"Season Pass Network Strategies"

[John Gilmour]

Ahem. These are SoCal problems faced by SoCal carvers...of which there are few of us in SoCAL

So a few changes occurred. Arapahoe is no longer unlimited EPIC (their early season ribbon of death isn't worth it anyhow) its just a week of IKON, which won't fix much of anything because there are still 250,000 or more IKON pass holders that can flood Araphoe, many of which BOUGHT day tickets anyhow. Now Sun Valley has a week or 5 days on IKON... (Major plus I think). Ikon also got Zermatta and the Matterhorn, so you an finally feel like your re in a James Bond ski chase.

A few years ago I bought the EPIC pass and used friends free passes and 1/2 price passes to get in a. few Aspen days. 2017-2018 , and. 2018 2019  I bought IKON and EPIC to get Mammoth and June  , LOCALLY for a early season conditioning warm up at Snow Summit in the San Bernadinos because  I never could  ride back to back FULL days early season .

The year I only bought EPIC 2015-2016  was ok because I thought I could avoid Vail and front range crowds by doing Beaver Creek instead and Centennial was a decent alternative to Ruthies Run in Aspen.

I almost said FORGET IKON BASE because it only gave me 5 days at Aspen which is almost not worth the hassle, except I get. few 1/2 price tickets and early season $35 vouchers so I could make a 2 day trip, a 3 day trip and a 5 day trip.

But it was always a EPIC vs IKON choice between  Some Aspen and. long season of not very good carving in windy conditions with not very good grooming at Mammoth and Snow Summit warm up with IKON. Or lots of decent Colorado carving at Beaver Creek and a few cheap pass days at Aspen.

EPIC only... your are screwed for SoCal riding - even though a R/T Denver ticket is only $79 from SNA and if you bought your airline via Cheaptickets.com you can get $10 rental cars. And you need Full Epic for unlimited Beaver Creek or you get a paltry 10 days of Vail and Beaver combined. so thats $969

IKON only Your 5 days of Aspen run out fast. Full IKON gets you Steamboat but not the half IKON. And Copper (read windy) but ok grooming. I wasn't impressed with Squaw Valley compared to Colorados offerings. 

So.... theres one other option.

Aspen Season Pass gives you Aspen plus Ikon Base (so you get Mammoth , June, Snow Summit) but at a price $2049 (the extra $49 is to show you they hate their customers). So It's like getting the Aspen pass for $1300

 

 

Ill continue this thought tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

[slopestar]

Front range/Arvada Colorado

IKON base purchased so Winterpark and Mary Jane will be our main destination. El Dora sucks unless it’s a weekday so I’d go the WP/MJ instead. Copper offering is great but a little too far to be easy to get to. A-bay 5 days to be used late season. Aspen days to be used right after xgames. Best days of my season last year riding with great friends too!

4packs to Loveland purchased. A must to ride with LCI and cheaper to buy tickets for the whole family when the kids come than to go to our IKON destinations.

 

 

[John Gilmour]

The ikon destinations are so spread out and limit you so much for days at so many resorts. More unlimited options for EPIC. The Aspen pass at least now gives you some other mountains ...which is great if you are living in Aspen and want to ski elesewhere . Chamber pass for Aspen also includes base Ikon so that's great for parents who want to see their kids race and not have to be buying even more tickets. 

If you have a big family of skiers.... it's kinda bad because 6 season passes ..well you could buy a car, or lease a wakesurfing boat.. 

all this "all you can eat". Has people skiing a lot more and has Joe Schmoe getting used to 40 day + seasons which for those of us who go a lot makes it harder to find  the good runs not overloaded. 

I might end up with Aspen again...i.e. Work for race dept. which means... I gotta get thee DJ RIG And  ANNOUCING and ALL THAT GOING ...for a comp pass.

[John Gilmour]

got the Aspen Base Ikon Pass....

[rjnakata]

On 11/24/2019 at 9:18 AM, John Gilmour said:

got the Aspen Base Ikon Pass....

Will you be seen at June Mtn this year?  If so, I'm there.

