Epic or Ikon Pass: Are multi-resort ski lift passes worth the cost?
Depending on who you listen to, these multi-resort season ski passes, launched by US-based companies Vail Resorts (Epic), and the Alterra Mountain Company (Ikon), have either opened up affordable multi-resort skiing to the masses, or destroyed the sport completely.
As always, the truth is a little more nuanced than much of the internet would have you believe. But as the passes and the conglomerates behind them continue to evolve, with significant expansion in Europe in recent years, most people's principal questions remain the same: is a multi-resort lift pass worth it? And if so, which one should I buy? Epic, Ikon, or something else entirely?
In this guide:
What is a multi-resort lift pass?
How much does the Epic Pass or Ikon Pass cost?
Should I buy a multi-resort lift pass this winter?
What are the downsides?
Are there any additional perks?
What is a multi-resort lift pass?
A multi-resort pass is a season pass that allows you to ride the lifts at a large number of ski resorts throughout the winter for a fixed price.
The Epic Pass
The first mass market multi-season pass was the Epic Pass, launched by Vail Resorts in 2008. At the time, the company owned five resorts: Breckenridge, Beaver Creek and Keystone in Colorado as well as Vail itself, and Heavenly, on the south shore of Lake Tahoe, in California.
The original Epic Pass offered skiers unlimited days at all five for just US$569 (£419) – a ludicrously good deal compared to typical season-pass prices for individual resorts. Some commentators thought the company was crazy, but it proved to be a visionary move.
Typically, season-pass sales spiked if there was early snowfall, and slumped if there wasn't. But because the Epic pass was only on sale in the summer months, with the cheapest prices reserved for earlier buyers, the company could guarantee its cash flow for the following winter long before the snow had started to fall.
Today, Vail owns and operates 42 ski resorts around the world, including Whistler in Canada, Park City in Utah, and two recently-acquired resorts in Switzerland: Andermatt and Crans-Montana.
Thanks to partnership agreements, the Epic Pass for the upcoming 2025/26 winter will allow holders to ski in over 80 resorts worldwide – including unlimited days to Vail-owned destinations.
The Ikon Pass
Having noted the success of the Epic Pass, the Alterra Mountain Company launched their own version, the Ikon Pass, in 2018. Alterra owns 17 ski resorts (and two heli-skiing operations) all of them in North America.
Their Ikon Pass offers unlimited access to most of their properties (with a few exceptions, like Deer Valley and the heli-skiing operations) and up to seven days skiing in over 60 partner resorts worldwide, including iconic destinations in Europe like Zermatt Chamonix, and the Dolomiti Superski Area.
Other passes
There are other multi-resort passes on offer too. As a response to the dominance of Vail and Alterra, various independently-owned ski areas banded together to launch the Indy Pass in 2019. The 2025/26 version will offer up to two-days access in over 250 resorts worldwide.
In Europe, there's the Magic Pass, which offers unlimited access to just over 100 resorts – the bulk of which are in Switzerland, with a handful in France and Italy.
Elsewhere, passes like the Austrian Snow Card Tirol, or the Italian SuperSkirama, Dolomiti SuperSki, and Aosta Valley passes cover collections of resorts clustered around particular locations.
How much do multi-resort passes cost?
A full Epic Pass for 2025/26 winter season costs US$1,075 (£794), for an adult, or US$548 (£400) for a children aged five to 12. You can also buy local versions of the pass for less.
An adult Ikon Pass costs US$1,429 (£1,055), but young adults aged 13 to 22 only pay US$1,089 (£804), and kids aged five to 12 pay $439 (£324). You can buy an Ikon base pass, with unlimited access to slightly fewer resorts, for less.
Indy Passes typically cost far less, but they're sold out for the forthcoming season.
The Magic Pass costs CHF419 (£327) for the 2025/26 season.
And are they worth the expense?
If you live in the United States
If you're a keen skier living in the US, then almost certainly yes.
Standard lift-pass prices are astronomical in the United States (last winter, a single day at the high-end resort of Deer Valley would set you back US$279 (£206)) and if you're going on more than one ski trip a season, it's likely that a multi-resort pass will save you money.
The multi-resort pass model works particularly well for people based in big, well-connected cities, who are taking multiple trips (often weekends) a winter to different ski areas. It also works well for East Coasters who might do regular day trips to a local mountain but want to do one big, week-long trip out west per winter.
If you're a US-based skier whose likely to head to the same resort each weekend, or you're only going to take one week-long holiday each winter, it's worth checking out single ski area prices before you buy a multi-resort pass.
If you live in Europe or beyond
For most skiers based in Europe or the UK, Epic and Ikon passes probably aren't worth it. You could do a week in Chamonix and a week in Zermatt (both included on the Ikon pass) and you'd pay less for a six-day ski pass in each than you would an Ikon season pass. The exception to this rule is if you're planning on heading to the US or Canada multiple times in a single season – or if you're planning to go to the US once, and a European resort covered by one of the passes.
Although most of the largest Swiss resorts are not included, the Magic Pass is a great option if you live in Switzerland, or near the Swiss border.
For Australians who ski regularly at Hotham, Falls Creek or Perisher, and fancy a week-long jaunt to Whistler or somewhere in the States, the Epic pass is a great option.
What are the downsides?
Before you splash out on an Epic or Ikon Pass, it's worth looking at the 'blackout days'.
Some resorts restrict multi-resort pass holders access during peak periods in order to prioritise those who've bought single passes.
Both the Epic and Ikon passes have come in for criticism from certain corners of the ski industry, in part because of their success. Their sheer scale now means it can be hard for independent resorts to compete.
The companies have also been accused of squashing the individual quirks of the resorts they buy up.
Are there any additional perks?
Ikon Pass holders can offer a partner service, run by a third party, but branded as Ikon Pass Travel. Kristin Rust, vice president of communications for Alterra Mountain Company explains: 'It's a travel agency in the States that are ski specialists – their claim to fame is that every single person on their staff has been to the resorts that they sell. So if you want to go to Chamonix, they can help you book your hotel, your flight and so on.'
Ikon Pass holders also get discounts on gear from The North Face, Db luggage and a range of other brands, and complimentary bike park tickets in certain destinations for the summer.
The Epic Pass also offers a range of ancillary benefits, including 20 per cent off food, lodging, equipment rentals, group lessons and even heli-skiing at select resorts.
Epic Pass holders also get unlimited summer access to many Vail-owned resorts, including Crans-Montana in Switzerland, which is particularly well-known for its mountain bike trails.
'While winter is at the heart of what we do, summer in Switzerland offers its own kind of magic, with a full calendar of exciting events and activities,' explained Mike Goar, Vail Resorts chief operating officer for Switzerland.
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