On Tuesday, Vail Resorts announced it is discounting lift tickets to make skiing and snowboarding more accessible.
According to the resort group, if you book a day pass at least a month in advance, you can save over $100 on the price you pay at five Colorado resorts — depending on the day. The resorts where you can save include Vail Mountain, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Crested Butte, Park City Mountain, Whistler Blackcomb, Heavenly, Northstar, Stowe, Okemo and Mount Snow.
Vail Resorts also said if you purchase a ticket in advance and choose not to use it, you can turn it into a credit that will subtract from the total of an Epic Pass next season.
“Up until this season, there were two ways to save on lift access at our mountain resorts – you could either purchase an Epic Pass or Epic Day Pass pre-season for a huge value, or save a smaller amount on lift tickets by purchasing online at least seven days in advance – our goal is to fill that gap,” Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz said in a press release. “While we will always give the best deal to our Pass Holders, with this new discount, our hope is to make the sport more accessible for guests who aren’t thinking about skiing and snowboarding until winter arrives.”
The announcement comes as ticket prices have skyrocketed at resorts in Colorado.
According to Vail Mountain's website, a single-day lift ticket for this Christmas at the mountain will run you $319 before tax. Seven years ago—that price was closer to $200.
Denver7 reached out to Vail Resorts about the stark increase over the years and where that extra money goes. While the resort didn’t answer that question directly, it said around three-fourths of its lift revenue comes in the form of season passes with the other quarter coming from day passes.
The season-long Epic Pass was first offered in 2008 as a way for the resort to hedge itself against changing weather conditions so it could guarantee more money upfront.
The higher prices come as resorts across the country continue to consolidate. According to the National Ski Areas Association, located in Lakewood, Vail Resorts is by the far the largest owner of ski resorts in North America. The company owns 38 resorts while the Alterra Mountain Company comes in second at 17 resorts.
Denver7 reached out to Alterra Mountain Company — which runs the many of the mountains on the Ikon Pass — for comment on this story but have not yet heard back.
