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TheArchitect

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https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rel...apee-resort-join-the-epic-pass-300613988.html

-- Crested Butte, Okemo and Mount Sunapee join the Epic Pass beginning with the 2018-19 winter season in a long-term alliance

-- Epic, Epic Local and Epic Australia pass holders will receive seven days of skiing and snowboarding at each of the three resorts with no blackout dates for a total of 21 days

Vail_Resorts_Inc_Epic_Pass_Additions.jpg

Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Okemo Mountain Resort and Mount Sunapee Resort Join the Epic Pass
-- Epic 7-Day pass holders can use any or all of their seven days and Epic 4-Day pass holders can use any or all of their four days of skiing and snowboarding with no blackout dates at the three resorts

-- Epic, Epic Local, Epic Australia, Epic 7-Day and Epic 4-Day pass holders will receive 50 percent off lift tickets after their respective days have been redeemed

-- Crested Butte Peak Pass Plus and Peak Pass holders; Okemo Ultimate, Classic and Gold Pass holders; and Mount Sunapee Full Ride and Skiing Is For Life Pass holders will receive 50 percent off lift tickets at all Vail Resorts owned mountain resorts

BROOMFIELD, Colo., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN) announced today that Crested Butte Mountain Resort in Colorado, Okemo Mountain Resort in Vermont and Mount Sunapee Resort in New Hampshire will join the industry-leading Epic Pass in a long-term alliance beginning in the 2018-19 winter season, bringing the total to 64 mountain resorts in 11 states and provinces and eight countries for skiers and snowboarders. Epic, Epic Local and Epic Australia will receive seven days of skiing and snowboarding with no blackout dates at each of the three resorts for a total of 21 days. Epic 7-Day pass holders can use any or all seven of their total days and Epic 4-Day pass holders can use any or all four of their total days of skiing and snowboarding with no blackout dates at the three resorts.

"Crested Butte is a perfect complement to the unique family of resorts offered on the 2018-19 Epic Pass with its legendary terrain and historic mountain town. Okemo is known as a great family-friendly resort and together with neighboring Mount Sunapee and Stowe Mountain Resort, provides three great options for skiers and snowboarders in the Northeast. We strive to offer guests the greatest value and variety in their ski and snowboard vacations and are thrilled to now be able to offer access to 64 of the most celebrated resorts around the world," said Kirsten Lynch, chief marketing officer of Vail Resorts.

"We are proud to join the Epic Pass in a long-term season pass alliance with Okemo, Mount Sunapee and Crested Butte. Our focus on guest service, reinvestment in our resorts and outstanding ski experiences both in New England and the Rocky Mountains aligns well with the Epic Pass and Vail's remarkable line-up of resorts. We expect this partnership will be a significant benefit to our guests and skiers and riders around the world for years to come," said Tim Mueller, president of Triple Peaks, LLC, owner of Crested Butte, Okemo and Mount Sunapee mountain resorts.

Crested Butte is located in southwest Colorado, within the Gunnison National Forest and the Elk Mountain Range and is known for its colorful historic town, iconic mountain peaks and legendary skiing and riding terrain. The resort's 1,547 skiable acres offer something for every skiing ability; over half the mountain is geared to intermediate and beginner skiers while also perfectly suited for the more adventurous skiers and snowboarders with some of the best lift-served extreme terrain in North America. The Town of Crested Butte boasts one of Colorado's largest National Historic Districts and is commonly considered by many to be "Colorado's Last Great Ski Town" with its variety of boutiques, restaurants and après-ski hot spots.

Rising above the village of Ludlow, in southcentral Vermont approximately three hours from Boston and four hours from New York City, Okemo Mountain Resort is a four-season playground that developed a reputation for quality and superior guest service as a winter retreat for skiers and snowboarders. Originally a small, community-run ski hill, Okemo underwent a significant transformation in 1982 when Tim and Diane Mueller purchased the ski area. Okemo consistently receives accolades and wins awards for snow quality, grooming, terrain parks, family programs, slopeside lodging, resort dining and its friendly employees.

Mount Sunapee is a four-season family-focused ski area with breathtaking views overlooking Lake Sunapee. Located in southern New Hampshire, it is the closest major ski area to metropolitan New England, being only a short 90-minute drive from Boston. For many years, Mount Sunapee has consistently received industry awards for excellence in snowmaking and grooming.

Following are the benefits for Epic, Epic Local, Epic Australia, Epic 7-Day and Epic 4-Day pass holders as well as for Crested Butte Peak Pass Plus and Peak Pass holders; Okemo Ultimate, Classic and Gold Pass holders; and Mount Sunapee Full Ride and Skiing Is For Life Pass holders.

