Corporate Passes Have Brought “Ikonic” and “Epic” Changes to Skiing
Daily lift ticket prices at a major resort.
There’s no doubt that the introduction of two corporate passes, Vail Resorts Epic Pass and Alterra Mountain Company’s Ikon Pass, have enabled skiers to purchase season-long skiing at an impressive number of resorts for a one-time, up-front price. But one of the most significant consequences has been the astronomical increase in the cost of a daily lift ticket. Changing business models, increased consumer demand and a corporate push to drive season pass sales have all contributed to the issue. It’s clear that walk up, daily ticket prices at the window are intended to discourage day trips and encourage pass purchases. The era of the daily “snow chaser” is long gone.
As a former “snow chaser”, part of me laments for the days when I could wake up, check the snow reports and decide where I wanted to ski that day. Even though I couldn’t afford a season pass, whether I chose a mountain close to home or several hours away I knew I could get a relatively fair priced day ticket when I arrived. That’s no longer an option. Walk up to a ticket window today and depending on where you are it will cost you anywhere from $140 to $300.
Earlier this season I was planning a trip to Colorado. Having lived in Evergreen throughout the ‘90s, I made a point of skiing each resort in Summit County and the surrounding areas at least once a season. I was considering which old haunts I would like to ski again. I planned to ski a day or two at Loveland on my Indy Pass and thought it would be nice to add some days at A-Basin, Keystone, Copper, Breckenridge, or Winter Park. I was surprised to learn that even as a senior a day pass was prohibitive. In fact, Winter Park doesn’t even sell a senior daily ticket at any price. What was the area’s solution for me? Buy a senior season pass. But I only wanted to ski there for one day!
Resorts have created a growing divide between passholders and day visitors. They increasingly cater to season passholders, offering them perks like early access, priority lift lines, and discounts on lodging and dining. Day trippers are facing the highest ticket prices in history, making skiing less accessible to those who can’t commit to a season pass. Casual skiers or families who only visit once a year are priced out of the market. This exclusivity continues to underscore the impresssion our sport is “elitist” and “for the wealthy”.
Single-day lift tickets at major ski destinations have exceeded $250 during peak holiday periods. This pricing strategy nudges day visitors toward committing to a season pass or multi-day packages. Resorts benefit from this shift by locking in revenue before the season begins, reducing dependency on weather variability, last-minute consumer decisions or economic downturns. This stability allows resorts to invest in mountain operations, snowmaking, and amenities without the uncertainty of daily ticket sales.
The shift from single-day ticket sales to season pass revenue has led to several operational changes at ski resorts. The increase in pass holders has led to higher visitor numbers, particularly on weekends and holidays. This has raised concerns about overcrowding, longer lift lines, packed lodges, full parking lots and strained resort infrastructure. All of which deteriorates the overall guest experience. Resorts now must manage crowds and encourage more predictable visitation patterns. How will they do that? Partially by raising daily ticket prices further, using them as a deterrent against last-minute or casual skiers who might otherwise clog the slopes on peak days.
Yet another challenge for the day skier is the implementation of dynamic pricing models. This is how resorts prioritize market factors by fluctuating daily lift ticket prices based on demand, day of the week, and how far in advance they are purchased. With a revenue model that prioritizes season pass holders there’s little incentive for resorts to offer affordable single-day tickets.
The Epic and Ikon passes have undoubtedly made skiing more affordable for frequent visitors. Yet they’ve also led to historic increases and unprecedented daily lift ticket prices, effectively discouraging single-day visits and making it harder for newcomers or occasional skiers to enjoy the mountains without a season-long commitment. The traditional walk-up ticket is nearly extinct. It’s unlikely daily lift ticket prices will decrease. Resorts will continue to push consumers toward season passes and advanced purchase discounts. It’s a business model that works for them for now.
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Plain and simple. These big resorts have turned into bastards. They can all shove off. Love, Paul
Depending on where you live, and want to support more local, but not necessarily small areas, look at the Indy Pass. Indypass.com. ( I’m not connected with them. I just like the idea).
Agreed, Sherm. I recently used my Indy Pass at Waterville Valley, NH Showed them my license and they handed me a ticket. Senior ticket on that Tuesday was $119. The ROI on the Indy Pass is a “no brainer”.
