Although ski season is still in full force — especially for those out west — now might be the best time to lock in next year’s ski plans. Whether you’re a beginner skier or a seasoned pro, the best way to pay for your lift tickets is usually with a ski pass instead of individual mountain lift tickets. And by purchasing an Epic Pass now, you can avoid overpaying for your days on the mountain by getting what are likely the lowest prices of the year.
An Epic Pass can save you money on skiing even if you are only planning a single trip — or perhaps skiing for as little as one day.
For example, a one-day adult lift ticket at Beaver Creek can cost $299 for one single day (for the 2023-2024 ski season). The most you’d pay for one day on the slopes at Beaver Creek or any other Vail-owned mountain if you buy a one-day Epic Pass now for next year is $129. It’s an astounding price difference.
For those looking to save money and ski at resorts on the Epic Pass, purchasing now for next season is the way to get the least expensive pricing for the passes. While there’s no exact date when prices increase, typically there are small jumps in the spring, at the end of summer and again in the fall.
Plus, Buddy Tickets — a set number of discounted lift tickets for a friend skiing with you for the day — are only available to those who purchase during the introductory offer. So, if you purchase an Epic Pass now, you can ultimately lock in your winter skiing for as low as $43 per day for adults and $23 per day for kids ages 5-12. Kids age 4 and under can ski for free when accompanied by an adult with an Epic Pass.
Your specific per-day price depends on the pass you purchase and how often you’re at the mountains.
If you enjoy Vail Resorts and its partner mountains — some of the biggest names in the industry — an Epic Pass is a great option. In fact, this is my family’s third year in a row skiing with the pass.
Related: We saved every receipt: Here’s what it really cost to go skiing
Epic Pass pricing
The Epic Local Pass — which is available to locals and travel-in skiers alike — is currently on sale for $731 for unlimited, unrestricted access to 29 resorts — including Breckenridge, Keystone and Crested Butte — plus unlimited, non-holiday access to Park City, Heavenly and Stowe, plus 10 days at Vail, Beaver Creek and Whistler Blackcomb, among others.
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The full Epic Pass, priced at $982, unlocks unlimited skiing at Vail, Beaver Creek, Whistler Blackcomb, Breckenridge, Crested Butte, Stowe, Keystone, Park City and many other Vail-owned and partner resorts. Plus, you’ll also receive seven days at Telluride and select resorts throughout the Canadian Rockies.
While one pass carries a “local” name, that doesn’t mean it’s limited to purchase by those who live near the mountain; anyone can benefit from tons of skiing throughout the season. “Local” mainly means it has some peak-date restrictions during the busiest holiday times of the year.
There are also many mountain-specific or regional pass options, such as the Northeast Value pass.
For $600, you can ski all of the Northeast mountains (21 in total) throughout the season. This includes popular mountains such as Okemo, Mount Snow, Hunter Mountain, Mount Sunapee, Stowe and more. While there are a few holiday blackout dates for select mountains and only 10 access days for Stowe, this pass can provide great access to the region.
Additionally, there are significant discounts for students, military personnel (active, retired and dependents), seniors and those with permanent disabilities.
However, if you’re only looking to take one or two trips to the mountain, you can instead opt for the Epic Day Pass; this will give you a set number of ski days at a select number of resorts.
An Epic Pass will save you money — even on a short trip
You may not have considered getting an Epic Pass if you only ski or snowboard a day or two each season. However, with so many different pass options, you might find one that works perfectly for your ski habits.
The Epic Day Pass has three tier levels based on the mountains included. You can purchase access to 22 resorts (including the smaller Vail resorts), 32 resorts or all 38 mountains.
For a single-day ticket, the adult pass price starts at $52 ($26 for children) for a limited number of ski resorts (those in the Midwest, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania). The cost then jumps to a starting price of $85 per day for most ski resorts ($43 for kids) or $110 per day ($57 for kids) for the full range of Vail-owned and partner resorts. But with a seven-day pass, the price starts at just $44 per day.
The more days you purchase, though, the less expensive it is per day. For example, a seven-day pass at the 22 resorts on a non-peak date is just $304 total, or $44 per day. Or, for all access, you’re looking at $93 per day. Of course, if you’re looking to ski during peak holiday dates (there are only 11 of them), the price goes up slightly; it’s capped at $129 per day.
This can help you save, considering single-day walk-up passes can start close to $300 per day at resorts such as Vail and Beaver Creek. So, even if you want to ski just one day at Vail Resort during the peak Christmas week, you can purchase an Epic Day Pass in advance and save money.
Note that only Epic four-day, five-day, six-day and seven-day passes with “All Resorts” access include access to Telluride in Colorado and the six resorts of the Canadian Rockies.
Epic Passes provide exclusive discounts
On top of all that, travelers with the Epic Pass, Epic Local Pass, Epic Day Pass and more can enjoy discounts through the Epic Mountain Rewards program. This simple but rewarding program provides the following discounts at Vail Resorts’ 37 North American resorts:
- 20% off food and nonalcoholic beverages (on up to $150 per day)
- 20% off group ski and ride lessons
- 20% off lodging owned and operated by Vail Resorts
- 20% off the Epic Mountain Express private or shared shuttles from Denver International Airport (DEN) and Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE)
- 20% off gear rentals
- 20% off select on-mountain activities
- One free wax and one 50%-off tune per season at select U.S. locations
Additionally, all 2024-2025 Epic Pass products automatically come with included Epic Coverage; this provides refunds for personal events such as job loss, injury, illness and certain resort closures.
