Sun Valley and Snow Basin switch to Ikon Pass: Travel Weekly

Alterra Mountain Company’s Ikon Pass has poached the Sun Valley and Snowbasin ski areas from Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass for the 2022-23 ski season. 

Idaho’s Sun Valley and Utah’s Snowbasin are both part of Grand America Hotels & Resorts, a company owned by the Holding family. They’ve been on the Epic Pass since the 2019-20 ski season, with passholders eligible for as many as seven days on each mountain, depending upon which Epic product they bought. 

• Related: Alterra spending $344 million on ski resort capital improvements

With Ikon, holders of the entry level Ikon Base Pass won’t have access to either of the popular ski areas. However, holders of the pricier Ikon Base Plus Pass will be able to ski each mountain for up to five days. Ikon’s premier product, Ikon Pass, will offer seven free days next year at Sun Valley and Snowbasin. 

Those various access rules are part of Ikon’s move to increasingly differentiate its top-tier Ikon Pass and mid-tier Base Plus products from the Base Pass. This year, only the four Aspen-area mountains and Jackson Hole were available on Ikon and Base Plus, but not the Base product. The top-tier adult pass costs $270 more than Base. Base Plus costs $150 more than Base. 

Next year, along with adding Sun Valley and Snowbasin, Alterra will move Utah’s Deer Valley and Alta off the Base Pass, making them available only to Ikon and Base Plus pass holders. Counting each of the Aspen-area mountains separately, that means there will be nine Ikon Pass ski areas that are not available for Base Pass holders. 

Ikon will also add France’s Chamonix Mont-Blanc Valley next year to all of its products, with five ski days available to Base and Base Plus passholders and seven ski days available to Ikon Pass holders. 

Passes go on sale March 10. Base Pass will cost $769 for adults. Base Plus will cost $969. Ikon Pass will cost $1,079.

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