A long-standing economic divide in the ski industry has widened in recent years: frequent skiers benefit from the value of season-long multi-resort passes, while occasional or first-time visitors face increasingly steep single-day lift ticket prices at the ticket window. This widening gap threatens to push away new and casual skiers, reducing overall visits and eroding the sport’s future base.
Vail Resorts, provider of the popular Epic Pass - which provides access to up to 37 North American ski resorts - is addressing this issue with a new “Friend Ticket” perk for the 2025-26 season. Passholders will receive between six and ten Friend Tickets, depending on when they buy their pass, each offering friends a 50% discount on a lift ticket. After enjoying a day on the slopes, friends who receive a Friend Ticket can apply the full purchase price of their lift ticket towards the purchase of an Epic Pass for the following 2026-27 winter season if they’d like to get their own season-long pass.
“Skiers and snowboarders know this sport is magic; a passion you can’t help but pass on,” explained 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 Tickest are the next step on our nearly two-decade-long journey to find makes to make skiing more accessible to more people,” he added.
While Vail Resorts has previously offered discounts through its “Buddy Pass” program, those savings varied by resort and time of year. The new Friend Tickets simplify the process with a flat 50% discount at all 37 North American properties, regardless of date — although base lift ticket prices will still vary by location.
In Pennsylvania, Vail Resorts operates eight mountains: Big Boulder, Hidden Valley, Jack Frost, Laurel Mountain, Liberty Mountain, Roundtop Mountain, Seven Springs, and Whitetail. The Friend Ticket program will be valid at all of them.
The perk applies to holders of the Epic Pass, Epic Local Pass, Epic Military Pass, Northeast Value Pass, and most other season-long Epic products. Passes purchased by April 14, 2025, will include 10 Friend Tickets; those bought later will come with six.
Epic Pass prices rise periodically before the ski season, with the next increase scheduled for September 1, 2025. Sales typically close in early December.
More information about the Epic Pass is available at epicpass.com.
M. Scott Smith is the founder and Editor of DCSki. Scott loves outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, kayaking, skiing, and mountain biking. He is an avid photographer and writer.
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