CHANGES TO 2023-2024 MEGA-PASSES AIM TO MAKE IT QUICKER TO THE LIFT

Reprinted with permission from SnoCountry.com; authored by Andy Dennison on March 6, 2023. www.SnoCountry.com

The first wave of multi-mountain pass sales for 2023-2024 is upon us and, while prices keep rising and rosters shift, it's ease of access where we find issuers most focused upon.

An example is the Mountain Collective. For next season (which is sold out already) the company will mail a physical pass to pass purchasers, who then can go directly to the lift without stopping at the ticket window. Since its debut in 2012, the pass meant skiers and riders had to pick up a day lift ticket -- often time consuming -- for every time they visited a Mountain Collective partner.

Now, Collective passholders can jump-start their two days at any of 15 U.S. resorts more quickly. Same with the additional days for half off. Not all are signed up yet, but company officials said they hope to have all its partner-resorts with direct-to-lift scanning.

The Indy Pass announced several changes. For the first time, the company will limit the number of two-days-per-resort passes that are sold. To reward loyalty, Indy will run an early-bird sale for current and former passholders, then fill wait-list requests, before opening up the remaining passes to everyone else.

In addition, the Indy Pass will be a physical RFID card that will be mailed to holders and open scanning gates without need of a day ticket. The number of its 120-plus partners set to honor the RFID card is yet to be determined. At one of Indy's "allied" resorts like Cherry Peak, Loup Loup, or Sleeping Giant, presenting the card is good for one day, 50% off midweek and non-holiday, or 25% off busier times.

Lastly, the Epic Pass has moved out of the physical realm of a plastic pass and into the digital world of a smartphone. The 2023-2024 pass -- good for unlimited time on 40 mountains -- will "live" on the phone and scan at the gates. A physical pass can still be had.