Ikon Pass Arrives in Idaho With the Addition of Schweitzer for Winter 21/22

Brought to you by Ikon Pass

The Ikon Pass community expands its access and terrain in the Pacific Northwest with the addition of Schweitzer in Idaho, known for its big terrain, big views, and big powder days. Ikon Pass holders can now take advantage of 45 destinations for the 21/22 winter season. The Ikon Pass is on sale now at ikonpass.com.

Schweitzer is located in the Selkirk Mountains overlooking the picturesque town of Sandpoint, Idaho, only 80 miles from Spokane, WA. This beloved hidden gem of a destination offers 2,900 acres of big mountain terrain with stunning views of Lake Pend Oreille, two neighboring states, and Canada. Schweitzer is the largest ski area in Idaho and Washington, often recognized for its renowned tree skiing and family fun.

“We are excited to invite Ikon Pass holders to Idaho to discover the big terrain and special culture of Schweitzer. Schweitzer is a unique and independent mountain that is ideal for the Ikon Pass community.”

– Erik Forsell, Chief Marketing Officer, Alterra Mountain Company

Ikon Pass holders will have access to seven days at Schweitzer with no blackout dates, and Ikon Base Pass holders will have access to five days each, with select blackout dates. Schweitzer is also available on the Ikon Session Pass.

“Schweitzer is home to a passionate group of skiers and riders who are deeply attached to this place and each other. When new skiers discover Schweitzer for the first time, it’s always amazing to see how quickly they connect with the vibe on the mountain. That’s what skiing is all about and we are excited to join the Ikon Pass community and look forward to welcoming new skiers and riders to the Schweitzer family.”

– Tom Chasse, President & CEO, Schweitzer

Each Ikon Pass comes with Adventure Assurance that offers options to Ikon Pass holders that help provide flexibility and alleviate some uncertainty throughout the winter season. This year, Adventure Assurance comes free with every 21/22 Ikon Pass product.

The Ikon Pass unlocks adventure with access to 45 iconic winter destinations across the Americas, Europe, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand and is a collaboration of industry leaders – Alterra Mountain Company, Aspen Skiing Company, Boyne Resorts, POWDR, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Alta Ski Area, Snowbird, Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, SkiBig3, Revelstoke Mountain Resort, RED Mountain, Taos Ski Valley, Windham Mountain, Schweitzer, Zermatt, Thredbo, Mt Buller, Niseko United, Valle Nevado, and NZ Ski. Each demonstrates integrity, character, and independence that is reflected in their mountains and guests.

The Ikon Pass is available now at www.ikonpass.com.

• Related: Say Hello to Schweitzer’s New Look

More details, including upcoming upgrades and also addressing all the obvious concerns, direct from Schweitzer’s website below:

You’ve Got Questions

We’ve Got Answers

Why did Schweitzer join the Ikon Pass? Is this good for our community?

This is a huge win for skiers and snowboarders and for our community. We wanted to be able to offer our customers the benefit of a multi-resort pass and joining Ikon Pass allows us to do just that. The Ikon Pass includes premier mountains around the globe, and we are excited to be the newest Ikon Pass mountain destination.

Becoming an Ikon Pass destination means we’ll introduce new adventure seekers to all that Schweitzer and Sandpoint have to offer and gives Schweitzer passholders the opportunity to explore more through the Voyager Pass, which includes an Ikon Base Pass that unlocks access to every Ikon Base Pass destination worldwide. We will also continue to offer our normal Schweitzer Passholder Perks, including midweek passholder reciprocals at places like Whitewater, Bridger and more.

With increased visitation to Schweitzer from outside the area, we hope to augment and bolster the tourism industry in Sandpoint. This means increased job opportunities, more overnight guests staying in town and subsequently more leisure spending in the bars, restaurants and shops around our community.

Oh great, now Schweitzer is selling/selling out!

Schweitzer is still one of the few remaining independent/family-owned resorts – and we intend to keep it that way. Our ownership has no intentions of selling Schweitzer. Alterra Mountain Company owns 15 iconic destinations and Ikon Pass is partnered with 30 other global destinations. This is a partnership, one that we think is a good fit because they value the individuality of each resort and fully support our independence.

I’ve been a passholder for 20 years – what’s in it for me?

1. The existing Pass Reciprocal Program is still in place with your regular Schweitzer season pass. This includes favorites like Whitewater and Bridger, plus for 2021-22 the addition of Mt Hood Meadows.
2. You have the opportunity to purchase the Voyager Pass that comes with an Ikon Base Pass included at a substantial discount. This combination provides all of the benefits of unlimited skiing/riding at Schweitzer, our normal pass reciprocal program PLUS unlimited access at 13 destinations and up to 5 FREE days each at 28 other destinations. Just think, a single day at many of the partner resorts will cost well over $100 making the Voyager Pass a great value.
3. Whatever pass products you buy from Schweitzer, we want you to know that we are committed to continuous upgrades and improvements to the customer experience – lift/trail improvements, facility improvements, etc.  The 2 new lifts in the North Bowl and Sky House are just a couple of recent examples. Every Ikon Pass guest that visits will be paying their share too.
4. Remember why we ski and ride here.  We love the mountain so much that we can’t help but want to share this great place with others – more like-minded people = more riding buddies!  Plus we have a whole slew of new places to travel to and shred!

