THOMAS-SCHROTH

On Thursday, the Indy Pass announced a suite of access changes for the upcoming season, as well as a reopening of pass sales over the next few days.

In total, 43 new resorts have been added to the Indy Pass, though that number has quite a few asterisks, as some resorts included are for nordic skiing, and some are actually multiple resorts. By our count, 38 downhill resorts have been added this year, with two of those providing access to multiple areas (though you still only have two days at those as a whole).

Mont Sutton and Owl’s Head have been added to the pass, and Burke has been upgraded from an allied partner to a full partner, further cementing its place as one of the most extensive pass products in Northern New England.

The Indy Pass is adding resorts of all sizes across the world, from the 170 ft vertical of Hyland Hills in Minnesota, to the over 500 km of trails and 150 ski lifts of Portes du Soleil on the French-Swiss border.

The complete list of downhill ski areas added to the pass is:

• United States – 12

  • Burke Mountain Resort – Vermont

  • Buffalo Ski Club – New York

  • Cuchara Mountain Resort – Colorado

  • Dry Hill Ski Area – New York

  • Hilltop Ski Area – Alaska

  • Hyland Hills Ski Area – Minnesota

  • Little Ski Hill – Idaho

  • McIntyre Ski Area – New Hampshire

  • Mt. Eyak – Alaska

  • Mt. LaCrosse – Wisconsin

  • Sunburst Ski and Snowboard – Wisconsin

  • Tenney Mountain – New Hampshire

• Canada – 10

  • Centre Vorlage – Quebec

  • Hockley Valley Resort – Ontario

  • Marble Mountain – Newfoundland

  • Mont Sutton- Quebec

  • Mont Edouard – Quebec

  • Owl’s Head – Quebec

  • Ski Mont Habitant- Quebec

  • Smokey Mountain – Labrador

  • Ski Valle Bleue – Quebec

  • Val D’Irene – Quebec

• Europe – 13

  • Glenshee Ski Centre – Scotland

  • Hochzeiger Pitztal – Austria

  • Krvavec Ski Resort – Slovenia

  • Leukerbad Torrent Ski Resort – Switzerland

  • Norefjell Ski and Spa – Norway

  • OK Bergbahnen – Germany (7 mountains

  • Palandoken Ski Resort – Turkey

  • Pila – Italy

  • Pitztaler Gletscherbahn – Austria

  • Portes du Soleil – France and Switzerland (12 mountains)

  • Rauriser-Hochalmbahnen – Austria

  • Riksgränsen and Björkliden – Sweden (2 mountains)

  • Steinplatte Tyrol – Austria

• Asia and South America – 3

  • Corralco – Chile

  • Canmore Ski Village – Japan

  • Kurohime Kogen – Japan

In addition, those who have not bought an Indy Pass yet will have their chance to do so now. A limited number of passes are on sale, but they will likely sell out quickly.

Indy Pass 101

The Indy Pass is a budget alternative to the better-known Epic and Ikon season pass products. Unlike its more expensive counterparts, Indy only offers two days at each full partner resort. However, the list of partners is lengthy, with at least 170 independent downhill ski resorts across the East Coast, Midwest, Rockies, West Coast, Japan, and Europe. Indy also features a handful of “Allied” ski resorts; access to these mountains is not fully included on its passes, but is significantly discounted.

The full press release can be found here: https://www.indyskipass.com/this-is-indy/news/2526-indy-passes-back-on-sale-after-adding-43-new-resorts-across-10-states-and-14-countries

Our Take

East Coast Additions

While the Indy Pass only allows for two days at each partner, its density of resorts in the east has made it a strong competitor to the Epic and Ikon passes. While the resorts aren’t generally up to par with top-tier resorts like Killington, Tremblant, or Stowe, heavy hitters such as Jay Peak, Cannon, Saddleback, Waterville Valley, Bolton Valley, and Magic Mountain have made it a desirable buy for those looking to chase storms across New England.

The new additions this year are not the strongest overall in the Northeast, but each have some upsides. Mont Sutton adds another snowy area akin to Jay Peak just across the border, and nearby Owl’s Head has incredible lake views as well as modern lifts. Both of these are on the smaller size and have some dated infrastructure however, so those looking for the best mountain experience within driving distance of Boston may want to look elsewhere. Other local resorts such as Tenney and McIntyre in New Hampshire and Dry Hill and Buffalo Ski Club in New York make the Indy Pass a strong competitor for those who love to Ski the East but don’t mind smaller and less-built-up mountains.

West and Midwest Additions

In contrast to the Eastern additions, there isn’t much to say for the other North American resorts added. The Midwestern additions are all quite small, though they do provide easy day trips for those in the Twin Cities or Wisconsin. The Western additions are similar, either being incredibly small or incredibly remote, or both.

International Additions

Perhaps the most compelling addition to the Indy Pass is actually found across the pond. Portes du Soleil is the second largest ski domain in the world (after Les Trois Vallees), and the largest on a US-based megapass. Indy also added a few other heavy hitters in Europe, including Italy’s Pila, Norway’s Norefjell, Sweden’s Riksgränsen, Switzerland’s Leukerbad, and Austria’s Pitztal Gletscher.

For more information on the Indy Pass, check out our breakdown of Indy vs. Epic, Ikon, and Mountain Collective in video form below.