HOW TO: Squeeze Every Last Dollar Out Of Your Epic Pass

Epic Pass Details, Benefits, Buddy Passes and more — A powder day at Vail Mountain | Photo Credit: Jackson Lebsack | Cover: Vail Mountain

Maximize Your Epic Pass This Season With The Help Of Ski.com

New for 2022/2023:

Andermatt-Sedrun in Switzerland added to Epic Pass and 5 days on the Epic Local pass!
Lift upgrades to enhance the guest experience, with 21 new lifts across 14 resorts!
Buy your pass before April 21 to receive 10 Buddy Tickets to share with friends and family throughout the season. Buddy Tickets offer a flat rate discount off a full day lift ticket.

With a bevy of benefits offered by every multi-resort pass on the block, it’s hard to keep track of where you should be saving all that hard-earned money.

So in order to keep your wallet fat, we’re checking out the EPIC PASS and giving you, THE SKI.COM COMMUNITY, an insider’s look as to how you can truly maximize your pass-holder benefits at mountain resorts across the globe.

EPIC PASS VS. IKON PASS | COMPARE & FIND YOUR PERFECT PASS

To begin, not all Epic Passes are created equally. The Epic Pass and its more affordable partner, The Epic Local Pass have different levels of benefits that apply to different mountain resorts at different times, so figuring out which applies to you and when is paramount to taking advantage of your pass.

Unlimited Access, Limited Access, And Partner Resorts

Vail Resorts continues to expand its pass offerings to include some of the best skiing destinations via its Epic and Epic Local passes. Obviously, the full Epic Pass has more expansive access when compared to the Epic Local. That said, the Epic Local also offers some amazing destinations, albeit with holiday restrictions. Here’s the general breakdown.

Epic Pass – Unlimited access to 41 mountain resorts, 7-day access at 6 North American mountain resorts, limited access to 18 European mountain resorts, and 5 consecutive days at Hakuba Valley mountain resorts as well as Rusutsu in Japan.
Epic Local Pass – Access to 29 mountain resorts, limited access at 8 mountain resorts including 10 days at Vail, Beaver Creek, and Whistler Blackcomb, and 5 days at Hakuba Valley and Rusustsu in Japan, and Andermatt-Sedrun in Switzerland.

Ski.com Services

When you buy an EPIC PASS or EPIC LOCAL PASS through Ski.com, don’t stop there but instead, take advantage of our 65+ Mountain Travel Experts. Our team offers the following services:

Trip-planning + expert travel advice, including multi-resort itineraries Skiing’s largest inventory of lodging options, including discounted rates
Complete ski-vacation packaging, including flights, lodging, ground transportation, activities, and more
Access to a dedicated Mountain Travel Expert if anything goes wrong en route or while in destination.
Detailed confirmation and organized itinerary documents

Ski Resorts on the Epic Pass — Mornings like these make an EPIC PASS worth every penny | Photo: Keystone ©

Buddy Passes + Ski With a Friend Tickets

At select resorts, Epic Pass holders can gift 10 buddy tickets to friends and family when purchased before April 21, 2022. The discounts can go as high as 46% off the window ticket price and must be purchased online in advance.

A similar discounted pass, Epic Pass holders receive 6 Ski With A Friend (SWAF) discounted single-day lift tickets whose savings can vary on the resort and dates upon which they are purchased, but can offer savings up to 28%. SWAF tickets are available for passes purchased after April 21, 2022 and can be purchased and picked up from the ticket window for friends and family (passholder must be present).

*Not all resorts include Buddy or SWAF lift tickets.

Epic Mountain Rewards:

At Ski.com, our Mountain Travel Experts want to make sure you don’t leave any of these great rewards on the table. Visit our Epic Pass page for more information on how we can make sure you save time and money while planning your next Epic Pass ski vacation.

20% off Food & Beverage anytime on orders up to $150 per day (at participating on-mountain restaurant locations. Alcohol excluded)
20% off Ski School
20 % off Equipment Rentals
20% off heli-skiing at Whistler Blackcomb and Cat Skiing at Keystone
One free wax and 50% off tuning at select locations

COVID-19 Policies – 22/23

Effective Saturday, March 12, 2022 proof of vaccination is no longer required for guests to dine at indoor restaurants. Additionally, face coverings are no longer required to be worn by guests indoors or on gondolas. However, face coverings are still required on buses and shuttles based on guidance from the US Dept. of Transportation.

Pricing, Details, and Blackout Dates

Not doing your homework when it comes to blackout dates is a sure-fire way to put a damper on any ski trip. Always double-check THE BLACKOUT DATES* and make sure your pass is eligible before booking a ski trip.

Epic Pass – $841

ZERO blackout dates
Unlimited, unrestricted skiing at 41 mountain destinations
7 unrestricted days at 6 North American ski areas including Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, and Telluride
5 consecutive days at Japan’s Hakuba Valley and Rusutsu
Access to 18 European resorts

Epic Local Pass – $626

Unlimited, unrestricted skiing at 29 mountain destinations
10 Restricted Days* at Vail, Beaver Creek, and Whistler Blackcomb
Unlimited skiing with blackout dates* at Park City, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood, and Stowe
5 consecutive days at Japan’s Hakuba Valley and Rusutsu, and Andermatt-Sedrun in Switzerland
Half price and advanced ticket prices available during blackout dates at participating resorts.