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What Is the Epic Pass for Skiers and Is it Worth It?

Skiing

If you like to go skiing, you might be looking for a way to get the most out of it without spending a ton of money in the process. Fortunately, there are a few services that act like subscription services which allow you to save some money, provided you ski often enough. One of those is called the Epic Pass. Lately, a lot of people have been wondering whether or not it's genuinely worth the money required to purchase this pass. If you've been wondering the same thing, you've come to the right place. Here, you can find out what the Epic Pass is all about and whether or not you should spend your money on it or pass it up for something better.

What Is It?

In short, the Epic Pass allows you to ski as much as you want over the course of a season at participating resorts for one flat fee. It should be noted that the fee in question is $979 for anyone 13 or older. If you're talking about purchasing a pass for someone that’s between the ages of 4 and 12, the price is $499. Anyone younger than 4 can ski free of charge. Granted, this seems like a pretty steep price to pay, but it all comes down to how much skiing you actually plan to do. Those individuals who are avid skiers often spend a ton of money on resort fees and everything associated with taking the lift up to the top of a mountain, all so they can spend the entire day skiing. Fees abound, especially in a world where everybody is trying to make as much money as possible. Resorts that have been hit hard by the pandemic are looking to capitalize on anything and everything, meaning that fees just keep increasing.

If you ski a lot, it can become prohibitively expensive very quickly. This is especially true if you have a big family and everybody likes to participate. Purchasing an Epic Pass can reduce the cost considerably under certain circumstances. However, it is worth noting that in order to take advantage of it, you have to ski at Vail, Colorado or a resort that is one of their partners. The full list is quite long, easily more than 70 different resorts. If you're curious as to whether or not the resort you're interested in attending is on the list, you can visit their website and find out whether or not you might be able to purchase the Epic Pass for that particular facility.

More Economical Options

Fortunately for those who don't want to pay anywhere from $500 to roughly $1,000 to ski, there are other, more economical options available. While the full-fledged Epic Pass might be the best choice for someone that does a lot of skiing, it's not always the best choice for somebody that only skis once or twice a year. Fortunately, they have these individuals covered as well. The Epic Local Pass reduces the number of facilities that can be visited, depending on the purchaser's geographic region. Instead of having access to all 70-plus skiing locations, you have access to the ones that are in your geographic region. Unless you plan on traveling quite a distance to ski, this can be well worth it because it drops the cost from the aforementioned $979 down to just over $500 for an entire season. Even more economical still is the Day Pass, available at Vail and some of the other participating resorts. If you're only interested in purchasing a pass for a single day, you can have one for less than $100 ($87 to be exact). That gives you access to everything that Epic Pass holders have access to and it saves you quite a large sum of money if you spend the entire day skiing, as you don't have to pay any extra fees while you’re there.

Fun All Year Long

A recent modification to the Epic Pass involves the ability to use the pass all year long, not just for the winter season. As previously mentioned, a lot of these resorts, including Vail, are trying to capitalize in an attempt to make as much money as possible in a world that is seeing far less traveling as a result of the pandemic. As such, the same pass that you purchased for skiing can also be used during the summer for mountain biking, provided that you use the ski lifts to carry you and your bike up to the top of the mountain. This is great news for a lot of people who really like to push the boundaries when it comes to adventure, especially when those same individuals just happen to enjoy getting a good deal that saves them some serious cash. As a result, it's a situation that serves both the resort and the individuals who go to it equally well.

When it's all said and done, it's about finding unique ways to have fun and stay active without spending every dime you have in the process. The Epic Pass can be a great option for you if you ski enough to make it worth your while. If you've ever priced staying in Vail or any of its partner resorts without the Epic Pass, you'll quickly find that it doesn't take very long for you to spend a lot more money than it would cost to purchase the pass. That makes it a good option for you, even if you only plan on skiing a few times throughout the season. If you're one of the individuals that also participates in mountain biking during the summer, it would almost seem silly not to purchase it. Nevertheless, it's important to know that there are a number of options available that give you access at a discounted price with limited access, scaled-down versions of the Epic Pass. It all comes down to deciding which one best fits your level of activity and your budget.

Liz Flynn

Written by Liz Flynn

Liz Flynn has worked as a full-time writer since 2010 after leaving a career in education. She finds almost all topics she writes about interesting, but her favorite subjects are travel and food. Liz loves the process of researching information, learning new things, and putting into words what others who share her interests might like to read. Although she spends most of her time writing, she also enjoys spending time with her husband and four children, watching films, cooking, dining out, reading, motorsports, gaming, and walking along the beach next to her house with her dog.

Read more posts by Liz Flynn

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