The company that bought Deer Valley Resort has unveiled its highly anticipated challenger to Vail Resort’s Epic Pass — dubbing its creation the Ikon Pass and extending its skiing privileges to 11 other prominent resorts, including Alta and Snowbird.
Starting next winter, the Ikon Pass will be accepted at 23 resorts in 12 states and three Canadian provinces. Details about pricing and the conditions that will apply at individual resorts are still being worked out by Alterra Mountain Co., the newly formed (and named) conglomerate that burst onto the scene last year with its purchases of Deer Valley and 11 other ski areas.
“The Ikon Pass is a collaboration of like-minded mountain destinations where incredible terrain, unique character and local traditions are celebrated,” Alterra Chief Marketing Officer Erik Forsell said Thursday.
( Steve Griffin | Tribune file photo) Powder skiing at Alta Ski Resort. Alta will be part of a new ski pass offered by Alterra Mountain Co., which bought Deer Valley last summer.
Besides Alterra’s dozen, this new pass will give purchasers lift privileges at resorts owned by Park City-based Powdr, Aspen Skiing Co., Boyne Resorts (but not Brighton) and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. By state, it will be accepted at:
• Utah — Alta, Snowbird and Deer Valley<br>• Colorado — Aspen Snowmass, Steamboat, Winter Park, Copper Mountain, Eldora Mountain<br>• Wyoming — Jackson Hole<br>• Montana — Big Sky<br>• California — Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows, Mammoth Mountain, June Mountain, Big Bear Mountain<br>• Vermont — Stratton, Killington<br>• Maine — Sugarloaf, Sunday River<br>• New Hampshire — Loon Mountain<br>• West Virginia — Snowshoe<br>• Canada — Blue Mountain and Tremblant<br>• Canada — Blue Mountain and Tremblant
“Alta’s authentic skiing experience in a natural mountain environment complements the Ikon Pass network of aspirational skiers and other iconic destinations,” said Alta President and General Manager Mike Maughan.
( Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune ) The Snowbird tram takes visitors to Hidden Peak and back to the resort center. Snowbird is part of a new ski pass offered by Alterra Mountain Co., which bought Deer Valley last year.
Snowbird General Manager Dave Fields said he was “honored” that his Little Cottonwood Canyon resort was teaming “with some of the world’s finest destinations, creating truly unique mountain experiences.”
This new pass will be going up against Vail Resort’s Epic Pass. For $859 this past season, the Epic Pass gave adult purchasers unlimited, unrestricted access at 15 resorts in:
• Utah — Park City<br>• Colorado — Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin<br>• Canada — Whistler Blackcomb<br>• California — Kirkwood, Northstar and Heavenly<br>• Vermont — Stowe<br>• Wisconsin — Wilmot<br>• Minnesota — Afton Alps<br>• Michigan — Mt. Brighton<br>• Australia — Perisher
Alterra’s Forsell said the Ikon Pass will go on sale this spring, when additional details will address prices and specifics by destination (such as no snowboards at Alta and Deer Valley). Information will be available at www.ikonpass.com.
Resorts included in the Ikon Pass offer 48,840 acres of skiable terrain, with a vertical drop of 70,192 feet, on 2,790 trails served by 434 lifts.
Alterra announced Friday that U.S. Olympic Alpine ski racer Mikaela Shiffrin has joined the company as an investor and will serve as an ambassador for the new ski pass.
“Mikaela has spent her entire life on the slopes, and shares a love of the mountains that mirrors the passion behind the Ikon Pass,” Forsell said, noting that the Colorado native had grown up skiing at several resorts linked by the pass.
“She represents the best of skiing today and continues to set the tone for the ski racers of the future,” he added. “She defines the spirit of the community of destinations we have brought together.”
