I Am Assured, What About You?

The terms of the Ikon Pass “Adventure Assurance” program were updated again this week. You can’t blame them for doing so, as nobody really knows what will happen over the coming season. That means that fewer people are buying passes.

Much like duck hunting, ski area managers are aiming at a moving target, one that isn’t likely to stop moving anytime soon. It also seems that the target may change from a duck into a goose, as we add racial tension and other new issues to our worries.

As far as I am concerned, nothing is ever for sure. The current version of the assurance program is enough to convince me that we will be purchasing passes for next season and hoping for the best. We are fortunate to be in a financial position to do so. Not everyone is in such a stable position, so the moves by Alterra Mountain Company to encourage people to tie up their money in an Ikon Pass purchase are understandable and appreciated.

With each revision, things have become more and more complicated. The chart below highlights the basics. We’re really only looking at how the full Ikon Pass and Base Passes will be handled. The new limited 4 day passes and “local mountain” passes have some different terms that you will need to investigate on your own.

The Overview

Digging Deeper

The renewal discount date for purchasing your Ikon Pass still stands at June 17th. Purchasing your pass by this time will get you a $200 discount on the full pass or $100 discount on the base pass. This date has now been extended twice. Historically, the date has also been extended in other years, and the amount of price increase is not always clear. It seems that Alterra is hoping that changing the pass deferral date and credits for potential COVID-19 closures will encourage you to commit to your purchase. You can still guarantee the discount by putting $199 down.

One important change made in this round is the extended opportunity to defer your unused 20/21 pass to the 21/22 season. Previously, you needed to elect to use this deferral by December 10th, 2020. One thing that has become more clear is that this whole pandemic thing is not just going to go away anytime soon. Until there is a reliable vaccination and/or treatment for COVID-19, nothing is for certain. Extending the deferral date until April 22nd is a smart move. While the SquAlpine season often extends beyond that date, most mountains are closed by that date. One thing that is important to keep in mind…if you use your pass even one day, the option to defer your pass to 21/22 is no longer available.

I would guess that this will hold back some people from just jumping at the first opportunity to use their pass next season. They will need to spend some time assessing whether conditions are “good enough” to start using their pass. For some of us, that won’t be a question. If the Roo opens with manmade snow, I will be there for Day 1.

The biggest news with this update is that Alterra is finally addressing that question of “What if we have a new wave of COVID next year, forcing areas to close again?” Up until this week, you would have been out of luck had you chosen to ski or ride even one day. We now have some “added assurance” that some credit will be given if mountains are forced to close again after the season has started.

Passholders will be given a choice of two options: “All Ikon Destinations” or “One Eligible Destination”. Your choice will probably be influenced by whether or not you’re the type that likes to travel and see several resorts in a season, or like most of my friends, the kind that just head to Alpine Meadows every day. By default, all pass holders will be given the designation of “All”, unless you actively choose “One.” You must makes this designation between September 10th and October 1st on your account at the IkonPass.com site.

If you choose the “All Ikon Destinations” and don’t plan on doing much traveling, you could end up in a bad place. As an example, if only the California based Ikon Resorts stayed closed during the holidays, but all other Ikon destinations remained open, you would only receive a very small credit toward your 21/22 pass. The assumption is that you are willing to travel to another area to get in your ski days.

If you’re reading this post, odds are better that you are an aficionado of Alpine Meadows or Squaw Valley and travel to other areas infrequently. In my normal season, 90% of my days are at Alpine. You would likely be better off choosing SquAlpine as your “One Eligible Destination”. If SquAlpine were to close due to COVID for 7 consecutive days, or more than 21 days overall during the season, you would get a proportional credit toward your 21/22 pass. The question remains if your “well used pass” would affect that credit amount. With more than 100 days on my pass this season, I had no expectation for any credit for this season’s early closure.

Another caveat is the definition of “closed”. By the terms of the “Added Assurance” program, a mountain is only considered closed if all aerial lifts are closed. If one chairlift or gondola is operating, then a mountain is considered to be open for business. It’s not out of the question that state or county regulations could limit the number of people on a mountain each day. Mountains could respond to those limits by also limiting the number of lifts they run. No guarantees are being offered for limited operations.

Comparing Ikon and Epic Offerings

It’s getting more difficult to compare what assurances are being made between the Ikon pass and the Epic pass. Each pass now has their high points and low points (besides the point of never wanting to call Northstar my home mountain).

The biggest difference, in my mind, is that Alterra is limiting it’s “Added Assurance” coverage to only COVID-19 closures. This is far more limited that the “Epic Coverage” provided, for free with an Epic Pass, which covers like injuries, job loss and things like war and terrorism. Back when Vail Resorts announced the program in late April, that coverage seemed way out there. But as we are now into our second week of peaceful demonstrations, rioting, looting and people that seem intent on starting a civil war…well, anything could happen. Nothing should surprise us anymore.

Again, we’ll be buying our passes and putting in our payment for a locker soon. Then we’ll continue to do our part in limiting the spread of COVID-19 and hoping for the best. Skiing is our primary reason for being in Tahoe, at least in the winter. Otherwise, a winter in Hawaii sounds pretty nice too.

Disclaimer

We’re doing the best we can here to highlight the latest changes to the Ikon Pass. It’s complicated. You really should read up on all of the details here. You may even want to have your lawyer look it over too.