The Indy Pass Buyer's Guide for the 2022-2023 Ski Season
The Indy Pass is hands down the best way to ski (affordably) in the Winter of 2022-2023. With five regions across Canada and the United States, as well as Japan’s inclusion for the upcoming ski season, Indy Pass buyers will have ample opportunity to enjoy a variety of trails and terrain at a reasonable cost.
Anyone paying attention to the ski industry could see that high school and college students*, as well as many casual and first-time, would-be skiers were priced out of anything more than a weekend away per season. Indy Pass resorts, ranging from the well-groomed trails of New England to the fresh powder of the Rockies in Western Canada and the U.S., will offer the chance for more time-on-trail, as well as the chance to crawl from indie ski area to ski area to see which resort you like best.
It's really a steal when you consider that one of the mountains on the resort, Jackson, New Hampshire's Black Mountain is selling their adult season pass for $649. So, for half the price, you can ski two days at Black Mountain, as well as two days everywhere else on the list of the resorts. We don't think you'll be bored buying an Indy Pass.
* Students who were paying for their lift tickets on their own dime.
Indy Pass Mountains and Partner Resorts
We know you care about pricing, and we’ll get to that in a bit. We’re just really excited by the Mountains and Partner Resorts that are included for Season Pass Holders that we wanted to start there.
The IndySkiPass is broken up into 5 North American regions and Japan. While it’s safe to assume that most continental resorts are in the North, the Mid-Atlantic Resort region will surprise you with several independent resorts in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. (Yes, the Mid-Atlantic gets snow too)
Here are the Resort Regions of the Indy Revolution.
East Resorts
Berkshire East Mountain Resort, Big Rock Mountain, Black Mountain of Maine, Black Mountain Ski Area, Bolton Valley Resort, Calabogie Peaks Resort, Cannon Mountain, Catamount Mountain Resort, Greek Peak Mountain Resort, Jay Peak, Magic Mountain Ski Area, Mohawk Mountain, Pats Peak, Saddleback Mountain, Saskadena Six Ski Area, Snow Ridge, Swain Resort, Titus Mountain, Waterville Valley Resort, and West Mountain
Midwest Resorts
Big Powderhorn Mountain Resort, Buck Hill Ski & Snowboard Area, Caberfae Peaks, Chestnut Ski Resort, Crystal Mountain, Detroit Mountain Recreation Area, Granite Peak, Little Switzerland, Loch Lomond Ski Area, Lutsen Mountains, Marquette Mountain, Mount Kato, Mt. Crescent Ski Area, Nordic Mountain, Nub’s Nob, Pine Mountain Resort, Powder Ridge Winter Recreation Area, Schuss Mountain at Shanty Creek, Seven Oaks, Snowriver Mountain Resort, Spirit Mountain, Sundown Mountain, Swiss Valley Ski and Snowboard Area, Terry Peak Ski Area, The Rock Snowpark, Treetops Ski Resort, Trollhaugen, and Tyrol Basin Ski and Snowboard Area
Mid-Atlantic Resorts
Blue Knob All Seasons Resort, Bryce Resort, Canaan Valley Resort, Cataloochee Ski Area, Massanutten Resort, Montage Mountain, Ober Gatlinburg, Shawnee Mountain Ski Area, Ski Sawmill, and Winterplace Ski Resort.
Rockies Resorts
Antelope Butte, Blacktail Mountain, Bluebird Backcountry, Brundage Mountain Resort, Castle Mountain Resort, Eagle Point Resort, Kelly Canyon Resort, Lost Trail Powder Mountain, Meadowlark Ski Lodge, Pomerelle Mountain Resort, Powder Mountain, Red Lodge Mountain Beaver Mountain, Silver Mountain Resort, Snow King Mountain, Soldier Mountain, Sunlight Mountain Resort, Sunrise Park Resort, Tamarack Resort, and White Pine Ski Resort
West Resorts
49 Degrees North Mountain Resort, Apex Mountain Resort, Arctic Valley Ski Area, China Peak, Dodge Ridge, Eaglecrest Ski Area, Hoodoo Ski Area, Hurricane Ridge Ski And Snowboard Area, Manning Park, Mission Ridge Ski and Board Resort, Mountain Resort Mountain High Resort, Mt. Ashland, Mt. Hood Meadows, Mt. Shasta Ski Park, Sasquatch Mountain, Ski Bluewood, Snow Valley, and White Pass Ski Area
Japan Resorts
Aomori Spring Ski Resort, Geto Kogen, Okunakayama Kogen, Shimokura, Tazawako
Cross-Country Skiing (XC)
Also, something we’ve yet to cover is their expansion into the Cross-Country skiing market. The list of XC resorts and ski areas that are covered by the Indy Pass is growing, so check the list often to see if they’ve expanded into your region.
49 Degrees North Nordic Center, Bear Valley Adventure Company, Black Mountain of Maine Nordic, Crosscut Mountain Sports Center, Enchanted Forest, High Point XC Ski Center, Jackson XC, Jay Peak Cross Country, Manning Park Resort, Maplelag Resort, Meadows Nordic Center, Nickle Plate Cross Country Ski Club, Rikert Nordic Center, Sovereign Lake Nordic Club, Treetops Cross Country, Waterville Valley Resort, White Grass Ski Touring Center, Woodstock Nordic Center
Allied Resorts
Allied Resorts are new, or at least, they seem new when compared to the Indy Pass of Winter 2021-2022. Lift Ticket discounts are the main benefit conferred to Indy Pass Holders when skiing at Allied Resorts. There are no “free days”, there is only a % taken off your ski pass during purchase. Each Allied Resort treats the situation a bit differently.