Ski and ride at world-class resorts
While the Epic Pass is the juggernaut, the less expensive Epic Local Pass is the best value for travelers who don’t plan to ski over holidays or during peak periods.
This season, the holiday dates that affect the Local Pass are Nov. 29-30, 2024; Dec. 26-31, 2024; Jan. 18, 2025; and Feb. 15-16, 2025. Keep in mind that some of the regional passes include additional restricted dates. For example, the Northeast Value Pass is also restricted from Jan. 18-19, 2025 — the Saturday and Sunday of Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend.
Epic Pass
If you’re craving access to all of Vail’s resorts, with additional access to partner resorts, and don’t want to deal with previously mentioned holiday restrictions, the full Epic Pass will fit your needs.
Passes for the 2024-2025 season currently cost $982 for adults (ages 13 and up) and $501 for children (ages 5 to 12). There are no full Epic Pass discounts for teens.
This Epic Pass gets you access to Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Crested Butte, Park City, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood, Stevens Pass, Whistler Blackcomb, Stowe, Okemo, Mount Snow, Mount Sunapee, Attitash Mountain Resort, Wildcat Mountain, Crotched Mountain, Hunter Mountain, Liberty Mountain Resort, Roundtop Mountain Resort, Whitetail Resort, Jack Frost, Big Boulder, Seven Springs, Laurel Mountain, Hidden Valley (Pennsylvania), Afton Alps, Mount Brighton, Wilmot, Alpine Valley, Boston Mills, Brandywine, Mad River Mountain, Hidden Valley (Missouri), Snow Creek, Paoli Peaks, Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis, Perisher, Falls Creek and Hotham. And, pending a closing acquisition, Crans-Montana in Switzerland will be added to the list.
At partner resorts, the full Epic Pass gets you access to seven days at Telluride, seven days at Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, unlimited access to 26 European resorts and five days in Japan.
Epic Local Pass
For the 2024-2025 season, the Epic Local Pass provides unlimited access to Breckenridge, Keystone, Crested Butte, Stevens Pass, Mount Snow, Okemo, Mount Sunapee, Attitash Mountain Resort, Wildcat Mountain, Crotched Mountain, Hunter Mountain, Afton Alps, Mount Brighton, Wilmot, Alpine Valley, Boston Mills, Brandywine, Mad River Mountain, Hidden Valley (Missouri), Snow Creek, Paoli Peaks, Liberty Mountain Resort, Roundtop Mountain Resort, Whitetail Resort, Jack Frost, Big Boulder, Seven Springs, Laurel Mountain and Hidden Valley (Pennsylvania).
You’ll also get access (with holiday restrictions) to Park City, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood and Stowe.
The Epic Local Pass includes 10 total combined days (with previously mentioned holiday restrictions) at Vail, Beaver Creek and Whistler Blackcomb.
Additionally, if skiing outside of North America is in your plans, you’ll receive five total days in Japan at Hakuba Valley and Rusutsu Resort, and five days in Switzerland at Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis and Crans-Montana (access subject to acquisition close).
In short, if you can work around a few restrictions, the current Epic Local Pass pricing is a heck of a deal at $731 for adults, $380 for children ages 5-12 and $591 for teens 13-18. To compare, a seven-day, restricted Epic Day Pass is currently $648 for adults, so you can ski unlimited times throughout the winter without paying too much more money.
Hot tip: If you’re looking to purchase the Northeast Value Pass or Ohio Pass and have a child who’s 5 or 6 years old, you can purchase a Tot Pass. This pass is significantly cheaper: It’s less than $50 (pricing depends on when you purchase the pass), but you’ll need to call Vail or a local resort to purchase it. As we’ve learned from the past few years, if the representative isn’t aware of this particular pass, you should ask to speak to someone else.
What’s changed with Epic Pass for this year
If you had an Epic Pass last year, you’ll be happy to know that options are almost identical despite the price increase of approximately 8%.
There aren’t many changes, but you’ll now see the Mobile Pass option at more mountains, such as Whistler Blackcomb, and improvements to redeeming your Buddy Tickets. The main change is that Crans-Montana is slated to join, pending acquisition approval.
Epic launched a new app to replace the EpicMix app. With the new app, your phone will serve as your lift ticket at most resorts.
There will also be a few new lift upgrades, with projects including Whistler Blackcomb, Hunter Mountain, Afton Alps, Perisher and Andermatt-Sedrun.
Bottom line
For years, the most cost-effective way to ski at major mountains has been with a pass. But now, with single-day lift tickets knocking on the door of $300 per day, it’s essential to plan ahead and get an Epic Pass of some sort to avoid paying those incredibly high rates.
Although the season is not yet over, my family will likely get in at least 22 ski days this year. Based on the price we paid last year, that comes out to just $30 per day, and that includes six days in Vail and Breckenridge. This is a huge savings compared to the day rates at most mountains throughout the U.S — even the independent resorts not on Epic.
On top of those more accessible prices to get you on the lift, if you plan ahead, you can also potentially use your hotel points to stay near (or even on) the mountain to keep your out-of-pocket ski prices as low as possible.
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