Can this new pass offering compete with the major players? We break it all down so you can make the smartest purchase.
Whiteface’s lack of commercialism is one of its best features, as is its storied Olympic history as host of the 1932 and 1980 games. (Photo: Courtesy of Whiteface Mountain)
Published May 14, 2026 11:18AM
A new player is entering the ski industry’s pass loyalty wars. But unlike the Epic, Ikon, Indy, and Mountain Collective passes, which have been on sale for weeks, the Snow Pass is waiting in the wings for a post-Labor Day weekend launch.
The new pass, owned by Snow Partners, the parent company of N.J.’s Mountain Creek ski area and Big Snow American Dream indoor slopes, along with several ski industry technology platforms, will launch a shiny new product featuring 15 to 20 resorts spanning from coast to coast.
Also Read: How to Choose the Best Season Pass Based on Where You Ski
How It Works
The Snow Pass grants skiers two days at each partner resort (none have been announced yet), modeled after the Mountain Collective, which Snow Partners CEO Joe Hession calls his “North Star” for inspiration. In a unique move for the industry, skiers can bundle the two: Skiers who purchase a Snow Pass can save $100 on a Mountain Collective pass.
The primary distinction (aside from resorts) between the two is price. While Mountain Collective is currently $699 for adults, the Snow Pass will retail for under $400. Both allow resorts to get paid almost immediately after a skier visits, as opposed to Epic and Ikon, where payment to partner resorts is more complicated.
Pass Expansion for Snow Partners
The Snow Pass is actually Snow Partners’ third pass product. Last season, they introduced the Triple Play, a $199 pass offering three days of access at 16 Northeast resorts. All 16 original partners are returning, joined by a new Midwest version of the Triple Play likely to debut at a slightly lower price point.
Hession notes that the data from Mountain Creek justifies the pass expansion. “We saw that [the resort] sells 60,000 Triple Plays just for Mountain Creek, compared to 20,000 season passes,” Hession says. “Nobody is going after that skier who’s thinking, ‘I’m not sure I’m fully in for a season’s pass, but I want to do it maybe more than once or twice.’”
Related: How to Choose the Best Season Pass for Holiday Travel
A Collaborative Pass
One thing Snow Partners is not shy about is the willingness to collaborate with other pass products. “We did a survey at the end of the season—30 percent of our Snow Triple Play purchasers also held another multi-resort season pass product, whether it was an Ikon, an Epic, Mountain Collective, or an Indy,” Hession explains. Of the 16 resorts that joined the inaugural Triple Play, at least three are part of Mountain Collective or Ikon’s Bonus Mountains.
The Snow Pass is set to go live on Sept. 8 and will stay on the market through Dec. 31. The pass will debut at a discounted rate and, like all other multi-passes, incrementally increase in price until it goes offline at the end of the year. Skiers can keep tabs on the pass and the soon-to-be-announced resorts by following Snow Pass on social media and signing up for their news releases.
