Epic, Ikon, or Independent: Discovering the Best Multi-Resort Ski Pass

Does anyone still purchase lift tickets for single resorts? With the rise of multi-resort passes, it might seem like a rarity. While not every mountain has joined this trend, locals typically buy season passes for their home resorts. Still, options like Epic and Ikon have transformed how many skiers experience resorts, often stirring up some debate.

In comparison to traditional ticket and season-pass rates, multi-resort options offer remarkable value. For instance, a five-day lift ticket at Vail during mid-February, discounted for online advance purchase, costs $900; meanwhile, the lowest price for an entire season on the Epic Pass was $841. Plus, these passes often come with added perks, such as discounts on accommodations, on-mountain dining, and ski lessons.

Sorting through the advantages of each pass can feel like tackling a mogul-filled slope when you were aiming for an easy cruiser. Here’s a comparison of how the Epic and Ikon passes measure up, plus insights on alternatives like the Mountain Collective Pass and the Indy Pass.

Epic Pass

Overview of the Epic Pass

The full pass provides unlimited access without blackout days at all 41 ski areas owned by Vail Resorts for a full year (valid from April to April). These locations include Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Breckenridge, and Crested Butte in Colorado, as well as Park City Mountain Resort in Utah, Heavenly Resort in California, Stowe Resort in Vermont, and Whistler-Blackcomb in British Columbia.

You'll also enjoy access to partner resorts both in the U.S. and internationally: seven consecutive or nonconsecutive days at Colorado’s Telluride, and seven days at Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (Fernie, Kicking Horse, Kimberley, Nakiska, Mont-Sainte Anne, and Stoneham). Additionally, you can ski for seven consecutive days in Italy’s Skirama Dolimiti and France’s Les 3 Vallées, five consecutive days at Verbier 4 Vallées in Switzerland, Rusutsu Resort in Japan, and the nine resorts in Japan’s Hakuba Valley; plus three consecutive days at Austria’s Arlberg.

Pricing and Purchase Information

For the 2022/2023 season, the Epic Pass was priced between $841 and $949, depending on when it was purchased. The Epic Local Pass, which offers unlimited access to 29 Vail Resorts areas with some restrictions at additional locations, was available for $626 to $735. Several lower-cost options with limited access, as well as one- to seven-day passes, were also offered.

Sales for the 2022–2023 ski season concluded on December 4. Passes for the upcoming winter will become available in spring 2023.

Additional Benefits

These passes include Epic Coverage, which provides refunds for unforeseen circumstances like personal injury, job loss, or resort closures. You also receive a 20 percent discount on various offerings at Vail Resorts properties, including food at on-mountain restaurants, resort accommodations, group ski lessons, ski and snowboard rentals, a day of heli-skiing at Whistler-Blackcomb (must be booked by December 18, 2022), and Epic Mountain Express shuttle service in Colorado.

Another advantage is a 50 percent discount on one ski or snowboard tune-up each winter, plus one complimentary wax. You can also bring friends and family skiing at reduced rates—each pass provides six “Ski with a Friend” tickets (about 20 percent off, sometimes more). If you purchased your pass the previous spring, you’ll receive Buddy tickets, which offer discounts around 40 percent, depending on the resort.

Summer benefits include free scenic lift and gondola rides at all resorts until the start of the next ski season, along with a 20 percent discount on resort-owned golf courses and bike rentals.

What's New This Winter

Last spring, Vail Resorts acquired Switzerland’s Andermatt-Sedrun resort, making it a new Epic Pass destination.

Who Should Consider the Epic Pass

Skiers who prefer not to make advance reservations for mountain access should think about this pass. To reduce crowding, Vail Resorts has limited daily lift ticket sales at its ski areas, but if you hold any type of Epic Pass, you’re automatically included.

This pass is also beneficial if you frequently ski at one of Vail Resorts’ smaller locations in the Midwest or Pennsylvania and plan to visit one of the larger resorts. Compared to Ikon, the Epic Pass provides greater discounts on accommodations, lessons, rentals, on-mountain dining, and—if purchased early—lift tickets for your friends.

Ikon Pass

Overview of the Ikon Pass

Alterra Resorts offers the Ikon Pass, available in three main variations—Ikon Pass, Ikon Base Plus, and Ikon Base, along with two- to four-day options. Ikon’s season passes are effective from the purchase date until the end of the subsequent snow season (dates vary by resort).

