Vail Resorts will offer big discounts on advanced lift-ticket purchases for 12 ski areas, pushing ahead with a strategy to emphasize daily ticket sales.
Discounts average 30% off walk-up purchases if lift tickets are bought at least four weeks in advance for Vail Mountain, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Crested Butte, Park City Mountain, Whistler Blackcomb, Heavenly, Northstar, Stowe, Okemo and Mount Snow. The first eligible day for the discount is Jan. 5.
"While we will always give the best deal to our pass holders, with this new discount, our hope is to make the sport more accessible for guests who aren't thinking about skiing or snowboarding until winter arrives," Vail CEO Rob Katz said.
Vail had centered its merchandising strategy over the past decade on its multi-mountain Epic Pass. All Epic Pass sales for this season ended on Dec. 4.
Katz said during Vail's fiscal Q4 earnings call that season pass sales growth for the 2025-26 season had been "limited" and said the company had not been reaching its full growth potential. As of Sept. 19, revenue from pass sales for the 2025-26 ski season was up just 1%. He said Vail would place a new emphasis on daily lift tickets, the cost of which has topped $300 at several resorts.
Discounting is the second step Vail has taken this year to ease walk-up prices. It launched the Epic Friends program, which provides passholders up to 10 coupons for 50% off a lift ticket that they can distribute.
Nearly 75% of Vail Resorts visitation comes from skiers and snowboarders with an Epic Pass, the company said. Less than 2% of visitation comes from window purchases.