain-in-nh-day-trip-from-boston-for-fresh-snow-on-3-10-2019.23905/
I would love to ski Ragged but driving up from Charlottesville to do so is probably a bit of a stretch. Maybe if I paired it with some other resorts. Other issue is that I would be doing this during my son's Spring break first week in April, when I imagine the small NE areas may have already closed. Probably safer to just plan for going to one of the bigger areas in that timeframe.
wgo wrote:
I would love to ski Ragged but driving up from Charlottesville to do so is probably a bit of a stretch. Maybe if I paired it with some other resorts. Other issue is that I would be doing this during my son's Spring break first week in April, when I imagine the small NE areas may have already closed. Probably safer to just plan for going to one of the bigger areas in that timeframe.
Yeah, first week of April is tough in the northeast. Of course Killington will be open.
The NYSkiBlog has a table of closing dates every spring. The week or two can be weekends only. Here's 2019:
https://forum.nyskiblog.com/NY-Ski-Area-Closing-Dates-2019-tp4123550.html
MadPatSki from eastern Canada keeps track of closing dates for the entire northeast. Best source to watch in late March and early April.
https://madpatski.wordpress.com/2019/04/01/eastern-closing-thread-2019-no-fooling-around-skiing-is-an-april-sport-part-1/
marzNC and All,
Thanks for the post. This may well turn out to be a great option, especially in the post-Snowtime era in which we now find ourselves.
Woody
I now travel to Connecticut every 2 or 3 months for work so maybe I can find a way to pair a trip with a weekend in NE. Or maybe the Catskills, I think I would be just a couple hours away.
wgo wrote:
I now travel to Connecticut every 2 or 3 months for work so maybe I can find a way to pair a trip with a weekend in NE. Or maybe the Catskills, I think I would be just a couple hours away.
How far west in CT?
From CT to ski on the weekend, I would head to Berkshire East using the Indy Pass. Night skiing at Jiminy Peak starts at 3pm so a weekend staying in Pittsfield could be good fun. The high-speed lift at Jiminy cover 80% of the terrain. Even after 4pm when only the night skiiing trails are open, more than enough options in comparison to VA hills.
Driving up to VT for Magic and Bolton using the Indy Pass would be fun unless it's snowing or in the middle of a rain/freeze cycle.
The Indy Pass website got a new look some time in the last few days. Seems to have gotten a head start on selling. New wrinkle is that ability to split the $199 into 4 payments if buy in the early fall. Price is going up $20 on Dec. 1.
https://www.indyskipass.com
Ski Magazine published an article on 8/26/2019:
https://www.skimag.com/news/dropping-multi-resort-indy-pass
" . . .
“The Indy Pass is, in effect, a marketing coop of independent and family-owned areas which are trying to get their message out on a broader basis,” says Fish. [Doug Fish, chairman of Fish Marketing and Strategy, the Oregon-based advertising agency behind the new Indy Pass.]
. . ."
MarzNC, thanks again for the heads-up and updates on the IndyPass!
It might well turn out to be a viable alternative for me in 2020-21, depending on what Vail Resorts cooks up for Liberty and Whitetail then. For the coming season, I have Peak's Traveler Pass and Snowshoe's Ridiculous Pass. This will be my first season skiing on a retiree's schedule. We'll see...
Woody
bousquet19 wrote:
MarzNC, thanks again for the heads-up and updates on the IndyPass!
It might well turn out to be a viable alternative for me in 2020-21, depending on what Vail Resorts cooks up for Liberty and Whitetail then. For the coming season, I have Peak's Traveler Pass and Snowshoe's Ridiculous Pass. This will be my first season skiing on a retiree's schedule. We'll see...
Woody
You're welcome!
I think I'm going to combine the Indy Pass with an Mnut Special Value Pass. I can use Indy for the two Saturdays in Jan that I'm going to be a Mnut with friends. Since my daughter is at UNCA, I want to go check out Cataloochee at some point just because I've never been there. Same goes for Bryce. At $199, using Indy for 4 days feels like better than break even no matter which ski areas I get to. Would like to get up to Blue Knob but not that's going to fit in my schedule. Too far for a day trip from Mnut.
bousquet19 wrote:
MarzNC, thanks again for the heads-up and updates on the IndyPass!