  • Epic Pass™: Epic Pass holders will receive seven days of skiing or snowboarding at each of Crested Butte, Okemo and Mount Sunapee with no blackout dates, beginning in the 2018-19 season, for a total of 21 days. After the seven days have been used at each resort, pass holders will receive 50 percent off lift tickets. The Epic Pass offers full access to Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood at Lake Tahoe; Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont; Afton Alps in Minnesota; Mt. Brightonin Michigan; Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin; Whistler Blackcomb in Canada; and Perisher in Australia, with no blackout dates. The Epic Pass also provides limited access to Telluride in Colorado; Resorts of the Canadian Rockies across Canada; Hakuba Valley in Japan; Les 3 Vallées, Paradiski and Tignes-Val D'Isere in France; 4 Vallées in Switzerland; Arlberg in Austria and Skirama Dolomiti in Italy.
  • Epic Local Pass: Epic Local Pass holders will receive seven days of skiing or snowboarding at each of Crested Butte, Okemo and Mount Sunapee with no blackout dates, beginning in the 2018-19 season, for a total of 21 days. After the seven days have been used at each resort, pass holders will receive 50 percent off lift tickets. The Epic Local Pass features unlimited access with no blackout dates to Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado. The pass also offers access to Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood, Stowe and Park City with limited restrictions; a total of 10 days at Vail, Beaver Creek and/or Whistler Blackcomb with holiday restrictions; and five consecutive days at Hakuba Valley in Japan.
  • Epic Australia Pass: Epic Australia Pass holders will receive seven days with no blackout dates at each of Crested Butte, Okemo and Mount Sunapee, beginning in the 2018-19 season, for a total of 21 days. After the seven days have been used at each resort, pass holders will receive 50 percent off lift tickets. Pass holders also get unlimited, unrestricted access to Perisher during the 2018 season, and access to Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Stowe in Vermont; and Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in Lake Tahoe, California; 10 days at Whistler Blackcomb, Vail, Beaver Creek and/or Stowe, combined, during the 2018-19 season and five consecutive days at Hakuba Valley in Japan.
  • Epic 7-Day Pass: Epic 7-Day Pass holders can use any or all of their seven total days with no blackout dates at Crested Butte, Okemo and Mount Sunapee. After the seven days have been used, pass holders will receive 50 percent off lift tickets. The Epic 7-Day Pass features a total of seven days with no blackout dates at Whistler Blackcomb, Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Arapahoe Basin, Telluride, Park City, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood, Stowe or Resorts of the Canadian Rockies across Canada, plus seven additional free days at Afton Alps, Mt. Brighton or Wilmot Mountain.
  • Epic 4-Day Pass: Epic 4-Day Pass holders can use any or all of their four total days with no blackout dates at Crested Butte, Okemo and Mount Sunapee. After the four days have been used, pass holders will receive 50 percent off lift tickets. The Epic 4-Day pass features a total of four days with no blackout dates at Whistler Blackcomb, Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Arapahoe Basin, Telluride, Park City, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood, Stowe or Resorts of the Canadian Rockies across Canada, plus four additional free days at Afton Alps, Mt. Brighton or Wilmot Mountain.
  • Crested Butte Peak Pass Plus and Peak Pass holders; Okemo Ultimate, Classic and Gold Pass holders; and Mount Sunapee Full Ride and Skiing Is For Life Pass holders: These season pass holders will receive 50 percent off lift tickets at all Vail Resorts owned mountain resorts.
Vail Resorts' 2018-19 season passes are on sale now at the lowest guaranteed prices with only $49 down now and the rest due in the fall. Visit www.epicpass.com.

About Vail Resorts, Inc.
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading global mountain resort operator. Vail Resorts' subsidiaries operate 11 world-class mountain resorts and three urban ski areas, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada; Perisher in Australia; Stowe in Vermont; Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin; Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan. Vail Resorts owns and/or manages a collection of casually elegant hotels under the RockResorts brand, as well as the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo.Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning and development subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.



SOURCE Vail Resorts, Inc.

