M.A.X. Pass

FB post said that sales would start on March 14.  Prices for teens and kids were in a reply to a question.  There was also general teaser info on the Sunday River website that mentioned >40 places.  The MAX Pass FB post specifically mentioned 44, losing Steven's Pass while adding the ORDA mountains and two in the midwest.

$629 for adults
 
$429 for teen (13-17)
$329 for youth (6-12)
$29 for child
 
$329 for the adult add-on pass

ADmiKe wrote

As a ORDA pass holder for many many years, my initial reaction was sh*t, what could this do crowds wise.  

As there are no blackouts the busy weekends will get busier but the rest of the season will be less crowded.  Lots of people are going to do what Matt suggested and not buy a pass.  This could turn out badly for Orda but with the Epic threat they probably didn't see any other options.  Unlike other Mts that can just sell to Vail or one of the few others that will be left standing in 3 yrs Orda has no end game.

I just checked the Max pass website, and a Gore mid-week pass is eligible for a Maxpass upgrade at $329, so $728 for both.  That's cheaper than the all days Ski3 pass! A Ski3 non-hoiliday +Max pass is less than $200 more than the full Ski3.   I'm gonna jump on one of those before Orda figures that out.

mm

Gore non-holiday pass is M-F only.  Used to be weekends too, maybe that was a long time ago.  

I haven't been to the forum in a while, depressing season for me, only 2 days so far due to my car dying in November. This MAX pass has lifted me out of the doldrums, just logged in to see if you guys had jumped on yet. This is a dream come true for me, probably more days than I can ride in the NE next year at awesome resorts, and perhaps do a little traveling. The west coast offerings look meh, but who cares!

Next season will be a MF BLAST. I put down my deposit already.

I went for it,  deposit paid.  I think the balance is due is September.  This is a no brainer for me, I ski about 25 days on the Ski3 Pass, I still get to tramp around the ORDA mountains for 15 days and now have some great options for the other 10 or so trips.  Price is better too.  

Wow. If you're a Utah fan, this pass combined with the Mountain Collective can get you 17 days there. Alta Snowbird is now seperate on the MC, so, choose one of those as your three day, and five days in little Cottonwood canyon. Then five days at Solitude and five at Brighton, so ten in Big Cottonwood. Then top it off with two days up at Snowbasin. Of course, you could be like me right now, waking up tomorrow morning to record warm temps at Snowbird and snow that's as stale as two week old bread. Hahahaha. And there's two feet of fresh back home. Hahahaha.

Hahahaha. You're alright  Benny ! Say, your pass use plans are grand that is, if we all had the world by the ass as you do.  

Good luck. Hope you get dumped upon.

I don't think this will actually kill season pass sales too bad. We did the non-holiday orda season pass and the full boat max pass this year. With the $160 saved on our orda passes I figure our max passes cost us $440. The way I read the rules for this new combo is you have to get a full boat $759 orda pass to get the add on max pass. So last year I paid $599 orda plus $599 maxpass = 1198 . This year I will save $110 by doing orda full boat plus maxpass $329 add on for $1088 total. For us this was a huge game changer this year. After 12 years of skiing gore and whiteface we were ready to try something different. We explored getting a place at sugarbush for the season but the numbers where just too high with a place, daycare, etc. The maxpass allowed us to explore and still call gore home for most of the winter. Here's the good part:

1. 5 days at Mont Sainte Anne (Xmas time not crowded at all)
2. 2 days at Killington (I'll blow the rest this spring)
3. 1 day at Pico
4. 1 day at Brighton
5. 4 days at Tremblant (Epic Disney crowds at pres weekend. Never again).
6. 3 days at Fernie (trip report to come)
7. 3 days at Kicking Horse (trip report to come)

We may do an easter weekend trip to okeemo/stratton/killington or even maine if conditions permit. We have been able to explore some new places including ones that were never on my radar (msa and fernie). Plus I have 25-30 days at Gore plus 4 at park city (boys trip that insists on PCMR). Other than missing the two biggest EC powder dumps while being out west its been a great season.

