Comparing Multiple-Resort Season Ski Passes for 2018-2019

Presented by Vail Resorts, the Epic Pass is among the pioneers in the business of bundling season passes. With the Epic Pass you'll get unlimited access to the twelve North American resorts of Vail Resorts: Beaver Creek, Whistler-Blackcomb, Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone, Park City, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood, A-Basin, Afton Alps, Mt. Brighton, and Wilmot. Internationally, Australia's Perisher resort is also Epic.

New for 2018-2019: the vanguard resort of southwest Colorado, Telluride, will be part of the full Epic Pass, which will grant skiers seven days at the mountain.

The comparative chart above focuses on the full Epic Pass, which is $899. There is another version of this pass, the Local's Epic Pass, which runs around $600 and comes with some blackout restrictions, which are detailed below.

In total, the Epic Pass grants access to 31,650 acres of ski terrain. The average PAF of the resorts, excluding the three urban resorts, is a respectable 81.3 and the average true annual snowfall of those resorts is 320 inches.

Quite a lineup.

With Wilmot Mountain in Southeast Wisconsin, Vail's tally of Midwestern urban resorts is up to three. Wilmot is an hour from Chicago and less than an hour from Milwaukee, Afton Alps is less than an hour from Minneapolis and Mt. Brighton is less than an hour from Detroit. These hills are great for teaching the kids and give skiers in these markets extra incentive to go with the Epic Pass, which can double as the local pass and the vacation pass.

If you want to spend less and can deal with restrictions and blackout dates, the Epic Local Pass is a more affordable option. You'll get unlimited access to Breckenridge, Keystone, Wilmot, Afton Alps, Mt. Brighton, Arapahoe Basin and 10 days of holiday-restricted access to Vail and Beaver Creek plus restricted access to Park City, Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood.

If you're not going to ski more than 7 days, the Epic 7-Day is an excellent option with 7 days unrestricted accessto the whole Vail empire; at about $600, it also includes 7 free days at the three urban resorts. A similar 4-day pass can also be purchased for about $400.

The Ikon Pass is a full-on, fire-breathing challenger to Vail's Epic Pass. The Mountain Collective was the expeditionary force that held back Vail's ambitions as well as it could for several years, but the Ikon Pass is the vehicle that can actually match Vail mountain by mountain, vacation by vacation.

As for which of these two ski passes skiers should buy, we put together something on that: Epic Pass vs. Ikon Pass.

The Ikon Pass itself is a fantastic asset to those who choose to buy it. It offers full, unlimited access to flagship ski resorts across Colorado and California:

Steamboat
Winter Park
Copper Mountain
Mammoth
Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows

And it also gets skiers into Eldora, a family spot on the Denver side of the range.

In addition, the Ikon Pass comes with limited access—either 5 or 7 days, depending if skiers buy the full version of the pass ($900) or the Base version ($600) to a panoply of of other stalwart ski resorts, including a slew of mountains that are not owned by Ikon's parent, Alterra. Among this group:

Jackson Hole
Snowbird and Alta
Big Sky
Aspen - all four mountains
Deer Valley (Alterra owned)

Many skiers will be pushed toward the Ikon Pass thanks to these independent resorts. A family could combine a week trip during the holidays, another week at spring break and a long weekend trip to a combination of resorts such as Jackson Hole, Deer Valley and Steamboat—with all skiing covered by the Ikon Pass. This is the kind of top-shelf variety that, before, was only available to Epic Pass holders.

In the east, the Ikon pass offers full access to a wide collection of ski resorts, from Loon Mountain, Killington and Sunday River, among others. Skiers who spend serious time mining New England will want to consider the Ikon Pass.

Ikon passholders also receive the ability to purchase up to 10 single-day lift tickets at 25% off for friends and family. This discount is valid at all Ikon Pass destinations.

Founded in 2012, the Mountain Collective Pass was the first competitor to Vail's Epic Pass. A group of elite ski resorts came together to form the Collective as a way to combat the sheer awesomeness of the Epic Pass. Rather than offering unlimited skiing at each resort, the Collective created something different entirely.

Here's how it works: with the purchase of the pass, skiers are granted access to two free days at each ski destination. There are 10 North American destinations that include 17 mountains, which are listed below in a table.

Certain mountains are grouped together into destinations. Alta and Snowbird are one destination; the four Aspen mountains are one destination; Mt. Norquay, Lake Louise and Sunshine Village are one destination; and Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows are one destination. Sun Valley, Jackson Hole, Stowe, Taos Whistler and Mammoth are single resort destinations.

The number of resorts in the Collective keeps growing, with Sun Valley as this year's newest addition. Also as of this year, New Zealand's Coronet Peak/The Remarkables is a full Mountain Collective partner, joining the other international destination, Thredbo of Australia.

With the MCP, you're getting access to the top four ranked resorts in North America: Jackson Hole, Snowbird, Whistler and Alta. So while it might not be unlimited access, the MCP brings plenty of elite powder and terrain. You're also getting 41,757 acres of skiable North American terrain and an average PAF (Western resorts only) of 82.9. The average true snowfall at Collective resorts is 312 inches. And you can't beat the quality of the snow. Alta has a perfect total snow score; Snowbird isn't far behind with a score of 95.1.

It's a total of 20 days of skiing with the MCP for $379. Supply is limited at this price, so expect prices to go up throughout the year as the 2016-17 ski season draws nearer. Get it right now and you'll get a kids pass for only $1. You'll also get an additional day at the resort of your choice.

Perhaps the best part of the deal is the deal you get for additional lift tickets after your two days at each destination. These tickets are discounted 50% at the ticket counter as long as supplies last. Not only does mean you're not limited to just two days at each destination but it means that the MCP can be used as a local pass.

Here's the math: If Jackson is your local mountain, you'll use your two days early in the season and each additional day will be just $65, rather than the full priced $130. With a season pass to Jackson priced at $1760, you would need to ski 23 days before you'd lose money on the MCP. By the time you've skied four days at Jackson using the MCP you've already saved money in comparison to buying daily lift tickets.

One thing you're not getting with the MCP is access to Colorado. You've got the four Aspen mountains but that's it. Unless you swear by Aspen, if you're Colorado located this might not be the best pass for you. In comparison, the Epic Pass includes Beaver Creek, Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone and A-Basin.

With an Eastern resort, Stowe Mountain, in the Collective, the MCP hopes to set itself apart from the Epic Pass, which only goes as East as the Detroit area. Season passes at Stowe cost the exorbitant amount of $2,224. Therefore, if you plan on taking one winter trip West, you're better off with the MCP. Even without that trip, you'd need to ski 40 days before you'd lose money on the MC. The Collective features no urban resorts like the Epic Pass does.