Vail Resorts Announces 19/20 Pass Holder Credits and ‘Epic Coverage’ for 20/21 Season

[givethepigeye]

Was planning on not getting my usual Epic Local in favor of Ikon, but the COVID put seems pretty hard to argue with.

 

[Unpiste]

IKON doesnt have anything to protect the pass holder if they start to use the pass and the season is cancelled or interrupted. that's why I wont be taking advantage of any early buy programs.

I’m willing to give IKON the benefit of the doubt much more than Epic both due to past behavior (e.g. Northstar parking) and because their response indicates respect for and gives some agency to their customers, rather than locking them into very strict terms activated primarily/only by government action. I’d also be very surprised if we don’t hear more from IKON by mod-may.

a $200 early buy-in bet against $600 is not worth it.

Explain? Unless something has changed, both passes lock you into paying the full price the moment you purchase. The lady I spoke to at Northstar (employee, last year when I called to make some noise about the parking) literally said Vail will take customers to collections for failing to pay the full pass price after the upfront charge, even though the actual result of that action on the customer’s part is essentially free money (as in, the deposit) for Vail.

 

[KevinF]

That's an impressive offer for sure. I bought my Epic pass for next season -- paid full price -- the day they were announced which was two or three weeks prior to covid-19 shutting down everything. My reading of the announcement is that they'll just refund my credit card, etc.

I got in 26 days on my Epic pass last season; I wasn't expecting anything. That said, I'm not about to turn down a refund offer either.

 

[Ron]

Explain? Unless something has changed, both passes lock you into paying the full price the moment you purchase. The lady I spoke to at Northstar (employee, last year when I called to make some noise about the parking) literally said Vail will take customers to collections for failing to pay the full pass price after the upfront charge, even though the actual result of that action on the customer’s part is essentially free money (as in, the deposit) for Vail.

Epic provides insurance in case you get sick, become unemployed or they are ordered to be closed, the Ikon pass doesnt cover these things and their insurance policy you can buy, excludes these things due to a Virus. You can defer your pass but only if done before December 10 AND you do not use it prior.

As a pass holder for Steamboat, our season starts in late November meaning if you use the pass, and the season is cancelled at or before December 12 (0r some date close to that) you are out of a pass so the deferment program is not very useful for CO and UT folks where they are season pass holders. Therefore, there is zero incentive for us to buy a pass early. If the season is cut short after December 10 , there is ZERO protection for Ikon owners.

 

[BS Slarver]

That’s what I’m talking about and the way to step up to the plate !

I wonder where that class action suit is going now, schmuck ?!?

IMHO - All the major players in the ski industry and the entertainment sector are going to need to step up their game to get a piece of the disposable vacation dollar, that will be the bigger question.
Boyne sent an email last week to season pass holders regarding upcoming season discounts that was somewhat vague, I hope they take a good look at what Vail is offering.

 

[Philpug]

I wonder where that class action suit is going now, schmuck ?!?

 

[Posaune]

It's unclear whether or not this applies to the "select pass" for my home area. I've bought it already, but they name it the "Stevens Pass Select Pass." No "Epic" in the name. It's a pass for folks like me that only ski on weekdays and don't go to more than one Vail resort. They don't mention anything about such passes in their announcement (at least that I noticed). I fear that it's not covered.

 

[Pequenita]

Epic’s is way better for people who don’t travel but whose only early purchase option is to buy a multi-resort pass.

IKON requires the purchaser to decide by a date certain that they want to defer — not refund — a pass. So let’s say covid re-emerges with a vengeance after that date, your local resort is forced to shut, but that random West Virginia resort is still open. Ikon would argue you could have still used your pass. Worst case scenario is if before December 10 you decide to defer, and then your local resort on the Ikon is sold during the year, and an Ikon pass in 21/22 is meaningless to you (I emailed ikon about this; they said they were in the business of buying resorts, not selling them...).

Epic is reminiscent of the Squaw/Alpine pass from 5(?) seasons back where if you skied fewer than 5 days, you would get refunded a percentage of the pass cost. Epic also recognizes that there is a portion of its guests who do not travel; thus if your local Epic resort shuts, but another one elsewhere is open, you can choose an option where you will get refunded if your local resort closes.

And, I appreciate that Epic already has its terms written out. Right now Ikon consumers are left wondering what the fine print really is.

 

[Ron]

your local resort is forced to shut, but that random West Virginia is still open. Ikon would argue you could have still used your pass.

Didnt think about that.... But, if you are like us, we start skiing in October (A Basin) so if they are still open and you use your pass, you are now SOOL.

 

[fatbob]

I think this is a great move by Vail and pretty damn generous. 20% credit even on fully amortised passes is sensational. Yes as always there will be boundary cases but if you used your pass 5 days at even $100 per day how much are you really out of pocket?

I think Ikon will need to match the renewal extension just as matter of commercials.

 

[pchewn]

Now I almost wish I had some sort of local EPIC area to make it worthwhile to buy an EPIC pass .......

 

[CascadeConcrete]

So I will start by saying this is impressively generous. Much more so than I was expecting. I don't want it to sound like I'm just complaining, rather trying to provide a balanced view of their announcement.