Related Links
http://www.vailresorts.com

Edited to add Press Release
 
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LKLA

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I am not sure Crested Butte makes a difference for a lot of folks, in particular those in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic skiers, but the addition of Okemo is nice, even if its for seven days (I think that is plenty for a place like Okemo - three weekends)

Epic was weak in the Northeast (only Stowe) and this helps make the pass more attractive in the region, in particular for families as that is the demographic Okemo caters to. And, that demographic also happens to be the most profitable!
 

surfsnowgirl

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Hmmmmmmm. Even with the epic local pass option we'd get unlimited at Stowe and 7 days at each Sunopee and Okemo. Plus a slew of out west options, Maybe we'll go back to Tahoe................. I like the fact that you can just put $49 down now........ Something to think about....
 

wallyk

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Epic was weak in the Northeast (only Stowe) and this helps make the pass more attractive in the region, in particular for families as that is the demographic Okemo caters to. And, that demographic also happens to be the most profitable!

great point about the family demographic, but the family that skies in the north east is generally an affluent group that afford a trip to the CO areas: Vail, Breck.....all about driving traffic to the marquee resorts in the Rockies.
 

LKLA

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Hmmmmmmm. Even with the epic local pass option we'd get unlimited at Stowe and 7 days at each Sunopee and Okemo. Plus a slew of out west options, Maybe we'll go back to Tahoe................. I like the fact that you can just put $49 down now........ Something to think about....

Epic Local is unlimited at Stowe except for 12 days over Christmas / MLK....Epic Local would include 7 days EACH during ANY time at Sunapee and Okemo. Plus the west options, some with restrictions.
 

LKLA

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great point about the family demographic, but the family that skies in the north east is generally an affluent group that afford a trip to the CO areas: Vail, Breck.....all about driving traffic to the marquee resorts in the Rockies.

Yeah, you can drink that kool-aid about cross-over customers all you want but so far it ain't happening. Just look at MTN's financials and reporting.

The addition of the Triple Peak mountains was not intended to increase cross-over. It was intended to make the Epic pass much more attractive on the East coast. Okemo is a one of the three most popular/visited mountains in the Northeast (I think second). The Epic pass already had plenty of options West of the Mississippi to make it attractive enough. It did not need to add Crested Butte - as great of a place as it may be.
 
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LKLA

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I misread the blackout periods. I just went to the website and you are right. Fabulous, even better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's a great deal - was with the addition of Stowe to the Local Pass and more so now with the addition of 7 days at the three Triple Peaks properties.
 
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surfsnowgirl

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It's a great deal - was with the addition of Stowe to the Local Pass and more so now with the addition of 7 days at the three Triple Peak properties.

I think this is a great option. Don't get me wrong the IKON works, FOR ME but this is something else to think about. We can always do our usual buy one get one deals for early season Killington and with the epic pass work in our 7 days at each of Okemo and Sunapee throughout the winter and when we go out west...bonus. It's nice to have a choice of passes. Especially since I have sick cat and can't afford the $589 for IKON. At least this way I can lock in a pass that works for us with $49 down and pay the balance later. Need to look and see when the due date is for the balance but at least that would lock us in now with minimal $$$. Looks like balance will be due 9/15 or thereabouts. I'm going to propose to da SO that we get the epic. It's the cheapest way in and even if we only went to stowe, okemo and sunapee it would be worth it.
 
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Muleski

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I tend to look at these move "beyond the pass" and wonder what the bigger long term interest and impact is. Triple Peaks is a very "unique grouping" of one ski area and two resorts. I can see how the addition to Epic is a very good deal, and attractive for many, many people.

I'm wondering how this unfolds when O-Z sells CB and Okemo, and when the State of New Hampshire decides that they want to not just own, but operate Sunapee. I have a hunch that's all on the horizon, but likely not an immediate one. I assume that these areas are locked into Epic at least for the season.

If VR wants to own another property in the East, Okemo sure is an attractive.

CB is a very interesting one. Vail and CB is pretty volatile, to say the very least.
 
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Muleski

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As I have said many times recently....all of the chips have yet to fall. Expect more announcements from Epic and Ikon passes.

Truer words were never spoken......

And not just passes.......the bigger businesses of MTN and Alterra as well.
 

LKLA

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I think this is a great option. Don't get me wrong the IKON works, FOR ME but this is something else to think about. We can always do our usual buy one get one deals for early season Killington and with the epic pass work in our 7 days at each of Okemo and Sunapee throughout the winter and when we go out west...bonus. It's nice to have a choice of passes. Especially since I have sick cat and can't afford the $589 for IKON. At least this way I can lock in a pass that works for us with $49 down and pay the balance later. Need to look and see when the due date is for the balance but at least that would lock us in now with minimal $$$. Looks like balance will be due 9/15 or thereabouts. I'm going to propose to da SO that we get the epic. It's the cheapest way in and even if we only went to stowe, okemo and sunapee it would be worth it.


