2018 - 2019 Vail Resorts Pass announced

[Uncle Louie]

Doesn't look like anyone here noticed this yet. Vail Resorts announced their Pass rates and details for next season.

https://www.epicpass.com/

 

[Green08]

Major price move in VT--Stowe is now on the Epic Local with the only limitation being blackout dates. $670 for a blackout pass to Stowe will put major pressure on Sugarbush and Killington to keep pass prices low.

If Vail swoops in and buys Jay Peak and Burke this spring, that could be one cheap pass for the best of northern VT.

$449 Stratton only with Blackout and $670 Stowe Epic Local Blackout are low prices. Most everybody else in VT is waiting to release prices...good news I think for the customer.

 

[wallyk]

Some fine additions to the Epic pass for 18/19. Interesting aspect is included with a purchase prior to 4/15, irony is not lost as that's tax day, and receive 6 buddy tickets. That's compelling..........to renew or purchase now.

 

[raytseng]

The timing is more aligned with VR slopes close date, versus tax day (side note: so early ).

It's aligned with closing since they want to offer the deal to everyone on the slopes who don't know about passes, i.e., day trippers or vacationers who would've never thought of themselves as season passholders to convert them to epic passholders. Usually the deal is you can apply whatever you paid for today's pass price toward epic pass as long as they get the full $679 or $899 or whatever it is out of you today.
If you are super desperate and a bit unethical, you can ask someone at 4pm in the parking lot for their used full price day ticket that you could apply towards a new pass. However, I think this loophole is closed now that they take your name even for day tickets, so your name is linked to the epicday cards.

After 4/15, most people they want to convert should've been exposed to the offer so it's just the people on the fence.

Also, for most of the deadlines it's a bluff. Past history is they seem to always extend each deal at least once, before making the deal worse.
However if you are aware of the deal on the fence, an extra week probably isn't going to help you make up your mind.

 

[Seldomski]

When does the next season's pass take effect? Like if I bought one now, I could ski starting when exactly? Any part of this spring included?

 

[raytseng]

When does the next season's pass take effect? Like if I bought one now, I could ski starting when exactly? Any part of this spring included?

If you buy one now, you can start skiing in australia whenever perisher opens, lol.

There is no spring skiing benefit that I can see. That benefit was gone maybe 5years ago.

At best they will give you today's day pass+ 1 free day before end of this season. Both of these offers usually are not publically posted on the web.

The ski today free maybe only posted on posters and banners and lunch table placards at the resort in-person.

The extra free day won't be advertised at all, and maybe only available only when you bargain or ask about getting a better deal in the pass office as a deal "closer".
It may also depend on the resort; but this is the common offers in the Tahoe resorts.

 

[Seldomski]

@raytseng Thanks for the info. Found this hear also:

https://www.epicpass.com/benefits/spring-benefits.aspx

"All Spring Benefits listed below are only valid for the 2018/2019 winter season. Buy before April 15 for the best benefits!"

So it looks like even the buddy tickets are for next year as well. I may try to do the lift ticket credit toward a pass...

 

[raytseng]

You can call the specific resort season pass office (not the corporate sales) to try to confirm the deal before you go. It's always been there, but it won't be in writing on the web;

Maybe someone else can confirm once they see posters go up at the resort.

 

[x10003q]

Major price move in VT--Stowe is not on the Epic Local with the only limitation being blackout dates. $670 for a blackout pass to Stowe will put major pressure on Sugarbush and Killington to keep pass prices low.

If Vail swoops in and buys Jay Peak and Burke this spring, that could be one cheap pass for the best of northern VT.

$449 Stratton only with Blackout and $670 Stowe Epic Local Blackout are low prices. Most everybody else in VT is waiting to release prices...good news I think for the customer.

Do you have inside info on the Stratton only passes? There is no Stratton only pass info on the web site.
https://www.stratton.com/plan-your-trip/tickets-and-passes/winter-season-passes

 

[Green08]

It is on the Stratton destination page for the Ikon Pass at the bottom. Stratton only with the usual blackout dates.

Tremblant has a similar pass on its destination pages, as does WP.

That is a good bit of downaward pressure on prices using the blackout restricted passes from the only two resorts in New England owned by Vail and Alterra.

 

[RJS]

Major price move in VT--Stowe is not on the Epic Local with the only limitation being blackout dates. $670 for a blackout pass to Stowe will put major pressure on Sugarbush and Killington to keep pass prices low.

If Vail swoops in and buys Jay Peak and Burke this spring, that could be one cheap pass for the best of northern VT.

$449 Stratton only with Blackout and $670 Stowe Epic Local Blackout are low prices. Most everybody else in VT is waiting to release prices...good news I think for the customer.

$449 Stratton only is mostly great, but that alongside the Ikon Pass are going to create great crowds at Stratton next season. It's often a choice between crowds and price.

 

[New2]

If you buy one now, you can start skiing in australia whenever perisher opens, lol.

Nope. The main info box about most of the passes doesn't make it clear, but https://www.epicpass.com/region/australia.aspx does. The North America-targeted 2018-2019 Epic pass includes summer 2019 in Perisher.

