Tamarack, Idaho, is one of 13 destinations in the Destination Upgrade pilot.
Indy Pass is introducing the new Destination Upgrade program for the 2026-27 season, allowing passholders to extend their access from two days to as many as five at a select group of destinations in the western United States, Canada, and Europe.
Passholders can use all three days at one mountain, bringing their total there to five, or split them among participating destinations.
The 2026-27 pilot includes these 13 destinations:
Red Lodge, Montana
Innsbruck Region, Austria
Kaunertal Glacier, Austria
Leukerbad Torrent, Switzerland
Pitztal Glacier, Austria
SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser–Brixental, Austria
The three extra days have no blackout dates, including for Base Pass holders (the original two Base Pass days do not become unrestricted, so anyone planning a five-day holiday trip still needs to check the rules for those original days). Pricing varies by the Indy Pass product already owned (all shown in USD):
| Existing Indy Pass | Ages 13 and up | Ages 12 and under |
|---|---|---|
| Indy+ | $199 | $129 |
| Indy+ AddOn | $179 | $119 |
| Indy Base | $249 | $159 |
| Indy Base AddOn | $229 | $149 |
The upgrade goes on sale November 5 through Indy’s online store and loads onto an existing pass. Indy also says destination-specific lodging deals will be offered.
It’s also worth noting that Indy expects to announce at least 10 new resorts for its broader pass lineup in the coming weeks. With the season approaching and the pass suite currently on a waitlist-only status, it remains to be seen whether these additions allow for new passes to go on sale for prospective buyers.
At mountains like Brundage, Idaho, the Destination Upgrade can save Indy Pass holders a few bucks on a weeklong trip, but three days of lift tickets on top of the pass are cheaper in some cases.
Our Take
For someone who already uses Indy throughout the winter, the Indy Destination Upgrade may appear to be a useful addition. Most of the pilot destinations are worthwhile for a trip that spans more than two days (we'd argue a number of the featured European mountains are so massive that they are frankly impossible to properly explore in such a short period of time). And even if planning a multi-resort trip, splitting the extra days between participating mountains gives travelers more flexibility to build a trip around the places they actually want to spend time.
The catch is the price. At $199 for Indy+ holders and $249 for Base holders, you’re spending a big chunk of what the pass itself costs for three more days.
And when you think about the fact that the resorts on the Indy Pass often offer fairly reasonable lift tickets, this calls into question: is the add-on actually going to save you any money vs. buying lift tickets with the resorts themselves? We priced those three days at all eight North American destinations in the pilot to see how the upgrade stacks up against buying tickets directly.
| Resort | Three extra weekdays | Three extra weekend days |
|---|---|---|
| 49° North, WA | $147 | $199 |
| Brundage, ID | $215 | $257 |
| Powderhorn, CO | $259.75 | $287.25 |
| Red Lodge Mountain, MT | $231 | $231 |
| Silver Mountain, ID | $192 | $216 |
| Tamarack, ID | $264 | $306.25 |
| Big White, BC | C$367.25 | C$369 |
| Castle Mountain, AB | ~C$392 | ~C$408 |
At $199 from the Indy+ Pass, the upgrade beats the in-advance ticket prices we found at four of the six U.S. resorts for the weekday stretch and five for the weekend. Some of those savings are modest, while others topped $100. But at $249 from the Indy Base Pass, the upgrade beat direct tickets at just two of the six on weekdays and three on the weekend.
For the late-January dates we checked, three adult ski days bought in advance cost €178 to €230 at the Austrian destinations and CHF 141 to CHF 147.50 at the Swiss destination. Indy’s 25% third-day discount applies at only two of the five European destinations, and even there it saved at most about €6 compared with buying all three days in advance. At today's exchange rates, the $249 Destination Upgrade for Indy Base holders would have saved at most about $10 across the five European destinations on the late-January dates we checked. The $199 Indy+ upgrade had more upside at Innsbruck and SkiWelt, where it would have saved about $52-$60, but it saved $14 or less at the other three destinations.
On top of the limited savings versus lift tickets, the fundamental economics of the Destination Upgrade make the pricing especially hard to justify for Base holders. At Indy’s advertised upgrade prices, the $419 Base Pass and $469 Indy+ both come out to the same $668 with the Destination Upgrade. This means you are paying the exact same overall amount as if you were adding the upgrade on top of Indy+, despite being an objectively worse product by nature of having blackouts from the two regular days at each resort. If you already own Base, it’s worth asking Indy what it would cost to switch and whether you’d qualify for the $199 destination rate. If the switch costs $50 or less and gets you that rate, you’d get better access for the same price or less.
Ultimately, we do expect this to make a weeklong trip easier to cover for some Indy Pass holders, and in some cases, guests can save a decent amount on lift tickets. But with only 13 participating destinations and savings that vary this much by resort and date, we don’t expect it to change how most people use the pass this year.
The bigger opportunity is in future seasons. If Indy expands the pilot to more resorts and announces the lineup early enough for people to plan around it, Indy could become a more compelling pass for weeklong ski trips. We’ll be keeping an eye out to know for sure.
