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Alterra ordered to pay over $17 million in credits due to shortened COVID season

Skiers above the Daly Chutes at Alterra-owned Deer Valley Resort.
Ben Lasseter
Skiers above the Daly Chutes at Alterra-owned Deer Valley Resort.

Deer Valley owner Alterra Mountain Company settled a class action lawsuit in U.S. District Court and has been ordered to pay about $17 million in ski pass credits.

The lawsuit stems from the 2019-20 ski season that ended prematurely because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to court documents.

The plaintiffs argue that Ikon Pass holders did not receive the full season access they paid for that winter.

Cases in Utah, Colorado, California, and other states were consolidated into a single class action lawsuit.

The settlement allows Ikon Pass customers who submitted claims to receive a credit for any Ikon passes for the 2023-24 or 2024-25 ski season. Credits range from $150 to $10, depending on how many days their pass was used during the pandemic season.

The credits can also be used for discounts on a one-day lift ticket at Ikon resorts.

The aggregate total value of all pass credits that could be given out is roughly $17.5 million.

Court records do not indicate how many Ikon Pass holders are eligible for the credits.

The claim deadline was Jan. 2. Emails were sent out to pass holders in October.

Alterra argued in court that the award was excessive.

A spokesman from the law firm Dovel and Luner, which represented the plaintiffs, said Alterra did not have any “pandemic provision” in its Ikon Pass contract. He added that Vail Resorts' decision to offer credits to pass holders impacted by the pandemic bolstered their legal argument.

"Although we fully stand by the decision to pause operations in the face of unprecedented and unknown health and safety risks, we wanted to move beyond March 2020 and have agreed to a settlement resolution for our valued pass holders who were impacted," an Alterra spokesperson said.

Alterra is headquartered in Denver and operates 16 mountains, spread throughout six U.S. states and three Canadian provinces.