SAM Magazine—Granby, Colo., Feb. 27, 2024—Early-bird pricing for the 2024-25 Indy Pass will remain steady at $279 when it goes on sale March 1 to current and past passholders as well as people on last year’s waitlist, who can buy it for $329. Indy Pass currently has 185 independent resort partners, and the company is offering a money-back guarantee that it will grow to at least 200 partners for 2024-25, i.e., pass purchasers can opt to forgo their pass and get a refund if they have access to fewer than 200 ski areas by next season.

Indy recontracts with its pass partners each season and has not yet released a list of participating resorts for next season. “This process takes time,” said Indy Pass founder Doug Fish, “but we are confident our total roster will increase significantly by next season.”

"The majority of the new Indy partners are domestic,” Indy owner Erik Mogensen told SAM, “but there will be announcements in the fall of additional international partners." Last year, Indy added its first European partner, Austria’s Ski Welt, and the pass has been expanding its footprint in Canada and Japan. 

Last April, Indy Pass suspended sales after just 10 days of sales to the general public because of the high volume of renewals and new purchases. The company plans to limit sales of the pass again this year. Any available inventory following the passholder renewal and waitlist sales period will open to the general public March 8. 

"We expect to sell out even faster [this year],” said Mogensen, adding that Indy plans to reopen limited sales again in the fall, depending on new partners.

When asked if limited sales and the addition of at least 15 new partner resorts would impact redemptions, and thus revenue, for existing partners, Mogensen said, “We use our extensive data to forecast that capacity so we can ensure we don't have that problem. We don't see a fall off for our partners. [Their] yields are up, and our partners like the payout."

Indy Pass holders get two days of skiing or riding at each of its partner resorts, as well as discounts at allied resorts. Some regions have a higher density of Indy Pass partners, such as New England and the Midwest, than others, but Mogensen said the redemption range for passholders is, on average, 265 miles.

Despite Indy’s sell-out-in-spring status, Mogensen said the pass is still geared toward casual skiers and riders. "It's actually less of a core product than it was,” he said. “When it started, it was the bro guy skiing 15 days a year [buying the pass], now we see less core skier types buying Indy because it allows casual skiers more flexibility and options.

"Skiing has become an extractive experience for our guests, and that is going to be a problem for [the ski industry] in the coming years,” Mogensen added. “Our most important goal should be keeping people skiing and riding."

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