It might well turn out to be a viable alternative for me in 2020-21, depending on what Vail Resorts cooks up for Liberty and Whitetail then. For the coming season, I have Peak's Traveler Pass and Snowshoe's Ridiculous Pass. This will be my first season skiing on a retiree's schedule. We'll see...
Woody
Woody, Congratulations on your retirement!
MorganB aka The Colonel
Came across a good article about multi-resort passes when looking to see if the Freedom Pass was getting any press. Ended up learning more about the goals for the Indy Pass. The hope when it was launched in early 2019 was to get 25 locations for 2019-20 and up to 50 for 2020-21. Ended up with 34 for this season. What's unusual is that the founder isn't associated with any ski area.
https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Hotel-News/Focus-on-Ski-Mountain-Travel-Indy-slopes
" . . .
But while innovative business models and targeted marketing are key for today’s unaffiliated ski mountains, Oregon-based Doug Fish argues that those steps won’t be enough to take on the global marketing scale of the Epic and Ikon passes. That’s one reason Fish, the owner of a Portland-based Fish Marketing, decided to launch the Indy Pass, which will go on sale Sept. 1 for just $199.
According to data from the National Ski Areas Association, the average U.S. skier and snowboarder hit the slopes fewer than six times during the 2017-18 season. Fish said the Indy Pass will appeal to people who plan to ski or snowboard six or fewer days next year. Many of those individuals don’t stand to benefit from purchasing an Epic or Ikon pass, nor would they be likely to buy a traditional season pass at a local mountain for a cost typically in excess of $400. Still, such skiers don’t want to have to pay for daily lift tickets that often exceed $100.
“The idea around the Indy Pass is it will provide a pass for the consumer, but it also is going to create a marketing co-op to build a brand for the independent resorts of North America,” Fish said.
“That’s something that can only be done by pooling the resources of the resorts.”
By the second week of March, less than two months after he began marketing the pass to ski resorts, Fish had signed up 11 mountains in six western states and British Columbia. His goal, he said, is to sign up at least 25 independent ski areas spaced broadly across North America ahead of the 2019-20 ski season and to have 50 mountains on the pass the following year. Pass holders will be allowed to ski free twice at each participating resort.
“I think there is a gap in the market for small-resort and casual skiers,” Fish said. “There is nothing else like it on the market, and there is nothing that will have as broad a reach across the U.S. and Canada at a price point under $200.”"
Pulled the trigger on the Indy Pass after getting a Massanutten Special Value Pass. My plans include using Indy for a couple days at Cataloochee and two Saturdays at Massanutten. Any other days I get to use the Indy Pass will be "free." Just over 100 people have bought one already. The hashtag is #IndyRevolution.
The online process was comprehensive and felt well thought out. The waiver was actually presented in readable sections for muliple acknowledgement clicks. Once the purchase was completed, was surprised to be required to upload a photo. Had to hunt a bit because the guidelines are the same as a new driver's license or passport: no glasses and no hat. Supposedly only have to provide the Order # to get a day ticket at participating ski areas.
The Colonel wrote:
bousquet19 wrote:
MarzNC, thanks again for the heads-up and updates on the IndyPass!
It might well turn out to be a viable alternative for me in 2020-21, depending on what Vail Resorts cooks up for Liberty and Whitetail then. For the coming season, I have Peak's Traveler Pass and Snowshoe's Ridiculous Pass. This will be my first season skiing on a retiree's schedule. We'll see...
Woody
Woody, Congratulations on your retirement!
MorganB aka The Colonel
Thanks, Morgan.
I'll see you out there!
Woody
News about the Indy Pass is started to get out. Not quite sure why the thinking is that the target market would be someone interested in a road trip to cover 10+ mountains that are scattered all over the country. At $199, getting to 3-4 locations for 6-8 ski days within reasonable driving distance over a season is enough to make it of interest for people who are curious to explore beyond their home mountain. It's a sampler pass, not a replacement for a season pass. But there are people who think a ski safari based on gettig to 5-6 locations during one trip using the MCP makes sense. Different generation I guess.
https://localfreshies.com/skiing-indy-pass-is-the-deal-of-the-year/ - 9/10/2019
https://www.powder.com/stories/independent-resorts-band-together-on-new-collective-ski-pass/ - 9/4/2019
OpenSnow has added the Indy Pass to the list of multi-resort Season Passes for a quick look at conditions at all mountains on a pass. Includes regional partnerships like Alta/Bird, as well as Indy, Freedom, and the Powder Alliance. Far more than just Epic and Ikon.
marzNC wrote:
OpenSnow has added the Indy Pass to the list of multi-resort Season Passes for a quick look at conditions at all mountains on a pass. Includes regional partnerships like Alta/Bird, as well as Indy, Freedom, and the Powder Alliance. Far more than just Epic and Ikon.