 

[raytseng]

Nope. The main info box about most of the passes doesn't make it clear, but https://www.epicpass.com/region/australia.aspx does. The North America-targeted 2018-2019 Epic pass includes summer 2019 in Perisher.

Lol, good catch. But there's still a loophole. You can flip it around and buy the 2018/2019 Epic Australia Perisher or Plus pass in australian $, and get the equivalent of the 2018/2019 Epic Local or Full Epic pass (minus some of the europe/japan and non-Vail owned partner benefits).

 

[peterm]

Nope. The main info box about most of the passes doesn't make it clear, but https://www.epicpass.com/region/australia.aspx does. The North America-targeted 2018-2019 Epic pass includes summer 2019 in Perisher.

Right. Existing (2017/18) Epic Pass holders can ski the upcoming Australian season at Perisher. I plan on getting a few days on mine down under. Would be nice if Vail could add a NZ resort too.

 

[Snowflake2420]

From a Front Range CO perspective, upping Epic Local price to $669 and not adding anything really accept 5 days in Hakuba Japan, is not very exciting. No Telluride? When the Ikon Base has options to places like Aspen. Just thought VR would up the ante on Epic Local as well. I know $70 is not a huge difference in the grand scheme of things.

 

[BTaylor]

I have been buying the Epic Local Pass for me and my daughter for the last 10 years, mostly for CO skiing but also (more recently) for the Utah and Whistler days. The Epic Local Pass has served us very well, though I usually complement it each year with some 4-packs or Liftopia passes at Copper, Loveland or Snowbasin.

I'm sort of a data gathering nut---part of my work responsibilities at a university---and here are my records for the pass prices for the last 10 years for the Epic Pass and for the Epic Local Pass.

Note that the Epic Local Pass was first offered for the 2011-2012 season. Before then, Vail offered a "Colorado Pass" for (duh) Vail's Colorado mountains. All of these prices represent the early season pricing (March/April) of the impending season's pass. These prices go up by the time that fall arrives.

Year EpicPass EpicLocalPass

2008-09 $579 $439 (note: Year 1 for Epic Pass; Colorado Pass version precedes Epic Pass Local)

2009-10 $579 $439 (note: Same price as last year; Colorado Pass version precedes Epic Pass Local)

2010-11 $599 $449 (note: Colorado Pass version precedes Epic Pass Local)

2011-12 $649 $499 (note: first release of Epic Pass Local, for CO + CA resorts; replaces the Colorado Pass)

2012-13 $659 $509

2013-14 $689 $529 (note: Epic Pass Local adds Park City and Heavenly)

2014-15 $729 $549 (note: Epic Pass Local adds 2 Midwest mountains)

2015-16 $769 $579 (note: Epic Pass Local adds Wilmot near Chicago)

2016-17 $809 $609

2017-18 $859 $639 (note: Whistler days added to Epic Pass Local)

2018-19 $899 $669 (note: 5 Hakuba Japan days added to Epic Pass Local; Stowe added to Epic Pass Local)

Although I wish that Epic had added some of Telluride days to the Epic Local Pass for the 2018-19 season, it's still a great deal for my family.

The price increases for the Local pass have been a modest $30/year for the last 4 years. Before then, price increases varied from $0/year (once) to $50/year (once). I think I can tolerate $30/year increases for future years if the mountain choices continue to expand.

 

[Snowflake2420]

@BTaylor Thanks for sharing those data points! I agree $30 increase is not crazy, I was just hoping for another option or two in CO or Western US this year.

 

[BTaylor]

@BTaylor Thanks for sharing those data points! I agree $30 increase is not crazy, I was just hoping for another option or two in CO or Western US this year.

Yeah, seems that Vail is adding almost all of the new acquisitions to the full blown Epic Pass, to encourage more Epic Pass Locals to upgrade to the full pass.

I might do that when I retire completely (another year or two) and can spend as much of the winter hitting ski resorts as I want. Fortunately, having all the great backcountry areas in Colorado and the Epic Pass Local does me just fine for now.

 

[Karen_skier2.0]

Also, for most of the deadlines it's a bluff. Past history is they seem to always extend each deal at least once, before making the deal worse.
However if you are aware of the deal on the fence, an extra week probably isn't going to help you make up your mind.

The 6 buddy passes is not usually a bluff.

EDIT: Back on the other board, I actually tracked the price increases and decreases of buddy passes for a few years.

 

[Wasatchman]

I appreciate Vail for what it is, and I am an Epic Local Pass holder myself.

However, I do not want Vail to get any bigger though. Once Vail (and the newly formed Alterra) get big enough (taking market share, acquisitions, forcing smaller resorts out of business) they will have supreme pricing power which I fear will ultimately not be good for us, the consumer.

There are also disadvantages to Vail as well- much bigger crowds, not the best industry reputation as an employer, very high prices on ancillary items such as food and ski school.

So even as I am a Vail customer, the last thing I want to see happen is for Vail to get any bigger.

In general, I think corporations in a lot of industries have been allowed to get too big (e.g. banking). I wish antitrust laws in the US in general were much tougher than they are.