Buy the Indy Pass!!
Or frequent small ski areas – like Hyland Hills in the Twin Cities- it’s a regional park and senior walk up tickets are only $24 or season passes for seniors only $199 plus sales tax.
Sure, the vert is only 175 but ample good snowmaking, three newer chairlifts, and two great terrain parks plus a wonderful large chalet. I have skied there 30 times this year getting my feet under me for two weeks in Vail and several other trips to larger areas.
It is sad how expensive day passes in the USA have become. Middle class families are “priced out”. Many families who don’t live near a mountain used to be able to afford one nice ski vacation per year. Not anymore.
The best snow in the world is in the Rockies and Western USA. Due to exhorbitant costs in USA, we started going to Austria and Italy. Lift tickets 1/3 of USA major resorts. Lodging and food less expensive. Tremendous cultural experience. Huge mountains.
David, Inflation! So find a pass holder and use one of their buddy or ski with a friend passes to at least get a discount on you day pass.
John, that’s exactly what we are going to do when we return to Utah next year. See my article about powder and snow basin in this issue of seniorsskiing.com. Next year our group of 10 to 12 guys will most likely buy powder mountain season passes (4) and it comes with 8 buddy passes that we can share with the other guys and that will reduce the cost somewhat.
Even when using a buddy pass or ski with a friend pass, the discount is negligible.
The real sad thing happening in the ski industry is the loss of potential new skiers. It is more and more becoming a sport for the wealthy and the privileged. When I started skiing in the early 60s both tickets and equipment were very affordable. When I taught my children to ski in the 80s tickets were still fairly reasonable for my family of five to hit the slopes. Today, my daughter who lives in Colorado with a six figure salary can barely afford to go skiing alone more than a handful of times of the year. It is just plain greed and it is despicable. The big resorts are ruining the sport.
The “Mega Tickets” are great for people who have the time and money for a whole season of skiing. When I lived in NY, I would call up my friend (s) and say let’s go skiing. You can’t afford to that now. These ski resorts are losing the family trade and “new” skiers because of the cost. They are thinking short term and not looking for future growth (and stability).
CONTRARIAN ALERT! For folks who have been on this planet awhile, you sure have short memories. I bought the Vail Resorts “Buddy Pass” the first week it was offered, in 1998. $198 bought you unlimited skiing at Breckenridge, Keystone, Arapahoe Basin, and 10 days at Vail or Beaver Creek. When a season pass at any single resort in the country cost around $2000. That pass changed the skiing world. Suddenly, I could “ski my age” (remember those patches?) every year and not worry about how much vert I got per day. Who cares? Conditions suck or the temperature is 4 degrees? Go home. Knees are killing you after ten days straight skiing but it’s a powder day? Skip it. Who cares? I get to ski plenty. And it costs per-day…who cares? Pre-season ski passes are a100% win-win for most skiers and for the skiing conglomerates, which now have large pots of money available for ski area development and ski resort purchase (which of course bring more value to passholders). Remember 1970? Yes, a walk-up day pass at Vail cost 8 bucks, but in 1970 Vail had just a few ski lifts (just one in the back bowls) and less than half the terrain they access today. And in 1970 Breck had just one lift and a few runs on Peak 8. Having a predictable large pot of money up front gives the conglomerates flexibility to invest in new terrain, new lifts, purchase new resorts, all of which accrue value to passholders. Just this week Copper announced six new lifts over the next decade; you can’t do that on a day-pass budget. Is Vail Resorts the online “Evil Empire”? Who cares? They do a great job for me. So, let’s celebrate the bounties that we do have today, rather than lamenting the passing of those rose-colored days of yore.
It doesn’t matter how bountiful these ski areas are if you can’t afford to ski them. Bigger and bigger does not mean better and better. If you live there and have enough money to not care about the price it can seem like a deal. But it’s not the reality for most of us. But as you said, you don’t care.
I worked at a major ski resort when its owner was a NYC based insurance company. After VAIL purchased it is run as a ski resort & not a benefit for the elites in senior management.
