We've said it before and we'll say it again: If you plan to ski or snowboard more than a couple days this season, you really should consider a mega pass. Why? Because daily lift tickets at any decent-sized mountain these days are borderline insane. Quick example: If you wanted to hit Copper Mountain, a super fun, 2,500-skiable-acre Colorado resort, next weekend, it would cost you $184 a day. That's kinda nuts.
Meanwhile, the mega passes are package deals that provide access to multiple resorts across the country and the world, and it really only takes a couple trips before they start paying for themselves. Thing is, you've gotta act soon, because these passes are going fast. One of the bigger ones, Epic, is no longer on sale and you can only join waitlists for another, Indy.
Thankfully, a couple of other high-profile passes are still available, as is one incredibly charming one. But the deadlines for the first two are imminent: next week. Here's a handy breakdown of options and deadlines.
Ikon Pass
One of the heaviest hitters in the business, Ikon offers three main passes — and gets bigger every year. This season's new additions include Camelbak and Blue Mountain in Pennsylvania, Schweitzer in Idaho and Alyeska in Alaska (we've been, it's dope).
The Ikon Session Pass (starting at $319) lets you pre-purchase two to four ski days at 39 resorts, including Steamboat, Mammoth, Big Sky and Stratton, plus international resorts such as Revelstoke (Canada), Valle Nevado (Chile) and Niseko (Japan). The Ikon Base Pass ($979) offers unlimited sk'riding at 14 resorts and up to five days at another 36 resorts, with some blackout dates. It includes the aforementioned mountains plus a bunch of other renowned ones, such as Aspen Snowmass, Jackson Hole, Snowbasin and Sun Valley. There's also a Base Pass Plus ($1,199) that add another eight resorts.
Finally there's the full Ikon Pass ($1,309), which offers unlimited access to 16 resorts, plus up to 7 days each at another 41 resorts, including all the previously mentioned ones as well as legendary places like Chamonix (France), Zermatt (Switzerland) and Dolomiti Superski (Italy). Unlike with the other two passes, there are no blackout dates. That's a staggering amount of shredding for the equivalent of, yes, seven day lift tickets at Copper. (Oh and for the record, Copper is on the Ikon Pass.)
Deadline to purchase: Thursday, December 14.
Mountain Collective
The Mountain Collective Pass is simultaneously straightforward and universe expanding. For $650, you get two days each at 24 resorts on five continents, plus 50 percent off additional days. (For kids 12 and under, the price is $210, and for teens 13-18, it's $530.)
Headlining the list of mountains are a lot of legendary domestic and international resorts, including Aspen Snowmass, Snowbird, Big Sky, Jackson Hole, Sun Valley, Revelstoke (Canada), Lake Louise (Canada), Chamonix and Niseko.
This year, Mountain Collective has teamed up with Air Canada, enabling Aeroplan members to score as many as 10,000 bonus miles by purchasing a pass. Considering seven of the resorts are based in the Great White North, it's a not-inconsiderable perk. If you like to save money but also dream of globetrotting and hitting a bunch of bucket list slopes, this pass might be for you.
Deadline to purchase: Tuesday, December 12.
Ski Cooper
Last but not least, Ski Cooper is the aforementioned incredibly charming option. Originating from a mountain in Leadville, Colorado boasting 480 skiable acres, Ski Cooper offers a $579 Season Pass that not only lets you sk'ride Cooper every day but also hooks you up with three days of access to more than 50 other smaller partner resorts across the country, plus two in Canada, two in New Zealand and a mountain called Masella in Spain.
Students aged 15 to 21 can get the pass for $349 and for kids aged 6 to 14, it's $240. With resorts in 22 states from New York to California, there are probably at least one or two near you.
Deadline to purchase: N/A
