I don't think there is any suggestion of $2K season passes across the board for the new company. Also remember, Aspen SkiCo is also NOT part of it. Now the "monopoly" in Aspen is largely due to geography. Aspen simply does not draw the number of Front Rangers that the rest of I-70 does, or even Steamboat does. There are a LOT of hardworking families in the RFV who ski all season, some every day, at one of the Aspen mountains. Many have passes paid for by their employers. Many feel that it's an important investment in recreation, a "tax" of living there. No different that Stowe's $1800-2000 season passes last year before the Epic Pass rolled into town. If you ski 100+ days a season in Aspen, it works out to be pretty reasonable. Our whole impression of what a reasonable cost of a seasons pass should be went off the tracks in the days of ASC, and the early consolidators. Didn't really help ASC, as I recall.
There has been a lot of frenzy in the industry that "We must do this", and also many who say, why? I think that a Jackson Hole pass is in that same ball park. If you buy a pass for Snow King as well, it's probably a fair amount more. Same thing. Only game in town. Sun Valley? Same. I guess I don't think of that as some monopoly.
I would say that Aspen SklCo faces almost no competition, so they price at what their market will tolerate. And anybody with a weekend vacation home in Aspen has plenty bills, on top of the pass. They obviously sell. My info is that SkiCo really doesn't see any of the CO areas as competition, certainly not to the point where it would influence their business practices.
Plus the skiers kind of like the lack of crowds. It's tremendous. Maybe an expensive Aspen pass is good for a lot of bragging rights, too.
In case I'm not clear, the chances, I hear, of one common pass, at one set of price points for all of the KSL/HCC properties is pretty darn slim. Maybe ZERO, in fact. They have no need to do it. They are NOT playing follow VR, or anybody else with this.
No need to go around in circles in Epic style on this.