We are thinking of getting both - Epic and IKON. Heck, it was barely two years ago that we would have paid the same for a season pass at Stowe ogsmile
 

Muleski

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We were talking about this the other day with some good friends. About 30-35 years ago, when were about 30, I think we paid something like $1400 for our season passes. I think they were "paid off" with not quite 30 days of skiing. We'd ski maybe 50 or so back then. Put that I today's terms. And that was at Stowe.....no multi area stuff.

When I was a kid, and through college, my dad would always buy us all season passes. His main theory was that he hated the "debate" over whether to go ski and see how surprisingly good or bad it might be, and that if you had a season pass, why not give it a shot, and if it was bad, leave. Build a fire and hang out. When I was in college, generously bought my season pass for the big area near school and he bought me a Stowe pass. No chance of my skiing there 25 days. Why? He wanted me to maybe think about swing by for a weekend, maybe spending an extra few days around Christmas, maybe deciding to come up there for spring break and drink his beer, and eat mom's homemade lobster Mac and cheese. And not think about the cost. Put the pass around the neck, and check it out. Raining....give it a shot. My dad treasured those days. And we skied a lot of them when I was away in school.

So that convenience thing, for me, makes a lot of difference. I've often had two, or even three. A few years, before the kids ski expenses went haywire, we had USSA gold passes. My dad loved that program mid week, if he was in VT. He wasn't old enough to ski free, but he sure was skiing free, as was mom on the gold passes.

If you had asked me about these pass deals and pass prices 30 years ago, I would have absolutely shot you down. Trying to think about what else related to skiing is less expensive, or even close these days.

Sustainable?
 

RJS

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We are thinking of getting both - Epic and IKON. Heck, it was barely two years ago that we would have paid the same for a season pass at Stowe ogsmile

I'm weighing the same thing :roflmao:! It feels kind of crazy to get both.

Most likely, I will get Ikon Base + some other pass. I was considering getting a Cannon season pass to get some days closer to Boston w/o blackouts, but for $170 more I could get the Epic Local and could have those days at Sunapee (closer to Boston, but less mountain than Cannon) plus weekends at Stowe and trip options out West.

So many things to consider.

As someone who just started getting into skiing recently, it's hard to imagine the world that @Muleski you describe where you are paying $1,400 (or $3,012 when adjusted for inflation, assuming that was in 1988) for a single mountain.
 

LKLA

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I'm weighing the same thing :roflmao:! It feels kind of crazy to get both.

Most likely, I will get Ikon Base + some other pass. I was considering getting a Cannon season pass to get some days closer to Boston w/o blackouts, but for $170 more I could get the Epic Local and could have those days at Sunapee (closer to Boston, but less mountain than Cannon) plus weekends at Stowe and trip options out West.

So many things to consider.

As someone who just started getting into skiing recently, it's hard to imagine the world that @Muleski you describe where you are paying $1,400 (or $3,012 when adjusted for inflation, assuming that was in 1988) for a single mountain.


The world @Muleski will surely be back soon enough; $1,299 - $1,599 passes. You will just be able to ski at more than one place and the lift will hopefully not break down every other weekend ogwink.

But for now, lets enjoy it:yahoo:
 
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Muleski

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People talk about skiing being expensive like it's a new "thing." Believe me, there were a lot of families in the 1970's and 1980's who fell that other than a few trips to a small local mountain for the day, it was prohibitively expensive.

Ha! Let's not go there. Of course, nobody "needed" a quiver of 5-6 skis, let alone a full AT setup. Very different world. Nobody was buying $200+ goggles. Nobody was going to a boot fitter and paying labor, the cost of $400 liners and $200 footbeds.

I will say, that my first trip to CMH with my dad, was damn expensive. In 1976.

But yes it's never been all that reasonable. We live in a fairly cost suburb, and our first ski house {in 1986} cost much more than a pretty nice house that we had bought in 1982.

It was important to us, we made it work, we're glad we did. It was never all that reasonable. There was none of this thought about which pass......so, this is interesting to watch.

And for an older guy with many friends "IN" the business, it's really interesting to hear people in the know discuss the plans for outfits like Alterra, MTN, even Boyne and others and almost never hear discussion of passes. Read the press, log in here, and it's all about the pass. It is, in March, 2018. And it maybe for a year or so. KSL and HCC are not lining up billions to sell passes. To create the value they apsire to, passes are the tiny tip of the iceberg. It has been a BRILLIANT model, up until now, for Vail Resorts.

And it's been really good for the consumer to be able to ski for a full day at a world class resort for less than the cost of your lunch. If you buy lunch.
 

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