You’ve heard of the Epic and Ikon passes, but have you heard about the Mountain Collective pass? Well, it’s time to freshen up.
Created in 2012 to help independent mountains compete against Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass, this lesser-known ski pass includes blackout-less access to a number of independent mountains across the U.S., Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, and Europe.
The Mountain Collective pass isn’t as flashy or outward-facing as its counterparts, but it sells itself to the people who seek it out — people who think of skiing or snowboarding as more than a hobby or pastime.
What are the benefits of the Mountain Collective pass?
The Mountain Collective pass offers far-reaching benefits, such as discounts on lift tickets and lodging, low price points, and quick access to the slopes.
The skiing and snowboarding
Let’s cut right to the skiing and the snowboarding. When you purchase your Mountain Collective pass, you instantly gain access to two days of free skiing at 24 resorts across the globe. Along with the wide array of access, the pass includes zero blackout dates. That’s right, no more paying the price-gouging $70 or whatever bucks extra to ski or snowboard during the holidays or on MLK weekend.
But now you may be asking yourself, “What if I’ve used up my two days of skiing at Jackson Hole and still have another two days left on my vacation? I don’t want to come down with a case of F.O.M.O. while my buds are out and ripping that Wyoming pow.”
Well, the Mountain Collective has already thought of this problem and crafted a pretty nifty solution: After your two days of free skiing are up, you can purchase additional lift tickets for 50% off. That’s a better single-ticket discount than either the Epic or Ikon pass.
The best part is you don’t even have to wait at the ticket window for these discounted passes. Roughly half of the resorts affiliated with The Mountain Collective pass let you connect a debit or credit card to your pass, so if your days of free skiing run out, you can skip the line and ride right up to the lift and the scanner will automatically charge a day pass to your account.
Just because your free days are up, doesn’t mean your snowboarding has to end.
The lodging and amenities
As part of being a Mountain Collective pass holder, you are granted special lodging discounts at select Mountain Collective resorts. Discounts range anywhere from 10% off hotel booking to “book three nights and get the third night free” deals at select slope-side lodges. Each resort has its own unique discount, so visit The Mountain Collective’s resorts page and take a look at what they have.
The bottom line
To wrap up, The Mountain Collective pass offers access to a handful of unforgettable snowboarding and skiing experiences all over the world, and its mission to help smaller independent mountains stay in business and compete against Vail Resorts is pretty sweet as well.
The pass isn’t unlimited access, but it doesn’t come without blackout dates and provides a pretty thrifty discount on day passes. Plus, its low price point makes it so the pass begins to pay for itself after just five or six days of skiing (depending on where you go, of course).
So, try something new this winter and go with the Mountain Collective pass.
