Arapahoe Basin Just Gave Ikon Base Pass Holders a Big Early-Season Upgrade

Arapahoe Basin, Colorado, has expanded early-season access to its slopes for skiers and snowboarders with the Ikon Base Pass.

Now, from opening day until December 19, 2025, Ikon Base Pass holders can ski as much as they want at Arapahoe Basin. Before the announcement, those with the more limited multi-pass had only five days of access to Arapahoe Basin.

Those five days of access are still in effect beyond December 19 and until Arapahoe Basin’s closing day. The early-season unlimited skiing doesn’t count against those days, though. 

Previously, Arapahoe Basin announced that those with the more expensive Ikon Pass would get unlimited days at the ski resort for the 2025-26 season, up from seven.

The Ikon Pass and the Ikon Base Pass cost $1,429 and $1,009, respectively. Their prices will increase after October 9, 2025. The prices for the Ikon Pass’s main competitor, the Epic Pass, go up on October 8.

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The period of unlimited Ikon Base Pass skiing at Arapahoe Basin could start soon. The ski resort plans to open as soon as possible and, in years past, has opened before the end of October. 

Other Colorado mountains have similar ambitions, including Keystone, Wolf Creek, and Loveland.

Last ski season, Arapahoe Basin opened on November 2, 2024, becoming one of the first ski areas operating for the 2024-25 winter season. Wolf Creek was that season’s front runner when it beat out every other Colorado ski area on October 22, 2024.

Ahead of the 2025-26 season, the Ikon Pass also announced the expansion of its “bonus mountains” program, which, similar to the Indy Pass or Mountain Collective, provides two days of access at seven ski resorts. Most recently, SilverStar Mountain Resort and Grouse Mountain, British Columbia, and Ski Butternut, Massachusetts, were added to the program. 

The standard, seven-day Ikon Pass program has expanded, too, with access to Le Massif de Charlevoix, Quebec, and Ischgl, Austria. Five ski areas in Italy’s Valle d’Aosta also joined the Ikon Pass, with seven total shared days.

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