A New Ski Pass Under $400 Could Shake Up North America

A new ski pass is shaking up the game in North America among highly competitive companies like Epic and Ikon. The pass has quite the seller, though; it’s under $400. The new pass, called Snow Pass, is set to launch September 8 and will remain on the market until the end of December. SNOW Partners, the founders of Snow Pass, will announce locations and prices this summer. SNOW Partners is the parent company of Big SNOW American Dream, an indoor slope and Mountain Creek Resort in New Jersey. 

What is Snow Pass? 

Snow Pass is a multi-resort frequency pass like Indy and Mountain Collective that allows two days at each partner resort. The price is not the only thing that makes this new pass special; 80% of the revenue from the passes will go to the partnering resorts. 

In an interview with Ski Area Management (SAM), SNOW Partners CEO Joe Hession said, “We’re really focused on collaboration, and we’re also extremely focused on independence.”

According to SAM, this idea of collaboration and complete transparency with resorts will be a cornerstone of the program. In a world filled with big companies like Vail and Alterra, it is important that programs like Snow Pass stay alive so the ski industry remains affordable. Hession also told SAM that he expects some participation from Ikon Pass Bonus Mountains and members of Mountain Collective. According to SAM, SNOW Partners also plans to pay resorts in three installments so they can get the money when they need it. Resorts will receive 25% pre-paid on January 1, 25% on March 1, and a final reconciliation on May 1. 

Inspiration 

This is not SNOW Partners' first pass. Last season, the company launched Triple Play, which offers three days of access to 16 Northeast resorts for $199. After seeing its success, the company has decided to expand upon the pass by keeping the 16 resorts and adding a Midwest version. Hession told SAM that he expects overlap between Triple Play and Snow Pass. Mountain Collective was another huge inspiration, as it runs on a very similar model that gives back to partner resorts almost immediately. As mentioned before, this program prides itself on collaboration, which it has already demonstrated with Mountain Collective. SNOW Partners pass holders, which include Snow Pass, Triple Play and Mountain Creek, can get up to $100 off a Mountain Collective Pass. 

The Competition 

Big pass companies like Ikon and Epic rule over North America as the top two season passes. But every year, prices for both passes keep rising, making it harder for some to buy a seasonal pass. So, it is about time a new competitor joined the playing field. As of now, the full Ikon Pass is $1,449 and the full Epic Pass is $1,089. Even though the Mountain Collective Pass is similar the price is a little over $200 more at $669.

The Snow Pass is waiting until September to launch giving skiers who don't want to commit to a pricey pass early more time to wait and think about it before the season starts. September is a time when many other season passes boost their prices or are sold out, making Snow Pass an attractive candidate.