There’s no doubt about it: Many skiers and snowboarders and not happy with the soaring prices of even a daily lift ticket at most resorts.
Viral videos like this one about $300 lift tickets reflect a growing frustration with the state of the ski industry. The video ends with the skier giving up and going home rather than paying an exorbitant price tag for a single day on the slopes.
That’s the kind of dissatisfaction among non-wealthy skiers that Vail Resorts is evidently trying to target with a new initiative. The ski industry behemoth now says it will offer a big discount on lift tickets purchased 4 weeks or more in advance. That results in some respectable savings — if not enough to fundamentally change the problem.
According to a Vail Resorts pricing sheet included in the announcement, skiers who buy a month in advance can get an “off-peak day” ticket for $200, or 30% off the normal price tag.
That’s not exactly a game-changer, especially since the discount only applies to 12 of Vail’s resorts. And for peak days and holidays, the discount shrinks, with those tickets priced at $230 and $250, respectively. But for those who have to pinch pennies in order to ski just a few days a year, it’s likely a welcome announcement.
Vail Resorts Discount Pricing
The discount gives skiers and snowboarders a chance to save money later in the winter season. As seen above, it’s possible to get even cheaper prices on lift tickets — provided you bought an Epic Pass or Epic Day Pass before the season even began.
“Up until this season, there were two ways to save on lift access at our mountain resorts — you could either purchase an Epic Pass or Epic Day Pass pre-season for a huge value, or save a smaller amount on lift tickets by purchasing online at least seven days in advance — our goal is to fill that gap,” Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz said in a press release.
“While we will always give the best deal to our Pass Holders, with this new discount, our hope is to make the sport more accessible for guests who aren’t thinking about skiing and snowboarding until winter arrives.”
The new lift ticket discount will be available during the 2025/26 season at the following resorts: Vail Mountain, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Crested Butte, Park City Mountain, Whistler Blackcomb, Heavenly, Northstar, Stowe, Okemo, and Mount Snow.
If purchased today, the first eligible day for the new savings is Jan. 5, 2026, with prices varying by resort and peak periods.
The discounts also reflect the reality of how skiers use Vail-owned resorts, the company said. In fact, less than 2% of visitation comes from guests who purchased their skiing at the ticket window, according to the ski conglomerate.
Until resort owners figure out how to offer an affordable way to buy tickets at the window, that’s unlikely to change at Vail — or anywhere else.
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