Aspen Skiing Company has announced their season pass prices, and they’re shocking, to say the least.
Aspen’s Premier Pass, which has unlimited access and no blackout dates, starts at $2,599 for adults with price increases capping out at $3,099 if purchased after December 3rd.
Somehow, in the time of Epic and Ikon passes charging around $1,000, Aspen is able to charge nearly 3x for access to their mountains.
Granted, Aspen sells considerably less passes than Ikon and Epic, and probably wants to keep it that way, but I still can’t wrap my head around it.
Premier Passholders get an Ikon Base pass to boot, but even still I can’t fathom shelling out that much money for a pass.
One can assume, however, that the majority of people buying these passes are the millionaires that own vacation homes around Aspen, and therefore can afford to shell out $3k.
^Aspen Snowmass, Credit: Chase Baker on Unsplash
It’s also important to note that the Premier Pass is available for Chamber Members for $1,699. Chamber Members are defined as individuals who work in the Roaring Fork Valley, and their employer is part of their local chamber of commerce.
Essentially it’s a pass for people who work and live in the area near Aspen, and it excludes remote workers.
You can click here for all of Aspen’s season pass options.
That’s a nice deal for the people who call Aspen home that don’t want to shell out a buttload of money for a season pass, but that’s still more expensive than any Ikon, Epic, or Indy Pass.
Hell, that’s probably more expensive than most regular full-priced season passes at any given ski resort in the country.
I could probably check that claim using The Storm Skiing Journal & Podcast’s impressive spreadsheet of season passes, multi-passes, and more in his mega-spreadsheet, but I’m feeling confident in shooting my shot. You can check out that incredible document here.
^ Credit: Vlado Sestan on Unsplash
I want to be clear that I’m not necessarily knocking Aspen for charging $3,000 for a season pass. At least they’re not making it dirt-cheap like the Epic Pass and over-crowding their resorts to make more money.
I’m just saying that seeing a sticker price for a season pass that’s nearly 3x my monthly mortgage payment is just a little bit jarring…
Aspen’s gonna Aspen. You can’t blame them for it.
Featured Image Credit: Aspen Gondola, Joshua Sukoff on Unsplash
Head Image Credit: Aspen Highlands, Adam Rinehart on Unsplash