How we decided on passes for the 2020/21 ski season during COVID-19

Our plans to ski five Montana and Canada ski resorts during the 2019/20 season were shattered. As we were arriving in Montana earlier this year, the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic, and ski resorts and the Canadian border closed shortly after that.

It’s almost June now, and we are itching to purchase our season passes for the 2020/21 season. We typically like to secure ours when they first go on sale in spring for the best prices, but some ski resorts and collective passes have been slower to launch sales due to COVID-19, and all that is unknown. Looking at Mountain Collective’s website today, a message states:

THE 2020/21 PASS IS TEMPORARILY OFF SALE

Messages like this are beating on our confidence about next season. But regardless, we are moving forward with cautious planning. As full-time RVers and van lifers, COVID-19 poses unique challenges. Traveling to multiple ski resorts could become impossible or severely restricted next season. We’re basing our season pass decisions on cancellation policies and potential losses we are willing to stomach. But we also want to choose passes that will enable us to visit mountains on our wish list.

Our goal for the 2020/21 ski season

Our first season of winter van life, we purchased Brundage Mountain season passes. Our second season, we bought Loveland season passes. Before van life, we’ve had the Epic Pass, and various other individual ski resort passes. We’ve been to roughly 40 mountains in our lifetimes. For 2020/21, we want to ski and snowboard as many mountains that we haven’t yet visited, as well as revisit those we want to explore more.

I like visuals when I’m trying to make decisions. It also helps me convey my suggestions to Kyle. So to help us make a decision about 2020/21, I created a spreadsheet. Here is a sample of what it looks like:

Here is how I organized the spreadsheet:

Columns = Ski resort season passes under consideration including:

• Silverton Mountain
• Indy Pass
• Loveland Ski Area
• Powder Alliance
• Brundage Mountain
• Mountain Collective
• Epic Pass
• Ikon Pass
• Power Pass

Rows = US and Canada ski resorts included with the season passes under consideration (our van won’t be traveling outside of North America)

Middle = Number of days we can ride at a ski resort based on the season pass

Yellow = Ski resorts we’ve already visited

Turquoise = Ski resorts we’ve already visited, but we want to visit again in 2020/21

Purple = Ski resorts we haven’t been that receive 300+ inches of snow on average annually

Red = Don’t intend on visiting in 2020/21 (Example: East Coast)

If you request a copy of the spreadsheet, you can choose to highlight it any way you want, so you have the visual you need to make a decision about your 2020/21 season pass.

Conclusions for our 2020/21 season

Passes we aren’t going to buy

Epic Pass, Ikon Pass, Mountain Collective

We would consider these passes in the future if:

• The included resorts reduced crowding and lift lines.
• We plan a season of travel outside of North America to places like Europe, South America, or Japan.
• We were on a mission to tackle our ski resort bucket list, which includes resorts like Crested Butte, Aspen Snowmass, Telluride, and Jackson Hole.
• We plan a season dedicated to Canada. Epic includes a number of our bucket list ski resorts that reside on the other side of our northern border.

Power Pass

We’ve already been to all the mountains on this pass with unlimited access, except Nordic Valley.

Brundage Mountain

We’ve spent a lot of time at Brundage, and aren’t looking to spend significant time there in the 2020/21 season. Though, we do want to ride there a few days and plan on doing it through another pass’s partner perks.

Passes to buy

Silverton Mountain’s Spring Unguided Premium + Powder Upgrade

Silverton made our list of pass considerations because I happened to see this tweet:

A $99 season pass piqued my interest, so I took a look Silverton’s 2020/21 Spring Unguided Season Pass page. I discovered for only $98 more, I could get 30 free days at 11 partner resorts. All of which I have a desire to visit or revisit. We’ve never been to Silverton and have always been intrigued by their single lift with guided and unguided options, plus heli-skiing. And now we can do it for $197. Our plan is to add on their Powder Upgrade for an additional $36 for guided skiing and heli-skiing benefits.

The pass price with our desired benefits is $233.

Silverton Mountain cancellation policy and our COVID-19 concerns

We are not Colorado residents. In the event of another lockdown due to COVID-19, it’s possible we may not be welcome in the town of Silverton.

