gettyĮpic Passes: There are two main versions, the top tier full-blown Epic Pass and the Epic Local Pass, which is not regional but rather has less resorts but still covers coast to coast so there’s something local for most skiers.

Vail is America's favorite ski resort and one of the unlimited options for Epic Pass buyers. There are some additional fairly minor benefits including 25% discounts on friends and family lift tickets, subject to numerous restrictions, 15% off food, beverage and retail at some resorts, First Tracks at select destinations and discounts on some brands of ski gear. Ikon has not announced the date when prices will increase, but last year it was in the fall. The Ikon Pass is now on sale for an introductory price of $1,159, and existing Ikon Pass holders can renew for a discounted $1,059. Lower tier passes reduce access to some marquee resorts, drop the 7-days to 5-days and add blackout periods. summer months, Chile’s Valle Nevado Australia’s Thredbo and Mt Buller and New Zealand’s Coronet Peak/The Remarkables/ Mt Hutt. Bachelor Idaho’s Sun Valley and Schweitzer Maine’s Sunday River and Sugarloaf New Hampshire’s Loon Mountain Canada’s SkiBig3 (Banff/Lake Louise), Revelstoke, RED Mountain, Cypress Mountain, Panorama and Sun Peaks France’s Chamonix Mont-Blanc Valley Italy’s Dolomiti Superski Andorra’s Grandvalira Resorts Austria’s Kitzbühel Switzerland’s Zermatt Japan’s Niseko United and Lotte Arai Resort and for skiing in the U.S. Unlimited skiing resorts are Colorado’s Steamboat, Winter Park Resort, Copper Mountain and Eldora Utah’s Solitude California’s Palisades Tahoe (formerly Squaw Valley), Mammoth Mountain, Big Bear, June Mountain, and Snow Valley Vermont’s Stratton and Sugarbush West Virginia’s Snowshoe and Canada’s Tremblant and Blue Mountain.ħ-day locations are: Colorado’s Aspen/Snowmass and Arapahoe Basin Montana’s Big Sky Utah’s Brighton, Deer Valley, Snowbasin, Alta and Snowbird Vermont’s Killington/Pico New York’s Windham Mountain Michigan’s The Highlands and Boyne Mountain Washington’s The Summit at Snoqualmie and Crystal Mountain Oregon’s Mt. There are no blackout dates (though Deer Valley limits the number of daily skiers and requires advance reservations). © ĭetails: The Ikon Pass covers 54 destinations, 15 with unlimited skiing and 39 with 7 days each. Italy's Dolomites is one of the world's greatest ski trips, and one of many top international. Globally, Japan is the hottest Bucket List spot on earth with the most snow, and Niseko is its most popular resort, while there may be no better (or bigger) ski vacation destination anywhere than Italy’s Dolomites, also profiled by me here at Forbes. For modern day ski bums road tripping in their Sprinter Vans, the marquee place to go right now is Canada’s “Powder Highway,” and Ikon includes heavy hitters Revelstoke, RED Mountain and Panorama. While it gets overshadowed by Whistler/Blackcomb, I think Ski Big 3 is Canada’s premier all-around ski vacation destination, with two gigantic resorts, one of the world’s best ski towns (Banff), jaw dropping scenery, bargain pricing and an array of exquisite lodging and dining ( read more here). Idaho’s Schweitzer is the biggest hidden gem resort in the country, which I also wrote about here in detail recently. With the sole (but notable) exception of Park City Resort, Ikon dominates Utah and its famous - and famously accessible – powder with half a dozen options. Jackson Hole, WY is on every better skier’s Bucket List, and other world-class destination resorts include Alta, Snowbird and Sun Valley. The Ikon Pass includes the largest resorts in several of the key states it covers, including Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, New Mexico, Vermont and Maine.īig Sky, MT is the nation’s second largest resort (lift served terrain), is remarkably uncrowded, and after a decade of massive infrastructure investment, state of the art lift network and high-profile new hotels, is probably the single hottest ski destination in North America right now, a standout that I have written about in depth here at Forbes. ski resorts (including Number One Jackson Hole, WY) and the Number One ranked resort in key states and territories including California, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, New Mexico, Maine and Quebec. According to leading site it also has 7 of Top 10 U.S. It’s on Ikon, as are the Top 3 and 7 of the Top 10. Highlights: Ski Magazine has the industry’s most important resort rankings, and just picked Sun Valley as Number One in North America - again.

Epic ski pass reservations