Vail Resorts is selling fewer Epic Passes, but profits are up thanks to new, higher prices.
Across the world 2.3 million people bought an Epic Pass this season. The numbers are down from last year, but they are still higher than any season before the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, company CEO Kirsten Lynch blames the slip in sales on two things: poor snow last winter and “industry normalization” – aka a return to pre-COVID habits.
“The decline in new pass holders compared to the prior year was driven by fewer guests who purchased lift tickets in the past season and from guests who are completely new to our database, which we believe was impacted by last season’s challenging weather and industry normalization,” Lynch said.
Vail season pass sales shot through the roof just after the pandemic, when the price for an Epic Pass fell to $783, the cheapest since 2015.
Since then, prices have increased nearly 28 percent.
“Our North American pass sales highlight strong loyalty with growth among renewing pass holders across all geographies,” Lynch said. “For the full selling season, the company acquired a substantial number of new pass holders, however the absolute number of new guests was smaller compared to the prior year, driving the overall unit decline for the full selling season.”
But if pass sales slip again this year, the execs can’t blame it on poor snow. This ski season is already a banger across the West.
“Early season conditions have allowed us to open some resorts earlier than anticipated, including Whistler Blackcomb, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood, and Stevens Pass,” Lynch said. “Early season conditions have also enabled our Rockies resorts to open with significantly improved terrain relative to the prior year, including the opening of the legendary back bowls at Vail Mountain opening the earliest since 2018.”
Vail stock is trading at just under $200 today, about $30 less than this time last year.
‘Most Admired’ accolades
Newsweek has named Vail Resorts one of the “most admired workplaces” of 2025.
Four-hundred other companies made the list, like Amazon, Apple and Starbucks. The magazine surveyed 250,000 employees and tallied 1.5 million customer reviews.