Ikon Pass Touts New Lodges, Lifts, and Terrain Ahead of Winter ’24/’25

A heck of a lot of new amenities are coming this winter across Alterra Mountain Company’s domain. From new lifts to expanded terrain footprints, it's a sizable pre-season makeover. All of it is accessible via the Ikon Pass, so if you’re still deliberating over which multi-pass to choose, let this inform your decision-making process.

New Lifts at Ikon Pass Resorts

In total, 28 new lifts are debuting this season at Ikon Pass destinations. Here are some highlights:

• Deer Valley is getting three new lifts: the Keetley Express—a six-person chairlift with a bubble—the Hoodoo Express and the Aurora.
• Mammoth Mountain is updating its Broadway Express with a new Doppelmayr D-Line 6-seat detachable chairlift. The lift has a 25% better hourly uphill capacity than its predecessor.
• Sugarbush is replacing its Heaven Gate lift with a fixed, 4-person lift.
• The new, six-person Super Angel—what a name, by the way—is coming to Banff Sunshine this winter.
• Big Sky is getting another 8-seater—the Madison 8.
• Sun Valley Resort will complete the replacement of the Seattle Ridge Chairlift, a detachable six-person chairlift.

New Terrain Expansions at Ikon Pass Resorts

Several Ikon Pass resorts are revamping their terrain footprints:

• Deer Valley’s monumental Expanded Excellence initiative is kicking off next winter with new beginner-level ski trails that return to the Deer Valley East Village. Over the next few years, this expansion will encompass a whopping 3,700 acres.
• Boyne Mountain Resort will open almost 18 acres of fresh, gladed terrain next winter.
• Arai Snow Resort in Japan is expanding its avalanche-controlled freeride zones.

New Lodges and Amenities at Ikon Pass Resorts

What good is a new chairlift if you don’t have a spot to suck down some chili between laps? Here’s where you can check out some new lodges next winter if you have an Ikon Pass:

• Crystal Mountain’s Mountain Common Lodge, a fancy new structure in the base area, will be fully online next winter. The 25,000-square-foot facility features a cafe, a dining room, and an expanded slopeside space.
• At Mammoth Mountain, Wooly’s Lodge boasts 6,000 sq. ft. of amenities, like public restrooms, ticketing, food & beverage, retail goods, and indoor and outdoor patio dining areas.
• Eldora’s Caribou Lodge is a futuristic kick. With a 52.65kW solar array, it’s self-powering.

What Else Is New at Ikon Pass Resorts?

Those are all the highlights, but additional, less exciting—but equally important—upgrades are coming to the Ikon Pass roster. Several destinations are upping their access infrastructure with improved ski shuttle fleets and larger parking lots. While parking might be the least glamorous thing about skiing, it can’t be neglected unless you are fond of driving in circles for hours after arriving at the hill.

Several ski resorts, like Stratton, Sugarbush, and Big Bear Mountain Resort, are enhancing their snowmaking systems. As with parking, snowmaking is one of those often unsung ski resort heroes—it’s not as thrilling as a swanky new lift or 200 acres of fresh terrain. However, snowmakers and their tools are vital in opening on-piste runs as early as possible. One upgrade at Winter Park is estimated to allow more early-season terrain openings.

What’s The Deal With All These Ikon Pass Resort Improvements?

Put simply: Alterra Mountain Company is putting considerable resources into its destination portfolio. The conglomerate recently announced a $300 million investment program that covers on-mountain improvements.

Boosting destinations within a resort company’s portfolio—Vail Resorts also comes to mind here—seems par for the course. In a news release published earlier this year, Vail Resorts CEO Kirsten Lynch said, “We expect our capital plan for calendar year 2024 to be approximately $189 million to $194 million.”

From afar, it looks a bit like an arms race—who can provide the best on-mountain experience at the most destinations? If the jostling means I can ride a chairlift that tells me my horoscope sometime in the future—that's a joke, by the way—I’m in.

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