The Lowdown

Have you ever buttered a warm piece of toast? Really, it could be any topping - cream cheese, hummus, vegemite, marmalade – who doesn't like a little jam with their butters? Skiing on the Season Pass feels a lot like this. In the same way your knife easily crosses the smooth plane of that crispy goodness, so does the Pass across a fresh blanket of snow. Every turn feels consistent, inspiring confidence as you change directions.

Unlike my favorite carbohydrate, these skis don't leave me toast. Compared to the rest of the Season line, these have a lighter core and lower swing weight, making them easier to haul uphill to earn those creamy, buttery turns. Not into schlepping your gear uphill? This simply means you’ll have leftover energy to burn for a few more runs at the end of the day. I know we never say last run, but the Pass will make it hard to call it a day.

Ride Impressions

Coming in at a towering 5’2”, I was somewhat intimidated by the longer length of this ski (176cm). My hesitations were quickly squashed once I realized just how light the Pass was! I have skied the Aero, Nexus, and Forma from Season and couldn’t believe how much lighter they were able to make the Pass. With a fair amount of rocker in both the tips and tails, the effective edge on this ski is shorter, allowing me to feel comfortable on the longer length.

When it comes to skiing in the backcountry, you can read the forecast and observations, but it’s always a mixed bag of what kind of snow conditions you’ll encounter. Paired with the Salomon Shift 10s, I felt confident that these skis would be able to quickly adapt to whatever pocket of snow I found - from wind slab, to sastrugi, to sneaky powder stashes. The Pass kept me on my line and didn't kick me around when conditions were questionable.

Early morning turns at Arapahoe Basin can be teeth-chattering in more ways than one - the north slope remains hidden in the shade, so it's quite chilly AND conditions can be bulletproof until the sun warms up the snow! This is where the Pass impressed me most. With the shorter turning radius and generous amount of camber, linking turns on frozen corduroy was very intuitive. As I picked up speed down a groomer, I did notice the ski deflect a bit, especially when encountering the crud leftover by the cat. This was expected as it is a lightweight powder/touring ski. That said, the Pass performed better than most in its class on hardpack.

This ski loves bumps. Me? I'm okay for a couple runs, but don't often seek them out. Softer tips and tails allow this ski to flex naturally in the bumps, providing the forgiving ride I hope for when skiing moguls.

Let's talk about powder! I was able to take the Pass out in about 6-8 inches of fresh snow. Although not as deep as I had hoped for, this was enough to give me an idea of how the Pass would handle bigger dumps. Here in Colorado, our snowpack tends to be drier than other regions, giving us that champagne and blower powder snow. When skiing in these conditions, I typically prefer nearly full rocker skis that are silly soft. The Pass does very well in these types of conditions, but I found that it really excelled when the snow was deep and heavy due to the solid construction and camber underfoot. I spend some of my winter(s) in the PNW and Tetons and find that this ski is better built for those regions.

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Who Are They For?

The Season Pass is the perfect ski for someone looking to split their time riding the chairlift at the resort and putting in the skin track in the backcountry. Any and all ability levels will feel confident on this ski — strong beginners will be able to take advantage of the soft, forgiving tail, and the more advanced skiers will appreciate how well the ski holds up at top speeds. Home for this ski is softer snow, whether that’s following a big storm, or mid-afternoon when the bumps have softened up. This thing loves slush, so get ready to win the next pond skim! Despite the wider waist width, this ski feels very comfortable on-piste and slashing through crud. The Pass excelled in Colorado conditions, but I could see it performing best in the PNW plowing through heavier snowpacks.

From the Brand