COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Following outcries across the West over Vail Resorts' reduced pass prices contributing to longer lift lines and added stress on workers this season, the industry leader has announced increases of about 7% for next season.
The company on has launched the popular Epic Local Pass at $626, with unlimited access to Breckenridge and Keystone and 10 days total at Vail and Beaver Creek. Last March, that price debuted at $583, down from $729 previously, as part of a 20% discount across the board for Vail Resorts' passes to 37 North American destinations.
Providing greater access to more Vail-owned resorts in Colorado and beyond, the top-of-the-line Epic Pass for the 2022-23 season is marked at $841. That's compared with last year's early-bird deal of $783, which was down from $979.
Returning are Epic Day passes, providing discounted rates to some resorts from one to seven days. For all resorts, single days next season start at $93.
Also returning is the Epic Military Pass. For active and retired military along with their dependents, an unlimited pass to Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone is $145. The pass is $480 for veterans and their dependents.
The 20% slash in 2021 was called "a bold move" by Vail Resorts' own description. It was "to give everyone the opportunity to enjoy the value and flexibility of a pass."
The result, as reported by the company: a record 2.1 million prepurchased tickets and season passes sold — a 76% increase from the 2019-2020 season. Vail Resorts has said a significant portion of that increase was from new pass holders who previously visited with a ticket, and that overall visitation between the seasons was up 2.8%.
Another result, in the eyes of some onlookers: more hassles on the slopes.
In a Facebook post signed by Vail Mountain Chief Operating Officer Beth Howard, she called the holiday season "the most challenging" in her 37 years in the industry. Commenters accused the company of selling too many passes and not paying employees well enough. Around Colorado at the time, resort operators said a wave of coronavirus was thinning staff.
But for lifts stalled and terrain openings delayed, a petition out of Stevens Pass Resort called hourly $15 wages "offensive" and claimed it "illegal for a business to accept payments for products or services they do not intend to supply."
Earlier this month, Vail Resorts announced increasing minimum wage to $20 per hour for workers at all North American resorts. That represented a planned $175 million investment in employees, the company said, in addition to $300 million toward "the mountain experience" next season.
"We will not waiver in our commitment to continuously reinvest in the ski and ride experience with the goal of creating an experience of a lifetime for our pass holders," Ryan Bennett, Vail Resorts' chief marketing officer, said in a news release. "We are making bold investments to ensure we have a fully staffed team of passionate, engaged employees and adding 21 new lifts across 14 of our resorts to help skiers and riders get up and around the mountains faster and easier."
In Colorado, one of those new chairs is a high-speed, four-seater to improve access to Vail's Sun Down Bowl. Also at Vail, the lift in Game Creek Bowl will be upgraded to increase capacity by nearly 50%.
At Breckenridge, Rip's Ride is being replaced with a high-speed quad at Peak 8, said to increase capacity by almost 70%. And at Keystone, enhancements in Bergman Bowl will introduce a six-person chair and 16 new trails.
Go here for full breakdown of passes: https://bit.ly/3tueVaR.
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