Industry News
The IKON app, the official mobile app for Ikon Pass holders, is designed to enhance the ski and snowboarding experience at Ikon Pass destinations. It gives users essential tools for planning trips, tracking their stats, and staying updated on resort conditions.
When it debuted at the start of the 2019-20 season, local Steamboat, Colorado, skier Joe Brougher, 58, out of curiosity, started tracking his skiing. He opted into the vertical feet leaderboard and soon realized he was second place nationally at all IKON destinations. This lit a fire for Brougher to earn the top spot.
That drive has brought Brougher some notable accomplishments. He was the first to log one million vertical feet skied on the app in 2019. The following season, he became the first to track one million vertical feet in a single month and logged over four million for the season, leading to him being named the “King of Vert.” Then, just last season, he again topped the leaderboard, skiing over five million vertical feet.
Now, Brougher has another accomplishment: earlier this month, he passed the 20 million cumulative vertical foot mark, making him the first in the app’s history to do so. It took him 580 days, and in that time, he has ridden 11,596 chairlifts, skied down 42,109 trails, traveled a distance of 18,142 miles, and spent 2,672.4 hours skiing. The 20 million vertical feet is equivalent to 7.5 roundtrips from Earth to the International Space Station.
Brougher told the Steamboat Pilot & Today that he compares skiing for vertical like a puzzle. You must be patient and learn what lifts to ride and trails to ski as the mountain constantly changes and the crowds are moving. Being prepared is also vital as he brings a backup charger for his phone and keeps heaters around it so it doesn’t over-freeze. He also lines his pockets with snacks, carries water and other supplies, and allows himself 30 minutes for a lunch break.
On his biggest single day of skiing, he logged just over 70,000 vertical feet. He thinks that 85,000 vertical feet is possible if planned well, and he hopes to do it this season. In the 2019-20 season, he only had two days where he logged 50,000 vertical feet or more. Last year, he had 63 days of 50,000 vertical feet.
It is unlikely that Brougher will top the leaderboard this year because in March, he and his wife will be headed to Indiana, where they spend their summers. However, he hopes to earn his first Steamboat Resort Belt Buckle next winter — a prize earned for skiing every day in a given season. He also hopes to be skiing his heart out at Steamboat for decades. Maybe one day he will pass the 100 million vertical foot mark.
