Ski Vail Resorts 2009-10 on $599 Epic Pass
Covers Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone/A-Basin, Heavenly
Sep 16, 2008 Grace Lichtenstein
Skiers of any age who love huge ski areas in Colorado and California have the opportunity now to take advantage of the remarkable money-saving promotion from Vail Resorts called the Epic Pass.
For $599, this completely unrestricted ticket allows skiers and snowboarders to ski or ride Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado, plus Heavenly at Lake Tahoe, every single day from opening day until closing.
There is no special “senior” version of the Epic Pass because it includes more than the regular Senior Full pass. There is a special price for a children's Epic Pass for ages 5-12: $299.
Vail Resorts first announced the Epic Pass in 2008. The 2009-2010 version is now on sale on the company’s Website,.
Season Passes at Vail, Beaver Creek for Seniors
In 2008-09, there were more limited passes are available to seniors ages 70 or over. Prices for these and other passes for 2009-2010 have not yet been announced. In 2008-9, the 10-day Senior Pass covered the same 6 ski areas. The cost was $479. Also for 70+ seniors, at $479, there was a Weekday Pass good Monday through Friday only. But during peak Thanksgiving and Christmas days, is not good at Vail or Beaver Creek.
Do the math. Anyone who skis 15 days at these areas with the Epic Pass pays about $40 a day for a lift ticket. Ski more days, and they are paying the equivalent of 1970s-era ticket prices for mountain resorts that are either hugely expanded since that time, or in the case of Beaver Creek, did not exist.
“The Beav,” as some call it, is the newest of the resorts, having opened in 1980. A-Basin is the oldest; the first rope tow operated there during the 1946-1947 season, according to the website Coloradoskihistory.com. All of the areas are owned by Vail Resorts. Heavenly is in the South Lake Tahoe area of the Sierras on the border of Nevada and California. The others are in the Colorado Rockies, an easy day trip from Denver and the Front Range.
Summit Pass and Colorado Pass
There were more limited and less expensive season pass options for adults offered last season by Vail Resorts and others, including the $409 Summit Pass, which includes Keystone, A-Basin and Breckenridge and the $449 Colorado Pass, which allows 10 days at Vail and Beaver Creek in addition to the others. Elsewhere in Colorado, Copper Mountain and Winter Park offer the Rocky Mountain Super Pass for $409 ($239 for those 70 and over) and the Super Pass Plus, including some access to Steamboat, for $439. There are lower prices for children.
Breckenridge ski resort
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Beaver Creek
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