Mountain Collective Forges Ahead With Hassle-Free Access To Top-Tier Mountains
Like a well-worn pair of boots or the old Subaru snow car, the Mountain Collective pass just keeps going and going to give skiers and riders a shot at some of the best mountains in the nation.
In 2011, a group of four of the West's top resorts fired the first response to Vail's ground-breaking Epic Pass by introducing the Mountain Collective -- a pass good for two days at each of Aspen-Snowmass, Alta, Jackson Hole and then-Squaw Valley. No blackouts, and any additional days cost half the rack rate.
Since then, the concept is the same but the mechanics have been tweaked. No longer do you have to go to the ticket window: Just head to the lift and run the Mountain Collective through the scanner. As always, the number of half-off days has no limit.
The Mountain Collective pass is aimed at skiers and riders who can move around during the season. They may have a season pass at one mountain but would like to try out others, particularly icons like Aspen, Taos Ski Valley, Jackson Hole, Sun Valley and Revelstoke in the West where the bulk of the Collective members reside.
New is the "buddy pass" system that allows a passholder to buy up to eight one-day tickets at 25% off for a non-passholder (blackouts apply). Check website for more details. There's also a third bonus day option at one of the resorts of choice, but that selection had to be done during the spring sale period.
Over 14 years, the Mountain Collective has expanded. Right now, the pass is accepted at 13 in the U.S., eight in Canada, and six overseas. New for this season is New York's Whiteface, with the largest skiable terrain in the East. It joins Northeast mates Sunday River and Sugarloaf in the Collective.
Returning to the fold after several years away are Utah's Snowbasin and Idaho's Sun Valley. However, original member Palisades Tahoe was removed from the roster when its owner, Alterra Mountain Co., put it onto the Ikon Pass. And, Arapahoe Basin's sale to Alterra took it off the Mountain Collective list, too.
