Indy Pass & Unofficial Networks Team Up with Hickory

GRANBY, COLORADO - Indy Pass and Unofficial Networks announced today they have combined efforts to provide financial assistance to Hickory Ski Center in Warrensburg, New York, so the ski area may run its lifts for the first time in eight years.

Hickory Ski Center in Warrensburg, New York features 1200 verticle feet and four surface lifts.

The ski center will join the Indy Pass for the 2023/24 season, and season passes go on sale today at skihickory.com. Hickory pass holders will be eligible to purchase Indy AddOn Passes at a 30% discount. The Indy Pass will close the 2023/2024 waitlist on Sunday, December 10th.

Hickory Ski Center was founded in 1946 by veterans of the 10th Mountain Division and has served the surrounding community and offered uphill traffic only since 2016. With rising costs, specifically insurance, the ski area faced an uncertain future until their plight caught the attention of Tim Konrad, publisher of Unofficial Networks.

"My family spends much of the winter in the Adirondacks, and I have been ski touring at Hickory since 2015. Over the years, I've been keeping close tabs on their struggle to reopen lifts, and when I learned how far they had come and how close they were to achieving their goal, I knew we had to do something. So I called Erik at Indy Pass to discuss how we could offer our support,” said Konrad.

“After Tim called, we did a quick assessment and decided that Entabeni would step in on this one. It is important to recognize the collaboration between Entabeni, Indy Pass, and Unofficial Networks. The more organizations we can get involved to stabilize these small, independent areas, the better our chances of scaling this movement,” said Erik Mogensen, CEO of Entabeni and Indy Pass.

“We have been working with our Hickory skiing community to help overcome the financial obstacles that could prevent the opening of the lifts at Hickory. The emergence of Tim and Erik with their lifeline has put us in a position to operate this season with lift certification, and hopefully for many more to come,” said Sue Catana, Hickory manager and daughter of founders Fran and Hans Winbauer.

The Indy Pass and Entabeni team will also consult with Hickory management on how to streamline operations and become more sustainable.

Indy Pass and its parent company, Entabeni Systems support independent resorts from Europe to Japan, but primarily in the US and Canada. On October 18, 2023, Black Mountain, New Hampshire, announced that support from Indy Pass would enable it to remain open for the coming season and has since hired a new GM and retained ski resort turn-around expert Andy Shephard to help secure a buyer.

The Indy Pass is the fastest-growing multi-mountain pass in the world. It offers 180+ Alpine and Nordic resorts across the US, Canada, Europe, and Japan, each providing two days of skiing or riding. Indy resorts are independent of any major corporate ownership, and many are owned and operated by multi-generational families providing a uniquely authentic and affordable skiing experience.

Established in 2006, Unofficial Networks stands as a leading online destination for mountain adventure, with a strong emphasis on skiing and snowboarding. The website boasts a passionate team of contributors who diligently craft, curate, and highlight a broad spectrum of content. This includes in-depth features on global skiing culture, up-to-date news, and diverse entertainment aspects related to mountain sports. Serving as a comprehensive resource, it appeals to a global audience of mountain sports aficionados, from beginners to experts, providing them with insightful, engaging, and informative content that celebrates and promotes the captivating world of skiing and snowboarding.