After years of head-to-head competition, the Epic and Ikon passes are now employing very different strategies from each other. Background If you’ve planned a ski trip in North America lately, you probably already know that access to most major destination mountains has become increasingly defined by two passes: Epic and Ikon. These two…
When it comes to a day at a ski resort, ski lifts are a vital part of the experience that makes your day great, enabling you to ski down the mountain without taking any physical effort to get up. But despite the engineering marvels behind them, there are a couple of ski lifts out…
When it comes to planning to a destination ski vacation these days, it feels like the only way to go is accepting the reality of huge lift lines on weekends and holidays, committing to one of the two mega passes ahead of time, and exorbitant lift ticket prices for those who wait. But what…
MOUNTAIN SCORE #7 in the Northern Rockies 67 #42 Overall WRITTEN REVIEW MOUNTAIN STATS CATEGORY BREAKDOWN See our criteria 6 Snow: 6 Resiliency: 6 Size: 7 Terrain Diversity: 6 Challenge: 8 Lifts: 7 Crowd Flow: 7 Facilities: 7 Navigation: 7 Mountain Aesthetic: GOOD TO KNOW 1-Day Ticket: $59-$89 Pass Affiliation: Powder Alliance On-site…
MOUNTAIN SCORE #9 in the Northern Rockies 66 #52 Overall WRITTEN REVIEW MOUNTAIN STATS CATEGORY BREAKDOWN See our criteria 7 Snow: 6 Resiliency: 6 Size: 6 Terrain Diversity: 6 Challenge: 8 Lifts: 8 Crowd Flow: 7 Facilities: 6 Navigation: 6 Mountain Aesthetic: GOOD TO KNOW 1-Day Ticket: $93-$167 Pass Affiliation: Indy Pass On-site…
On December 27, 2025, visitors to Colorado’s Telluride ski resort arrived to a milestone day in the resort’s history. That day marked the start of the first full resort shut down due to a ski patrol labor strike in North American history, with the resort’s ski patrol union voting to authorize that disruption due…
If you’ve skied in North America over the last decade, one thing’s for certain: the industry as a whole feels more corporate. Resort personality is being replaced by eerily standardized operations. The high-speed six-pack outside might be brand new, but the $25 burger in the lodge tastes the same as at every other resort.…
Background In late 2020, skiers in Utah began encountering tantalizing offers online: “Discounted Ikon and Epic Passes”—season passes for world-class ski resorts at prices well below face value. Behind these offers was 29-year-old Jamilla Greene from Fort Mill, South Carolina, who, along with other associates, launched these ads marketing two of the ski industry’s most…
One of the East’s best and most beautiful ski resorts has shut down due to a resort-wide strike. It is now clear that labor frustrations this winter are not exclusive to Telluride. On January 2, 2026, Quebec’s Le Massif de Charlevoix abruptly shut down all mountain operations following the start of a legal…
MOUNTAIN SCORE #24 East Coast 52 #111 Overall WRITTEN REVIEW MOUNTAIN STATS CATEGORY BREAKDOWN See our criteria 5 Snow: 5 Resiliency: 2 Size: 5 Terrain Diversity: 6 Challenge: 5 Lifts: 8 Crowd Flow: 3 Facilities: 8 Navigation: 5 Mountain Aesthetic: GOOD TO KNOW 1-Day Ticket: $57-$68 USD ($80-$95 CAD) Pass Affiliation: None On-site…
