Yeah, I could see this as a good option for you and anyone who is able to plan at least a trip or two and has a lot of free time. When they dropped Deer Valley (and did not add Snowbasin) from the Base it was not a good option for me anymore. Even the years when I did the Big Sky/Steamboat trips I felt that having essentially four season passes was just too much (Alta/Bird, Brighton Twilight, and IKON base). If DVR and Snowbasin were on it I might do the add-on.Correct. No full Ikon add-on, only base, at Snowbird. But pretty good deal at $369.
I usually get a lot of value out of that base ikon pass, as I usually ski a number of days at Solitude with friends that go there a lot, and a few days at Brighton. I also often ski in CO a few days with it every season. This winter I did not ski CO, but used it in Chamonix, France (three days) and in Banff, Canada (five days). Probably used it about 15 days so far this winter total. Might go to Brighton one more time this mid-week?
I have to tabulate this stuff, but probably after my season ends
I also think that I have always been used to/conditioned to skiing at one or at most two places as a regular. Growing up my family could only afford season passes to the town ski hill (the Lyndon Outing Club) as they were like $80 a season. I'd ski the discount days at Burke, Bretton Woods, or Cannon. But it was pretty much being a "local" at the Outing Club or Burke and knowing each very, very well. In college I did the "ASC All East" one season but was most interested in only skiing at Sugarbush. I did a fair amount at Killington/Pico, and did some day trips to Attitash and Sunday River, but I was not really interested in going to multiple areas. I never made it down to Mount Snow in College or even later in law school when I did the ASC All East again (it was pretty much Killington/Pico as my go-to spot). My senior year of College I had a Sugarbush and Jay/Burke Pass, but even then I was mainly at Sugarbush. Again, I find that folks my age or older are just used to being a regular at one place and knowing it and the locals very well. The familiarity is important to me. I have my favorite lines, runs, stashes, and tree runs at Alta/Snowbird and Brighton. I also know how the weather patterns impact these areas and where to go depending on the conditions. It's taken years and I am able to appreciate it on a deep personal level as opposed to always feeling like a stranger in a strange land.
In the last three years or so it has been almost exclusively Alta/Snowird and Brighton for me and I am very happy with that. During the season I find myself craving certain favorite areas and plan accordingly. In LCC I find myself hitting one area and then heading over to the other to ski my favorites over there. I can't relate to folks who are constantly on the go skiing multiple areas in a season. It just is not how I ski, but I certainly can see the appeal of this as well because there are a lot of options for exploration. But I am just a grounded skier.
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