Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Powder
The Affordable Colorado Ski Pass That Tends to Fly Under The Radar
By Ian Greenwood,
2024-08-07
It might be an Ikon and Epic world, but that doesn’t mean other multi-pass options don't exist. Enter the Gems Pass, a family-oriented pass product series purveyed by Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA).
Similar to the Mountain Collective Pass or Indy Pass , the Gems Pass offers two days of skiing at each participating ski resort. The sticking point—or selling point—is that many of these ski resorts aren't big names.
While the ever-popular Arapahoe Basin is among the 11 ski resorts included, many of the options are more lowkey, like Monarch Mountain, Granby Ranch, and Echo Mountain. In a state known for its crowded slopes, this could be a pro, not a con, particularly for families teaching their kids to ski.
To purchase the primary Gems Pass adult variant—the $325 Gems Parent Pass—you must first grab a Ski Passport or a Gems Teen Pass for your kiddo. Only one Gems Parent Pass is permitted per household, and quantities are limited.
“[The Gems Parent Pass] is designed to help CSCUSA continue to fulfill its mission: that is, to help get new-to-the-sport and non-core skiers and riders on the slopes—in as large numbers as possible,” notes the Gems Pass FAQ section. “In order to maximize our reach to loyal customers like you , sales of the Gems Parent Pass are limited to one per household.” If both parents in a household are hoping to ski next winter, CSCUSA recommends also grabbing a Gems Discount Card.
The kids and teen options—the Ski Passport and Gems Teen Pass—offer different types of access at a reduced cost. The Ski Passport expands the included resorts to 20 and provides four days at each for kids in grades three to six. It costs $67. The Gems Teen Pass, for kids ages 12 to 17, is priced at $199 and offers two days of skiing at 11 resorts.
Depending on your appetite for Colorado’s larger destinations, a few Epic Pass variants are considerably cheaper than Vail Resorts’ headlining, $1004 pass. The Keystone Plus Pass costs $399 and provides unlimited access to Keystone—excluding peak dates—as well as limited access to Crested Butte and Breckenridge. The Summit Value Pass, at $602, provides unlimited Keystone and Breckenridge skiing (Breckenridge access excludes peak dates).
To use an old cliche—there's more than one way to skin a cat. And options abound for Colorado families looking to squeeze the most out of their ski season without shelling out too much cash.
Be the first to read breaking ski news with POWDER. Subscribe to our newsletter and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of skiing. From ski resort news to profiles of the world’s best skiers, we are committed to keeping you informed.
Submit your best clips for a chance to be featured on POWDER. Tune in and watch handpicked, high-quality ski videos streaming all day long on POWDER TV , and subscribe to our YouTube channel .
the funny thing is if establishments were more reasonable they would be booked out for months and not lose money but seriously I'm not paying thousands of dollars to go skiing or for anything for that matter that's just inefficient and terrible financing
LB Baker
08-08
What a mess. Sad to see the greed of people trying to destroy this beautiful state
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.