Ikon Pass Five Day-ers Get Lift Upgrades At Classic Mountains In Rockies
Those skiers and riders who invested in an Ikon Pass that includes five days at select resorts in the West get to run some of the most famous slopes in the Rockies -- and ride three new chairlifts, too.
Since 2018, the creators of the Ikon Pass have made it a priority to be a "skier's pass." Denver-based Alterra Mountain Corp. has bought or enlisted most of the top skiing and 'boarding mountains in the Mountain West, and put their access on the multi-mountain Ikon Pass.
In addition to the 14 destinations in the West where the pass gives unlimited access, here's what's new at the iconic mountains where the pass means five days of free skiing and riding.
The highlight of the off-season at the Aspen four-mountain complex is the new Coney Express at Snowmass. The high-speed quad replaces the Coney Glade Express, which went in 1986 as one of the first high-speed quads on the hill.
The new lift's bottom terminal will sit some 2,000 feet below its predecessor -- adjacent to the Village Express -- and adding more than 50% to the ability of Snowmass to get folks out of the base area and onto the hill. It will also have a midway station that will allow skiers and riders to load back up without going to the bottom.
The rest of the Aspen-area mountains will take a break after a major expansion on Aspen Mountain and full-on overhaul of Buttermilk base facilities were completed last season. Aspen Highlands has added more snowmaking to its lower slopes.
Also in Colorado, Arapahoe Basin has left things alone on the hill but radically changed parking arrangements down below. For the first, the Summit County resort will require reservations on weekends and holidays for $20. Slots will be released online every Monday at 2 p.m. prior to the following weekend.
In Wyoming, Jackson Hole has put up its second replacement in two years with the new high-speed Sublette quad. Since 1987, the Sublette fixed-grip quad has been the way to get skiers and riders into a trio of bowls just below famed Rendezvous Bowl.
For the 2024-2025, Sublette riders will feel the speed with a new detachable quad that will cut riding time down to about four minutes. Unloading area will be enlarged, and a new traverse will run under the tram to Tensleep Bowl.
Over in Idaho, Sun Valley has added two seats to every chair on the high-speed Seattle Ridge chair. Now a six-seater, the replacement lift will increase uphill capacity on Sun Valley's upper-mountain greens as well as access to the expansive bowls, chutes and glades off the ridge.
Management hopes this project will reduce wait time in one of Bald Mountain's busiest intersection along the Broadway runout. The Seattle Ridge high-speed shares loading space the 50-year-old fixed-grip Mayflower triple that heads up to the 9,150-foot summit of Bald Mountain.
Also an Ikon Five-Day participant, Taos Ski Valley has focused on infrastructure with snowmaking and lift maintenance upgrades. The future may finally hold the much-anticipated base-to-base gondola.
