If you have not mapped out your plan for the rest of the 2023-2024 ski season, you solely have just a few extra weeks to buy an Epic season cross to keep away from overpaying to your days on the mountain. Whether or not you are a newbie skier or a seasoned professional, one of the best ways to pay to your raise tickets is normally with a ski cross as an alternative of particular person mountain raise tickets.
That is true even for those who’re solely planning a single journey — or maybe snowboarding for as little as in the future.
For these seeking to ski at resorts on the Epic Go, the final day to buy your cross is Dec. 3. If you buy an Epic Go now, you may in the end lock in your winter snowboarding for as little as $44 per day for adults and $29 per day for teenagers ages 5-12. Youngsters beneath age 5 can ski free of charge when accompanied by an grownup with an Epic Go.
Your particular per-day worth will depend on the cross you buy and the way usually you are on the mountains.
If you happen to get pleasure from Vail Resorts and its companion mountains — a few of the largest names within the business — you may in all probability wish to buy an Epic Go.
This is what it’s essential to know in regards to the cross for this season.
Epic Go pricing
The Epic Native Go — which is offered to locals and travel-in skiers alike — is at present on sale for $795 for limitless, unrestricted entry to 29 resorts, together with Breckenridge, Keystone, Park Metropolis, Heavenly and Stowe, plus 10 days at Vail, Beaver Creek and Whistler Blackcomb, amongst others.
The complete Epic Go is priced at $1,025, which unlocks limitless snowboarding at Vail, Beaver Creek, Whistler Blackcomb, Breckenridge, Crested Butte, Stowe, Keystone, Park Metropolis and lots of different Vail-owned and companion resorts.
Whereas one cross carries a “native” title, that does not imply it is restricted to buy by those that stay close to the mountain; anybody can profit from tons of snowboarding all through the season. “Native” primarily means it has some peak-date restrictions throughout the busiest vacation occasions of the 12 months.
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There are additionally many mountain-specific or regional cross choices, such because the Northeast Worth cross.
For $603, you may ski the entire Northeast mountains (21 in whole) all through the season; this consists of common mountains akin to Okemo, Mount Snow, Hunter Mountain, Mount Sunapee, Stowe and extra. Whereas there are just a few vacation blackout dates for choose mountains and solely 10 entry days for Stowe, this may present nice entry to the area.
Moreover, there are important reductions for college students, navy personnel (lively, retired and dependents), seniors and people with everlasting disabilities.
Nonetheless, for those who’re solely seeking to take one or two journeys to the mountain, you may as an alternative go for the Epic Day Go; this provides you with a set variety of ski days at a choose variety of resorts.
An Epic Go will prevent cash — even on a brief journey
Chances are you’ll not have thought of getting an Epic Go for those who solely ski or snowboard a day or two every season. Nonetheless, with so many alternative cross choices, you would possibly discover one which works completely to your ski habits.
The Epic Day Go has three tier ranges based mostly on the mountains included. You should buy entry to 22 resorts (together with the smaller Vail resorts), 32 resorts or all 38 mountains.
For a single-day ticket, the grownup cross worth begins at $56 ($29 for youngsters) for a restricted variety of ski resorts (these within the Midwest, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania). The associated fee then jumps to a beginning worth of $90 per day for many ski resorts ($44 for teenagers) or $113 per day ($60 for teenagers) for the total vary of Vail-owned and even companion resorts.
The extra days you buy, although, the cheaper it’s per day. In fact, for those who’re seeking to ski throughout peak vacation dates (there are solely 11 of them), the worth goes up barely; it is capped at $132 per day.
This can assist you save, contemplating single-day walk-up passes can begin north of $200 per day at resorts akin to Vail and Beaver Creek. So, even if you wish to ski simply in the future at Vail Resort throughout the peak Christmas week, you should purchase an Epic Day Go prematurely and get monetary savings.
Epic Passes present unique reductions
On prime of all that, vacationers with the Epic Go, Epic Native Go, Epic Day Go and extra can get pleasure from reductions by the Epic Mountain Rewards program. This straightforward however rewarding program gives the next reductions at Vail Resorts’ 37 North American resorts:
- 20% off meals and nonalcoholic drinks (on as much as $150 per day)
- 20% off group ski and trip classes
- 20% off lodging owned and operated by Vail Resorts
- 20% off the Epic Mountain Specific personal or shared shuttles from Denver Worldwide Airport (DEN) and Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE)
- 20% off gear leases
- 20% off choose on-mountain actions
- One free wax and one 50%-off tune per season at choose U.S. areas
Moreover, all 2023-2024 Epic Go merchandise robotically include included Epic Protection; this gives refunds for private occasions akin to job loss, damage, sickness and sure resort closures (together with these resulting from COVID-19).
Ski and trip at world-class resorts
Whereas the Epic Go is the juggernaut, the cheaper Epic Native Go is the most effective worth for vacationers who do not plan to ski over holidays or throughout peak intervals.
