Navigating Beyond Epic and Ikon: The Unique Allure of Colorado’s Independent Ski Areas

Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass and Alterra’s Ikon Pass are juggernauts in Colorado’s nation-leading ski industry, representing 14 of the state’s busiest ski resorts and the lion’s share of its skier-days. 

Nonetheless, the state’s independent ski areas don’t cast themselves as underdogs. In fact, they see what they’re selling as a different product altogether. 

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Just west of Salida, Monarch Mountain has long countered the Epic Pass with reciprocal partnerships that give passholders free and discounted days at a number of other resorts.  

Loveland Ski Area, with some of the nearest slopes to Denver, is one such partner. “That’s huge for us, because we have a similar vibe in both of our ski areas,” says Monarch Marketing Director Dan Bender. “They attract similar people, but there’s really no motivation to drive a couple hours to get to Monarch unless you’ve got a couple of free tickets. 

“I don’t spend very much money in the Denver market because Denver is not ours, it’s Loveland’s, it’s A-Basin’s. But if we can get on their coattails and get people to come over and try us out, that’s incremental business to us.” 

Bender says the destination resorts on Epic and Ikon are “a different animal” than Monarch. “What makes Monarch unique? It’s a simple answer: It’s the people. Because it’s the one consistent thing we have. The snow isn’t, the weather’s not.” 

Not that Monarch is resting on its laurels. In September, the ski area proposed a 377-acre terrain expansion to the U.S. Forest Service. “Our numbers have been growing steadily over the last few years, so we just feel it’s time to do it,” says Bender, noting that skier-days have increased from 135,000 in 2001-02 to 210,000 during the 2022-23 season. 

At Loveland, the growth trajectory is back on track after COVID-19 derailed it for a couple of years. “Last year was our third-busiest season ever,” says John Sellers, Loveland’s marketing director. “We’re expecting that trend to continue.” 

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The heart of the market is “people who are looking for a little different experience,” says Sellers. “We’re a short drive from the Front Range, we typically get more snow, and you don’t have to deal with the crowds here. 

“It’s a little more laid-back, local vibe here. While certainly the bigger resorts around us are selling lots of passes, there’s still a lot of folks that are looking for something a little different. And we’re able to offer that to them.” 

Like Monarch, Loveland has numerous reciprocal partnerships that give passholders free lift tickets at other resorts. “It’s a way for us to add a little bit of value to our season pass products. I guess that is partly in response to some of the megapasses out there.” 

Rosanne Haidorfer-Pitcher, vice president of marketing and sales at Wolf Creek Ski Area in southwestern Colorado, says her pitch is focused solely on snow and skiing. “We’re not trying to sell anyone on nightlife here, because it’s not here,” she laughs.  

And there definitely are customers looking for that: Skier-days are on the rise, jumping by 8 percent during the 2022-23 season. 

Wolf Creek eschews reciprocal partnerships, in part due to its status as the state’s snowiest ski area. “It used to be that storm cycles kept people away, and now storm cycles attract the customers,” says Haidorfer-Pitcher. 

Instead of cutting into Wolf Creek’s business, the Epic and Ikon passes actually provide a catalyst largely based on comparison shopping, she adds. “I think it helps our business because a lot of times we have really excellent snow and our lift ticket prices aren’t as high as some other areas.” A same-day lift ticket costs $89, where it has eclipsed $200 at many major resorts in Colorado. 

A new beginner lift will start turning for the 2023-24 season, continuing a trend of reinvestment at Wolf Creek, with a major base area upgrade on schedule to begin in 2024. 

Conor Hall, director of the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office, says that skier visits were up  “across the board” for the state’s 2022-23 season. “Vail and Alterra have really moved the ball forward on getting more people skiing … but these small resorts still play an important role in the broader ecosystem,” notes Hall. 

“These independent resorts are an important economic piece in terms of jobs and economic impact in many of our rural and resort communities, but also, I think, core to our identity as a state. When I grew up, my hometown mountain was Monarch Mountain. And there’s nothing quite like a small-town mountain like that, just the character of it and the history.” 

Denver-based writer Eric Peterson is the author of Frommer’s Colorado, Frommer’s Montana & Wyoming, Frommer’s Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks and the Ramble series of guidebooks, featuring first-person travelogues covering everything from atomic landmarks in New Mexico to celebrity gone wrong in Hollywood. Peterson has also recently written about backpacking in Yosemite, cross-country skiing in Yellowstone and downhill skiing in Colorado for such publications as Denver’s Westword and The New York Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected]