How to Choose the Best Ski Season Pass for You

While the 2023-’24 ski season is wrapping up, it’s never too early to start planning for next season.

In most cases, the earlier you buy a seasonal ski pass, the more you save. If you know where you want to ski, why not start looking at next year’s ski pass early?

To help you find the perfect ski pass, here’s a roundup of different ski passes, their pros and cons, and suggestions for choosing which pass type and option is best for you.

When to Consider a Season Pass

Whether it’s a mountain-specific or multi-mountain ski pass, purchasing a seasonal ski pass is a personalized experience because it depends entirely on the pass holder’s situation and circumstances.

For example, if a skier only plans to ski a few days at one specific ski resort in a season, it could make sense to purchase passes by the day; however, if the combined cost of each one-day ski pass for the period spent skiing is greater than the cost to purchase a ski pass, it might make more sense to buy a season pass or a bundle of passes.

You get the idea.

Many factors can impact whether you should consider buying a 2024-’25 season pass, and two people with similar situations might come to opposite conclusions about what kind of ski pass will fulfill their needs.

Ask yourself the following questions:

1) How many days do I plan to ski for the season?

2) Will I be skiing at one mountain or do I want to have the option to travel?

3) What is the price of a daily ski pass at my home mountain or mountain I am visiting?

4) What is my ski pass budget for the year?

Single-Day Passes

Buying one single-day pass at a time might be the best option if you’re unsure how long or how many days you want to ski in a season or are new to the sport and just looking to dip your toes into the powder.

Single-day passes are flexible and don’t require you to commit to skiing for an entire season. You can buy them online or at the mountain and ski for one day.

Skiers with mountain-specific ski passes to their home mountain may also enjoy the occasional day pass at other mountains when visiting friends in different places.

If you’re a beginner skier, some mountains also have discounted beginner day passes that grant access to beginner terrain without charging for access to other terrain you might not yet be able to ski.

Mountain-Specific vs. Multi-Mountain Passes

Even though a mountain might partner with or under other, larger multi-mountain ski passes, many ski mountains also have their seasonal passes.

If you plan on skiing at one mountain for the entire season without visiting other locations, a mountain-specific season pass might be for you.

Additionally, while some mountain-specific passes only allow access to that mountain, others include additional mountain access at other locations—a nice perk if you want to travel to these partner resorts. Be sure to examine the perks and benefits of each mountain-specific pass.

Examples of ski mountains that have resort or mountain-specific passes include:

1) Killington Ski Resort (+ Pico Mountain) | Vermont

2) Jackson Hole Mountain Resort | Wyoming

3) Sundance Resort | Utah

Common Multi-Mountain Passes

Here’s a list of four seasonal passes with access to several mountains, their pros and cons, and some general information on each pass to help you decide which option is best for you.

Ikon Pass

What is it?

The Ikon Pass is a multi-mountain access pass with access to unlimited skiing at some resorts and an additional few days of access to skiing at other resorts. While the pass comes in session day options (where you can purchase the pass for a few days of the season), the season passes come in three options: Ikon Pass, Ikon Base Pass Plus, and Ikon Base Pass.

Fast Facts

1) Ikon Pass

Current Price: $1,359 (Adults ages 23+)

Seasonal Access: Full-season access to 17 resorts, including Steamboat (Colorado), Mammoth Mountain (California), and Crystal Mountain (Washington), with no blackout dates

Bonus Access: Seven days of access to skiing at 40 global destinations with no blackout dates

Check out the list of resorts involved and pass perks for more information.

2) Ikon Base Pass Plus

Current Price: $1,219 (Adults ages 23+)

Seasonal Access: Unlimited access at 14 destinations, including Winter Park (Colorado), Solitude Mountain Resort (Utah), and Big Bear Mountain Resort (California), with the blackout dates of December 26 to 31, 2024, January 18 and 19, 2025, and February 15 and 16, 2025.

Bonus Access: Access to five days of skiing at each of the Ikon Base Pass destinations, with additional days of access to seven other resorts, including Aspen Snowmass (Colorado) and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (Wyoming), with the same blackout dates listed above, plus Southern Hemisphere blackout days of July 6 to 21, 2024, and July 5 to 20, 2025.

3) Ikon Base Pass

Current Price: $969 (Adults ages 23+)

Seasonal Access: The same seasonal access as the Ikon Base Pass Plus

Bonus Access: ski up to five days at 36 destinations worldwide with the blackout dates mentioned previously.

For more information about the Ikon Base Pass Plus and Ikon Base Pass, look at the complete list of resorts and perks.