The complete Ikon Pass offers unlimited access (no blackout days) to 14 ski resorts owned by Alterra, including California's June Mountain and Big Bear Mountain, plus up to seven days at an additional 39 locations across the U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan, Chile, Australia, and New Zealand.

The Ikon Base allows access to 13 Alterra resorts with some blackout days, and permits skiing for up to five days at 34 resorts (also with blackouts). The Ikon Base Plus further includes four ski mountains in Aspen, Colorado, as well as Alta and Snowbird in Utah, Jackson Hole in Wyoming, Sun Valley in Idaho, and Deer Valley and Snowbasin in Utah.

Reservations are required for all Ikon Pass holders at seven resorts: Jackson Hole, Big Sky, Aspen, Taos Ski Valley in New Mexico, Brighton in Utah, Summit at Snoqualmie in Washington, and Loon Mountain in New Hampshire.

Pricing and Purchase Dates

Current season prices ranged from $719 to $1,229, depending on the pass type, purchase timing, and whether it was a renewal. Passes for the next winter will be available starting in spring 2023.

Additional Benefits

Included with this pass is Adventure Assurance, which provides credits for pass holders in the event of COVID-related closures. It also offers discounts of 10–15 percent at Alterra-owned on-mountain restaurants and retail shops, along with lodging deals and special offers on ski schools and rentals that vary by location. The Ikon Pass comes with 10 vouchers for 25 percent off tickets for friends and family (8 vouchers with the Ikon Base and Ikon Base Plus).

Passholders can utilize Ikon Pass Travel for trip planning and enjoy early booking privileges for heli-skiing trips with Alterra-owned Canadian Mountain Holidays. Additional benefits include one free First Tracks session each month, providing skiers with early-morning access to a designated ski run, as well as membership in Protect Our Winters, a climate advocacy nonprofit.

Summer benefits feature complimentary scenic lift and gondola rides, plus various discounts that differ by resort, covering lodging, golf, mountain bike rentals, and via ferrata guided climbing routes.

What's New This Winter

Seven new destinations have been added since last winter, including Sun Valley in Idaho; Snowbasin in Utah; Chamonix Mont-Blanc Valley in France; Grandvalira Resorts in Andorra; Lotte Arai Resort in Japan; and Panorama and Sun Peaks Resort in British Columbia.

Who Should Consider the Ikon Pass

Skiers eager to explore resorts renowned for their challenging terrains, such as Jackson Hole, Alta, Snowbird, Big Sky, Taos, and Palisades Tahoe, should look into this pass. Additionally, enthusiasts of Utah skiing will find all resorts near Salt Lake City, except Park City (the largest ski area in the U.S.), included on the Ikon Pass. Notably, Ikon offers three more international destinations than Epic: Chile, New Zealand, and Andorra.

Alternative Ski Pass Options

Mountain Collective Pass

If you enjoy exploring a range of large resorts each winter, spending just two or three days at each, the Mountain Collective Pass might be for you. This pass, available through a collaboration of 25 ski areas, allows for two days of skiing at each resort (with no blackout dates) and offers a 50% discount on regular ticket prices for additional days. While many of these resorts overlap with Ikon Pass areas, some are exclusive to the Mountain Collective: Grand Targhee in Idaho, Le Massif de Charlevoix in Quebec, Marmot Basin in Alberta, and Sugar Bowl in California. You’ll also receive up to 25% off lodging.

The Mountain Collective Pass, priced at $599, was no longer available for the winter after December 12; next winter’s passes will be on sale starting in early March 2023.

Indy Pass

The Indy Pass continues to expand each winter, offering two days of skiing at over 120 independently owned ski areas across the U.S., Canada, and Japan, along with a third day at a 25% discount. These areas are typically lesser-known—consider Washington’s Mission Ridge, Colorado’s Sunlight, or Vermont’s Bolton Valley—with a focus on straightforward skiing. While they may not have high-end amenities, they more than compensate with a welcoming atmosphere and enthusiastic skiers.

The Indy Base Pass costs $349 and includes some blackout days, while the Indy+ Pass at $449 has no blackouts. Additionally, it features the new Indy XC Pass, which provides two days at 12 cross-country ski areas in the U.S. and Canada, with a 25% discount for a third day.