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The O. Zone: Epic Pass buddies can now ski at a friendlier 50% discounted rate
With Epic Pass sales sliding slightly for the first time in the history of the innovative season-pass product and President Donald Trump’s “best-ever” economy teetering on the cliff’s edge of recession, Vail Resorts is waxing up the Epic Pass for the coming ski season in the hopes of boosting sales as the ultra-crispy Colorado leaves around us start to change colors.
The Broomfield-based owner and operator of 42 ski resorts on Tuesday introduced “Epic Friends Tickets” that offer a real discount of 50% off the skyrocketing daily window rate of more than $300 these days. Previous “Buddy Tickets” used to be close to $200, so only about two-thirds off. The new half-off rate is only good at VR’s 37 North American resorts, but the full price of one of those “Epic Friends Tickets” can be applied to an Epic Pass, if that makes sense.
Given we have kids off at college or living in non-Epic areas (where, by the way, they want no part of all the Epic and Ikon crowds), this means we’ll be able to spring for a couple of Epic Friends tickets when they come home to visit. If you put your pass deposit down before April 14, you get 10 Epic Friends tix, so that’s helpful (just six if you buy now). I’ll be honest, we haven’t used any of our Buddy tix the last fews seasons because they are prohibitively expensive. Cheaper and more fun to skin up or seek out independent ski areas with the boys.
Anyway, here’s the press release from Vail Resorts, as announced by back-in-the-SkiEO chair Rob Katz on Tuesday:
Vail Resorts wants to make it easier for its most loyal guests to bring their friends to the slopes, in celebration of the social side of skiing and snowboarding. Today, the company announced “Epic Friend Tickets,” a new benefit for 2025/26 season-long Epic Pass Holders to share incredible savings with those they want to ski and ride with most. Passes are on sale now, and the lowest price of the Fall ends September 1.
Pass Holders with an Epic Pass, Epic Local Pass, Epic Military Pass, Northeast Value Pass, and most of the company’s other season-long passes will receive 6-10 Epic Friend Tickets, depending on when they purchased their Pass. Epic Friend Tickets provide 50% off lift tickets at the company’s 37 North American resorts for the 2025/26 winter season. Plus, friends can also apply 100% of the cost of one redeemed Epic Friend Ticket toward an eligible 2026/27 Epic Pass – providing double the savings.*
“Skiers and snowboarders know this sport is magic; a passion you can’t help but pass on,” said Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz. “If you ski or ride, chances are someone brought you into the sport, and we want to make it easier for you to pay it forward. Epic Friend Tickets are the next step on our nearly two-decade-long journey to find ways to make skiing more accessible to more people.”
“We will always give the best deal to our Pass Holders who commit to skiing with us ahead of the season,” continued Katz. “That said, we know not everyone can plan ahead, so if you don’t have an Epic Pass, the next best thing is knowing someone who does.”
More Details on the New Epic Friend Tickets
With the introduction of Epic Friend Tickets, eligible Pass Holders who purchased before April 14, 2025, will receive 10 Epic Friend Tickets, and those who purchase after will receive six Epic Friend Tickets. Epic Friend Tickets replace and upgrade Buddy Tickets, a former Pass benefit, which generally offered much lower savings off lift ticket prices, and which varied by resort.
Epic Friend Tickets can be used at all 37 of the company’s North American resorts including big destinations like Vail Mountain and Whistler Blackcomb; regional destinations like Stowe, Heavenly, and Crested Butte; and local ski areas like Mount Sunapee and Afton Alps. Epic Friend Tickets can be redeemed through EpicPass.com then activated in the My Epic app for direct-to-lift access. The accompanying Pass Holder must scan their Pass in a lift line before an Epic Friend Ticket becomes scannable.
A gift that keeps on giving, Epic Friend Tickets provide significant savings this winter and next. Friends get 50% off lift tickets this season, and whatever they pay for that ticket can be used as a credit towards an eligible 2026/27 Epic Pass. Read more about Epic Friend Tickets here.
“By making it easier for our Pass Holders to share the ski experience with friends – through savings across not one, but two winter seasons – we hope to help spark traditions that will inspire groups of friends to return to the mountains for years to come,” added Katz.
Last Chance for the Lowest Epic Pass Price of Fall Ends September 1
Epic Passes offer unmatched mountain access, big savings and incredible benefits – and purchasing a Pass early unlocks the best value. Epic Passes are on sale now for the lowest price of the Fall before prices increase after September 1, 2025. Whether hitting the mountain for one day or all season, there’s an option for every skier and rider, from first timers to powder pros.
The 2025/26 Epic Pass ($1075 adults; $548 children) offers unlimited, unrestricted access to Vail Resorts’ 42 owned and operated mountain resorts including Whistler Blackcomb, Vail Mountain, Park City Mountain, Breckenridge, Beaver Creek, and Stowe, plus access to iconic partner resorts and ski areas like Telluride, Colorado; Rusutsu and Hakuba Valley, Japan; Verbier 4 Vallées, Switzerland; Sölden, Saalbach and Zell am See-Kaprun, Austria; and more across Europe. The Epic Local Pass ($799 adults; $416 children) provides unlimited, unrestricted access to 29 resorts, plus access to more destination resorts with some restrictions. The Epic Military Passwith access to all of the company’s 42 resorts is currently $190 for active and retired military and their dependents, and $614 for veterans and their dependents.
More details on Pass options for the 2025/26 season are linked here. Epic 1-7 Day Passesprovide up to 65% savings compared to lift ticket prices by purchasing ahead of the season, but do not include Epic Friend Tickets. All Passes come with Epic Mountain Rewards, which offer exclusive discounts including 20% off on-mountain food and beverage, lodging, group ski and ride lessons, equipment rentals and more – all winter long.
David O. Williams
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