Our interpretation of Silverton’s cancellation policy is that no refunds will be offered if partner resorts are unable to satisfy benefits for whatever reason, including a COVID-19 shutdown. However, if the Colorado government has a mandated closing of Silverton Mountain due to a pandemic, credits will be issued for the following season.

Even if we don’t get to ride a single partner resort, we think $233 is a fair amount to spend on unlimited unguided riding at Silverton. And it will be our responsibility to get to Silverton in time for their anticipated season dates. If Silverton doesn’t open at all, we will be happy with credits for the 2021/22 season.

Here is a screenshot of Silverton’s cancellation policy taken from their website on May 28, 2020:

Indy Pass (with blackouts)

This season pass offers two days at each participating resort. We only intend to visit resorts in the western part of the US and Canada, which includes 18 ski resorts or 36 days of skiing and riding. We hope to make it to the following resorts for the first time:

Castle Mountain
Eaglecrest Ski Area
Lost Trail Powder Mountain
Red Lodge Mountain
Silver Mountain Resort

And we really want to revisit Brundage Mountain and Tamarack Resort.

The pass price with blackout dates and our desired benefits is $199. It’s $299 without blackouts.

Indy Pass cancellation policy and our COVID-19 concerns

Local, state, and federal government directives may prevent us from traveling to these locations. We also may not want to based on infection rates.

However, we think their cancellation policy is fair enough. Here is a screenshot of the Indy Pass cancellation policy taken from their website on May 28, 2020:

Loveland Ski Area Season Pass Renewal (includes Powder Alliance)

We are so bummed we didn’t make it for a single day of skiing or riding at Loveland during the 2019/20 season. But so thankful they are offering a $359 renewal pass. We can’t ignore that price for unlimited, unrestricted riding at Loveland, plus over 100 days at Powder Alliance and other partner resorts. Even if you’re not a renewing pass holder, it’s only $439 right now.

Loveland cancellation policy and our COVID-19 concerns

Again, we are not Colorado residents. In the event of another lockdown due to COVID-19, it’s possible we may not be welcome in the state. Local, state, and federal government directives may prevent us from traveling to Loveland or any partner resorts. And we may not have a desire to based on infection rates.

I love the simplicity of their cancellation policy. Loveland’s season pass is non-refundable FOR ANY REASON. We will not be expecting a refund regardless of any circumstance, no matter how much it sucks. We appreciate that the pricing is valid all the way until December 1, 2020. We can evaluate the COVID-19 situation later in the year, and decide if it makes sense to put our money on a Loveland pass.

Here is a screenshot of Loveland’s cancellation policy taken from their website on May 28, 2020:

Overall cost and free days for our 2020/21 season

To summarize, our plan is to purchase the following three season passes:

• Silverton Mountain’s Spring Unguided Premium + Powder Upgrade – $233
• Indy Pass (with blackouts) – $199
• Loveland Season Pass Renewal – $359

OUR TOTAL: $791

We get unlimited, unrestricted riding at Loveland, and unlimited unguided skiing at Silverton. And, we are entitled to over 160 days at other mountains in every state west of the Rockies, and more! But right now, we don’t have travel plans for the midwest, east coast, or abroad. Our best ski season ever, we rode just over 50 days, so we think our needs are well covered.

The partner resorts on the Silverton, Loveland, and Indy passes are far less crowded than those you find on Epic and Ikon, where you pay almost $1,000 for a pass. Our pass choices equate to more powder and less standing in line. As we’ve seen Timberline, Arapahoe Basin, and Crystal Mountain reopen for the 2019/20 season, reservations have been required due to COVID-19 safety precautions. We’re a little nervous about whether or not reservations will be necessary during 2020/21, and how that will affect the most popular resorts. We’ll stick to the little guys for now.

DISCLAIMER: The information provided may have unintentional inaccuracies. It is not a complete representation of season pass benefits and restrictions and is subject to change. It is not intended to promise any specific benefits upon purchase of any ski season pass. We encourage you to verify the data by visiting ski resort and season pass websites directly and reviewing the terms and conditions provided at the time of any season pass purchase.