Indy Pass Adds Smugglers’ Notch for 2026-27 Season

Northern Vermont’s Smugglers’ Notch is the latest addition to the Indy Pass roster.

Background

Vermont’s Smugglers’ Notch ski area is officially joining the Indy Pass for the 2026-27 ski season, adding one of the Northeast’s most prominent independent ski areas to the rapidly growing multi-resort product.

Indy Pass holders will receive two days of skiing or riding at Smugglers’ Notch, along with a third day at 25% off. There will be no blackout dates on either the Indy Base or Indy Plus Pass, although advance reservations will be required as part of Smugglers’ Notch’s capacity-management program.

The addition comes during Smugglers’ Notch’s first full winter under its new ownership structure. In February 2026, Bear Den Partners acquired a majority stake in the resort. Bear Den also owns and operates three other independent Northeast ski areas with Indy Pass access, including Burke, Berkshire East, and Catamount.

Smugglers’ Notch was the headlining addition in a major expansion of the Indy Pass roster for 2026-27. Indy says it has added 60 resorts since last season, bringing its network to 304 destinations across 15 countries and four continents (although only 256 of these are alpine ski areas, with the rest being cross-country nordic resorts). In the wake of the resort additions, Indy reopened pass sales to the general public on September 8, claiming they had additional capacity to do so after previously selling out.

As with many other Northeast Indy mountains, Smuggs has more old-school infrastructure than competing Epic and Ikon mountains.

Our Take

For anyone closely following the ski industry, Smugglers’ Notch joining the Indy Pass suite may have been one of the worst-kept secrets of the off-season.

Indy spent the week leading up to the announcement gradually revealing dozens of new partners while teasing a major final addition, and Smuggs was an obvious candidate. The resort had just been acquired by Bear Den Partners, whose portfolio already has substantial overlap with Indy Pass, making the eventual partnership feel less like a surprise than the finale to a carefully staged marketing rollout.

But predictability doesn’t make the addition insignificant. With Smugglers’ Notch onboard, Indy Pass now continues to build out its very compelling collection of independent ski areas across the Northeast. Smuggs joins destinations such as Jay Peak, Bolton Valley, Magic Mountain, Burke, Cannon, Saddleback, and numerous less-commercial mountains, meaning someone planning multiple Northeast weekend trips can now reach an impressively large percentage of the region’s most interesting non-Epic and non-Ikon mountains with one relatively inexpensive product.

There are, however, still some caveats. First, many Indy destinations retain exactly the type of old-school infrastructure that gives them their charm but also makes them less convenient than their corporate competitors. Smugglers’ Notch may be the ultimate example: its terrain is among the most compelling in Vermont, but its lift network remains dominated by slow, fixed-grip chairs. And unlike the other Indy resorts with slower lifts, Smuggs doesn’t even have any high-capacity chairs, still relying solely on double lifts.

Geography is another issue, with most of Indy’s headline Vermont destinations continuing to stay concentrated in the north of the state. Smugglers’ Notch, Jay Peak, Burke, and Bolton Valley all require substantial drives for skiers and riders coming from major U.S. metropolitan areas, particularly New York and Boston. Places like Magic, Berkshire East, and Catamount do offer easier drives, but they don’t offer the snow reliability (or, arguably, terrain) to compete with places like Killington, Sugarbush, and Stowe. Indy therefore works particularly well for a more-involved driving vacation, but it may be considerably less convenient for the skier or rider simply looking for a well-rounded weekend getaway.

And while Indy’s Northeast lineup is arguably stronger than ever, the same cannot necessarily be said nationwide. The pass has taken several significant losses in other regions heading into 2026-27. Lutsen, Granite Peak, and Snowriver—three of the Midwest’s largest destination ski areas—have left Indy and joined the Ikon ecosystem. A handful of other ski areas in Michigan and Wisconsin have chosen not to renew as well. The Pacific Northwest has also taken a hit, most notably with Mission Ridge dropping from the 2026-27 lineup, leaving a considerably weaker collection of larger Indy destinations for skiers and riders based around Seattle.

Ultimately, Smugglers’ Notch further establishes Indy as an attractive option in the Northeast. But this year’s departures raise questions as to whether the pass can stay compelling in other regions.

Considering a trip to the Northeast? Check out our Smugglers’ Notch review, as well as our East Coast ski resort rankings here.