That said, just a quick glance at the terms shows that Epic Coverage is heinously complicated to navigate. You have to make choices about whether you want a single local resort to be covered or "all resorts" (really 10 specific resorts) instead. You also need to decide whether you want full (Thanksgiving through Easter) coverage or a specific week only, which determines how long the closure needs to last to qualify. There is no coverage at all for scenarios where things are at least somewhat open and you just don't feel comfortable traveling, the resorts are nominally open but with major restrictions that degrade the experience, etc.

While Ikon does make you decide by early December, there's definitely something to be said for the elegant simplicity of their plan. Each individual passholder gets carte blanche to decide for themselves whether they think the season will be worth having a pass for, rather than hoping whatever specific scenario that plays out happens to be covered.

I think it's heavily dependent on individual scenarios whether Ikon's guarantee or Epic's coverage is better. Also, while Epic's 20% sounds big, I don't think they had renewal discounts before. So comparing to Ikon's doubled discount, they're fairly similar. The case where Epic really comes out ahead is if you used less than 5 days, where the discounts go as high as 80%. I see this as the major hole Ikon's offer has compared to Epic. I guess I'm assuming they'll match Epic's extension of the offer through summer, but I was already fully expecting that to happen anyways.

 

[David Chaus]

I like it, that said, I also like the Ikon deferral policy, which as I understand it is not dependent on anything except the passholder’s own judgment (between Sept 10 and Dec 10) that they won’t use the pass for 20-21. No need to demonstrate illness, injury or other unforeseen circumstances, and has nothing to do with one’s local resort being open or closed.

edit: just saw @CascadeConcrete posted more detail about this as I was typing.

 

[Unpiste]

We'll never know what terms Vail would have offered had their customers decided not to get lawyers involved.

I really don't have an opinion one way or the other in this case, given there's been no outcome in any suit (and I'm pretty sure Vail can afford to defend itself in court without batting an eye, even now).

 

[socalgal]

Now I almost wish I had some sort of local EPIC area to make it worthwhile to buy an EPIC pass .......

Yup, the locals to me are either IKON or independent.

 

[Ken_R]

IMHO it is more than fair. Kudos to Vail. For those who do find fault....I will just ask...Really?????

Wow. Solid offer that is full of common sense which has been somewhat of rarity as of late. Kudos indeed.

 

[Dos-Equis]

Awesome. I wonder if this will apply to the military/veteran passes.

 

[David Chaus]

So considering the differences between how VR and Alterra are navigating these treacherous waters, there are two separate issues to deal with: 1) how to compensate pass holders for the shortened 19-20 season, if at all, and 2) how to provide some insurance against the uncertainty of the 20-21 season.

For problem #1, Alterra is sweetening the early renewal $100 discount by an extra $100. And for #2 their Assurance policy that allows one to defer the season by Dec 10, at which time they apparently won’t sell any more Ikon passes.

VR is dealing with problem #1 by offering a credit of 20-80% of the 19-20 pass price towards the 20-21 season pass, and addressing problem #2 by refunding your 20-21 pass if you meet certain requirements. They aren’t providing refunds for 19-20 if you aren’t acquiring a pass for 20-21.

• Epic Coverage provides for a refund if you have an eligible injury, job loss, or experience other personal events that prevent you from using your pass.
• Epic Coverage also provides a refund for certain resort closures, including for events like COVID-19, giving you a refund for any portion of the season that is lost.

So if I paid $699 for the Epic Local pass for 19-20, my credit is $139.80 towards a $729 Epic Local pass for 20-21 = $589 out of pocket.
The Ikon Base Pass is $599. So within $10. Essentially no difference in out of pocket costs.

It really comes down to whether you prefer the option of deferral of the 20-21 Ikon pass to 21-22, no questions asked, or a refund of the 20-21 Epic pass with certain conditions.

I am not complaining, it’s great to have either/both of these options. I’m not sure which strategy provides more assurance to me regarding the 20-21 season.

Certainly for those who didn’t use their Epic pass at all in 19-20, it’s a great deal, assuming they will then use their pass at some point in 20-21.

 

[djetok]

I think , if we can , we are still going to buy the monarch season passes - get 3 days at Copper, A basin, Loveland, and Cooper. At that point we can possible use the credit to epic day passes.

 

[4ster]

So if I paid $699 for the Epic Local pass for 19-20, my credit is $139.80 towards a $729 Epic Local pass for 20-21 = $589 out of pocket.
The Ikon Base Pass is $599. So within $10. Essentially no difference in out of pocket costs.

Yup, seems like pretty similar between Ikon & Epic. I can only hope that Ikon will be able to offer something for my unused 19/20 pass.

Those saying how "generous" this is need to keep in perspective that both these companies had our money long before there was any snow on the ground. Remember, the day they shut down they also cut most of their overhead at a time when daily skier numbers would dramatically drop anyway.
In the times of daily tickets resorts had to perform & exceed expectations every day to make their lift revenue. Nowadays they look at ways to cut costs daily because they already have your money & all they need to do is "enough" to make you "consider" buying a pass next season. The current circumstances & uncertainty have forced them into making some concessions now for us to even "consider" next season & along with that it just happens to be the right thing to do.
I think most other businesses that were forced to shut down because of the pandemic have suffered much worse than the "pre-purchased season pass model" ski industry.
It is "nice" & the "smart" thing to do but "generous" maybe not so much .