It’s not an option with the Epic Pass. It should be as I think it would make the pass more immediately attractive, but it’s not.
That's pretty annoying, and I think, a mistake on their part. Even if they announced you could use it after April 1, it would be a draw. But definitely frustrating that I wouldn't be able to use it in the spring. I was really hoping to do that.
We were thinking of a restricted Epic for next year on top of our unrestricted Ikon. But honestly, there are so many choices, I'm stuck in a little analysis paralysis. Looking at:
Epic Local - All mountains, holiday restrictions
Tahoe Local - Tahoe and some Colorado mtns, holiday restrictions
Epic Day Pass - Too many options
But since I can't use it in the Spring, it kind of takes away the urgency. I understand that pass prices will go up, likely by $50 sometime in late April/early May, but we also don't have a sense of what our ski travel plans might be next year and if we might take a vacation to an Epic resort or an Alterra resort.
Another general observation re: Alterra vs. Epic. I had a friend visiting and we went to Squaw. I went up to the ticket window with her to get her a buddy pass. I showed my pass, they scanned it, and then she paid for a ticket, and we left. Took all of 3 minutes. We went to Northstar last weekend (I don't have Epic). I was booting up at the lockers, so my friend Ivan went to the ticket window to buy me a buddy pass. First they told him there were two options, so he and the ticket person had to figure out which was less expensive. Then they asked him for my name. He gave it. Then they asked him for my birthday. He made one up (got the month right). Seriously? It's a day ticket. I definitely understand the idea of CRM (I work at Salesforce), but that's quite a bit of information for a day ticket.