Vail Resorts Offers New Northeast Pass Programs

After Alterra’s announcement last week of its 2020/21 Ikon Pass offerings, Vail Resorts announced some big changes to its pass program for the 2020/21 season today that will have a particular impact for skiers in the Northeast.

The good news, there’s a new, cheaper Northeast Value Pass that’s a great  value for skiers who want unlimited, restricted days at  Okemo and Mount Snow in Vermont and Hunter, N.Y.  However, it only allows 10 days at Stowe. Access is restricted to those four mountains on the following blackout dates: 11/27-11/28/20, 12/26-12/31/20, 1/16-1/17/21, 2/13-2/14/21.   The Northeast Value Pass —$599 for adults and $419 for college students and $449 for midweek only—also offers unlimited, unrestricted access to Wildcat, Attitash, Mount Sunapee, Crotched in New Hampshire and in the mid-Atlantic,  Liberty, Whitetail, Roundtop and several more of the former Peak Resorts located east of the Rockies. It doesn’t offer access to any of Vail Resorts’ western resorts.  The Explorer, Drifter, Ranger, Traveler or Scout passes previously offered by Peak Resorts are no longer available. 

For those who want to ski Stowe on a more frequent basis or head out West, the regular Epic Pass is back at $979 for adults for the 2020-21 winter season. It provides unlimited, unrestricted access to all 37 of the company-owned and -operated resorts plus additional partner access at Telluride, Snowbasin, Sun Valley, Courchevel, Fernie, Kicking Horse, Hakuba Valley, Japan and more.

The Epic Local Pass, priced at $729 for adults and $659 for college students,  offers unlimited, unrestricted access to Okemo, Mount Snow, Sunapee, Breckenridge, Keystone and Crested Butte; unlimited, holiday-restricted access to Stowe, Park City, Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood; and continues to provide ten combined days of holiday-restricted access to Vail, Whistler Blackcomb, and Beaver Creek, at no additional charge, plus additional partner access.

Another notable change is that all passholders can use their passes for  “Epic Rewards” —20 percent off food and beverage, lodging, group ski and ride school lessons, equipment rentals and more at the  North American owned and operated resorts.

The Epic Day Pass, Military Pass and Buddy Tickets (sign up early and you can get buddy tickets at discounted pricing) programs are similar to last years. But a new added bonus for signing up early is the Turn In Your Ticket program.  Guests who purchase a lift ticket between March 3, 2020 and the end of the 2019-20 ski season can apply the value of a single day ticket toward the price of an eligible 2020-21 pass product, including an Epic Day Pass with four or more days. This program applies to new pass holders who did not purchase a 2019-20 season pass product.

Also, take note, when Vail Resorts says a pass is good at Mad River, they mean Mad River in Ohio, a former Peak Resort, not Mad River Glen in Vermont.

The full details:

• Northeast Value Pass: New for the 2020-21 season, for US$599 for adults, US$419 for college students, US$449 for seniors (ages 65-79), US$449 for teens (ages 13-18), US$49 for seniors (80+), and US$49 for children (ages 5-6), the Northeast Value Pass offers the following access and benefits:
  • Unlimited access with holiday restrictions to: Okemo, Hunter and Mount Snow
  • Ten total days, with holiday restrictions to: Stowe
  • Unlimited, unrestricted access to: Wildcat, Attitash, Mount Sunapee, Crotched, Jack Frost, Big Boulder, Whitetail, Liberty, Roundtop, Boston Mills, Brandywine, Alpine Valley, Mad River Mtn. and Mt. Brighton.
  • Benefit Tickets:  Launching with Ten Buddy Tickets for a limited time only, as well as Six “Ski With A Friend” tickets.
  • Discounted Tickets: 50 percent off lift tickets for pass holders are available for purchase during blackout dates
  • NEW! Eligible for Epic Mountain Rewards
  • $49 Down:  For a limited time, a $49 down payment guarantees the lowest price with the remainder due in the fall.

