The popularity of Steamboat continues to grow as more visitors experience the natural beauty, friendly people, fine dining and a growing art and music scene; there is a clear buzz in the air. There are abundant options for recreation beyond skiing; fly fishing in gold medal waters, endless single-track bike trails within walking distance of downtown and miles of snowmobile terrain in and around Steamboat. One of the biggest appeals for most is Steamboat Resort and with the announcement of the new Ikon Pass, we can only expect it to re-shape Steamboat’s ranking among destination ski resorts.

Priced between $599-$899, the new Ikon Pass costs less than last year’s Steamboat season pass and now offers access to 26 premier resort destinations. For those that have been spending $1,149 for a Steamboat season pass, the savings are significant. Combined with unlimited skiing to other premier resorts such as Winter Park, Copper Mountain, Mammoth, and Squaw Valley, the pass will rival Vail Resorts’highly popular Epic Pass. The Ikon Pass also offers seven days at iconic resorts, including Aspen, Deer Valley and Jackson Hole. By comparison, Vail’s Epic Pass, with access to 15 resorts, costs $859 for the 17/18 season.

The Ikon Pass will likely draw far more visitors to Steamboat; it’s part of a changing ski industry and pass wars that greatly benefit skiers and riders. Steamboat offers all of the charm of Aspen and Vail at a fraction of the price. Price of entry for real estate is dramatically lower than the other world class resorts we are pegged against; Steamboat Springs has an average price of $609K whereas Vail has an average price of $1.13M and Aspen has an average price of $4.33M. We can only expect this to increase demand for Steamboat real estate in the coming years.