You’re just bringing more people to the mountain I already love and it’s going to get overcrowded!

The truth is that the area is growing whether we like it or not and our goal is to manage the growth at Schweitzer so the place, the feel and the vibe doesn’t change. Being a partner on the Ikon Pass just gives us the opportunity to invite our skier friends from other places to come enjoy Schweitzer too. And with the addition of the “Voyager Pass,” you can hit the road too and enjoy some world class mountains. It’s all about sharing the stoke. Independently.

The Ikon Pass does NOT offer unrestricted, unlimited access to Schweitzer. The Ikon Pass offers 7 days with no blackout dates and the Ikon Base Pass offers 5 days with some holiday blackout dates. The only pass that offers unlimited days at Schweitzer is a Schweitzer Season Pass. With 2900 acres and a network of updated, high-speed lifts, we know the Schweitzer family can spread out quickly on the mountain. With some planned lift improvements, additional parking spaces and expanded on-mountain dining we will do our best to make sure this is still the case next winter. We are confident that everyone from a Schweitzer local to a first-time Ikon Pass visitor will all enjoy their time on the mountain.

One way to look at it: For 7 years, we were a part of the Powder Alliance and the most visited resort out of all 18 areas that were members. Powder Alliance generated about 5,000 visits across the season – that works out to an extra 40 people/day. On a mountain of our size, that number was easy to absorb. It will be very similar but given some improvements we plan to make, the redemption process at Guest Services will be much more streamlined.

As mentioned before, we know our area is growing. Spokane is growing, the Rathdrum Prairie is growing and Sandpoint is growing. That means more people on the mountain. We estimate that will see continued growth of about 5%-10% over the next couple of years. And we are going to work hard and make continued investments to help the mountain continue to absorb that growth.

Here are a few things we’re doing THIS YEAR to help:

1. We look forward to future years where we do not have to limit capacity on our lifts due to Covid-19 – we can fill chairs full, utilize singles and maintain more efficient loading procedures.
2. We plan to spend over $250,000 to increase the capacity of the Stella Express by 15% (or 235 people/hour). This will be done by adding an additional 14 chairs to the lift.
3. We plan to spend almost $500,000 to upgrade our ticketing system to support Direct-To-Lift (DTL) tickets with RFID technology and provide ticket kiosks in the village. This will allow guests to purchase online, pick up their ticket at a kiosk and go directly to the lift. We also plan to utilize reloadable ticket media so single/multi day lift tickets can be reloaded online (from home) and reused without visiting a kiosk or Guest Services. What’s it all mean? Faster time from the lot to the lift. For everyone.
4. We know it can get a little tight indoors at lunch, so we are going to expand our dining options. This includes the opening of Crow’s Bench, the new restaurant inside Humbird and we are excited to add an additional on-mountain food/beverage location at the “Chair 5 Saddle” – the saddle between the top of Stella and Down the Hatch. The details on menu, service, etc is still in the works, but it should help take some pressure off the village restaurants and the Outback.

Parking is already limited, now it’s just gonna be worse!

1. We plan to continue our expansion of the parking areas at the Fire Station and Roundabout lots. As mentioned above, this will increase parking by approximately 100 spots. This past year, we relocated all RVs to these lots to free up more parking for regular vehicles and will continue this in the future.
2. The new Humbird hotel has underground parking that will provide 50 additional spaces in the main lot for lodging guests.
3. Parking is another area that was greatly impacted by Covid-19 restrictions. We plan to reinvigorate our campaign to urge guests to carpool and utilize the FREE public transportation up/down the mountain from the Red Barn Parking lot. This past fall, we increased the size of that lot to support an additional 100 cars.
4. We also hope that the Selkirk Recreation District shuttle will resume, decreasing the number of cars in the mountain parking lots from our on-mountain community members.
5. In a couple more years, we hope to replace Musical Chairs with a high-speed quad and span the creek to a new parking area with room for an estimated 1,500 additional cars.
6. Whether you are an ATV/Side-By-Side owner or not, you have to agree their popularity (and SIZE) is increasing rapidly. We plan to evaluate, and potentially relocate, ATV parking moving forward.

When is Chair 2 going to be replaced? The lines down there are crazy!

Continued growth will definitely expedite the upgrade of Musical Chairs to a high speed quad. We realize it is a major gateway lift for parking, arrivals and beginners alike. It is high on the list for the next round of improvements.

What if I already purchased my 21/22 Schweitzer Season Pass, but now want to get the Voyager Pass?

If you already purchased your 2021/22 pass before we announced this new partnership and the Voyager Pass, you can upgrade by calling Guest Services.  Easy enough, just call or stop by – pay the price difference – and we’ll upgrade your pass! Some restrictions apply.

When do I need to purchase the new Voyager Pass by?

The Voyager Pass is available to purchase till October 31, 2021 with the best pricing by May 31, 2021.

