Determined

I am determined. Back in March, when Alterra Mountain Company released Ikon Pass pricing, there was a lot of heated discussion about the increased cost for the pass, about $70. More heated were the discussions about the removal of the $100 cash renewal incentive. In its place were a slate of different possible options for people renewing passes. As a single mountain pass is not generally available for Alpine Meadows/PalisadesTahoe, I am committed to buying the full Ikon Pass. It now just became the question of which pass renewal bonus I would select.

Most of my friends chose the simplest option, the $100 credit at Backcountry.com, as it offered an immediate payout. I used to buy a lot of things through Backcountry.com. I don’t anymore. They were put on many outdoor enthusiasts “bad list” when they started suing everyone that dared to use the name “Backcountry” on anything. The final straw for me was when they killed the Marquette Backcountry ski, a product that was really unique.

In the end, shopping locally for outdoor gear is a great life goal. I probably don’t have to tell you about my favorite local shop, the Tahoe Sports Hub. You already knew that. It’s okay if you have a different favorite local shop.

Instead I opted to take the $25 per month “Mountain Credit” option. At the time, I was still enjoying the $60 of free mountain credits that Alterra gave away this spring. Free beer and food at The Chalet? I can do that. For the Ikon Pass renewal, the mountain credits are given each month for 12 months. You don’t have to be much of a math whiz to multiple twelve times $25 and come up with a potential of $300 of “bonus money.” Between myself and my wife, that adds up to $600. Theoretically, those credits expire each month, which means you need to be at Palisades Tahoe during the summer months to get the full benefit. As my previous post indicated, I am determined to make sure I use every one of those credits through the upcoming year.

There Is Some Confusion

The initial launch of the program said that points would expire each month and could not be banked for a large purchase. But when I remembered to look at the Ikon Pass app last week, my “wallet” indicated that we did indeed get credits for the month of June on or about the first of the month. The confusion lies in the expiration date, which says they did not expire until June 1, 2027. Hmmmm.

So back to the Ikon Pass website I went, looking for the terms that were presented when selecting a pass renewal option. The wording does say that credits will be erased at the end of each month.

Checking in on the various ski forums around the internet, nobody was discussing this mismatch of information. I will say it’s totally on brand for AMC and the Ikon Pass in general. While I was at the Ikon Pass site, I used the AI chatbot to ask questions about what was really true. As it turned out, I could get the chatbot to give me both answers, depending on how I asked the question. This is a typical chatbot result for just about all companies.

I said I was determined to use every one of these credits, so I was not about to wait and see what happens on July 1st. The June credits needed to be spent. Someone else can do that experiment in waiting and see what happens.

Month One: A Bike Ride To Palisades Tahoe For Poke Bowls

We loaded the e-bikes into the truck and headed for our starting point at 64 Acres in Tahoe City. It’s 7.3 miles one way to the village along the Truckee River bike trail, or 14.7 miles roundtrip. It’s not all flat. You climb about 380 feet, mostly on a hill that skirts the Lake Tahoe Prep School and Olympic Valley Fire Department. Usually, this is not a trip I would do on a Saturday, but we’re are not fully into summer season yet. The temperature max was only 64° with brisk winds. That meant there was much less river float traffic than normal. While I do enjoy the scenic ride along the river, you should note there is a lot of road noise on this route. Also it was odd to not stop at the Crest Cafe this time…next time.

The village itself was busy, with a lot of families around for a Girls On The Run event. The poke bowls are found at Sun Bowl, a tiny little place tucked in between the former Starbucks and the toy store. Only outdoor seating is available. The large bowls come in several variations, most costing $25, which was convenient. With two credits available and two bowls ordered, we only had to cover $4.18 in sales tax. The poke bowls are generally pretty good here, especially since I have never paid for a bowl here. My last two visits were paid for with credits earned by tracking 75 days on the Palisades Tahoe app.

Where Else Can The Credits Be Used?

There’s seven different locations to use the mountain credits for food & beverages at Alpine Meadows or Palisades Tahoe. But outside of ski season, only two of them are open: Sun Bowl and Rocker. While there are other restaurants in the village, they are not company owned. I’m guessing we will alternate venues and activities through these off season months.

You can also use the credits at a lot of the shops in the village. The list includes KTees Logowear, The Ledge Boardshop, The North Face, Oakley, Palisades Tahoe Logo Company, Palisades Yoga, Patagonia, Parallel Mountain Sports and Roark. I don’t think I will buy any Palisades Tahoe logo wear. At the other stores I might be able to buy one sock per month…not a pair, just one.

During ski season, mountain credits can be used at Alpine Meadows at the Meadows Cafe, The Chalet and Estelle Sports.

So $50 down, $550 in mountain credits still to come…