What is “open snow”?
The Colonel wrote:
marzNC wrote:
OpenSnow has added the Indy Pass to the list of multi-resort Season Passes for a quick look at conditions at all mountains on a pass. Includes regional partnerships like Alta/Bird, as well as Indy, Freedom, and the Powder Alliance. Far more than just Epic and Ikon.
What is “open snow”?
OpenSnow is a group of guys who are professional or amateur meteorologists and keen skiers/boarders. As a website, it's grown over the years into a great way to keep up with weather and snow conditions for ski resorts and ski areas all over the world. The most comprehensive info is for N. America. Can see a lot of info for free, or can pay a small annual fee and get more features such as have a list of Favorites. The fees helped pay for the programming effort that it took to create a new version that's more cell phone friendly.
https://opensnow.com
I joined OpenSnow after Evan Thayer started putting his reports there instead of having his own blog for Utah weather.
The Indy Pass added 8 more locations. Shawnee in the Poconos is the closest to DC. For a complete list by region and state, check out the article on Unofficial Networks.
https://unofficialnetworks.com/2019/10/01/indy-pass-now-gives-you-access-to-44-independent-ski-resorts-for-just-199/
Ober Gatlinburg joined in too. That's a couple hours from Asheville, so perhaps I'll work in a day trip. Hopefully it will be cold enough this winter for Ober to have a full season.
marzNC wrote:
Ober Gatlinburg joined in too. That's a couple hours from Asheville, so perhaps I'll work in a day trip. Hopefully it will be cold enough this winter for Ober to have a full season.
I would not recommend Ober - it's just not that good for many reasons.
Keith_Moon wrote:
marzNC wrote:
Ober Gatlinburg joined in too. That's a couple hours from Asheville, so perhaps I'll work in a day trip. Hopefully it will be cold enough this winter for Ober to have a full season.
I would not recommend Ober - it's just not that good for many reasons.
I've been to Ober during the summer. I know how small it is. I visit small ski areas like some people visit small art museums or historic churches when traveling. Keep in mind that I'm retired and get to take multiple trips out west and ski 25+ days at destination resorts like Alta, Big Sky, or Taos. I get plenty of big mountain skiing. Getting a feel for ski hills where it's very unlikely that people even know online ski forums exist is a hobby. :-)
Can't help but laugh. SKI Magazine updated their article from August about the Indy Pass to bring the list up to 44. Created a new category called Southern Resorts in addition to West and East. The only place in that category is Ober in TN. Guess NC and VA are "East" because they border on the Atlantic Ocean. ;-)
The creator of the Indy Pass has a long history with skiing personally and marketing related to snowsports professionally. More importantly, he's been working with ski resorts and other companies on marketing ideas for quite a while. Recently stepped away from being President of his full-service ad agency so he'd have more time for the Indy Pass and other projects. The fact that there is a webpage about Wisp on the Subaru website is a result of work by Fish Marketing with Subaru that started in Oregon and then spread to other regions. Subaru also has partnerships with Snowshoe and Jack Frost/Big Boulder.
http://www.shredhood.org/news/business/642-fish-marketing-subaru-campaign
https://www.subaru.com/why-subaru/partnerships/wisp-resort.html
Early in the 2019 the goal was 25 locations for the first season, with 50 for the second. Now that Indy is already at 44 for 2019-20, the goal for 2020-21 may have to increase. :-)
Blue Knob is one of the Indy Pass ski areas that is offering an Indy Pass for $159 as an add-on for people who buy their season pass.
The others I've found so far doing the add-on offer Bolton, Brundage, and Sunrise Park.
Contemplating to get Indy pass since M'nut, CV, and Blue Knob are on the pass.
