Industry News
I’m not sure when it started, but independent ski resorts have been forming alliances with each other for some time now. They aren’t well-known ski conglomerates, but these reciprocal agreements are becoming a player when it comes to multi-resort passes.
The concept is simple: resorts make an agreement that season pass holders at a partner resort can get a few free ski days and vice versa. It doesn’t really cost the resort anything and definitely adds a ton of value. The popularity has grown, and the pass holders love it.
Take Ski Cooper in Leadville, Colorado, for example. They have a whopping 57 reciprocal season pass partners scattered coast to coast across the United States. Additional resorts could be added before the season begins as well.
Their agreements give their pass holders three free days (four at one resort) at partner resorts with limited blackouts.
Season passes go on sale on July 1, 2022. The price is still to be announced, but last year’s early season price was $299.
This pass could be lucrative to a number of skiers in different regions of the country, even if they never even set foot in the state of Colorado. It could even rival the popular Indy Pass.
The biggest winners are obviously Leadville locals who can not only ski unlimited at Ski Cooper but also at four other resorts close by in Colorado. They include Monarch, Loveland, Sunlight, and Powderhorn.
But what about skiers in the upper peninsula of Michigan? They would have access to five resorts, or 15 days of skiing, by having a Ski Cooper season pass.
There are six resorts in New Hampshire and Maine for Northeast skiers to enjoy.
The state of Pennsylvania has four resorts.
Skiers near Boise, Idaho, could get nine days of skiing between Bogus Basin, Brundage, and Soldier Mountain.
This should put everyone on notice who is planning a ski trip somewhere to check the reciprocal agreements of the resorts you are visiting. Many other independent resorts have generous pass partner agreements. In some cases, it might make sense to buy a season pass at another resort, and it would cost less than if you bought individual day tickets. Or, you could just stay at Cooper for what they call the “heart of skiing.”
