We have a few forumites heading to Apex this winter, so post away as you feel led. Opening day is this coming Saturday December 7. sly-karma - long time local - will be around during the season Beerman and family - Maybe Crystal Clan - Jan 8th - Jan 24th Toff, Woggy, Hoppy - Jan 27, 28 approx Copakid - Jan 14-24 Wasatchskier - local
Thought you would have added yourself to the list @sly_karma, being a local and all Beerman and family is still tossing up SS or Apex/Manning Park etc. Will see who has the goods mid-late Jan.
Upper half has plenty but temps fluctuated a lot on the lower half so snowmaking only really effective the past two weeks. Opening day they will have the T Bar and magic carpet. I predict long lineups with racers, freestylers and excited public all hoping for those early season turns. I've decided to be part of the solution by staying home.
@sly_karma : has there been much talk about the Indy Pass? I just realized that Apex is on it. A friend got Indy to check out Castle when she flies to Calgary for a late season trip. I know of someone in Washington State who plans to hit Apex and Castle on a driving ski trip. I won't use Indy outside my home region this season. Got one because it was the first multi-resort and multi-regional pass to include the U.S. southeast and mid-Atlantic since it was announced before Vail Resorts added Peak Resorts locations to Epic. At US$199 for 2 days at each location, it was an easy decision.
Yes I noted they joined Indy Pass, it's on the Apex website but that's about all I've heard. Mostly a locals mountain, anyone in the south Okanagan skis either Apex (intense terrain) or Baldy (cheap pass, laid back vibe). Not many bother with the drive to BW or SS, it's at least double the time each way. The reverse is true though, albeit on a small scale: race and freestyle families from Kelowna come to Apex to train and compete because the facilities and access are a lot better. Always a few people from the metro Vancouver area who are regulars because they purchased property at Apex and spend every weekend here.
That's true of a lot of mountains on the Indy Pass. One idea behind the Indy Pass is to encourage folks to explore a new mountain that they may or may not have heard of before. In some ways, the Indy Pass is a collection of regional multi-resort passes. With the advantage of being overseen by a life long skier who has a lot of experience marketing skiing and ski resorts. Doug Fish and his marketing company got Subaru started on the idea of co-marketing with ski resorts. Initially in the Pacific Northwest but spread to other regions. Recently Fish retired in order to have more time for projects like the Indy Pass. He'd been thinking about the idea since 2017 and had more than enough contacts in the ski industry to come up with a viable business plan and roll out. The list has gone from about 20 ski areas to 46 as of Dec. 4, 2019, with two added this week. The goal was 25 in the first season and 50 by the second. Might make 50 for 2019-20. Been fascinating to watch the list grow since June. Nov. 30, 2019, NYSkiBlog interview Doug Fish and Birth of the Indy Pass
We have Mission Ridge in WA season passes and hence Indy Pass benefits. I love Apex so a cheap deal is always an incentive to head there. And the wineries. And Sly
I'm a little confused. The Indy Pass is a separate purchase for about US$200 from a season pass. Although a few places are offering Indy at a discounted rate. Mission Ridge is also on the Powder Alliance, which provides 3 free days at Alliance locations. That list includes Castle, but not Apex. A couple Indy locations in the east are also part of the Freedom Pass, which works like the Powder Alliance for a different list. The difference from a business perspective is that the Indy Pass has a small cost to join, but brings in revenue to a ski area each time it's used. So it not only provides marketing outside the local region, it also can produce lift ticket revenue.