Question:
1) What is the liklihood these 3 will open in mid December? Looking at visit dates: Dec. 17th - 20th.
2) Does it have blackout dates? If not, I can go the last weekend of Dec.
fosphenytoin wrote:
Contemplating to get Indy pass since M'nut, CV, and Blue Knob are on the pass.
Question:
1) What is the liklihood these 3 will open in mid December? Looking at visit dates: Dec. 17th - 20th.
2) Does it have blackout dates? If not, I can go the last weekend of Dec.
No blackout dates for the Indy Pass. Whether or not you want to be skiing during the holidays is a different question.
I expect Massanutten to be open by mid-Dec, but how many trails depends on the weather in terms of how much snowmaking is possible starting in late Nov or early Dec. All Mnut needs is a few days of cold enough daytime temps to get the core trails open.
I wouldn't count on BK being open by mid-Dec. It's too dependent on natural snow.
CV is always hoping to open by mid-Dec. From what I can find, that's happened the last three seasons. CV has added snowmaking infrastructure in recent years so it's ready to go when Mother Nature provides a long enough cold snap after Thanksgiving.
REI members can save $10 buying the Indy Pass.
https://www.rei.com/c/lift-tickets
"By purchasing from REI Co-op, you'll receive a voucher with a unique code that you'll redeem and register at indyskipass.com; code cannot be redeemed in person"
Used the Indy Pass for the first time at Bryce on Saturday. I brought a copy of the email receipt. They made a copy. I got an email from Indy with the title "Full redemption made at Bryce Resort". That means if someone tried to use my Indy ID, I would get notified. My Indy Pass account tracks usage. All in all, seems pretty well organized.
The Indy Pass price goes up to $219 on 12/1, as expected.
The plan for the rest of the 2019-20 season is now clear. Price goes up another $20 to $239 on 1/1/2020. The Indy Pass stays available until 3/1/2020. So in theory if CV, Bryce, Mnut, and Blue Knob are likely to have decent snow conditions in March, could be good for Mid-A spring skiing. But have to decide by late Feb.
marzNC wrote:
The creator of the Indy Pass has a long history with skiing personally and marketing related to snowsports professionally. More importantly, he's been working with ski resorts and other companies on marketing ideas for quite a while. Recently stepped away from being President of his full-service ad agency so he'd have more time for the Indy Pass and other projects. The fact that there is a webpage about Wisp on the Subaru website is a result of work by Fish Marketing with Subaru that started in Oregon and then spread to other regions. Subaru also has partnerships with Snowshoe and Jack Frost/Big Boulder.
http://www.shredhood.org/news/business/642-fish-marketing-subaru-campaign
https://www.subaru.com/why-subaru/partnerships/wisp-resort.html
Early in the 2019 the goal was 25 locations for the first season, with 50 for the second. Now that Indy is already at 44 for 2019-20, the goal for 2020-21 may have to increase. :-)
NYSkiBlog had the opportunity to do an interview with Doug Fish, the creator of the Indy Pass. The idea took a couple years to development before he started looking for early adopters last winter. He's planning a ski safari in the east in February.
https://nyskiblog.com/doug-fish-and-the-indy-pass/
" . . .
Whom do you envision as the customer? Do you imagine that skiers will add an Indy Pass to Ikon/EPIC or have it as their primary pass? Do you see Eastern skiers using the pass for destination trips?
We’re seeing purchases from two segments: experienced skiers who have another pass and wish to do some travel to our resorts, and casual skiers and families who are attracted by the smaller resorts and our overall value proposition. We anticipate many people from the East and Midwest will travel west. We also expect our US pass holders will take advantage of currency exchange rates and great skiing in Western Canada.
. . ."
Indy Pass has partnered with a new app called Snowledge for a drawing to win a ski trip for two to Eaglecrest, Alaska. Probably geared towards the west coast since the flights have to be on Alaska Airlines. Deadline is Dec. 15, 2019.
https://www.snowledge.co/indy-pass-contest/
"Download Snowledge before 12/15 for a chance to win a four-day, three-night Ski & Stay Getaway to Eaglecrest Ski Area in Alaska. You and a friend will enjoy free airfare, two free Indy Passes, and gear from Spyder Active Sports, Hestra Gloves, and Atomic Skis."