If I didn't have kids in the programs at gore then I might skip the orda pass. For me it still makes sense. For those of you looking into the maxpass, the Canadian resorts are the best value IMO. Tremblant is a bit spendy but Fernie, Kicking Horse and MSA are all very reasonable (lodging and food) BEFORE the 30-40% discount due to exchange rate. Oh yeah, all three are kick ass mountains to boot.

We met a woman from the berkshires on a lift in fernie who took a 2 month sabbatical with her husband, loaded up the van and were doing a max pass tour of the west. Crested Butte, Winter Park, Big Sky, Fernie, Kicking Horse, back down to Steamboat. That would be an expensive trip without the maxpass. If I was her I would add another month and head out to bachelor and WA state. If you tacked on the mountain collective you could do close to 4 months without buying a day pass.

Belleayre has a a Bell only senior pass (65 +) that's only $329, and it's Maxpass eligible.  Bell + Maxpass for only $658.  That would be a no brainer for me if Gore had that.  It's odd that only one ORDA mountain offers it.

mm

Where are you guys seeing these other passes being eligible? When I look at the FAQs for the maxpass here https://www.themaxpass.com/faqs/ It shows the only passes eligible for add on is full SKI3 at gore and WF and full SKI3 or Full season pass at Bell. No other passes for these 3 mountains are listed as eligible.

Danzilla wrote

Where are you guys seeing these other passes being eligible? When I look at the FAQs for the maxpass here https://www.themaxpass.com/faqs/ It shows the only passes eligible for add on is full SKI3 at gore and WF and full SKI3 or Full season pass at Bell. No other passes for these 3 mountains are listed as eligible.

Yep. Dan is right.

I'm doing the Max Pass only for next year. If it turns out that 5 days isn't enough for me at Gore and WF, I'll go back to some ORDA pass option for next year. But having Killington, Pico, Okemo, Belleayre, and Windham to choose from, I think I'll be okay.

Also, I'd love to do some western/Quebec trips next year. Bring on that Fernie/Kicking Horse TR!!!

I know I know. I am a slacker. I just haven't had time to rotate all of my pow pics using the iphone trick. I'll likely not get to it until early next week. If anyone is thinking about KHMR, Revelstoke or Banff resorts the snow there is fantastic. Fernie got a little rained out while we there. Not sure if it has bounced back.

Matt you will love KH. Its a double diamond terrain park. Think four bowls of rumor (with and without cliffs and trees) combined with great pow.

Danzilla wrote

Where are you guys seeing these other passes being eligible? When I look at the FAQs for the maxpass here https://www.themaxpass.com/faqs/ It shows the only passes eligible for add on is full SKI3 at gore and WF and full SKI3 or Full season pass at Bell. No other passes for these 3 mountains are listed as eligible.

The Belleayre site shows this:

**When purchased as an add-on to the Belleayre SKI3 Season Pass, the M.A.X. Pass Add-on does not include tickets at Belleayre, Gore and Whiteface Mountains.  When purchased as an add-on to the Belleayre Only Full Season Pass, the M.A.X. Pass does not include tickets at Belleayre, but does give you 5 days at Gore and Whiteface Mountains.  The Non-Holiday and Midweek passes do not qualify for the Add-On.  

A "full season pass" for seniors is $329 for Belleayre only, and you get 5 days at Gore and 5 at WF with the Maxpass add on.  That's less than a Ski3 if you are 65 to 69.  I wish Gore had that.

mm

Headed to Banff next week. Super stoked to say the least!

I am definitely going to do this with the belle season pass! It is worth it alone for the killington early and late spring days and other VT mtns to explore! Plus a payment plan

Considering doing the Max Pass standalone for the family (3) - 5 visits to each ski area and I would says 8 of the areas in the east are day trips from the Albany, NY area - Belleayre, Windham, Gore, Whiteface, Stratton, Okemo, Pico and Killington.  It covers a weekend in NH possibly ME or out west if I'm so lucky.   If we ski as much as the last couple years it should be under $30 a visit.

The more I look at it the more the Max Pass makes sense. That's a lot of skiing and a lot of variety for the money

Maxpass makes a lot of sense now, but after Aspen bought Intrawest they'll probably drop Stratton, Temblant, Winter Park and Steamboat.  That makes it a lot worse for me.

mm

they already announced that commitments for this coming season would be honored