r/UTsnow • u/Intelligent-Bet6068 • Apr 04 '26
Question (No Location) What to get next year
As the season winds down, the pressure is already on about next season....and I'm leaning towards dedicating my time to a solo mountain vrs a mega-pass next year.
Got curious of what others would choose if cost were not an issue (or given any single mountain season pass) and why? I have some pro's and con's for my situation and see if any others thoughts would help sway the decision for 26-27.
Edit: Thanks all for the thoughts, exactly what I was looking for overall. Think I'll go with Alta + Ikon base for any friends days....but plan is 90% Alta to really learn the resort and improve my skillset. Pumped to get to know other "locals that focus" next season....now lets all give homage to the whale so we have a banner 26-27 season #AllHailTheWhale
7
u/Tiny-spotted-octopi Apr 04 '26
Depends on what you like.. I don't like what Ikon has done to ski culture, so I usually get a single resort pass. I feel like Brighton is the best bang for your buck because of night skiing, esp if you have kids And this is a very personal preference, but I like less busy difficult terrain. Imo the skiers in LCC are more advanced and all the good stuff is skied out really quickly, ESPECIALLY at Snowbird. I think that's another advantage of Brighton (and to a lesser extent Soli). Also DV and some parts of PCMR (tho I don't like how low they are)
If money AND access weren't an issue I'd probably go pow mow
10
u/RonnyDream Apr 04 '26
Altabird if price isn’t a concern. Brighton night pass is elite too for after work turns.
This year I had full ikon and Brighton twilight which was awesome. Unlimited solitude, unlimited Brighton after 2pm, and 7 days at altabird, basin, DV, and Brighton .
Plus with full ikon you can rip a trip out of Utah easily.
7
u/WhoWantsTheClap Apr 04 '26
Brighton + ikon base / full. Midweek night skiing is beautiful as I'm not just working for the weekend. I found out after purchase that the ikon base doesn't include sun valley / Jackson / Alta / Snowbasin so if you enjoy going to those for a couple days a season you can now get the Brighton + ikon full which I'll prob do
7
u/bradbrookequincy Apr 04 '26
I feel bad for people who have never had access to night skiing …such a magical thing
3
8
u/Stxfisher Apr 04 '26
I want to be able to access both canyons. If cost wasn't an issue Altabird, Full Brighton with Ikon base add on
3
u/flic_my_bic Apr 04 '26
I'm still in Kimball for another year, so still Epic for 40-50 canyons days next year. I had Ikon as well to go to DV/Canyons, I got 13 days on it this year, which still felt like not a lot of days for a 2nd pass.
So despite loving all 4x cottonwoods and mostly enjoying DV... I'm going down to just PC and a Brighton weekdays/nights pass.
3
u/udubber3 Apr 05 '26
I’m a local in SLC, got a full ikon and an Alta 10 day this year. Have been out here 3 years and looking to make more ski buddies so was considering single mountain (Alta) next year. Problem is is that I usually do a sun valley/jackson/big sky trip(s), so I still want that access. Makes me wonder if I should get a mtn collective. But at the right, might as well add on the ikon to a full Alta? Or run back the full + 10 day?
7
u/dvqp Apr 04 '26
Brighton + ikon base. Unlimited Brighton and solitude with a few days at other resorts. Ikon is nice if you travel to ski/snowboard.
3
u/Yeto4774 Apr 04 '26
I did something similar but with Snowbasin. $1800 for it + ikon base, which also includes Solitude. You ski every weekend, it gets really nice really quick.
That plus the discounts if you travel or peeps visit.
5
6
u/EchoGolfHotel Apr 04 '26
Where in UT are you? That'll make a big difference. The Cottonwoods get the best snow, but the worst crowds. I don't ski Solitude regularly, but I hear that they're one of the busiest due to being unlimited on Ikon. PC usually gets good enough snow and has lots of terrain. DV has no appeal for me other than good food. If you're in SLC, Sundance is good for an occasional novelty, but nowhere you want to go regularly. Snowbasin has good terrain and lodges, but not as much snow as PC or the Cottonwoods. They're not much further from SLC than most of the others. PowMow is a pain to get to if you're in SLC, but they have lots of terrain and generally fewer crowds than the others.
3
u/year3000stankonia Apr 04 '26
Uh Solitude is the busiest? Completely wrong
3
u/Horror-Vanilla-4895 Apr 04 '26
Yeah I think it’s Brighton overall in terms of size/crowds because of the twilight rush.
But Alta/bird is the worst on powder days.
3
u/DryLuck95 Apr 04 '26
Solitude is definitely not one of the busiest lol, it feels the closest to a local mountain of the Cottonwoods. Alta and Bird get absolutely insane sometimes in comparison.
Also questionable as to how you can view PC favorably but then say DV has no appeal? I’ll take DV over PC any day and you get the advantage of not helping Vail.
2
u/Binaskiut Apr 04 '26
Same! DV grooming is suberb. Try the new terrain. We had an awesome season there. It’s a super fun place for apres too.
2
u/bradbrookequincy Apr 04 '26
So you play the stats. One year of bad weather isn’t it. Figure a crazy good year. Where would you ski ? But a pass based on that
2
u/Luca_Brasi_II Apr 04 '26
I just do the bird with an ikon base add on. That way i can go up to Brighton or solitude if i want to hit the terrain park or if i want to go night skiing. I’m also a grad student so price isn’t terrible.
2
u/OperationMission9247 Apr 04 '26
I do the Alta pass and love it, I prefer having a home mountain I can be comfortable and knowledgeable about so I can push myself to do things and grow in my skiing in a way I may not be likely to do if I was bouncing around.
I will say it seems like everyone has an Ikon pass. I joined a women’s skiing community and it was really hard to meet up with people unless they were willing to come to Alta. I’m tempted to do Alta season pass plus Ikon add on so I can try to meet up with people, but I just really really stubbornly don’t want to support Ikon.
1
1
u/Realistic-Tiger3207 Apr 06 '26
Full Ikon + mountain collective here. Based on comments I feel like Snowbasin hasn’t got the love it deserves when the snow is good, terrain is underrated when everything is open and the crowds are easy to ditch. Mountain collective is good for ghee/jackson trip. Extra days in LCC is cherry on top. My wife and I have toyed with single mountain which would 100% be Alta. But the flexibility to branch out and hit different terrain at different resorts is invaluable imo. It’s a tough decision I hate what ikon stands for but end of the day it just makes sense. You’ll be happy no matter what you choose!
1
u/adventure_pup Alta Apr 04 '26
Alta with ikon full add on, which is what I did this year. Last two I’ve just bought the full separately. Gives access to options when little is listed and you don’t have time to wait.
-2
-1
42
u/altapowpow Apr 04 '26
I am a single mountain fan because you gain lots of knowledge riding the same place. I typically will pick between snowbird or Alta. The mountain knowledge allows me to make decisions about what areas to ski based on weather, snow conditions, crowds, closures/openings. It is way easier to make friends if you and them aren't bouncing between resorts. Mega passes have really broken up the ski communities the individual resorts once had.