 

[John Gilmour]

10 hours ago, rjnakata said:

Will you be seen at June Mtn this year?  If so, I'm there.

 

June is scheduled to open December 21, I will probably only hit June later this season. Unless I end up not working in Aspen.  I like June because its not as insanely windy as Mammoth on breezy days and tends to have a bit more sun while being warmer. Also the bottom of June late season is great for powder. For me A windy flat light day on a steep pitch with choppy snow ...well I would rather be in a. place with less wind with great snow conditions that aren't wind stripped. Mammoth "Wind Buff" is a "thing" but not really my thing. I'll take the cord and pow at June and just mess around on the shallower pitches until I feel I have to go back to Mammoth.

Mammoth and June  for me is where I head to AFTER the Colorado Melt out.  Stump Alley Tailgate BBQ's .

Have you ridden Aspen? Or Beaver Creek? or even Copper Mountain vs Mammoth?

Edited November 26, 2019 by John Gilmour

[rjnakata]

On 11/26/2019 at 7:58 AM, John Gilmour said:

June is scheduled to open December 21, I will probably only hit June later this season.

Let us know when you're going!

On 11/26/2019 at 7:58 AM, John Gilmour said:

Have you ridden Aspen? Or Beaver Creek? or even Copper Mountain vs Mammoth?

Never did...but am open. Mammoth is not my favorite when compared to June.  I feel like I have to have eyes on the back of my head at Mammoth, what with the merging trails and bombers.  June: one run, one lane to the bottom. The vibe there fits me, but their season is too short!

[John Gilmour]

4 hours ago, rjnakata said:

Let us know when you're going!

Never did...but am open. Mammoth is not my favorite when compared to June.  I feel like I have to have eyes on the back of my head at Mammoth, what with the merging trails and bombers.  June: one run, one lane to the bottom. The vibe there fits me, but their season is too short!

Totally agree, Last year I was going about 55mph, Hit a big heel side to scrub some speed and some 20 year old with shit skills hits me from behind and he literally had 3 seconds to react and just move left . He flew about 30 feet and landed on his nuts- unable to breathe for a bit. My knee got tweaked for a week or two and my Back Troy Lee D3 had to be retired.  

So Mammoth straighteners are another reason I prefer Colorado because the skill level there of the average person midweek is much higher on average than SoCal. (except for holidays),

[rjnakata]

1 hour ago, John Gilmour said:

Totally agree, Last year I was going about 55mph, Hit a big heel side to scrub some speed and some 20 year old with shit skills hits me from behind and he literally had 3 seconds to react and just move left . He flew about 30 feet and landed on his nuts- unable to breathe for a bit. My knee got tweaked for a week or two and my Back Troy Lee D3 had to be retired.  

So Mammoth straighteners are another reason I prefer Colorado because the skill level there of the average person midweek is much higher on average than SoCal. (except for holidays),

You must have been hit by the same kid who hit me just out of the top of Stump alley...he hit me from behind,  took off and left me dazed.  An off-duty patroller retrieved him to tell me sorry, but what is he going to do? 

Are Aspen and Copper the best carving in CO?

[John Gilmour]

Well, even though this is a SoCal thread. I do have to say that at times, after traveling to and from Mammoth sometimes I ask myself

 

after 20-40mph winds, fog and short runs....

 

huh?  

Why did I go through all of that trouble? I should have gone to Colorado. Why did I put 750 miles on my car? even at 30 mpg thats about $100 of gas.  which is the same as a round trip ticket to Denver and depreciating your car at .a paltry .25  per mile for maintenance ($187)  and value lost... you can see its a losing proposition quickly. That's $287 and two days of no riding lost to Mammoth. or 1 day if you are driving back after your last day at Mammoth leaving at 4 pm, dinner in Lone pine, and home by 11pm or midnight  with gas fill up and pee breaks. (I never make it before 1:30 am) .

 

I do like the back of Mammoth, as it seems adventuresome, but after the 5-6 hour drive (longer for me with charging) it always seems to take a full day there and back, sometimes longer......(as I have fallen asleep at chargers) and well the drive ears a bit. A quick jaunt to Snow Summit after a store seems tiny in comparison...like even shorter runs (though I have fun at the wall and the far side) but the drive is so much more manageable. Sometimes after a day at Snow Summit I think, hey it's not Mammoth but it is so much less hassle and time lost to driving.

