A season pass to ski at some of the top mountain resorts in North America will be significantly cheaper next winter.
Vail Resorts, which operates dozens of properties, began selling its Epic Pass this week for the 2021–22 ski season—and the price is 20% lower than last year.
For $783, skiers and snowboarders get unlimited access at 37 resorts with the pass. Previously, the cost was $979.
According to Vail Resorts, the Epic Pass hasn't been this affordable since 2015. If only some other changes over the last six years could be erased so easily.
Among the popular resorts covered by the pass: Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge (pictured above), and Keystone in Colorado; Park City in Utah; and Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia.
In a press release, Vail Resorts describes the price reduction as an effort to reward loyal customers following a challenging season that was shortened by the pandemic. The company likely wouldn't mind if the lower prices attracted new customers, too, in order to make up for revenue that was lost while the lifts weren't running.
In addition to the standard pass, the company offers an alternative for local skiers to get unlimited access at nearby resorts ($583). There's also a day-pass version that lets you ski anywhere for up to 7 days for as little as $67 per day. The 20% reduction has been applied to those passes as well.
What's more, all 2021–22 passes will come with Epic Coverage at no additional cost. That guarantees refunds for injury, illness, and "certain resort closures," including any having to do with Covid-19.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Vail Resorts is also doing away with an unpopular 2020–21 requirement that passholders must make mountain reservations in advance online.
Vail competitor Alterra Mountain Company, which operates the Ikon Pass (valid at more than a dozen resorts in North America), didn't go the reservations-for-passholders route last winter.
Even before the new discount, Vail's Epic Pass was already slightly cheaper than the standard Ikon Pass, which costs $999 for an adult. That one became available for 2021–22 earlier this month.
With the Epic Pass's reduced price tag, Vail Resorts bolsters its claim of offering the "best value in skiing."
For more info, visit EpicPass.com.
