Rise in Season Ski Passes
The skyrocketing prices of U.S. ski resort day passes are increasingly pushing people to buy season passes as the 2023-2024 ski and snowboard season approaches. The St. Lawrence University Outing Club offers a “SKI3” deal to all students with access to Belleayre Ski Resort, Gore Mountain and Whiteface Mountain for the whole season. To fully pay the pass off, one only needs to ski or snowboard for three days. A day ticket at any of these resorts is over $100, making the three mountain season pass well worth it.
Another season pass option that many avid skiers and snowboarders have turned to is Epic and Ikon passes. The Ikon ski pass is a season pass that offers unlimited access and no blackout dates at 50 unique mountain destinations worldwide. Similarly, an Epic ski pass offers unlimited access to many popular mountains such as Vail, Breckenridge, Beaver Creek, Park City and 36 other mountains, with 23 additional mountains that vary each year. Both the Ikon and Epic passes are not available to use at Belleayre Ski Resort, Gore Mountain and Whiteface Mountain, as they are not participating members.
Surefoot Skiboots Vice President Russell Shay has 24 stores located in the mountains that accept both Epic and Ikon passes, and he believes the purpose of Epic and Ikon passes is to make the sport more affordable for people. “The downfall is that all the locals at mountains such as Vail and Aspen are not happy with the lift lines from visitors and tourists, especially during the holidays,” says Shay. The passes have increased the number of skiers at those resorts that participated in the past. During Thanksgiving weekend, he spent four hours standing in lift lines at Vail, Colorado.
John Flaherty, a tourist from Martha’s Vinyard, spends his weekends skiing at Stratton Mountain, which accepts the Ikon pass. Prior to the Ikon pass, which he has purchased for the past 10 ski seasons, John would spend a lot of money to bring his family of five skiing for one day. “Before the Ikon pass option, I once spent $450 on day ski passes for my daughter and I just on one weekend,” Flaherty says. With the fully inclusive Ikon pass being $1,079, Flaherty can get over the cost of day passes in just three winter weekends.
Board of Ikon pass member Mike Kaplan claims Ikon passes ensure year-round income to mountains. “When people buy their Icon season pass over the summer, each mountain gets a portion of that income during the out-of-season months,” Kaplan says. He believes that with the increase in the number of Icon passes purchased, many local restaurants, hotels, and shops in those corresponding mountains can see an increase in profit.
St. Lawrence Alpine Club ski team member Madigan Maurer ’26 appreciates the “Ski3” option. “As a college student, it can be hard to find affordable activities, so being able to clear my mind and go skiing on the weekends at an affordable price is super exciting,” Maurer says. She will be repurchasing her pass this season to ski with friends on the weekends.