Where to Ski And Snowboard - Early offer on Vail’s Epic Pass

Early offer on Vail’s Epic Pass

21st August 2015, by Abi Butcher

Ski for more than six days at a Vail-owned resort and this pass is worth buying

If you’re planning to ski in the states this winter at any of the Vail Resorts-owned ski areas, it might pay to buy your ski pass now.

Until Monday, 7 September Vail Resorts is selling its Epic Pass — which offers unrestricted, unlimited skiing at the Colorado resorts of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin; the Lake Tahoe resorts of Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood; Park City in Utah — for £490 ($769) for adults and £254 ($399) for children.

The Epic Pass also includes up to five free consecutive days’ skiing in the Swiss resort of Verbier when staying at certain accommodation, and unrestricted skiing in Perisher, Australia. The two smaller US resorts of Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt Brighton in Michigan, are also covered.

Buying the Epic Pass makes financial sense if you’re skiing for more than a week in any of Vail’s US resorts. Last season, the adult price for six days in mid-March in Vail was $690 when purchased 14 days in advance — buying in resort from the window is much more expensive.

The Epic Pass used to include some ski days in the Three Valleys in France, the Arlberg in Austria and Niseko in Japan, but these have now been dropped. For more information, and to buy, visit snow.com

Meanwhile, another group ski pass — Mountain Collective — is now on sale for $399 (£254). This pass is probably more valid for US skiers, providing two days of skiing or snowboarding at AltaSnowbird, Aspen-Snowmass, Jackson Hole, Mammoth Mountain, Ski Banff-Lake Louise-Sunshine, Stowe, Sun Valley, Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows, Taos, Thredbo and Whistler Blackcomb. The Mountain Collective also offers a 50 per cent discount on all additional days with no blackout dates. For information and to buy, visit mountaincollective.com