Bryce and Massanutten were mentioned in the Indy Pass email sent out 12/4 to announce the addition of two more locations and recent openings. Detroit Mountain in MN and Black Mountain in NH bring the total to 46 ski areas.
I wish Sugar and Beech were on it.
Keith_Moon wrote:
I wish Sugar and Beech were on it.
Sounds good to me!
What about Wintergreen? They could restrict it to weekdays only like Cataloochee does.
marzNC wrote:
Indy Pass has partnered with a new app called Snowledge for a drawing to win a ski trip for two to Eaglecrest, AZ. Probably geared towards the west coast since the flights have to be on Alaska Airlines. Deadline is Dec. 15, 2019.
https://www.snowledge.co/indy-pass-contest/
"Download Snowledge before 12/15 for a chance to win a four-day, three-night Ski & Stay Getaway to Eaglecrest Ski Area in Alaska. You and a friend will enjoy free airfare, two free Indy Passes, and gear from Spyder Active Sports, Hestra Gloves, and Atomic Skis."
Note thatEaglecrest ski area is in Alaska not AZ
The Colonel wrote:
marzNC wrote:
Indy Pass has partnered with a new app called Snowledge for a drawing to win a ski trip for two to Eaglecrest, AZ. Probably geared towards the west coast since the flights have to be on Alaska Airlines. Deadline is Dec. 15, 2019.
https://www.snowledge.co/indy-pass-contest/
"Download Snowledge before 12/15 for a chance to win a four-day, three-night Ski & Stay Getaway to Eaglecrest Ski Area in Alaska. You and a friend will enjoy free airfare, two free Indy Passes, and gear from Spyder Active Sports, Hestra Gloves, and Atomic Skis."
Note thatEaglecrest ski area is in Alaska not AZ
Oops, fixed the original. At least I didn't put "AL". :-)
marzNC wrote:
Keith_Moon wrote:
I wish Sugar and Beech were on it.
Sounds good to me!
What about Wintergreen? They could restrict it to weekdays only like Cataloochee does.
Sure - Winterplace too for that matter.
Had a great time at Cataloochee yesterday using the Indy Pass. Went with a new friend (met on a ski forum) for the morning. Turned out it didn't rain and the place was pretty empty given that it was an early season Monday. We were working on technique so it was perfect.
I'll definitely go back to use the second Indy ticket. Perhaps another day or two when I'm in Asheville for my daughter who is a freshman at UNCA. Not worth a 5 hour drive from Raleigh, but well worth an hour drive from Asheville for midweek skiing. Makes sense that the Indy Pass is midweek only from what I know of how busy Cat can be on weekends.
The 2019-20 Indy Pass goes off sale in a couple weeks. Had a flash sale today for $139, $100 off the current $239 price. Good for the rest of the season. Massanutten, Bryce, and Canaan Valley are on Indy.
With less than two weeks left to purchase an Indy Pass, we're slashing prices for a last chance of the season sale. Save $100 on a 2019-2020 pass, valid at all Indy Resorts. 45 of 47 Indy Pass resorts offer unrestricted access and no blackouts for the remainder of the season. Mission Ridge, WA and Cataloochee, NC are restricted to Monday through Friday only.
Indy Pass sales end 2/29 but you can keep visiting resorts through the end of the spring skiing season for partner resorts. Don't miss the deal of the season!
marzNC wrote:
The 2019-20 Indy Pass goes off sale in a couple weeks. Had a flash sale today for $139, $100 off the current $239 price. Good for the rest of the season. Massanutten, Bryce, and Canaan Valley are on Indy.
Didn't read your post closely enough at first at thought I could get a 20/21 pass for $139!
wgo wrote:
marzNC wrote:
The 2019-20 Indy Pass goes off sale in a couple weeks. Had a flash sale today for $139, $100 off the current $239 price. Good for the rest of the season. Massanutten, Bryce, and Canaan Valley are on Indy.
Didn't read your post closely enough at first at thought I could get a 20/21 pass for $139!
I didn't quite read correctly either. Thought the sale was for a day. But actually the $139 price is until 2/29 when the 2019-20 Indy Pass goes off sale completely. With snowmaking weather in VA in the next couple weeks, $139 for 2 weekend days at Mnut plus a day or two at Canaan Valley could be a deal worth considering.
