Vail Resorts is making a major play for Gen Z skiers and snowboarders, discounting 2026-27 Epic Passes for them at 20% below the price of full adult season passes.
Epic Pass products for next season went on sale Tuesday with the full adult Epic Pass priced at $1,089, a $38 increase over the early-bird price a year ago. Young adults (18-30) will pay $869, though, the same price being charged for teens (13-17). The full Epic Pass provides access to more than 90 resorts with unlimited, unrestricted access to 42 resorts.
The Epic Local Pass, with access to more than 50 resorts and unlimited, unrestricted access to 29 resorts including Breckenridge, Keystone and Crested Butte, is priced at $809 for adults over 30 years of age but $649 for 20-somethings and teens. The early-bird price a year ago was $783.
The price break for 20-somethings is part of a wider, long-term strategy for Vail Resorts.
“We’re constantly assessing where could we make it easier for people to get into the sport and get fully engaged,” said Vail Resorts chief executive Rob Katz. “One of the things we identified over the last eight months was, we really think Gen Z is the biggest opportunity for the sport over the next 10 to 20 years. It’s critical that they get passionate about the sport.
“They don’t have the same disposable income that you see with a lot of folks that are older,” Katz added, “so we felt this was an opportunity for us to roll back pricing for them, to try and build that engagement. That turns into long-term skiers for us, and ultimately for the whole industry.”
Epic Friends tickets, which debuted last year, are back. Those purchasing 2026-27 Epic season passes early will receive 10 Epic Friends tickets, which are good for lift tickets priced at 50% off.
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Katz served as the company’s CEO from 2006-21 and is credited with creating the Epic Pass in 2008, which revolutionized the industry. He returned to that role last May after his successor, Kirsten Lynch stepped down. Her tenure was marked by downward-trending stock prices and a series of blows to the company’s image.
Katz has been looking for ways to freshen the brand’s appeal with new pricing strategies, reimagined restaurant menus and revamped marketing.
“We’re in the experience business,” Katz said. “We do have to constantly freshen up the experience by doing something new, ensuring that the products we have — the price and the way we communicate them — are relevant for today’s consumer. And today’s consumer is constantly changing. We’ve got to stay up with that … trying to be out front and aggressive in building engagement in the sport.”
Vail Resorts typically doesn’t announce how long early-bird pricing will be in effect, but there is usually a price increase around Memorial Day and another in September.
Alterra Mountain Company, Vail Resorts’ rival which markets Ikon Passes, generally announces its early-bird prices a couple of days after Vail. Last year Epic Pass prices were announced on March 4, with Ikon following on March 6.
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