COLORADO — As warm temperatures and record-low snowpack plague the ski season, one company is offering to pay its passholders to come ski.
An email sent to some Ikon passholders Tuesday offered $20 "mountain credits" for each day (up to three days) skied at U.S. Ikon resorts between now and Feb. 25 for up to $60 in credits.
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The credits can be used at participating restaurants, rental shops and retail stores in Steamboat and Winter Park, as well as at ski resorts in other states. There are more than 60 Ikon Pass destinations across 13 countries, including Winter Park, Arapahoe Basin, Copper Mountain, Eldora, Steamboat and Aspen Snowmass in Colorado.
The offer comes as the slow start to the season has been cutting into revenue from things like lodging, dining, rentals and other money skiers typically spend once they're on the mountain.
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Alterra, the company that owns the Ikon Pass, doesn't report skier visits, but its top competitor, Epic Pass-operator Vail Resorts, reported a 20% drop in visitors and a a 15.9% drop in revenue from food sales earlier this season. The company attributed the drops to "one of the worst early season snowfalls in the western U.S. in over 30 years."
Mountain credits will be added to skiers' Ikon accounts by March 6 and expire May 31, an email announcing the promotion said. Skiers and riders must register for the promotion to be eligible.
It's not clear if these types of credits have been issued in the past or if all passholders are eligible for the promotion. Denver7 has reached out to Alterra for more information and is working to get answers on whether the promotion is tied to low skier traffic and lost revenue.
Here's where you can redeem the credits:
Steamboat
Food & Beverage
Retail
- The North Face
- The Steamboat Store
- Steamboat Sports - Sheraton, Steamboat Square, Torian
- Steamboat Apparel & Gifts
- Grand Goods
- Giggle Gulch Candy
- Burton
Rentals
- Steamboat Sports - Sheraton, Steamboat Square, Torian, Grand
- Tune & Repair Shop - Steamboat Square
Winter Park
Food & Beverage
Retail
Rentals
Mountain credits are also redeemable at participating locations at resorts in other states: Big Bear Mountain Resort, Crystal Mountain Resort, Deer Valley Resort, June Mountain, Mammoth Mountain, Palisades Tahoe, Schweitzer, Snowshoe Mountain, Solitude Mountain Resort, Stratton and Sugarbush.
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