Aspen Snowmass – Jordan Curet
Aspen Snowmass announces a new pass line-up and will resume selling 2020-2021 season passes Wednesday, Oct. 7. New this year, the Valley Weekday Pass and the Valley 7-Pack will join the Premier Pass, offering a range of products that allow purchasers to customize their access and experience. The new products offer great value and flexibility and will help manage capacity at the busiest times of the season.
“Skiing feels more vital than ever this season, a chance to connect with nature and enjoy time outside with friends and family. So, we’ve worked thoughtfully to come up with a pass and ticketing strategy that addresses the reality of operating in a pandemic and maximizes our chances of staying open for the full season,” says Mike Kaplan, president and CEO, Aspen Skiing Company. “Our passes and pricing this season are designed to spread people out and enable capacity controls should the pandemic require them. The product selection will allow our guests to choose the product that works best for them, and to contribute to keeping the season going through April.”
The new Valley Weekday Pass is for Roaring Fork Valley residents only and gives passholders a full season of access to the four mountains of Aspen Snowmass, Monday through Friday, with a handful of days blacked out over the Holidays, and costs $899 for Chamber members ($999 non-Chamber) through Nov. 13. Additional days can be purchased for weekends and the holiday blackout period at a discount of at least 50 percent off the 1-day ticket rate. The discount amount will vary throughout the season, and will be displayed online at www.aspensnowmass.com/valleypass. Valley Weekday Passholders can add one Valley 7-Pack to their purchase giving passholders unlimited weekday skiing and seven weekend days for the best available price.
The new Valley 7-Pack costs $399 through Nov. 13, and gives purchasers seven days throughout the season, with a limited number of blackout dates over the holidays, with the flexibility to add more days, or days during the blackout period, for at least 50 percent off the 1-day ticket rate. This product is for Roaring Fork Valley residents only. Pricing for additional days will be displayed online at www.aspensnowmass.com/valleypass.
Aspen Skiing Company is providing a complimentary Gratitude Valley 7-Pack to all Roaring Fork Valley teachers and school workers and select frontline workers at area hospitals. In addition, select employees on the front lines at area grocery stores will receive a complimentary Gratitude Valley 7-Pack.
“It has been inspiring to see our valley come together over the last six months, and we owe a huge debt to our essential workers who keep our community going,” says Kaplan. “This is our small way of saying thank you, and giving these committed workers the opportunity to get out in the fresh cold mountain air and make some turns.”
The Premier Pass, which provides unlimited skiing/riding across all four mountains with no blackout dates, an Ikon Base Pass, more than $1,000 in exclusive benefits, and unlimited summer gondola and chairlift sightseeing access, costs $1,799 for Chamber members ($2,399 non-Chamber) through Nov. 13, 2020. The exclusive benefits include transferable vouchers providing discounts on lift tickets, lessons and rentals in addition to passholder discounts of 50 percent off lift tickets at Mountain Collective destinations, and discounts on ski/snowboard lessons and rentals from Four Mountain Sports. Premier senior passes cost $1,799, Premier Child, Teen and College cost $899, and Premier Silver costs $819.
New safety protocols will be instituted across every aspect of the business, including new technology that will allow for contactless commerce and pick-up of season passes. Operating procedures will include distancing protocols, face-coverings, limits in buildings and all recommended health and safety measures from County and State agencies. In addition, redesigned operating procedures will be introduced in ski school, lift lines, on-mountain dining and in rental and retail stores. New technology will allow for “digital distancing” with many of the processes that formerly took place in person.
“The health and safety of our community, employees and guests is our ultimate goal, and everyone should understand that we each play a part in this season’s success,” says Kaplan. “We learned a great deal through our summer operations and we have been applying that to our plan for winter.”
Businesses located and operating in the Roaring Fork Valley and that are members of the Chamber of Commerce in the community in which the business is operating are eligible to purchase Chamber Pass vouchers for their qualifying employees and employees’ spouses. A new electronic process will be used for Chamber pass purchases. There are two pricing deadlines for individual and Chamber member Premier, Valley Weekday and Valley 7-Pack products:
All season passes are good for early and late-season openings. Season passes are nontransferable. Passes are fully refundable through November [21] (if unused), thereafter, passes are nonrefundable. Fraudulent use is subject to a fee.
2019-2020 Passholder Credit Details
In recognition of the abbreviated 2019-20 season, Aspen Snowmass issued all 2019-20 passholders credit to apply towards 2020-2021 purchases. Credits are valid on all Aspen Snowmass pass, lift ticket, activity, rental and lesson purchases through April 30, 2021. Credits are not valid for on-mountain dining or hotel stays at Limelight or The Little Nell properties. Credits do not have to be used in one transaction. Credits may be used for online, over-the-phone and in-person purchases. Credits cannot be redeemed for cash. Credits for Chamber passes were issued to the business that purchased the pass, not the individual passholder.
Reservations
Aspen Snowmass intends to start the season without requiring reservations on any Aspen Snowmass products. *[1] Reservations may become required based on prevailing state and local Covid-19 metrics as determined by health and government agencies. Should these metrics show an increased rate of community spread that initiates additional restrictions and regulations, we may implement a reservations system across all products. If this happens we cannot guarantee that every passholder will be able to obtain a reservation on the days they want. The system can flex based on changing metrics.
* Ikon passholders are all required to make a reservation through the Ikon reservation system, though we intend to start the season with no limitation on inventory. Mountain Collective passholders are strongly encouraged to pre-fulfill before arriving.
Refund Policy
If operations are shut down due to Covid-19 for 10 or more days of the season, we will issue refunds, prorated for each day we are fully shut down compared to our published season dates, for all passes, except the Valley 7-Pack and Classic Pass. Refunds will not be issued in the event we implement a reservation system regardless of whether you are able to obtain a reservation for your desired days. All pass products are 100% refundable through November 20, 2020. Unused day tickets are fully refundable.
Blackout Dates
Valley Weekday and Valley 7-Pack blackout dates are December 26, 2020 – January 2, 2021 and February 13 – 14, 2021. Discounted extension days may be purchased during these periods.
Pass Insurance
All season passes are fully refundable through Nov. 20, 2020. After that date passes are nonrefundable and unused days have no value. For information about how to cover your season pass investment through Travel Guard’s Multi-Event Insurance, go to www.travelguard.com/multievent or call Travel Guard at 866-385-4839.
All season passes are fully refundable through Nov. 20, 2020. After that date passes are nonrefundable and unused days have no value. For information about how to cover your season pass investment through Travel Guard’s Multi-Event Insurance, go to www.travelguard.com/multievent or call Travel Guard at 866-385-4839.
Operating dates for the 2020-21 winter ski season are as follows:
For more information about Aspen Snowmass, visit www.aspensnowmass.com or call (800) 525-6200. Follow Aspen Snowmass @aspensnowmass on Twitter and Instagram, or at www.facebook.com/aspensnowmass.
About Aspen Snowmass
Established in 1946, Aspen Snowmass owns and operates four mountains – Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk – creating premium, sustainable and transformative experiences in recreation, culture and nature. In addition, the company runs the award-winning Ski & Snowboard Schools of Aspen Snowmass, Four Mountain Sports rental and retail shops, and a collection of sustainably-sourced on-mountain food & beverage outlets. Aspen Snowmass works to drive positive social change through climate, community, and minority group advocacy and investment. For more information about Aspen Snowmass, visit www.aspensnowmass.com. Follow @aspensnowmass on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.