Mammoth food is well, ..- expensive and not very good. 

EXCEPT you MUST to get the Hot and Spicy Shrimp at the Merry Go Round Chinese restaurant in Lone Pine on the way up....I always time my trip for this.

So in season..

I just pulled up a non stop flight  at 6:45 am to Denver from John Wayne. $49 one way. You land at 10:20 (but often by 10:00) 

Using cheaptickets.com, you can get a rental car for about $11 a day. Unlimited mileage. Using your Ikon Pass you can hit Winter Park same day. you drive only 90 minutes. The miles you would put on your own car and maintenance are on your rental car.  So even traveling solo $60 gets you to a mountain. In 2 hours less travel time than Mammoth- the gas alone to Mammoth is about that!

The tickets are much cheaper in Colorado. The snow is way better, the 5 best days of the season in Mammoth are like an average sunny day in Colorado.

So it's hard for me to justify Mammoth until Colorado is melted out. June is fun for Sure....but lets say you compare Buttermilk to June, well there is no comparison at all- and thats Aspens least appealing mountain.

Ok so that's Aspen right? 

Airfare at the cheapest is $138 one way. You land IN Aspen. AS in No rental car required, and no parking hassles- free bus system everywhere.

 

The free bus runs every 20 min. from Directly in front of the airport. its 5 minutes to Buttermilk where you ride for the last half of your first day. American Airlines flight via Phoenix also leaves at 6:45am You land in Aspen at 11:36.  (usually 11:25) Hustle and you can catch the bus. Be at Buttermilk at 11:40. (I suit up on the plane ride- and put my boots on while waiting for the bus). Last time I flew in for my godsons Nationals boarder cross race... I put my bindings in my jacket sleeves- wore my snowboard boots on the plane, put my shoes in my personal item. And tried various boards at the demo tent with my boots and bindings ..... couldn't have been easier.

But if that $49 airfare is tempting (like Aspen airfares ...you waited too long and they went up) , you could still take that and take the bus from Denver to the scenic train a couple of hours to Glenwood springs, and the RFTA bus about $6 to Aspen 75 min ride. OK so you did that... its still a dy of travel like it would be to mammoth ...but you are on some of the worlds best Carving snow. not...the so called glorious "wind buff" of Mammoth.

So there are all the tricks. And I figured out how to crack a certain airlines pricing algorithm allowing me to get cheap fares (2nd lowest fare tier offered) within a few hours of travel.  I won't post that here.

Cheap place to stay in Aspen is the Mountain Chalet- also best location, and unlimited fresh squeezed OJ from one of the orange juicing machines, heated pool jacuzzi etc. newly remodeled rooms breakfast included. much cheaper than Mammoth. Oh Aspen has about 350 days a year with Sun for at least 4 hours, so expect a few bluebird powder days.

Beaver Creek is also great but EPIC deadline passed. Its only affordable with a. Full EPIC. and you fly to Denver and drive the cheap rental. No cheap lodging anywhere- so You take an afternoon flight and stay in Frisco or Silverthorne.

Just plan a trip this season before you end up kicking yourself for not doing it sooner. There's a reason the World Carving Session gave up carving at other resorts.

 

Those flights were for Jan 8th or 9th.

 

 

Edited November 29, 2019 by John Gilmour

[Lurch]

1 hour ago, John Gilmour said:

I suit up on the plane ride ... I put my bindings in my jacket sleeves - wore my snowboard boots on the plane, put my shoes in my personal item .... couldn't have been easier

Love it!

[rjnakata]

On 11/28/2019 at 10:13 PM, John Gilmour said:

So in season..

Wow, I had to read this a few times through but you have really thought this through.  I'd love to ride Aspen, but the flights are so dang $$$.  I see your point about Mammoth and June.  I'm really not a Mammoth fan and June gets small after a while.  

Keep up the thinking here. It's inspiring me to take off out of SoCal