New Epic Pass prices for 2023-24 ski season announced with other changes

Mar. 7—While Colorado's powder-packed ski season may feel far from finished, now is the time to secure the best prices for next season.

That was the reminder from Vail Resorts on Tuesday, with the announcement of early-bird prices for 2023-'24 Epic Passes.

With unlimited access to Breckenridge and Keystone and 10 days total at Vail and Beaver Creek, the popular Epic Local Pass debuts at $676. That's up from the starting price last year, $626, but still down from the mark announced prior to the '21-'22 season, when Vail Resorts proclaimed what it called a "bold" 20% slash across all products. Previously, an Epic Local Pass started at $729.

The top-of-the-line Epic Pass, granting broader access to Vail Resorts destinations in Colorado and beyond, launches at $909. That's up from last year's early-bird price of $841 and compares with $979 from the pre-2021 slash.

That pass unlocks unlimited days at Vail's five resorts in Colorado, including Crested Butte, and also provides entry to partner resorts such as Telluride.

In a change, Telluride will require reservations for Epic Pass holders, mirroring a recent move by some resorts under the Ikon Pass. (The Ikon Pass-owning Alterra Mountain Co. — which covers access to Aspen Snowmass, Winter Park, Steamboat, Copper Mountain and others in Colorado — has yet to announce prices for next season.)

Ahead of this season, Snowmass joined the likes of Jackson Hole, Big Sky and Taos to require reservations for that customer base. The goal was to better predict and manage potential surges, Aspen spokesman Jeff Hanle explained at the time, adding that, in the first year under Ikon, "we saw weekends significantly busier than what we were used to."

Meanwhile, Epic Pass defector Arapahoe Basin has been capping Ikon Pass holders to seven days — what the Summit County ski area has characterized as an attempt to prioritize experience over volume.

That balancing act could be the continued challenge for the industry, a watcher for more than 20 years told The Gazette approaching this season. Miles Clark, who runs the sporting website SnowBrains, also suggested reservations could be a more prevalent idea in the future; to control crowds and prevent infection during the COVID-19 pandemic, Vail Resorts ran a booking system that was counter to customers cherishing the spontaneous spirit of skiing.

"I do think the industry is turning to a place where you need to be ready to have a bit of a schedule," Clark said. "Akin to buying an airplane ticket."

Attempts to reach Telluride representatives were not immediately successful Tuesday.

The day's announcement emphasized that no other reservations would be required for Epic Pass holders at other resorts.

The announcement marked two straight years of price increases above 7% for passes since the 20% cuts in 2021.

Observers saw those cuts by Vail as a direct, competitive response to the emergence of the Ikon Pass, which hit the market in 2018. Observers went on to see consequences across Vail Resorts mountains last season.

Petitions rose amid outcry over long lines, packed parking lots and what some saw as delayed terrain openings — what critics also saw as a result of staff shortages faced with more customers than ever drawn to the greatly reduced Epic Pass.

Tensions seem to have cooled this season. It's a season that followed several investments and adjustments pledged by Vail Resorts: a minimum wage increase to $20 an hour; $300 million toward "the mountain experience," including 21 new and improved lifts at 14 resorts; and, for the first time, people seeking day tickets were encouraged to buy in advance from what would be a capped supply.

It's been "a lever" that Colorado resorts have never had to pull, said company spokesman John Plack. He credited that to full staffs and operators "having a really good sense of flow" on high-capacity mountains. He said the company was still evaluating the possibility of messaging the day ticket limits and advanced purchasing for next winter.

"Coupled with a really spectacular snow year, it's been the guest experience that we intended," Plack said of the current season.

Around Colorado and Vail Resorts' other western destinations in the snowy start of winter, visitation was "below our expectations," company CEO Kirsten Lynch said in a January letter to investors. She blamed that on "extreme weather causing resort closures and the airline disruptions that impacted travel across the U.S. during the peak holiday period."

At the time, Vail Resorts had reported a 12% drop in the number of Epic and Epic Local passes it sold for the '22-'23 season. That was "consistent with our expectations," read a letter to investors, "relative to the prior year and increasing 39% over the last two years and 55% over the last three years."

The company pointed to other metrics: 2.3 million pass products and advanced tickets sold for this season, up from 2.1 million for the '21-'22 season.

One of those options the last few years has been Epic Day Passes, also announced Tuesday.

In a slight change, the passes are debuting in a more customizable system. Customers can snag one to seven days — discounted the more you add — starting at $101 for one day at any destination. Keystone and Crested Butte, meanwhile, find themselves in a tier with 32 other global resorts starting at $78 for one day.

Also returning is the Epic Military Pass. For active and retired military along with their dependents, an unlimited pass to Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone is $159. The pass is $519 for veterans and their dependents.