Why can’t I buy the Voyager Pass after October 31?

The Voyager Pass is a pre-season special. If you snooze, you lose. This deadline will be strictly adhered to.

The Child and 80+ tickets are free at Schweitzer why do the Voyager Passes for them cost so much more?

The addition of the Ikon Base Pass provides an impressive amount of value relative to the cost. Just think, a single day at many of the partner resorts would be well over $100.

How does the Voyager Pass/Ikon Base Pass work?

Your Ikon Base Pass give you access to 44 other destinations across the globe (see ikonpass.com or below for more details) as an additional benefit to your Schweitzer Voyager Pass.

Please note that that the Ikon Base Pass is a secondary pass to your Schweitzer Voyager Pass.  Your Voyager Pass is only valid at Schweitzer, and your Ikon Base Pass will be needed to access other resorts.  Your Ikon Base Pass will not work at Schweitzer.

Where can I use the Ikon Base Pass?

As part of Schweitzer’s Voyager Pass, passholders receive an Ikon Base Pass in addition to having UNLIMITED access to Schweitzer.

Ikon Base Pass holders have unlimited access to the following 13 resorts (blackout dates apply):

• California: Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, Mammoth Mountain, June Mountain, Big Bear Mountain Resort (Bear Mountain, Snow Summit)
• Colorado: Winter Park, Copper Mountain Resort, Eldora Mountain Resort
• Utah: Solitude Mountain Resort
• Vermont: Stratton, Sugarbush Resort
• West Virginia: Snowshoe
• Ontario, Canada: Blue Mountain
• Quebec, Canada: Tremblant

Ikon Base Passholders receive 5 days at each of the following 28 resort destinations (blackout dates apply):

• Colorado: Steamboat, Arapahoe Basin
• Maine: Sugarloaf, Sunday River
• Michigan: Boyne Mountain, Boyne Highlands
• Montana: Big Sky Resort
• New Hampshire: Loon Mountain
• New Mexico: Taos Ski Valley
• New York: Windham
• Oregon: Mt. Bachelor
• Utah: Deer Valley Resort, Alta/Snowbird*, Brighton
• Vermont: Killington – Pico
• Washington: The Summit at Snoqualmie, Crystal Mountain
• Alberta, Canada: SkiBig3* (Banff Sunshine, Lake Louise, Mt. Norquay)
• British Columbia, Canada: RED Mountain, Revelstoke Mountain Resort, Cypress Mountain
• Australia, Oceania: Thredbo, Mt Buller
• New Zealand, Oceania: Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, Mt Hutt
• Japan, Asia: Niseko United
• Chile, South America: Valle Nevado
• Switzerland: Zermatt Matterhorn

*Alta/Snowbird and SkiBig3 allow 5 days total between their resorts. For example, guests may ski 2 at Alta and 3 at Snowbird, but may not ski 5 at Alta and 5 at Snowbird.

What other benefits come with my Ikon Base Pass?

Your Voyager Pass and Ikon Base Pass come with all of the normal Schweitzer Passholder Perks as well as 8 additional 25% OFF Friends and Family Vouchers (valid at participating resorts only).

How do I redeem my Ikon Base Pass with the Schweitzer Voyager Pass?

All Schweitzer Voyager Pass passholders will receive an email from Schweitzer later in the summer containing a one-time use code, valid for redeeming their Ikon Base Pass on ikonpass.com or by contacting the Ikon Pass Contact Center at 1-888-365-4566 (option 5). Your Ikon Base Pass must be redeemed by December 9, 2021. No passes will be issued after that date. To redeem online, follow the step-by-step instructions below once you’ve received your promo code:

1. Go to ikonpass.com and add an Ikon Base Pass to your cart. If you have multiple codes, you can add all of the Ikon Base Passes you plan to redeem at the same time.
2. Navigate to your cart and select “Add Promo Code”
3. Enter one code per pass. Your total should adjust to $0 per pass.
4. Continue through the checkout process to finalize your Ikon Base Pass redemption.

When will my Ikon Base Pass be fulfilled? Where can I pick it up?

All Ikon Pass fulfillment will begin in October 2021 and may take up to two weeks to arrive via mail from the time of redemption thereafter. Passes cannot be issued until a photo is uploaded and waivers are signed.

Your pass can also be picked up at any North American Ikon Pass destination guest services center or ticket window, except Schweitzer, during operational hours where your pass is valid prior to December 9, 2021. You will need your confirmation number and ID. If you receive a pass in the mail after you pick up your pass at the mountain, the Ikon Base Pass in the mail will be void.

Voyager Pass passholders may not pick up their 21/22 Ikon Base Pass at Schweitzer, Aspen Snowmass, or Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

Can I upgrade the Ikon Pass access on my Schweitzer Voyager Pass to an Ikon Base Plus Pass for $150 or more for a full Ikon Pass?

No, there is no option to upgrade or add access to Aspen Snowmass and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort for $150. If you would like the additional access of the Ikon Base Plus Pass, or the full Ikon Pass, you will have to purchase that separately at ikonpass.com.