This season, the vacation dates that have an effect on the Native Go are Nov. 24-25, 2023; Dec. 26-31, 2023; Jan. 13, 2024; and Feb. 17-18, 2024. Understand that a few of the regional passes embody further restricted dates. For instance, the Northeast Worth Go can also be restricted from Jan. 13-14, 2024 — Saturday and Sunday of Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend.
Epic Go
If you happen to’re craving entry to all of Vail’s resorts, with further entry to companion resorts, and do not wish to take care of beforehand talked about vacation restrictions, the total Epic Go will suit your wants.
Passes for the 2023-2024 season at present value $1,025 for adults (ages 13 and up) and $505 for youngsters (ages 5 to 12). There are not any full Epic Go reductions for teenagers.
This Epic Go will get you entry to Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Crested Butte, Park Metropolis, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood, Stevens Go, Whistler Blackcomb, Stowe, Okemo, Mount Snow, Mount Sunapee, Attitash Mountain Resort, Wildcat Mountain, Crotched Mountain, Hunter Mountain, Liberty Mountain Resort, Roundtop Mountain Resort, Whitetail Resort, Jack Frost, Large Boulder, Seven Springs, Laurel Mountain, Hidden Valley (Pennsylvania), Afton Alps, Mount Brighton, Wilmot, Alpine Valley, Boston Mills, Brandywine, Mad River Mountain, Hidden Valley (Missouri), Snow Creek, Paoli Peaks, Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis, Perisher, Falls Creek and Hotham.
At companion resorts, the total Epic Go will get you entry to seven days at Telluride, seven days at Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, limitless entry to 26 European resorts and 5 days in Japan.
Epic Native Go
For the 2023-2024 season, the Epic Native Go gives limitless entry to Breckenridge, Keystone, Crested Butte, Stevens Go, Mount Snow, Okemo, Mount Sunapee, Attitash Mountain Resort, Wildcat Mountain, Crotched Mountain, Hunter Mountain, Afton Alps, Mount Brighton, Wilmot, Alpine Valley, Boston Mills, Brandywine, Mad River Mountain, Hidden Valley (Missouri), Snow Creek, Paoli Peaks, Liberty Mountain Resort, Roundtop Mountain Resort, Whitetail Resort, Jack Frost, Large Boulder, Seven Springs, Laurel Mountain and Hidden Valley (Pennsylvania).
You may additionally get entry (with vacation restrictions) to Park Metropolis, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood and Stowe.
The Epic Native Go consists of 10 whole mixed days (with beforehand talked about vacation restrictions) at Vail, Beaver Creek and Whistler Blackcomb. Moreover, if snowboarding in Japan is in your plans, you may obtain 5 whole days at Hakuba Valley and Rusutsu Resort.
In brief, for those who can work round just a few restrictions, the present Epic Native Go pricing is a heck of a deal at $795 for adults, $385 for youngsters ages 5-12 and $597 for teenagers 13-18. To check, a seven-day, restricted Epic Day Go is at present $661 for adults, so you may ski limitless occasions all through the winter with out paying an excessive amount of extra money.
Scorching tip: If you happen to’re seeking to buy the Northeast Worth Go or Ohio Go and have a toddler who’s 5 or 6 years previous, you should purchase a Tot Go. This cross is considerably cheaper: It is lower than $50 (pricing will depend on once you buy the cross), however you may have to name Vail or an area resort to buy it. As we have realized from the previous few years, if the consultant is not conscious of this specific cross, you need to ask to talk to another person.
What’s modified with Epic Go for this 12 months
If you happen to had an Epic Go final 12 months, you may be comfortable to know that choices are virtually an identical regardless of the worth improve.
The primary change is that Epic launched a brand new app to interchange the EpicMix app. With the brand new app, your telephone will function your raise ticket at most resorts.
With Bluetooth expertise, scanning your cross shall be simpler than ever. It additionally permits skiers and snowboarders to skip the ticket window or keep away from ready for his or her cross within the mail. In fact, plastic playing cards can be found for individuals who would not have a telephone or do not wish to use their telephone to retailer their cross info. The app will even embody many new options, akin to interactive path maps with GPS location monitoring, snow cams and extra.
The corporate additionally added a brand new resort — Disentis — to the Epic Go portfolio.
My household has already bought their Epic Go for the season, and will probably be our third season as passholders. This previous 12 months, I noticed extra lifts working, and raise strains had been beneath management. That is an enchancment over a few of Vail Resorts’ challenges within the 2021-2022 season.
Backside line
For years, essentially the most cost-effective solution to ski at main mountains has been with a cross.
Simply working the numbers from my 19 days at Vail Resorts final season, buying the Northeast Worth cross introduced my per-day value all the way down to $27, my daughter’s all the way down to $17, and my son’s all the way down to barely greater than $2 per day (as a result of Northeast Worth Tot pricing). Alternatively, my husband managed to get away for a Colorado ski journey (along with our Northeast adventures), giving him 23 days within the snow at a per-day value of $27 on the Epic Native Go.
By planning prematurely with a cross, you could possibly make the game match into your price range for lower than you assume.
On prime of these extra accessible costs to get you on the raise, you may also use your lodge factors to remain close to (and even on) the mountain to maintain your out-of-pocket ski costs as little as doable.
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