Skiers are making pass decisions for the upcoming season and there’s a lot to consider. My family skied primarily on the Indy Pass last season. Living in the Hudson Valley it worked well for us. We’re likely to go with it again.
Last year the Indy Pass was new. For their sophomore season, they are tweaking the product a bit. Beyond the addition of more mountains, one of the big new features is that there are now kid prices. A regular Indy Pass will be $199 for adults and $99 for kids 12-and-under.
There will also be an add-on option. If you buy a season pass from one of the Indy mountains, then an Indy Pass would only be $129 additional. Last year we chose the only option: the very reasonable $199 stand alone pass. Here’s my recap.
The first stop on my “Indy Tour” was Catamount. It’s an old favorite for me and my kids. I brought them there for lessons years ago and always enjoyed skiing the hill. Catamount has recently seen some big upgrades, including a new lodge, new lifts and a number of new trails cut. It hasn’t lost its classic charm but the changes are welcome and definitely enhanced our skiing experience.
Of the “full size” mountains on the Indy Pass, it’s the closest to NYC. If my kids were younger, buying a season pass to Catamount with an Indy Pass add-on would be an easy choice for next year.
Our next stop was Magic in Vermont. I’m new to Magic but it is now one of my favorites. The terrain is diverse with enough challenge to keep me interested and the lift lines are generally short. The fun, welcoming old school vibe and the Black Line Tavern are a bonus.
Berkshire East was my first new discovery. I’d never been and I think I had some misconceptions about it. While any kid would be lucky to have this as a home mountain, calling it a family hill doesn’t do it justice. It has a wide range of different trails, including some steeper stuff. I was impressed by their operation: aggressive snowmaking and really well run lifts; my kind of place.
Two other new ski areas I visited were Shawnee and Mohawk. They are both smaller hills but each posses their own charms. I’d never skied either one before last winter but I wish I had. They are both ideal places to teach your kids to ski. Mohawk just oozed New England charm. They even have a covered bridge.
Shawnee is a classic feeder hill. I’d guess that the majority of the people there were taking lessons, many of them looked to be out for the first time. Watching so many never-evers figuring things out provided a lot of entertainment but it was also encouraging. If half the folks I saw snowplowing down that bunny hill stick with it, our favorite sport might have a future.
Before the early end to the season we got to Greek Peak too. It was my second time visiting Virgil NY and we had a great day. Greek is a great mix of old school terrain and updated infrastructure, including a big hotel and a water park. My kids especially enjoyed the tree skiing off of chair 2. I had plans to get back to Greek for a second visit but the craziness of last March intervened.
I also wanted to visit Bolton Valley and Suicide Six in Vermont last spring, not to mention several ski areas in New Hampshire. They would have been new resorts for us. Had I known what was coming, I might have squeezed more skiing into February, somehow.
Even with the craziness of last spring, we got $200 of skiing out of our Indy Passes. Math is not my thing but I’m pretty sure if we broke it down per ski day, our Indy Passes delivered 1980s-era pass prices. For our family and the way we like to ski, the Indy Pass was, and is a great option. We’re in again for the upcoming season.
NYSkiBlog is once again joining with The Indy Pass to bring exposure to independent mountains. This piece is part of our effort. For more information visit the Indy Pass website. And make sure to like our Facebook page for details on how to enter to win an Indy Pass, coming soon!
Nice report. I should have bought an Indy Pass last year. I skied all of those areas except for Mohawk last season. Shawnee and Greek Peak were on another pass.
I would be 100% in for this year except for 2 things. The uncertainty of the Covid restrictions, reservations, etc. and my daughter and son-in-law live near Boston and I skied Magic, Berkshire East and Catamount with them last year but my daughter is expecting their first child in December and I don’t think they’ll be doing much skiing this winter.
Thanks–I had a similar good experience with Indy last season. I’m not close enough to one mountain to be able to commit to a season pass. I also like exploring and enjoy the less developed, less crowded ski areas.
I also started at Catamount last year and skied Berkshire East and Bolton, with an evening stop at Pat’s Peak on the way up to Vermont from the Boston area. Pat’s is small and conditions were frozen the day I went, but all of the other mountains were quite enjoyable. Had planned on also skiing Magic and heading west to Silver Mt, ID and 49-degrees North, WA, but COVID stopped that. I purchased again for 2020/21. We’re likely staying in the Cape Cod area this winter and hope to ski Cannon, Black, Berkshire East, Magic, and Bolton.
Thank you for making Greek Peak one of your stops last season. We saw quite a few Indy Passholders and look forward to seeing more during the upcoming winter season. This season Indy Pass has added on a lodging component for Indy Passholders. Hope Lake Lodge, an Adirondack style lodge located across the street from Greek Peak, has been added to the Indy Pass lodging program. Hope Lake Lodge is offering a 20% discount on lodging to Indy Passholders. Black out dates may apply. Avoid the hustle and bustle and come relax while you enjoy Greek Peak Mountain and Hope Lake Lodge & Indoor Waterpark. Other attractions you can enjoy during your visit are: Snow Tubing, Cross Country Skiing, Mountain Coaster, Guided Zip Line Tours, Cascades Pools and Waterfalls Spa. There is no better way to social distancing than in the great outdoors at Greek Peak. 800-955-2754
Brownski!
Now I know why you were tied for most days on an Indy Pass last year! Keep up the great work and thanks for spreading the word about the #IndyRevolution!
Nice write-up. Yeah, too bad you missed Bolton and Suicide Six. Bolton is one of the most underrated ski areas on the East Coast. Great terrain and vibe. S6 was awesome too. Uncrowded trails with a mix of groomed and natural plus a terrain park basically to yourself. I’ll be using my Indy Pass for both again this year.
Indy for me as well. Love it. Just wish they had at least one Catskill resort on the pass. Also the insurance is a great update to the pass. Will be skiing it again this year. Nothing beats the 80ies prices as you mentioned. Nice read. Hoping for a another glade clearing at Platty. Haven’t heard anything. PEACE
Platty glade-clearing is 24 October 2020. Right, Harvey?
Great writeup. If you get back to Magic this year, please look me up (if you go back to the Magic thread on TGR, you’ll be able to find me). I know you skied with GetAmped and he’s truly a great ambassador.
One of my life goals is to buy a Sprinter van and turn it into a dirtbag camper and ski all the Indy Pass resorts in one season.
I’m guessing you subscribe to Stuart Winchester’s podcast; that’s what hatched this idea. Plus, it’s a cheap add-on to my Magic pass. I may not do it this year because of the uncertainty but 21-22 will be my first winter fully retired and that seem like a good time to make it happen.
MNIAW that would be extremely cool, and closely watched by Indy and us at NYSB. More than a dream, it’s a plan too.
Rocco, not sure where you got that date for the Plattework Day, but it is possible. It is being decided now, stay tuned to Facebook, or follow this post.
Thanks for the positive feedback everybody. Bill, I’d just pull the trigger if I were you. It doesn’t take many days for the Indy Pass to pay for itself. I don’t think it’s a big risk. MNIAW, I’ll definitely be back to Magic. I’ll say hi for sure. I’m looking forward to the Platty glade clearing myself. Hopefully another great season too.
My Name is August West….
Half of my life
I spent doin’ time for
some other fucker’s crime
Other half found me stumbling around
drunk on burgundy wine.
I plan on getting up to Magic again this year. Haven’t been in a few.