• Northeast Midweek Pass: New for the 2020-21 season, for US$449 for adults and US$339 for seniors (ages 65+) the Northeast Midweek Value Pass offers the following access and benefits:
  • Unlimited Monday-Friday access with holiday restrictions to: Okemo, Hunter and Mount Snow
  • Five total days, Monday-Friday with holiday restrictions to: Stowe
  • Unlimited, unrestricted Monday-Friday access to: Wildcat, Attitash, Mount Sunapee, Crotched, Jack Frost, Big Boulder, Whitetail, Liberty, Roundtop, Boston Mills, Brandy Wine, Alpine Valley, Mad River and Mt. Brighton.
  • Benefit Tickets:  Launching with Ten Buddy Tickets for a limited time only, as well as Six “Ski With A Friend” tickets. .
  • Discounted Tickets: 50 percent off lift tickets for pass holders are available for purchase during blackout dates
  • NEW! Eligible for Epic Mountain Rewards
  • $49 Down:  For a limited time, a $49 down payment guarantees the lowest price with the remainder due in the fall.

• Epic Pass™: For US$979 for adults, US$499 for children (ages five to 12) and free for children four and younger who sign-up ahead of the season, the Epic Pass offers the following access and benefits:
  • Unlimited, unrestricted access to: Whistler Blackcomb, Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Crested Butte, Park City, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood, Stowe, Okemo, Mount Snow, Mount Sunapee, Attitash, Wildcat, Crotched, Hunter, Liberty, Roundtop, Whitetail, Jack Frost, Big Boulder, Stevens Pass, Alpine Valley, Boston Mills, Brandywine, Mad River, Hidden Valley, Snow Creek, Paoli Peaks, Afton Alps, Mt. Brighton, and Wilmot in North America. The Epic Pass also includes access to Perisher, Falls Creek, and Hotham in Australia.
  • Limited access to partner resorts, including: seven days each at Telluride, Sun Valley, Snowbasin, and the Resorts of the Canadian Rockies; five consecutive days at Hakuba Valley’s ten ski resorts in Japan; and five consecutive days at Japan’s Rusutsu Resort. The Epic Pass also grants limited access to Les 3 Vallées in France; 4 Vallées in Switzerland; Ski Arlberg in Austria; and Skirama Dolomiti in Italy.
  • Discounted Tickets: Launching with Ten Buddy Tickets for a limited time only, as well as Six “Ski With A Friend” tickets.
  • NEW! Eligible for Epic Mountain Rewards
  • $49 Down: For a limited time, a $49 down payment guarantees the lowest price with the remainder due in the fall.

• Epic Local Pass™: For US$729 for adults, US$659 for college students, US$589 for teens (ages 13-18) and US$379 for children (ages five to 12), the Epic Local Pass offers the following access and benefits:
  • Unlimited, unrestricted access to: Breckenridge, Keystone, Crested Butte, Okemo, Mount Snow, Mount Sunapee, Attitash, Wildcat, Crotched, Hunter, Liberty, Roundtop, Whitetail, Jack Frost, Big Boulder, Stevens Pass, Alpine Valley, Boston Mills, Brandywine, Mad River, Hidden Valley, Snow Creek, Paoli Peaks, Afton Alps, Mt. Brighton, and Wilmot.
  • Unlimited access with holiday restrictions to: Park City, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood and Stowe.
  • 10 total days combined (with holiday restrictions) at: Vail, Beaver Creek, and Whistler Blackcomb
  • Limited access to partner resorts, including: two days (with limited holiday restrictions) at Sun Valley; two days (with limited holiday restrictions) at Snowbasin; and five total consecutive days with no blackout dates at Hakuba Valley’s ten ski resorts in Japan; and five total consecutive days with no blackout dates at Japan’s Rusutsu Resort.
  • Discounted Tickets: Launching with Ten Buddy Tickets for a limited time only, as well as Six “Ski With A Friend” tickets.
  • NEW! Eligible for Epic Mountain Rewards
  • $49 Down: For a limited time, a $49 down payment guarantees the lowest price with the remainder due in the fall.
• Epic Mountain Rewards: With no sign-up, no point tracking and no blackout dates on your Epic Mountain Rewards discounts, guests are automatically enrolled when they purchase most any pass. (Blackout dates for lift access still apply based on your pass purchased). Epic Mountain Rewards offers the following discounts for the 2020-21 season:

• • 20% off Food & Beverage (At quick-service restaurants on mountain. Discount applies to total spend of up to $150 per day. Not valid at fine dining, village restaurants, private clubs, or on alcohol.)
  • 20% off Lodging (Available on the lowest public rate on lodging owned and operated by Vail Resorts, Inc. and select properties managed by Vail Resorts, Inc,. Valid on all room types, subject to availability.)
  • 20% off Group Ski and Ride School Lessons (Not valid on private lessons, semi-private lessons or specialty ski and ride school or race programs. Subject to availability.)
  • 20% off Equipment Rentals (At the Company’s more than 100 owned and operated stores.)
  • 20% off Epic Mountain Express in Colorado
  • 20% off Guided Cat Skiing Tours in Keystone (Subject to availability.)
  • 20% off single day Whistler Heli-Skiing packages in Whistler Blackcomb booked by 12/18/20 (Excluding the Whistler Bucket List Experience, Semi-Private, and Private packages. subject to availability.)
  • Discounts off Basic Waxing and Tuning (Based on location.)

Pass holders can start taking advantage of their Epic Mountain Rewards now by booking lodging for the 2020-21 season. To see the full list of pass products eligible for Epic Mountain Rewards and the terms and conditions, go to www.epicmountainrewards.com.

• Epic Day Pass: Now in its second year, the Epic Day Pass provides unprecedented flexibility and season pass discounts to guests skiing as little as one day. With the customizable pass, guests can unlock discounts equivalent to up to 50 percent off lift ticket window prices by selecting the number of days they plan to ski or ride – from one day to seven days – and whether or not to add holiday access. The Epic Day Pass provides the following access and benefits:
  • Specified number of days to: Whistler Blackcomb, Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Crested Butte, Park City, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood, Stowe, Okemo, Mount Snow, Mount Sunapee, Attitash, Wildcat, Crotched, Hunter, Liberty, Roundtop, Whitetail, Jack Frost, Big Boulder, Stevens Pass, Alpine Valley, Boston Mills, Brandywine, Mad River, Hidden Valley, Snow Creek, Paoli Peaks, Afton Alps, Mt. Brighton, and Wilmot.
  • Partner access: For guests purchasing four or more days of access, they may also use days purchased to access Telluride, Sun Valley, Snowbasin and Resorts of the Canadian Rockies.
  • Bonus Days: the Epic Day Pass includes free bonus days to match total days purchased that can be used at Wilmot, Mt. Brighton or Afton Alps.
  • Pricing: 

• Military Epic Pass™: Vail Resorts is proud to celebrate those who serve others. For US$169 for Active and Retired Military and their dependents, US$559 for Veteran Military and their adult dependents, and US$299 for Veteran dependent children (ages five to 17) the Military Epic Pass offers the following access:
  • Unlimited, unrestricted access to: Whistler Blackcomb, Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Crested Butte, Park City, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood, Stowe, Okemo, Mount Snow, Mount Sunapee, Attitash, Wildcat, Crotched, Hunter, Liberty, Roundtop, Whitetail, Jack Frost, Big Boulder, Stevens Pass, Alpine Valley, Boston Mills, Brandywine, Mad River, Hidden Valley, Snow Creek, Paoli Peaks, Afton Alps, Mt. Brighton, and Wilmot in North America. The Military Epic Pass also includes access to Perisher, Falls Creek, and Hotham in Australia.
  • The Military Epic Pass does not have access to partner resorts, for more information: www.epicpass.com.
  • NEW! Eligible for Epic Mountain Rewards
  • $49 Down:  For a limited time, a $49 down payment guarantees the lowest price with the remainder due in the fall.
• Photo courtesy Mount Snow