I agree with Jesberg. The ski industry is pricing the typical middle /lower class family out of the market. . I skied regularly at Salt Lake mountains each year year plus 30 other western venues. I had to quit skiing at 85 ( arthritis} and am now 92 but I miss it, Lift tickets ( adult) c today cost $200-$300 or more per day depending on the mountain and when skiing, peak or off peak, 5 days $1,000`$1500 or for a family of 4, age 12 or more, $4,oo0 -$6000. PLUS:
Airfare, lodging, Rental/purchase of equipment, Lessons, meals etc. Yes, you may save with ski packages.. The family that can afford these costs is few and far behind.
Hi, I am reading all of these comments, yes it does cost more to buy, Daily tickets. If you research the Epic website you will find that their are multiple type of less expensive tickets, Senior, Military, your local mountains, Northeast which covers from Midwest to the Northeast, last time I looked were below $500. I can ski as much as I want an I haven’t skiing weekends in over 30 years. I can get more runs in a weekend morning than it is possible to get in on a weekend, because there aren’t any lift lines. Plus the snow is always better. I’m 71. If I want to ski and live to far away from the Mountains, there are many ways to save enough money to pay for a multi-day pass. It all comes down to your desire to do something. Me, I’m an instructor, there a couple others who are over 90.
David, Thanks for the discourse on the cost of alpine skiing. It is an expensive sport indeed…but have you hiked up to the top of any serious slope at a significantly sized ski area? The average skier (not including the huff n puff souls who skin up the slope) only needs to schlep uphill once to realize the value that lifts provide. My northeast senior midweek Epic pass is very reasonably priced and frankly it is a pittance compared to my investment in gear and ski clothing. I’d much prefer the larger resorts with regard to lift options (love gondolas and bubble chairs), the length of the runs, and the food options at the mountain EVERY TIME. Maybe the next discussion should be big vs small resorts.
65 years ago when I started skiing we had leather boots, wood skis and screw in edges. Lift tickets were $5. Skiing was considered as a rich man’s sport in those days. In the early 1970’s I read an article in ski Magazine about why the price of skiing was going up so rapidly. The explanation was given that the skiers wanted bigger faster lifts, not rope toes and T bars. They also demanded grooming, snowmaking, bigger lodges. The list goes on and on. Also what about the cost of equipment, clothing and instruction. Skiers demands for better everything has driven the cost of skiing sky high then add inflation and the decrease in the number of ski area across the country and you have economic supply and demand issues. Snow sports participants have access to the best of everything and there is a price to pay. Want to ski for less money? Support the small local ski areas where skiing is less expensive. They have good snow and less crowded slopes. Ski areas are businesses and need to make a profit. Speaking of the past, do you think we should go back in ski history and repay all the ski area operators who went bankrupt trying to capitalize a ski resort. That business model did not work very well. Has your local ski area gone through bankruptcy? Good chance it has. Something to think about! There is a lot of good skiing to be had at a reasonable price. But if you want the best expect to pay more for it. Thanks and keeping skiing.
This is not an inevitable or permanent change. We can vote with our boots, and patronize the independent areas who a) Don’t gouge us and b) Very much need our support to stay not only independent but even open. We can also REFUSE to arrange our group trips to areas which do not support skiing as a local affordable sport.
‘Tis true the cost to hit the slopes has gone up a lot. I do remember skiing in the 60’s (I’ll be 80 in a few days) where today’s cost for a cup of coffee could get you out on a local ski area for the day. Yes, the ski areas have spent lots of bucks updating their areas, but it’s becoming way more to just enjoy that feeling of making some great turns wherever you happen to be. On the big buck passes, we bought them for this season with plans to head out west, but have used it just once because of an injury while up in Vermont last month… $1000 each for one day of skiing is way too much for us…even if we had flown into the area on a helicopter instead of just driving our Subaru. Next year is likely to be just skiing at a local ski area still making some great turns. Then it’ll be home and sleeping in our own beds and waking up and deciding what to do that day depending on snow conditions which seem to be changing lately. I hate skiing in the rain…
Hi everyone. I just received an email that Epic will offer a daily local pass, that will start at $56. The price will vary depending on the Ski Hill. I’m sure this has not been published yet, since this info is from an employee email. Gordon Oliver