Next season’s Whistler Blackcomb (WB) passes will leave a little more money in your pocket, Vail Resorts announced today, March 24.
The company is reducing the cost of all of its Epic Pass products by 20 per cent for the 2021/22 season.
“The ski industry, our Company and skiers and riders everywhere just navigated the most challenging season we have ever encountered," said Rob Katz, chairman and chief executive officer of Vail Resorts in a release. "Because of the growth and loyalty of our pass holders, we were able to ensure this season was a success, with full operations across our 34 North American resorts, even amid a pandemic."
The price reset, states the release, is part of a drive to have as many skiers and riders as possible choose a pass option in advance of the season and it is hammering down on other pass products available in the market right now.
The Epic Pass—which comes with unlimited access to WB, Vail, Park City, and more—will be priced at $1,018 down from $1,273 this season. The Whistler Blackcomb Unlimited Pass will be $1,119, down from $1,399.
Edge Cards, meanwhile, will start at $175 for a two-day card, down from $219, $367 for a five-day Edge Card from $459, and $631 for a 10-day Edge Card, a decrease from $789.
The Epic Day Pass will come in at $109.58 for a one-day pass or $93.20 a day for a seven-day pass.
According to the release, these prices were last seen during the 2015/16 season—before Vail Resorts bought WB for $1.4 billion in August of 2016.
“The new prices announced today not only provide value to existing skiers and riders, but we also believe they will contribute to the growth and vitality of our sport as we bring new people and higher engagement into the industry, which we think is imperative,” said Katz.
“We also believe these lower prices will benefit our financial results based on new learnings from the past few years."
In the release Katz said that the launch of the Epic Day Pass two years ago has highlighted skiers and riders that were not identified as Vail Resorts customers previously. And company results show that when people moved from day tickets to pass products they used the mountains more.
In addition to reducing the cost of accessing the mountains, Epic Pass products provide pass holders other on-mountain discounts. Introduced last season, Epic Mountain Rewards offers pass holders 20 percent off on-mountain dining, lodging, group ski and ride school lessons, equipment rentals and more.
All 2021/22 pass products will come with Epic Coverage, at no additional cost, which provides refunds for personal events like job loss, injury or illness, as well as for certain resort closures, including closures due to COVID-19.
Passes for the 2021/22 are on sale now at epicpass.com.
