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Ikon Finalizes Enhancements to 69% of Partners—Seriously(Vol. 6)

Welcome to the latest PeakRankings newsletter! In this series, we round up the best news and deals from the ski industry.

The Scoop 👓

Ikon Pass ski resorts are in for a whole lot of investments for the upcoming 2023-24 season 😮‍💨

As per a press release from the high-profile pass issuer, of the 55 resorts on the pass, a whopping 38 (❗️) of 55 Ikon resorts are seeing some sort of practical investment.

Big Sky’s Lone Peak, pictured here, will be accessible via a new 75-passenger tram for 2023-24.

Very few of these enhancements are new news. All the terrain and lift upgrades, with perhaps the exception of Copper’s new beginner trails (which were previously proposed but not confirmed), were announced at some point in the past.

But what’s notable about this release is that this is likely the finalized slate of upgrades for the upcoming winter.

With all the upgrades now set in stone, now’s probably a good time to break them all down and explain what this upcoming season’s pass holders can expect.

A Full Breakdown of the Full Suite of Upgrades 📊

Ikon Pass resorts are seeing all sorts of enhancements, ranging from major terrain expansions, to lift upgrades, to low-profile but important infrastructure projects.

It’s all a bit much to conceptualize, so we’ve broken it down for you in table form below!

Highlights:

• Terrain expansions: 5 resorts (+1 trail alteration)

• Lift upgrades: 22 resorts

  • Includes four mountains with multiple lift upgrades

• Beginner enhancements: 8 resorts

• New or renovated on-mountain lodges: 12 resorts

• RFID compatibility upgrades: 3 resorts

• Snowmaking enhancements: 15 resorts

A table showing the enhancements at every Ikon Pass partner resort.

Biggest Projects 🛠️

 Big Sky Lone Peak Tram 🚡

• Montana’s largest resort is seeing a replacement for its iconic aerial tram, with a 500% capacity increase and more-than-doubled lift line length. The new lift will make it much more convenient to lap the tram and reach the summit from Big Sky’s base.

• Unfortunately, access to the Lone Peak Tram will continue to be priced as an extra-cost add-on, with the fee moving to a “per-ride” structure versus last year’s “per-day” cost. As a reminder the Lone Peak Tram is the only aerial lift in North America that is not included in the price of a regular lift ticket.

• Our full analysis on this development can be found here.

Steamboat Wild Blue Gondola Stage II and Mahogany Ridge 🚢

• This Colorado resort is realizing two massive projects this winter:

  • The Wild Blue Gondola, which, over the course of two stages, will become the longest unicable detachable gondola in North America.

  • An expansion into Mahagony Ridge, which will bring 650 acres of lift-served and hike-back advanced and expert terrain.

• Steamboat has long struggled with lift logistics and expert terrain access, and these projects promise to significantly alleviate these issues.

• Our full analysis on Steamboat’s master plan, including these developments, can be found here.

Sugarloaf West Mountain Expansion 🦞

• This Maine resort will debut the largest East Coast terrain expansion in over a decade this winter, served by a new high-speed quad.

• With 300 additional acres of beginner and intermediate-oriented terrain, Sugarloaf may become the largest ski resort east of the Mississippi depending on the final acreage measurement.

• Our full analysis on this expansion can be found here.

Aspen Mountain Hero’s Expansion 🌳

• Aspen’s town hill is in for its first expansion since the year 2000, with a new 153-acre, expert-oriented terrain zone debuting in late 2023.

• This new, easily lappable high-speed zone should effectively counteract less-than-ideal logistics in other expert-oriented resort areas.

• Our full analysis on this expansion (previously referred to as Pandora’s) can be found here.

The second stage of Steamboat’s Wild Blue Gondola will be completed for the 2023-24 season. The unfinished angle station is pictured here in late 2022.

Other Notable Upgrades 🔧

• Sun Valley, Idaho is completely overhauling its Warm Springs base area and adding two new detachable lifts. Full analysis here.

• Sunday River, Maine is replacing its issue-prone Barker lift with a state-of-the-art bubble six-pack. A small, real-estate-focused terrain expansion is coming as well. Full analysis here.

• Taos, New Mexico is upgrading its Lift 4 to a detachable quad and replacing its Pioneer lift. Full analysis here.

• Snowbasin, Utah is building a much-needed infill six-pack out of its Strawberry zone and adding a patio to its Strawberry Lodge. Full analysis here.

• Brighton, Utah is adding its first-ever mid-mountain lodge and replacing its workhorse Crest lift. Full analysis here.

• Schweitzer, Idaho and Loon, NH are both seeing beginner-oriented expansions with new lifts.

• Sugarbush, Vermont is regrading its Reverse Traverse trail to provide easier access from the Valley House Quad to the Heaven’s Gate lift.

• Copper, Colorado is completing a brand-new mid-mountain lodge. The resort is also adding new beginner trails and glades off its Lumberjack Lift.

Remaining Investment Roundup 🪛

• The following resorts are replacing older lifts with newer, higher-capacity models: Solitude, Mount Bachelor, Winter Park, Mammoth, Snowshoe, Alpental, Thredbo, Dolomiti Superski, Kitzbühel

• The following resorts are enhancing their learning areas: Revelstoke, Stratton, Taos, Boyne Mountain

• The following resorts are constructing new base lodges or completing significant renovations: Steamboat, Schweitzer, Winter Park, Snowbasin, Deer Valley, Sugarbush, Crystal, Windham, Snow Valley, Bear Mountain

• The following resorts will now offer full RFID lift access: Tremblant, Stratton, Crystal

• The following resorts will see snowmaking upgrades: Eldora, Mammoth, Steamboat, Copper, Sugarbush, Sunday River, Panorama, Sun Peaks, Killington-Pico, Sugarloaf, Windham, Blue Mountain, Boyne Mountain, Dolomiti Superski, Thredbo

Slopes at Sun Peaks (pictured) and 14 other Ikon resorts are in for snowmaking enhancements for 2023-24.

What This Means For You 🎿

Have an Ikon Pass for next winter and haven’t planned your trip yet (or just considering a trip to one of these mountains)? It’s practical to consider these enhancements when working to determine where to go. Several resorts look to offer significant terrain, lift, resiliency, and lodge enhancements that may make a considerable difference to your overall mountain experience versus previous seasons.

There’s always some risk associated with planning to visit an upgraded resort area in its first season (many resorts had teething problems with lift installations last year), but if you’re excited at the prospect of checking out a brand new piece of a ski resort, it may still be worth planning a trip to one of these upgraded mountains.

Still not sure? Let us make the trip decisions for you ✈️

Thinking of visiting one of these resorts—and not sure how these investments will impact your trip? Try out PeakRankings Trips, our new trip-planning service. We can plan every aspect of your trip, whether it be to the mountains mentioned here or over 90 destination ski resorts across North America!

BOOK A CONSULTATION 📞

Things we can plan:

• Accommodations (Hotels/Airbnbs)

• Flights/Shuttles

• Rental Cars

• Road Trip Itinerary

• Lift Tickets/Passes

• Lessons

• Equipment Rentals

• Event Spaces

• Restaurants

• Other Leisure Activities

To get started, book a consultation or fill out this form!

Any questions/thoughts? Respond to this email and we’ll get back to you!

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