The purveyors of the Ikon Pass have announced a new round of investments at its major ski and snowboard resorts in the West, including the much-anticipated gondola connection between Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows.

It’s only July, but in a normal year, this would already be past time for avid skiers and snowboarders to have bought their passes for the upcoming season.

Why does a daily lift ticket cost more than $200? Chairlifts, snowmaking, grooming, labor, and affordable housing all add up to drive the cost of a daily lift ticket as explained in this video from Wendover Productions.

Snowbird and Snowbasin Resort on Wednesday unveiled their compensation plans for season passholders whose spring skiing and snowboarding was cut short by COVID-19.

As the mountain resort industry remains at a standstill amid the expanding coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis in North America, Alterra Mountain Company has made adjustments to maintain financial viability.

UPDATED Sunday, March 15, 2020 - All North American ski mountains operated by Vail Resorts and Alterra Mountain Company will close Sunday for at least a week as the coronavirus spreads through North America.

The creator of the Ikon Pass will invest more than $200 million this summer to further upgrade some of the 15 resorts it owns for skiers and riders in the 2020-21 season.

A district court in Placer County has dismissed a lawsuit aimed to block construction of a gondola between California sister resorts Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows -- paving the way for the project to be built.

On a recent morning, a line of cars stretched from the Crystal Mountain Resort parking lots, down the Mount Rainier foothills, and all the way to the town of Auburn, 57 miles away. Welcome to a weekend powder day at Washington’s biggest ski area.

Alterra Mountain Company has entered into an agreement to purchase Sugarbush Resort in Vermont, bringing the company’s portfolio up to 15 resorts throughout North America.

Vail Resorts, a ski industry behemoth that has been gobbling up local resorts in recent years, is not interested in Jay Peak. Other companies, however, have visited the Northeast Kingdom resort, a company official told a local town board during a recent meeting.

Alterra Mountain Company will invest $181 million across its 14 North American mountain destinations for the upcoming year, including new high-speed lifts at Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows and Winter Park, direct to lift access at Deer Valley Resort, an expansive renovation of the Bobbie Burns lodge at CMH Heli-Skiing & Summer Adventures, and an upgrade of Steamboat’s gondola.

The first mega-pass for skiing and snowboarding across North America and abroad goes on sale March 5, courtesy of Colorado-based Alterra Mountain Co.

Now part of the Alterra Mountain Company and the Ikon Pass, the quaint slopeside village and trails of southern Vermont’s Stratton will soon offer a new lift and restructured trails that benefit every level of skier and rider at the mountain.

Alterra Mountain Co. has announced it has an agreement to purchase Crystal Mountain Resort in Washington – the first Pacific Northwest holding for the Denver-based resort conglomerate and its Ikon Pass.

Thredbo in New South Wales, Australia is the newest partner of the Ikon Pass, now offering access to more than 64,000 acres at 27 mountain destinations around the world. 

After buying 11 ski and snowboard resorts in 2017 -- its first year of business -- Alterra Mountain Co. brought its portfolio to an even dozen by announcing the purchase of Solitude Mountain Resort.

On-mountain eating welcomes Taco Beast mobile taco truck. (Steamboat/Facebook)

Ever got a sudden hunger pang while skiing or riding, but the snow was too good to waste time in the cafeteria line? Or you are far from the nearest on-mountain eatery?

A detachable quad for quick access to Tremblant North Side skiing and riding. (Mont Tremblant)

Replacement of the Lowell Thomas chairlift, renovating and expanding summit chalet Le Grand Manitou, creating new glades and renovating La Fourchette du Diable on the North Side base are all part of Alterra Mountain Company’s latest plans for Mont Tremblant.

Epic Pass expands your horizons. (Epic Pass/Facebook)

The initial price of $899 is the same, but there’s plenty to choose from as the major multi-resort players put their best face forward in the season pass wars.