Epic and Ikon Passes Are Going Off Sale. Here’s What You Need to Know If You’re on the Fence.

NOTE: Please refer to the 2022-23 comparison article here for the most up-to-date information on the Epic and Ikon Pass products.

UPDATE: As of December 10, 2021, both Epic and Ikon passes are off sale for the 2021-22 season. The best way to access these resorts is now through buying lift tickets. For detailed pricing information for each mountain in our rankings, see our comprehensive lift ticket pricing guide.

For prospective multi-day ski resort passholders, now is the last chance to get in on an Epic or Ikon pass product. After December 5, the popular Epic Pass will no longer be available. After December 9, the competing Ikon Pass will go off sale. With these deadlines fast approaching, you may be debating whether to pick up one of these passes for next season. In this piece, we’ll aim to shed light on the differences between the Epic and Ikon pass products.

Resort Offerings

Both Ikon and Epic offer a substantial portfolio of resorts. Both passes contain access to multiple resorts across major U.S. destination regions such as Colorado, Lake Tahoe, Utah, and Vermont. Both passes offer options in Canada as well, although for Epic, all but Whistler (which—full disclosure—is currently our highest-rated resort) are on the full pass only.

Some resorts, such as Jackson Hole and Aspen/Snowmass for Ikon and Telluride for Epic, are not included on the cheapest pass products. However, these high-end resorts offer some of the best overall experiences in North America. Jackson Hole ties for 2nd in our rankings, Snowmass is 5th, and Telluride ties for 7th. