For Victorian skier Abbey Arnold, the Ikon Pass has become her passport to back-to-back winters across three continents and the ability to “nip over for a ski” and for James McCormack, the Ikon Pass is the motivator to clock more days on snow.
“We bought it at the start of the Aussie season,” Abbey says. “What’s great is you can roll it straight into the Northern Hemisphere winter, so we’ve been able to use it straight across two seasons without missing a beat.”
This is not Abbey’s first season using an Ikon Pass but she’s on the front foot with getting the most from the convenience, value and ease of use. “The second year we planned it better and ended up skiing fifteen days in Utah, plus Japan. It paid for itself and then some.”
The flexibility of the Ikon Pass is what stood out
“We love the flexibility with destinations, we like it because there are so many mountains available and so many days to use it. “In New Zealand you’ve got Mt Hutt, Coronet Peak and the Remarkables. Not having to pay for lift passes which makes us say, we’ll just nip over there”.
In Japan, the pass unlocked Niseko United and Lotte Arai. “You get unlimited days at both. You scan your Ikon Pass, the shuttle buses around Niseko are free so the transport around town is sorted too.”
For the US trip, Abbey and her dad based themselves in Utah. “We used it at Alta, Brighton, Solitude, Snowbird and Deer Valley. We ended up skiing seven days combined at Alta and Snowbird, and another week at Deer Valley. You just have to remember to book Deer Valley in advance, which we forgot to do, until the day before”.
The Ikon Pass app kept things simple. “You can favourite the resorts you’re headed to and track snow conditions. It also tells you how many days you’ve logged, which is fun when you’re clocking up big numbers overseas.”
There were extra perks too, like discounts on dining and apparel, gear deals, even a heli-ski voucher in Canada. “At Brighton in Utah we got twenty percent off food and gear just by showing the pass. Those things add up.”
After two seasons of making the most of it, Abbey is already eyeing up the next trip. “We’ve had such a good experience with our pass. We’re tossing up Japan again versus Canada. Most of the resorts we’re keen on are on Ikon Pass, and a US road trip is back on the cards too.
James, Editor of Wild Magazine has just bought his fifth Ikon Pass, this time for the 25/26 season. “Look, it’s a bit of an investment, but man, can it be great value! Last Northern Hemisphere winter, in 2024/25, I skied all over the US, using my Ikon Pass to chase storms in Maine, Idaho, California, Oregon and Washington State. And in Oz this season, I’ve used that same pass at Thredbo and Buller. I’m up to nearly thirty days on it.
James finds having the pass lets him to clock extra days on snow. “I definitely get in waaaay more days in seasons when I’ve had the Ikon Pass versus those seasons when I don’t buy the pass. Once you’ve laid out the money for the pass, each extra day is kinda ‘free’, so you don’t feel bad about racking up heaps of days on snow. And one other thing I really like is that you can use your Aussie days on the Ikon Pass either before or after the Northern Hemisphere season the pass corresponds to so you’re not locked in. It’s great to have that freedom.”
Check out the Ikon Pass for road trip ideas , the destination map and different pass perks.
