If there’s one thing skiers, snowboarders, and anyone who’s ever ventured into a resort can agree on, it’s that lift lines suck. Nothing will take the wind out of your sails like skiing down from a great run, only to see a massive crowd of people crammed around the lift, lined up past the ropes, and up the hill.
Ahead of the 2025/26 season, Alterra Mountain Company, owner of the Ikon Pass, rolled out a new perk at several of its mountains that allows guests to skip the lines. The “Reserve Pass” upgrade is available at Winter Park, Big Bear Mountain Resort, Schweitzer, Sugarbush Resort, Blue Mountain, Tremblant, Crystal Mountain, and Solitude Mountain Resort. It can be added to a daily lift ticket, resort season pass, or Ikon Pass.
Much like Disneyland’s Fast Passes, this upgrade allows guests access to a new Reserve Pass lift lane. Similar to the Ski School lane, guests who can use it ski straight to the front of any lift line.
The upgrade costs hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on the resort, in addition to the cost of the pass to which it is attached. Reserve Passes are not interchangeable between participating Alterra mountains.
“We regularly conduct guest surveys, and a number of skiers and riders are looking to save time and want ease of access,” Kristin Rust, vice president of communications for Alterra Mountain Co., told GearJunkie. “For those guests, we’ve created the Reserve Pass, which offers a set of elevated services, including premium parking and select priority lift lines.”
Rust said Reserve Passes will be made available in very limited quantities. If you want to add it to your pass, you can check online or call a participating resort’s lift ticket office.
Reserve Pass: Latest Upgrade for Ikon Pass Holders
Every season, Alterra’s Ikon Pass adds new perks, benefits, destinations, and upgrades for its customers. In 2025, it added nine destinations in Japan, South Korea, and China, five destinations in Italy, and added unlimited access to Arapahoe Basin for both full Ikon and Ikon Base Pass holders.
Rust made it clear that the Reserve Pass upgrade is not an Ikon product, although it can be added to any season Ikon pass at the eight Alterra mountains that offer it. It is a standalone upgrade. It works all season, including holidays, without blackout dates (although certain lifts may not offer an express line).
The Reserve Pass offers different benefits and comes at different prices between resorts. Winter Park’s Reserve Pass costs $2,500. Crystal Mountain’s Reserve Pass costs $1,500. Sugarbush Resort offers the upgrade for $2,000, and Solitude Mountain offers it for $700. At some resorts, such as Winter Park, the upgrade includes reserved parking. Check each mountain’s website for specific details on its Reserve Pass upgrades.
A Controversial Rollout
In a sport that is already prohibitively expensive for many, the news of this upgrade caused outrage online. A Change.org petition to stop the implementation of this Reserve Pass upgrade at Utah’s Crystal Mountain has 4,363 signatures (as of this writing).
“Implementing such a system threatens the community atmosphere and will pit skiers and boarders against each other,” the petition reads. “Skiing and snowboarding should be experiences that promote equality and shared enjoyment of the outdoors, regardless of one’s financial status. By allowing priority access through additional charges, Alterra Mountain Company risks alienating the average ski enthusiast …”
Others have also voiced concerns about the potential effects this could have within the lift line.
“I predict an increase in on hill interactions, Tonya Harding style,” one Reddit user, commenting on an r/Skiing post about Solitude’s Reserve Pass, said.
“Heckles & snowballs for line cutters,” said another.
Not the First Version of This, Nor the Last
The rollout of this Reserve Pass upgrade at so many resorts across Alterra Mountain Company’s holdings is big news. However, it’s not the first time the ski industry has seen something like this.
Utah’s Snowbird, owned by POWDR, introduced a “fast-track pass” in 2021, although its model differs slightly. Snowbird offers daily fast-track tickets for between $60 on weekdays and $90 on holidays, limiting availability each day. Killington has had a similar offering for years, currently priced at $50 per day.
Whatever the effect of this Fast Pass–style upgrade, it appears to be gaining popularity among ski resorts. This latest rollout across Alterra’s holdings is not likely to be the last iteration of the Reserve Passes we’ll see.
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