Pros:

Flexible—Ikon Passes allow you to ski at many resorts, seasonally or on different days.

Multiple options—options to suit different budgets, including young adult passes for skiers under 23 and discounted versions of each pass.

Cons:

You are limited to the destinations listed on Ikon—if your home mountain is not listed, you will not have access.

More expensive – the most expensive option on this list

Epic Pass

What is it?

The Epic Pass is a multi-mountain pass that services resorts affiliated with Vail Resorts. Like Ikon, this pass has seasonal access to some mountain resorts and a few days of access to other resorts with different tier options of passes, including the Epic Pass, Epic Local Pass, and other Epic Passes.

Fast Facts

1) Epic Pass

Current Price: $982 (Ages 13+)

Seasonal Access: Unlimited seasonal access to a total of 42 resorts around the world, including those in the Rockies, Northeast United States, Mid-Atlantic United States, Midwestern United States, Western United States, Canada, and other international resorts with no blackout dates.

Bonus Access: seven total ski days per resort at Telluride and six Canadian resorts, five days of skiing at the Japanese resorts of Hakuba Valley and Rusutsu, and access to 26 total partner resorts in Europe.

2) Epic Local Pass

Current Price: $731 (Ages 13+)

Seasonal access: Unlimited seasonal access to 29 resorts in the North American Rockies, West, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest, as well as to other North American resorts minus peak dates at each resort.

Bonus Access: Ten days at Vail (Colorado), Beaver Creek (Colorado), and Whistler Blackcomb (Canada), excluding peak dates; five days at Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis and Crans-Montana in Switzerland; and five days of skiing at each of the same resorts in Japan listed under the Epic Pass.

3) Other Epic Passes

The Epic Pass also comes in other options more specific to regions of ski resorts at different price points, including the Tahoe Value Pass for $529, Keystone Plus Pass for $390, Summit Value Pass for $590, and Northeast Value Pass for $600.

The complete list of passes and each pass’s specific perks and limitations can be found on the Epic Pass pass page .

Pros

High value for price – many options for home mountains, unlimited skiing at many resorts

Flexible— like Ikon, this pass allows flexibility in choosing when and where you ski and flexibility when creating travel plans.

Multiple options – also like Ikon, Epic gives many options for skiers to choose the pass that suits them best

Cons

Limited to the destinations listed on Epic – Like Ikon, you will not have access if a mountain where you want to ski is not listed.

More expensive – the Epic Pass is more expensive than some mountain-specific seasonal passes or other multi-mountain passes.

Mountain Collective

What is it?

The Mountain Collective Pass is a ski pass that allows access to 25 resorts over five continents for a limited number of days, totaling up to 50 days of skiing for the season under one pass. This pass comes in one option.

Fast Facts

Price: $605 (Adults age 19+)

Access: The Mountain Collective Pass isn’t exactly a season pass – instead, it allows for two-day access to 12 resorts in the United States, eight resorts in Canada, and five resorts around the world in France, New Zealand, Australia, Chile, and Japan. Additionally, you can get one bonus day at any resort for free.

More information about specific destinations and other pass perks can be found on Mountain Collective’s pass page .

Pros

Less expensive – other than Epic’s specific access passes, the Mountain Collective Pass is the least costly option of the multi-mountain passes

Designed for travel – two days at 25 resorts means you can spend your season traveling to different resorts worldwide.

Good value – you can ski at several resorts around the world in one ski season for a total of about $12 per ski day ($605 for the pass divided by a total of 50 ski days at every resort)

Cons

Limited to destinations listed on Mountain Collective – like Ikon and Epic, if a mountain is not listed on the pass you can’t ski there.

There are limited days of skiing and no “season” pass—you have limited days of skiing for the season and don’t have full-season access to any one mountain.

Bonus Pass Discussion – 2025-’26 ski season

Indy Pass

SOLD OUT FOR THE 2024-’25 SEASON BUT ACCEPTING WAIT LIST MEMBERS

The Indy Pass is a pass that gives you access to two free days of skiing at a collection of over 200 independent ski resorts around the world, as well as access to deals on other day pass purchases and travel packages outlined on the Indy Pass website.

This pass is loved as an alternative to more expensive larger passes. While it is already sold out for the 2024-’25 ski season, it’s worth considering as an option for the 2025-’26 season.

Some of the pros include its price, flexibility with access to many mountains, and its support for independently owned resorts. A notable con is that, like other passes, the Indy Pass’ applicability entirely depends on the mountains you want to ski.

Related: 4 North American Ski Resorts Open Through May