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Ikon Pass Expands Further Into Europe with Dolomiti Superski in Italy & Kitzbühel in Austria

Tricia

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IKON PASS EXPANDS FURTHER INTO EUROPE WITH THE ADDITION OF
DOLOMITI SUPERSKI IN ITALY AND KITZBÜHEL IN AUSTRIA FOR WINTER 21/22
Offering Up to 21 Days in the Alps

DENVER, CO, September 1, 2021 – Ikon Pass invites skiers and riders to adventure further into Europe as Dolomiti Superski in Italy and Kitzbühel in Austria join Zermatt in Switzerland on the Ikon Pass, offering up to 21 days in the Alps for winter 21/22. Now Ikon Pass holders have access to snow at 47 global destinations across five continents and nine countries.

Home of the Alpine Skiing World Championships and the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Dolomiti Superski offers 12 mountains, 450 lifts, 889 runs, and endless vistas in Northern Italy’s stunning Dolomites. Some of the most notable views can be found from the top of the Marmolada Glacier, the Sass Pordoi cable car in Val di Fassa, and on top of the Tognola Gondola in San Martino di Castrozza. The only thing to rival the slopes of the Dolomites may be the extraordinary regional food in cozy mountain refuges scattered among the peaks.

One of the most legendary towns in the Austrian Alps, Kitzbühel has been making ski history for more than 120 years. KitzSki encompasses three mountains - Kitzbühel, Kirchberg and Mittersill - offering 57 ski lifts and 143 miles of slopes on 96 trails, including the world-famous Streif downhill ski race course. Ikon Pass holders can also revel in Austrian strudel and other culinary delights, surrounded by stunning panoramic mountain views at one of the area’s 60 unique huts and on-mountain restaurants.

Ikon Pass holders will have seven-day combined access to Dolomiti Superski’s 12 mountains and seven-day access to Kitzbühel (including Kirchberg and Mittersill) on the Ikon Pass with no blackout dates, and five-day access on the Ikon Base Pass, also with no blackout dates. There is no access on the Ikon Session Pass.

“The addition of Dolomiti Superski in Italy and Kitzbühel in Austria offers Ikon Pass holders European access to some of the most renowned terrain and quintessential winter experiences in the Alps,” said Erik Forsell, Chief Marketing Officer, Alterra Mountain Company. “We are continually looking for opportunities that expand pass holder access to global experiences with special destinations that share the spirit of the Ikon Pass community, and these iconic European destinations do just that.”

“Dolomiti Superski looks to further develop overseas markets and partnering with the Ikon Pass and its leading global ski network is an ideal way to achieve this goal. We are very proud to be part of the Ikon Pass community, representing Italy and Europe,” said Dr. Marco Pappalardo, Marketing Director, Dolomiti Superski. “We are sure the stunning landscape and unique experiences found in the Dolomites will charm Ikon Pass holders and bring many new skiers and riders to the Italian Alps.”

“Over the years, Kitzbühel has been named the World’s Best Ski Resort, famous for its perfectly shaped ski pistes, varied terrain, outstanding on-mountain huts and restaurants, and stunning scenery,” said Christian Wörister and Anton Bodner, Board of Directors members, KitzSki. “We are thrilled to be the first Austrian destination to join the Ikon Pass community. This partnership is an important step as we look ahead and expand our international presence by exposing new skiers and riders to all our mountains offer.”

The Ikon Pass unlocks adventure with access to 47 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, Dolomiti Superski, KitzSki, 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.
 

Crank

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Whoo hoo!

Assuming our plans to travel to the Dolomites March 2022 come to fruition... Still a big assumption these days... We now have our passes TKO.
 

RJS

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Since hiking part of the Alta Via 1, I have wanted to come back to the Dolomites in the winter to ski. It looks like this makes that decision just a little bit easier.

On their website, a single day pass costs about $63 after the conversion, so while these are cheaper lift tickets than the big US resorts, if you are buying the Ikon Pass anyway this is a nice way to save a bit of money. Of course, if you are travelling from the US the other costs of the trip will dwarf the cost of even the lift tickets alone.
 

gilligan

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I already booked a trip to Zermatt in March but will definitely have the Dolomites on my radar for '23 assuming this isn't a one-off.
 

Jwrags

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I already booked a trip to Zermatt in March but will definitely have the Dolomites on my radar for '23 assuming this isn't a one-off.
Not sure if this matters to you but there is no access to Cervinia this year, at least according to the Ikon pass site. Not sure if that is only for Ikon holders or a covid related thing.
 

gilligan

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Not sure if this matters to you but there is no access to Cervinia this year, at least according to the Ikon pass site. Not sure if that is only for Ikon holders or a covid related thing.

Yeah, I saw that. As far as I can tell, it's an Ikon issue. I'm hoping that I'll be able to pay the difference for the Cervinia add-on that's charged for regular lift tickets and get access. But if not, definitely not a dealbreaker.
 

dbostedo

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Cheizz

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The entire Dolomiti Superski is huge. But in reality, it's more like 15 separate areas. Four of those form the Sella Ronda area, counting for about one-third of the runs (in km).

