Over the past five years, the Indy Pass for skiers and snowboarders has grown as an affordable alternative to the twin titans of season passes, Epic and Ikon, featuring mostly small and medium-sized independent ski areas that leave the luxury to the megaresorts.
Indy Pass evolved without fanfare while Epic and Ikon dueled for dominance, but this year it’s adding the Loveland ski area, a move Indy Pass managing director Erik Mogensen calls one of the biggest additions to Indy Pass since its inception.
“It’s a complete game-changer,” Mogensen said.
Having begun modestly in 2019 with 34 members, Indy Pass this year will include 230 no-frills ski areas across the country, including Sunlight, Powderhorn, Howelsen Hill, Granby Ranch and Echo Mountain in Colorado. Loveland is among 52 areas being added to Indy Pass this season.
“The amount of Indy visits to Colorado is probably going to go up 300% because Loveland is on the pass, which means all these other small resorts like Echo and Sunlight are going to go up with it,” Mogensen said. “It’s a very good thing for everyone, and that’s why a win like Loveland is so important for Indy. People are a little tired and exhausted when it comes to the Ikon and Epic world.”
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One goal of Indy Pass is to help smaller independent areas compete in the era of rampant ski resort consolidation. Broomfield-based Vail Resorts owns 42 mountain resorts worldwide. Denver-based rival Alterra Mountain Company has 18. But their partner ressorts Epic and Ikon passes include more than 130 ski areas.
“Loveland has incredible elevation, early and late season, and it has the right vibe — it’s the Indy Pass experience,” Mogensen said. “For us, Loveland is a massive win, and it’s a shot across the bow to the big guys. It’s taken us five years to crack into a major Colorado resort.”
Indy Pass aims to protect the small and medium-sized ski experience by restricting pass use to two visits at any given area and by capping the number of passes they sell. There is currently a waiting list, in fact, but the cap will be raised and passes will go on sale for those on the waiting list Oct. 24-27. A limited number of passes will go on sale to the general public beginning Oct. 28. They will cost $419.
Mogensen says raising the cap is in keeping with the Indy philosophy regarding capacity because the increase is related to the additional areas being added to the pass this year.
“We highly limit capacity,” Mogensen said. “We don’t sell an endless amount like Ikon and Epic do. We do not want to overrun resorts and ruin the very experience we’re trying to preserve.”
That’s one of the reasons Indy Pass is a “natural fit” for Loveland, according to communications and marketing director Loryn Roberson.
“It’s a way we can thoughtfully introduce …read more
Source:: The Denver Post – Sports