Epic Pass - New Year, New Season, New Discounts

We wrote the other week about how Epic Pass began to tease us on social media about the upcoming release of their 21/22 season pass options. They told us it would CHANGE EVERYTHING! You might be now asking yourself, have they really changed everything or is it simply a marketing tactic?

After a very interesting 20/21 season which flipped and changed almost on the weekly due to ongoing global conditions we saw major impacts at ski resorts across the world, one of those major changes which impacted any rider who holds either the Epic Pass or the Ikon pass was the introduction of Pass Holder Reservations.

This single changed threw most riders plans into chaos especially when it came to planning an interstate ski trip as many riders started to ask themself, is it worth the drive or flight if I am not even able to get on the mountain?

Vail resorts confirmed late last week to pass holders that they do no plan to have the reservation system in place for the 21/22 season which i’m sure made a lot of people across the globe sigh a breath of relief as they can now look forward to planning that dream ski holiday at one of the many Epic Pass resorts found across the USA and Canada. Well as of today we can confirm that Epic Pass has slashed 20% off the pricing.

As the battle for riders between Epic and Ikon heats up we are seeing some great changes come out in their 2021 offering. The new pricing see’s the full Epic Pass at $783 USD ($985 CAD / $1,032 AUD / £572 GBP / €663 EUR) which is $196 USD less than the same season pass last year, and more importantly, $216 less than Alterra is charging this year for its Ikon Pass. Buy Your Epic Pass Now!

The Epic Local Pass, which will go on sale alongside the Epic Pass on Tuesday, will cost $583, $146 lower than last year’s $729. The equivalent Ikon Base Pass is $729.Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz was quick to clarify that they are cutting the cost of the Epic Pass, and day tickets will not be affected:

“We’re not cutting the price of a lift ticket. We’re cutting the price of a pass, which means you have to buy it before the season.” Rob Katz told the Denver Post

Where can you ride on the Epic Pass?The short answer is, practically anywhere and the resort and terrain options are both endless and offer something for everyone

Full press release below:

Company doubles down on advance commitment pass strategy with bold price resetLaunches new version of Epic Day Pass with more limited resort offering at $67 for a 1-day passEpic Mountain Rewards program continues, offering pass holders 20 percent off dining, lodging, group ski and ride school, and equipment rentalsVail Resorts, the world’s leading ski resort company, today announced a bold price reset of its Epic Pass products to continue to deliver on its commitment of Epic for Everyone and to honor the loyalty of its pass holders. Already regarded as the best value in skiing and riding, the Company’s pass prices have been reduced by 20 percent across the board – making it easier for everyone to purchase a pass and, once again, changing everything about how guests access skiing and riding.The price reduction applies to the entire portfolio of the Company’s North American pass lineup, including Epic Pass, Epic Local Pass and Epic Day Pass; Whistler Blackcomb Unlimited, Whistler Blackcomb Day Pass and EDGE Cards; Summit Value Pass, Tahoe Local and Value Pass, and Northeast Value and Midweek Pass; Military Epic Pass and Adaptive Pass; and many more. Epic Pass products are now available to purchase at EpicPass.com for the 2021/22 winter season.“The ski industry, our Company and skiers and riders everywhere just navigated the most challenging season we have ever encountered. Because of the growth and loyalty of our pass holders, we were able to ensure this season was a success, with full operations across our 34 North American resorts, even amid a pandemic,” said Rob Katz, chairman and chief executive officer of Vail Resorts. “When we launched the Epic Pass 13 years ago, we began a journey to offer incredible value, flexibility and access to pass holders in exchange for a commitment before the season starts. Since then, we have added 32 resorts to our portfolio to give our pass holders more choice, and watched how they more naturally spread out their skiing over the course of a season. We have also invested over $1.5 billion into the guest experience with industry-leading technological innovations and numerous on-mountain capital improvements. Today, as we double down on our pass strategy by dramatically reducing our pass prices, we are excited to make it easier for everyone to move into a pass, and we remain fully committed to ensuring continuous improvements in the guest experience.”The Epic Local Pass is now available for $583 (down from $729 last season) and the full Epic Pass is priced at $783 (down from $979 last season). This reset takes these products back to prices last seen during the 2015/16 season when the Epic Pass offered access to only 11 U.S. resorts compared to today’s more than 70 resorts worldwide, including Vail, Breckenridge, Park City and Whistler Blackcomb. With the price reduction, the Epic Day Pass, which provides the same season pass value to guests who want to ski or ride just 1-7 days, gives guests the chance to visit world-class resorts like Vail for just $87 with a 1-day pass (compared to a $219 lift ticket) and as low as $74 a day with a 7-day pass.New for the 2021/22 season, the Epic Day Pass will offer two levels of resort access. With this new option, guests can get even more value in a day pass and access 29 resorts, including Keystone, Crested Butte, Heavenly, Northstar, Stowe and Hunter Mountain, for a price that starts at only $67 for a 1-day pass. Now guests can choose the number of days they want to ski or ride, whether or not to have holiday access, and the level of resort access they desire for the upcoming season at an incredible value. Find the full list of resorts accessible with this more limited offering and those excluded, here. This new Epic Day Pass customization option will be available to purchase on April 29, 2021.“The new prices announced today not only provide value to existing skiers and riders, but we also believe they will contribute to the growth and vitality of our sport as we bring new people and higher engagement into the industry, which we think is imperative,” said Katz. “We also believe these lower prices will benefit our financial results based on new learnings from the past few years. First, since we launched the Epic Day Pass two years ago, we have seen a material number of guests purchase a pass who were not previously known to us as customers, especially guests who typically skied less days in a season. Second, people who switched from purchasing lift tickets to passes then actually skied more frequently, purchased more ski school and rentals, and were more likely to visit our resorts the following year. Finally, based on the pass credits from last year, we have much better insight on how to profitably drive renewal rates in the program, particularly for newer pass holders, where we see dramatic increases in loyalty if we can keep them in the program for their first few years.”“Much like in 2008 when we launched the Epic Pass, it can be counterintuitive to think that providing value to our guests by lowering prices will also drive value for our Company,” Katz continued. “However, we believe the price reduction will drive incremental revenue, given our comprehensive lineup of pass products that can fit any guest’s needs, our personalized and >Today’s announcements are a part of Vail Resorts’ Epic for Everyone commitment to broaden engagement in the sport. Launched in 2019, Epic for Everyone began with the introduction of the Epic Day Pass, designed to give new and occasional skiers the same value and flexibility offered with a traditional season pass. Later that year, the Company announced the acquisition of 17 regional ski resorts located near major metropolitan areas – an effort to provide pass holders the ability ski or ride close to home and at world-class destination resorts all on the same pass.In addition to reducing the cost of accessing the mountains, Epic Pass products provide pass holders with significant savings on the rest of their mountain experience. Introduced last season, Epic Mountain Rewards offers pass holders 20 percent off on-mountain dining, lodging, group ski and ride school lessons, equipment rentals and more at Vail Resorts’ 34 North American owned and operated resorts.All 2021/22 pass products will come with Epic Coverage, at no additional cost, which provides refunds for personal events like job loss, injury or illness, as well as for certain resort closures, including closures due to COVID-19.Find more details on the 2021/22 Epic Pass portfolio here.Make sure you follow us on our socials!