Last spring, season pass holders at Steamboat Resort were holding their breath. A newly created Denver-based company, Alterra Mountain Company, had recently bought the resort as part of a $1.7 billion acquisition spree of a dozen ski destinations in North America. Steamboat locals were anxious to learn what changes the new owners might bring to the resort, especially the details and cost of a season pass. 

The result was the Ikon Pass, which gives pass holders access to a multitude of other ski areas in addition to Steamboat. As the 2018/19 season got underway, participating resorts grew. It was music to the ears of local skiers and boarders, who had long been envious of the competing decade-old Epic Pass from Vail Resorts. 

In 2018, the Epic and the Ikon became the most talked about rivalry in the $8.4 billion U.S. ski industry, as the two largest conglomerates went head to head. Vail and Alterra were either acquiring resorts, or adding them to their passes. In an effort to capture more return clients, the concept was simple: raise daily rates (many day tickets now hover around $200), and offer a low cost season pass. To help with the seasonal cash flow problem all ski resorts encounter, season pass prices are lower when purchased further in advance. Revenue that is lost from dwindling daily ticket sales is replaced from season pass holders spending, inlcuding on mountain dining, hotel rooms and add-on activities like Steamboat’s Outlaw Mountain Coaster.

As the cost of a daily lift ticket keeps rising, it remains to be seen whether the infrequent skier will choose to buy a pass and ski more, or forgo the sport altogether. For those who already count a good season by the number of days they’ve scanned their pass, the total skiable acreage just became a great deal larger for a fraction of the cost.