The Indy Passes Teases "Huge News" and New Partner Ski Resorts

If the big dogs are Ikon and Epic, the Indy Pass is a feisty chihuahua that bites and barks well-above its weight.

It’s been the Indy Pass’s mission to highlight independently-owned, mom-and-pop ski areas from coast to coast since its inception in 2018, and owner Erik Mogensen has backed that up with the purchase of Black Mountain and the subsequent relocation of his businesses to the once-sleepy town of Jackson, New Hampshire.

The Indy Pass has momentum, seemingly growing every year with new partner resorts in the United States, Canada, Japan, and Europe, but it recently lost Granite Peak, Wisconsin; Lutsen Mountains, Minnesota; and Snowriver, Michigan, to the Ikon Pass, a huge blow to its passionate passholders in the Midwest.

With that said, the Indy Pass, which tends to operate quietly during the summer on new and returning partners before officially announcing the lineup in the early-Fall, is teasing “huge news” and that it’s announcing “more than a few new resorts” next week.

Indy Pass shared a vague map of the United States with partner locations represented as pins, scattered from coast to coast. Any guesses on which ski resorts could be announced as new partner resorts next week?

Smugglers’ Notch (Smuggs), Vermont, seems to be a popular guess as a new partner resort. This is likely due to Bear Den Partners’ acquisition of Smuggs earlier this year. Bear Den Partners also owns and operates Burke Mountain, Vermont, a member of the Indy Pass.

Other passholders hope the Indy Pass can reestablish its foothold in western states such as Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana.

Powder Mountain, Utah, was on the Indy Pass for years before Reed Hastings bought the resort and turned its focus towards a semi-private model. Eagle Point Resort, Utah, a partner of the Indy Pass, won’t operate this season after a wildfire torched its ski lifts earlier this summer.

That leaves Beaver Mountain as the Beehive State’s lone partner resort for Winter 26/27. Could we see new resorts, such as Nordic Valley or Brian Head, added to the pass? Potentially, but Brian Head is already on the Power Pass, its parent company’s multi-resort product, and Nordic Valley is struggling with lift issues. We’ll just have to wait and see.

The Indy Pass has a decent standing in Colorado with Loveland Ski Area, Granby Ranch, Sunlight, and Echo Mountain already in the fold, but could smaller resorts like Eldora, Monarch, or even Silverton join next season? Maybe!

Stay tuned here at POWDER for the Indy Pass’s big announcement next week, we’ve got you covered. In the meantime, vote in our reader poll below.

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