But yeah, a great addition to having a taste of what Europe has to offer skiing-wise.
 

dbostedo

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This is the Sella Ronda area...
View attachment 141308

And here is Whistler, same frame
View attachment 141309
That's a great comparison. I've never skied in Europe, but I've always thought/heard that the "run density" was higher in NA resorts. And that the pistes in Europe are much more spread out, even for the same number of different runs, which in part accounts for the number of lifts needed. (I realize there are a lot of other differences - just saying that's one that speaks a bit to the lift counts.)

That also speaks to how much side and back country is accessible, and why the piste rules are what they are - in part because of the sprawling nature of things.
 

Cheizz

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There are much more densely groomed ski areas as well, though. But those are the 'ski area factories' for huge crowds.
 

Seldomski

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That's a great comparison. I've never skied in Europe, but I've always thought/heard that the "run density" was higher in NA resorts. And that the pistes in Europe are much more spread out, even for the same number of different runs, which in part accounts for the number of lifts needed. (I realize there are a lot of other differences - just saying that's one that speaks a bit to the lift counts.)

That also speaks to how much side and back country is accessible, and why the piste rules are what they are - in part because of the sprawling nature of things.

A bit OT, but for the dolomites -

It's sort of like if you took Park City and removed most of the patrolled terrain and moved the lifts around so that you could use skiing as a way to travel between Deer Valley, Alta, Snowbird, Solitude, etc. The mountains are still there and you can ski the whole thing if you have the backcountry experience, but the grooming/patrolling effort is spent on maintaining safe trails between the different valleys instead of making all of the north faces of every mountain patrolled-safe-to-ski areas. The mountains are left mostly ungroomed and in their 'natural' state.

Each of the different valleys may have some short lifts at the bases to give beginners a safe place to ski if they aren't proficient enough yet to ski between the different areas. There are also some areas near the tops of each mountain that have some additional lifts that turn parts of the mountain into small ski areas where you can get in some runs. But a big part of the experience is traveling the different valleys on skis, seeing all the different towns and breathtaking views. (Or maybe you are happy to just ski a couple hours in the morning, have a coffee and lunch, and go to the bar to begin après as early as possible.)

To access all of the valleys, you might have to take a short bus ride in some spots to get the last bit of the way. If you go the other way, it may be skiable on piste.

So I think this is why they focus more on total length of trails, not really on the acres of skiing. I am not sure what acreage that stat is using -- looks like acres of grooming to me since if you counted all the accessible side country stuff, it would be probably larger. Sort of comparing apples and oranges here.

For instance, from Cortina, you can ski three distinct ski areas without much of a walk. Or if you want to explore more scenery, you can take a bus and tram to Rifugio Lagazuoi. You ski down from the top of the tram through the "hidden valley" which ends in a very flat area. You can then walk to Amentarola or pay a few euro to be drug behind a horse on a tow rope (with 15 other people) to (note - everyone pays for this :) ). From there, you can take lifts up and gain access to the Sella Ronda and ski part of it. Or take a cab back to where you were and ski cinqui torri and other small areas near Rifugio. All of that is "on piste" BTW.

Getting back from Sella Ronda area to Cortina would require a bus I think, about 2? hrs ride back. Maybe there is a ski route back that is off piste, but I don't know.

TL;DR - go ski the alps if you haven't yet! Maybe not this year because of The Plague, but soon...
 

DanishRider

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You can usually devide the big european ares into two different types:
1: Connected fully
2. Linked

Espace Killy (Tignes and Val D’isere) and 3 Valleys are examples of fully connected huge areas, where you can ski the whole area only using lifts.

Superski Dolomiti is a huge area, but busses or other types of transport is needed to reach it all. When that is said, an area like the Sella Ronda is still a huge area, and by it self it rivals many big areas in the alps.
 

fatbob

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Be very careful re your ambitions for the Dolomites:

i) off piste routes can be pretty demanding/committing due to geography
ii) not renowned for huge snowfall witness excellent snowmaking coverage and the WROD regularly seen at Val Gardena WC races

Excellent for blasting or crusing around groomers with great coffee and lunch stops though and if you have the skills/gear and knowledge(or a guide) some tasty couloirs.


Overall the Ikon initiative is much needed to level Ikon with Epic on Euro benefits which can be the decider in whether Euro skiers purchase a pass for a trip to the US or Canada.
 

Philpug

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Overall the Ikon initiative is much needed to level Ikon with Epic on Euro benefits which can be the decider in whether Euro skiers purchase a pass for a trip to the US or Canada.
Disney found this with Euro Disney, many Europeans went to Disney World in Orlando because was in the US as much as it was Disney.
 

fatbob

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Yep - somewhere outside Paris = a short break to many Europeans or maybe factored in as part of travel to elsewhere (certainly for Brit families).

Orlando = Proper 2 week holiday in a culturally "different" place. Euphemism intended.

Euro destinations good for both NA and Euro citizens in terms of Ikon and Epic. It shouldn't really be the clincher for NAs in determining where they go on a Euro trip as Euro lift passes are so much cheaper compared to premium US resorts (and if you are in tied accomodation you might lose back what you gained on the lift pass depending on your urge to stay 5* etc)
 

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