List of Allied Resorts
Allied Resorts, much like their counterparts, can be found in states like Illinois, Utah, and Wisconsin. Based on the names on the list - which we will include below - they seem to be smaller in overall square footage and vertical descent.
Some Allied Resorts are little more than ski school style training hills. One such “ski resort” is King Pine Ski Area in Madison, New Hampshire. It’s perfect for first-timers and your aunt who always wanted to learn, but never found the time once she had kids. King Pine also offers snowtubing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and ice-skating.
Bousquet Mountain, Burke Mountain, Cherry Peak Resort, Dartmouth Skiway, Dry Hill, King Pine Ski Area, Loup Loup Ski Bowl, McIntyre Ski Area, Middlebury Snow Bowl, Paul Bunyan Ski Hill, Sleeping Giant Ski Area, Snowstar, Whaleback Mountain, and Whitecap Mountains Resort
Indy Pass Pricing
What makes this special when compared to competing passes such as the Epic, Ikon and Mountain Collective ski passes is the extremely low cost. In theory, you can ski 200+ day per year for what it costs to ski at a resort like Whistler for a weekend. Sure, you’d have to spend a lot of money on travel to get to the 100+ resorts that range from Maine to Montana and beyond, but that’s an entirely different concern.
The Indy Pass comes in three flavors: Indy Base, Indy+, and the Indy Addon. Below are the details and prices associated with each tier.
Note: This pricing is accurate as of November 4th, 2022. Prices will change on December 1st, 2022.
Indy Base Pass
- Price: Adult $329 / Kids $149
- Pros: The price-to-run ratio is superb (especially for children)
- Cons: Blackout Dates apply
Indy+ Pass
- Price: Adult $429 / Kids $199
- Pros: No Blackout Dates
- Cons: We can’t really think of any. Maybe it’s not as budget-friendly as the Base Pass?
Indy Addon / Addon+ Pass
The Indy Addon Pass is for extending the Season Pass that you already purchase at an Indy Pass Qualified Resort. For example, if you own a Season Pass to Marquette Mountain in Michigan, you can acquire the Indy Addon or Addon+ pass to acquire 2 tickets to other Indy Pass resorts for less than the price of the Indy Base Pass.
In our estimation, it’s a way to acquire maximal skiing during the season without breaking the piggy bank.
Indy Addon
- Price: Adult $219 / Kids $119
- Pros: Allows skiers to enjoy more terrain reasonably
- Cons: Blackout Dates
Indy Addon+
- Price: Adult $319 / Kids $169
- Pros: No Blackout Dates
- Cons: Your Mtn’s Season Pass + Indy Addon+ is starting to get pricey
Payment Plan
Indy Pass offers a convenient Payment Plan to help spread out the cost of membership. Payment must be complete by November 1st.
Inquire at info@indyskipass.com
Indy Pass FAQs
Who Maintains the Indy Pass?
According to OnTheSnow, Doug Fish owns and operates Indy Pass. And that honestly feels like something out of an 80s movie. Just the idea that one person can make a difference in the corporate fiefdom that has becoming the skiing industry should be enough to convince anyone on the fence of a purchasing decision to fall on the side of the Indy Pass.
Doug, if we ever catch you out at Apres, first round on us.
Does Indy Pass Qualify for any Discounts on Lodging?
Yes, certain hotels, lodges and resorts offer a discount to Indy Pass holders. If you’re interested, you should search on their Lodging Deals Map on their website at https://www.indyskipass.com/lodging-deals/. Blue pinned accommodations offering a discount.
Also, booking through Indy Pass with VRBO has some sort of kickback to the independent skiing industry, so give that some consideration as well when making your rental decision.
Does Indy Pass Offer Pass Protection?
Yes, Indy Pass does offer a Pass Protection program that delivers a full refund for customers who do not use their pass during the 2022-2023 ski season. Zero means zero, as in Zero Days Used.
Pricing for Pass Protection
- $30 Indy Pass
- $40 Indy+
- $15 Kids & Kids+
When Does Indy Pass Change Prices?
Prices are established at a discounted rate for the upcoming ski season on September 13th. On December 1st, prices lock-in higher for the season. During the Spring, prices continue to fall to best represent the total amount of available skiing days left. It’s truly a ski pass that caters to its constituency.
What are the Blackout Dates?
The Blackout Dates vary by mountain and resort. For the most accurate information, consult the Indy Pass Blackout Date calendar here: https://www.indyskipass.com/season-blackout-dates/
Are There Any Promo Codes Available?
None that we know of. There is always some chat on Reddit about folks trying to score a discount or two through some promo codes, but nothing concrete that we know about. Indy Pass does a fair job of being transparent with their pricing model and doesn’t seem to offer random codes for discounting.
Do Recurring Annual Pass Members Get a Discount?
We believe there is a 10% discount for returning Indy Pass holders, year-over-year.
The Final Run of the Day
Do we foresee residents of New York traveling to an Indy Pass Resort in Alaska or Idaho just to save a dollar or two on their lift ticket? No. No, that feels a bit unreasonable.
What the Indy Pass does well is offer skiers a pragmatic way to maximize their time-on-trail at ski resorts in the Indy Pass Region that they reside in. Vermont residents no longer need to pay for two lift passes at Killington when they can ski for two months worth of weekends at a variety of local New England resorts.
That’s truly what we love about the Indy Pass. So thank you, Doug Fish. May your powder always be the freshest.