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Latest in Ikon Pass
Why a Lift Ticket Costs $356 at Vail and €76 in Austria - And Almost Nobody Pays the American Price
A lift ticket at Vail hit $356 US this season. In Austria, a day at Kitzbühel still costs around €76. At Perisher, which Vail bought in 2015, the window rate has roughly doubled against inflation in a decade - while just across the Tasman, where Vail owns nothing, prices stayed put. Same sport, same snow, wildly different outcomes depending on who owns the lift. We went through the SEC filings, the court records and the pass math to work out why. Full breakdown below, video included.
Michael Fulton
SilverStar Mountain Joins the Ikon Pass for 2026-27 — Spring Pricing Ends April 16
SilverStar Mountain in British Columbia is the newest addition to the Ikon Pass for 2026-27, bringing 3,304 acres of Okanagan terrain to the lineup. Spring pricing is still available — but only until April 16.
Michael Fulton
Ikon Pass App Consolidation Forces Resort-Specific App Users to Switch
Alterra Mountain Company has consolidated 14 resort-specific apps into its upgraded Ikon Pass platform, requiring users at resorts like Winter Park and Palisades Tahoe to migrate ahead of the 2025-26 season. The move prioritises pass-holder convenience over individual resort identity.
Michael Fulton
How Epic and Ikon Passes Transformed the Face of Skiing in North America
The introduction of Vail's Epic Pass in 2008 and Alterra's Ikon Pass in 2018 fundamentally transformed North American skiing from a day-ticket model to a season-pass dominated industry. While offering extraordinary value for frequent skiers, these passes have simultaneously made skiing more accessible for some while driving day ticket prices to record highs and creating significant challenges for mountain communities.
Michael Fulton
Ikon Pass 2025/26: A Comprehensive Guide
Explore the options and benefits of the Ikon Pass for the 2025/26 ski season. This guide covers pass types, pricing, and new features for skiers and riders looking to access over 50 top ski resorts worldwide.
Michael Fulton
Ikon Pass 2025/26: New Pricing, Resorts and Benefits Revealed
The Ikon Pass for 2025/26 ski season launches March 13 with price increases, adding Austria's Ischgl resort and unlimited access to Arapahoe Basin. New pass holders gain immediate spring skiing access at up to 17 resorts, alongside enhanced benefits including heli-skiing discounts and brand partnerships.
Michael Fulton
Latest News
More from the SnowStash desk
Vermont Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: Few Dates Set, Killington Waits on the Cold
Vermont's season is slow to take shape. Stratton is tentatively targeting 18 November and Sugarbush 21 November, while Pico has Friday 11 December on the calendar. Killington never sets a date and opens when the snowmaking allows, and Vail Resorts has yet to name days for Stowe, Okemo and Mount Snow. The forecasts disagree about snow, and the main El Niño worry for the Green Mountains is warmth.
9 Oct 2026
California Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: Mammoth Leads, Tahoe Follows
Mammoth Mountain is first up in California, targeting Friday 13 November after a dusting of September snow. Heavenly and Northstar follow on 20 November, Palisades Tahoe on Wednesday 25 November and Sugar Bowl on 27 November, with Kirkwood on 4 December and June Mountain on 19 December. Plenty of smaller areas have no date yet. A super El Niño favours the Sierra, but a warmer storm track is the catch.
7 Oct 2026
Colorado Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: A-Basin and Keystone Race to Be First
Arapahoe Basin, Keystone and Winter Park are all chasing an October start, though none has a firm date yet. The first dated openers are Breckenridge and Copper on Friday 6 November, then Vail on 13 November, with most of the rest bunched around US Thanksgiving. Hesperus did not open at all last season. A super El Niño offers hope but no guarantee, and forecasters say the southern mountains have the better odds.
5 Oct 2026
Dolomiti Superski 2026-27: Four New Gondolas, New Reservoirs and an €89 Peak Day Pass
Dolomiti Superski is spending around €100 million across its 12 areas before winter. Kronplatz gets a new 10-passenger gondola with a middle station, 3 Zinnen gets Helmissimo, and Val di Fassa swaps a chairlift for a gondola above Col Valvacin. New water-storage basins and upgraded snowmaking follow, and construction has started on the San Martino to Passo Rolle link. A peak adult day pass is €89.
4 Oct 2026
Utah Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: Brian Head First, Eagle Point Out
Brian Head is targeting 6 November, though last year it aimed for 7 November and did not open until the 25th. Park City, Alta and Solitude are pencilled in for 20 November, Snowbird and Snowbasin for 27 November, and Deer Valley for 5 December. Eagle Point will stay closed after the Cottonwood Fire. A super El Niño is forecast, but the big snow is not expected until January.
4 Oct 2026
Hintertux Glacier Opens for 2026-27 With 12 Kilometres of Piste
Hintertux became Austria's second glacier to open for 2026-27 on Friday 2 October, after the Pitztal Glacier. Twelve kilometres of piste are running around the Olperer and Gefrorene Wand, served by one gondola and two drag lifts, with the Betterpark also open. Lifts officially run 8:15 am to 4:30 pm, but skiing stops at 2 pm for now.
4 Oct 2026
Vail Resorts Counts the Cost of a Thin Winter as Pass Sales Slide Further
A historically poor western winter cut Vail Resorts' annual net income from $280 million to $147.5 million and skier visits by 13.4 per cent. Now 2026-27 pass units are down 12 per cent as of 18 September, worse than the 10 per cent flagged in spring. Vail blames the weather and thinks some buyers are simply waiting, and it forecasts a rebound if the snow behaves.
3 Oct 2026
Arizona Snowbowl's $1 Lift Tickets Are Hard to Find, but $9 Days Are Not
Arizona Snowbowl advertised eight $1 lift ticket days this winter. Go looking and only three are showing - 10 March, 1 April and 10 April - so the rest may already have gone. The consolation is a calendar full of $9 days, including all but one day in April. Opening day is 20 November, weather permitting, and opening weekend is $19.
2 Oct 2026