Max Pass - where would you go Xmas & Pres week?

Not sure if ORDA is allowed to, being state run.  None of the Catskill mountains are on it either.  Windham is independently run and would be the most likely, as for Hunter to join would require all of Peak Resorts to.  Mountain Creek joined for this season.  They used to be Intrawest and are now independently run, so it's nice to see them in a multi-resort pass deal with their former sister resorts.

One more addition today.  Stevens Pass in WA was added, so all the main ski areas near Seattle are on the MAX Pass.

Maxx is not an ownership group, its a collective sales method.  Orda uses Liftopia so there is no reason they could not join Maxx as a sales and marketing coop.  Its essentially a longer term version of Liftopia.  

Anyone no who actually owns Maxx?  Is it a true Coop where you have to buy in?  I don't think so - I think it is a company that is essentially marketing this product and gets ski areas to sign on.  My assumption is that they share the revenue based on actually ski days used at each resort except for the add on passes which the home area probably gets a cut right away.  So the company acts as a fiduciary to hold the funds than distributes them in the spring or possibly by the month is what I assume.  Below talks about the revenue sharing but without details.

http://mail.saminfo.com/headline-news/8689-m-a-x-pass-adds-10-more-resorts

It's a little late in the game to be adding mountains, but when you add all of them, wow. At the very least my calculus for xmas looks like it would need adjustment.

That's it.  Park, go to the hotel, take a lift from the village.  That doesn't exist in Banff, WF, North Conway, Jay or Stowe (since the main town is down the mt. road).

Tremblant is about the same size as Jay - ~2100 vert. and about the same number of useful lifts.  Tram v. gondola, etc.

Jay has certainly built up quite a village as well as a criminal legal bill in the process of their Ponzi scheme

ml242 wrote

It's a little late in the game to be adding mountains, but when you add all of them, wow. At the very least my calculus for xmas looks like it would need adjustment.

 I find it amazing that they keep adding resorts for this year even though I would think tons of these already have been sold.  The value just keeps getting better.  I bought it because my son will be racing at several of these places and I have a trip planned for the spring to Mt Bachelor.  

There are now so many eastern mts signed up for this that if you don't have a home mountain and wanted to road trip every weekend some where its a hell of a great deal.  There are now 8 ski areas on this within 3ish hours of Boston and another 5 within 5 hours and then you throw in the potential for a western trip or two. A dedicated New England based skier could easily rack up 60 days on this pass.  If you bought it last spring you would be under $10 a day for lifts.  Its not quite as good for NJ / NYC based skiers but still quite a remarkable value.

They are out Epicing Vail with this deal at least in the East.  At this point it seems that as an Eastern Ski area you absolutely need to join this or face the a huge loss in your season pass sales.  Orda marketing are you guys awake?

D.B. Cooper wrote

That's it.  Park, go to the hotel, take a lift from the village.  That doesn't exist in Banff, WF, North Conway, Jay or Stowe (since the main town is down the mt. road).

Tremblant is about the same size as Jay - ~2100 vert. and about the same number of useful lifts.  Tram v. gondola, etc.

NO.  Tremblant is almost twice the size of Jay.  Jay has 385 acres and Tremblant has 630.  If we're talking about useful lifts, then I assume we're neglecting beginner and real estate access lifts.  Tremblant has a gondola, 5 HSQ's (Flying Mile, TGV, Le Soleil, Duncan, and Expo), 1 fixed quad (The Edge), and 1 triple (Lowell Thomas) in this category.  They have 3 real estate/parking lifts (Cabriolet, Casino Gondola, and Porte Du Soleil triple).

Jay has 1 tram, 1 HSQ (The Freezer), 1 fixed quad (Bonaventure), and 1 triple (Jet) using the same criteria.  You're neglecting the beginner lifts (Taxi and Metro Quads) and the real estate access lift (Village Double).  Tremblant has as many HSQ's alone as Jay has useful lifts.

MAX Pass started out as a joint venture between Intrawest, Boyne, and Powdr where M.A.X. is supposed to stand for for Multi-Alpine Experience.  Intrawest had a "Passport" for 2014-15 that was based on the same idea . . . buy a season pass and pay a little more to get a few days at a selected list of other ski areas.

This article mentions there was a LLC created:
http://www.seniorsskiing.com/breaking-news-ski-boyne-intrawest-powdr-launch-m-a-x-pass/
"Boyne, Intrawest and Powdr combined to form a fourth company, PassCO, LLC, that will handle online sales of M.A.X. passes."

The Mountain Collective started in 2012-13 with four destination resorts.  Up to 12 for 2016-17.  I think the MCP started adding destinations well after spring sales were closed starting for 2014-15.  Stowe was added in August 2015 as the first in the east, at the same time as Taos.

The first Epic Pass by Vail was for the 2008-09 season.  Of course, Vail has bought quite a few places since then.  Including three ski areas in the midwest that are close to major metropolitan areas and major airports.

Milo Maltbie wrote

ml242 wrote

Powder bought Eldora, that could be a nice add for Denver residents and East Coasters looking to make a pit stop out west.

I'm hoping they add Eldora as well, but I don't think it will happen.
I think Eldora is close enough to Winter Park that WP would veto Eldora, at least for this year.  Max Pass added Buck Hill recently, but that really doesn't compete with anyone.  

MM

I thought they wouldn't add any new resorts to Maxpass once they began selling them.  Now it looks like they add resorts every time they bump the price.  I'm happy I was wrong this time.
Maybe I'll buy a camper van for a 6 week Denver to Kicking Horse road trip.

MM