Which Option Is Right For You?

The questions have started rolling in. The Ikon Pass overlords are asking us to commit to the type of “Pass Assurance” we would like for the upcoming season. E-mails went out to passholders late last week, letting us know that we need to make an election on our decision by October 1st. I had not really considered writing an article about this, but the tally is now up to 4 different friends that have sent an e-mail asking what I thought they should do.

So I will say right here, I am definitely not capable of telling you what you should decide. I would feel terrible if you made a decision based on what I say, and later find out that you wished you had gone the other way. All I will attempt to do here is simplify things a bit.

First off, the Adventure Assurance program for the Ikon Pass has two different parts. As long as you have not used your pass at all, you can choose to defer your pass until the 21-22 season. You can make this election anytime from now until April 11, 2021 by selecting the Zero Day Credit option when logged into your IkonPass.com account. This is just a credit toward that pass, and is not guaranteed to cover any increase in costs for 21-22. I do have a couple of friends that have already told me that they are taking this season off, especially if a reservation system is put into place.

But that does not include me. If lifts are spinning, I will go skiing this winter and take my chances. It’s why I quit-tired…to go skiing more. Fortunately for people like me, Alterra introduced the “Added Assurance” plan. It offers a credit to passholders if resorts are closed due to COVID between December 10th and April 11th, 2021. As of now, you have two choices for this “added assurance”. Here they are right here, ripped off from IkonPass.com:

The important thing to know is that “Choose All Destinations” is the DEFAULT. This option gives you the maximum amount of credit if most of the Ikon Pass resorts are closed for a significant part of the season due to COVID. If you “Choose One Eligible Destination”, your credit will be based on the number of days that one specific resort is closed due to COVID. Resorts are considered closed only if 100% of the resort is closed due to COVID. It does not apply to limited operations, storm closures, late openings, early closings or other things that may limit your days during the season.

The second important thing to know is that you only have until October 1st to change to “Choose One Eligible Destination”. Once you make that election, you also need to select which resort you are designating. In this case, it is convenient for us that Alpine Meadows and the Valley With No Name are considered one destination. Once you make the designation, you cannot change. Good to know.

The third most important thing to know is that if you purchase your pass after October 1st, you will not have the option to to change to “Choose One Eligible Destination.” I just learned this fun fact today. That’s a pretty big deal. If you’re still sitting on the fence about purchasing a pass for this season, you probably want to make that decision before October 1st.

So which choice is right for you? Well, again, we can’t tell you for sure. But below we have simplified things below by typecasting all skiers into either Type A or Type B. My apologies to the snowboard crowd for not creating a snowboard specific graphic.

Yes, if you are reading this blog, there’s a pretty good chance that you are Skier B.

In a perfect world, most people that are Skier A would most benefit from sticking with the default selection of “Choose All Destinations”. Most people that are Skier B would most benefit by logging in at IkonPass.com and changing their election to “Choose One Eligible Destination” before October 1st.

But this is 2020, which is very far from a perfect world. Just when we think we know what will happen next, the next curveball comes along. I can imagine a situation where Skier A had the best intentions to travel the world, and the resorts did remain in operation, but the world of travel collapsed due to government regulations or airlines going bankrupt. It could happen. We are also certain that Skier C, D, E and beyond do exist.

I already chose Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows as my one destination. I made the same selection for my wife, without even asking her. She is definitely Skier B. The nights in Truckee have been back into the 30’s again over the last week, and skiing is on my mind.

You can see the tiny details and fine print on the Adventure Assurance program here.