Vail’s Epic Pass Prices Increase, but Early Bird Deals Available for 2023-24

Vail’s Epic Pass Prices Increase, but Early Bird Deals Available for 2023-24
Skier Kim Bailey, right, tries to talk on the phone while she rides the lift with her friend Roxanne Garlington in Vail, Colorado, on Feb. 6, 2023. Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post/TNS
Tribune News Service
Updated:

By John Meyer From The Denver Post

Vail Resorts has announced early bird prices for next season’s Epic Passes, and passes are now on sale.

The Epic Pass is priced at $909, and the Epic Local Pass which includes restrictions is $676. Both prices are 8 percent higher than what those passes cost when they went on sale a year ago for the current ski season. Prices for 2023-24 will increase in the coming months.

Rival Alterra Mountain Co. has not yet announced Ikon Pass prices for next season. A year ago, Alterra announced Ikon prices for the current season on March 3 and Vail Resorts announced Epic pricing on March 21.

The Epic prices announced in a news release are still cheaper than they were in 2020-21 when they were $979 and $729, respectively. The following year, Vail Resorts slashed those prices by 20 percent, but many skiers later said that led to overcrowded slopes in the 2021-22 season. When this season’s passes went on sale a year ago, they were $841 and $626, respectively, an increase of 7 percent over the previous year.

New for next season, skiers and riders will be able to store their “mobile pass” on their smartphones, which will be scanned automatically at the lift without having to remove them from a pocket or backpack. Plastic cards will remain an option for those who prefer them.

The Epic Pass will provide unlimited and unrestricted access to all 42 resorts owned by Vail Resorts, which in Colorado include Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Crested Butte. Another 80 “partner” resorts are covered by the Epic Pass, including Telluride. Reservations will not be required for Epic Pass holders at any of those resorts except at Telluride.

The Epic Local Pass will provide unlimited and unrestricted access to 29 resorts including Breckenridge and Keystone. They will be good for 10 days total at Vail, Beaver Creek and Whistler Blackcomb.

The customizable Epic Day Pass, introduced in 2019-20, can be purchased for one to seven days and with or without restrictions. For example, four-day passes good at all resorts are available for $375, $288 for 32 resorts and $175 for 22 resorts.

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