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// DISPATCHES FROM THE FIELD

Showing 10 posts tagged "epic-pass"

News

A Fifth Ski Pass Just Entered the Ring. Here's Why It Might Actually Work.

Snow Partners is launching Snow Pass -- a cooperative, sub-$400 multi-mountain product that gives resorts 80% of revenue and zero exclusivity clauses. In a market dominated by Epic, Ikon, Indy, and Mountain Collective, it's either brilliant or insane.

May 4, 20267 min readski-passes, snow-pass, snow-partners, pass-wars, multi-mountain, epic-pass, ikon-pass, indy-pass, mountain-collective, 2026-27-season
News

New Hampshire Just Told Vail Resorts: You Can't Charge Sales Tax Here

The state's attorney general is investigating Vail's new 3.2% 'blended sales tax' on Epic Passes. In a state that famously has no sales tax. This should be fun.

Apr 29, 20267 min readvail-resorts, epic-pass, new-hampshire, sales-tax, antitrust, pass-wars, 2026-27-season, ski-industry
Analysis

Vail Just Confirmed What Everyone Already Knew: This Was a Catastrophe

Skier visits down 14.9%. Rocky Mountain visitation cratered 25%. Pass sales for next year are already soft. And this weekend, half the remaining resorts close for good -- right as a spring storm rolls in.

Apr 24, 20268 min readvail-resorts, 2025-26-season, closing-day, skier-visits, epic-pass, industry-data, alta, big-sky, spring-skiing, prediction-markets
News

Vail Closed a Swiss Resort on Easter. The Alps Are Not Amused.

1,200 signatures. Excellent snow. A furious community. And a 2027 World Championships on the horizon. Welcome to Vail Resorts' European chapter.

Apr 15, 20268 min readvail-resorts, crans-montana, switzerland, europe, early-closure, epic-pass, antitrust, spring-skiing, alps
Guides

The Best Ski Pass for Every State (2025-26 Season)

Epic, Ikon, Indy, or something else entirely? We broke it down for all 37 states with ski resorts.

Mar 11, 202612 min readepic-pass, ikon-pass, indy-pass, mountain-collective, season-pass, ski-pass, guide
Week Ahead

Week Ahead: The PNW Is About to Get Buried

Washington's biggest storm of the season, Telluride's courtroom drama, and Colorado's warm spell that won't quit

Mar 10, 20265 min readforecast, pacific-northwest, colorado, telluride, week-ahead, march-2026, epic-pass, deer-valley
Industry Analysis

Pass Wars 2026: Skiing Has an Affordability Crisis

Vail just slashed prices for Gen Z. That tells you everything about where the industry is headed.

Mar 5, 20268 min readepic-pass, ikon-pass, vail-resorts, alterra, affordability, gen-z, ski-industry
Analysis

Pass Wars 2026: The Affordability Crisis

Vail just dropped a 20% Gen Z discount on Epic Pass. Here's what it means -- and what it doesn't.

Mar 5, 20268 min readepic-pass, ikon-pass, pricing, affordability, gen-z, vail-resorts, alterra, indy-pass
Technology

Ikon Just Quietly Became Epic's Biggest Threat on Mobile

Alterra partnered with Slopes for real stat tracking, then hired a Marriott exec to run the whole thing. The pass war just moved to your phone.

Feb 27, 20266 min readikon-pass, alterra, apps, technology, epic-pass, slopes
Data Analysis

Epic vs Ikon: Who's Winning the Snow War?

We pulled the live data for both mega-passes. Here's who's actually skiing on more snow right now.

Feb 15, 20267 min readepic-pass, ikon-pass, snowfall, base-depth, comparison, data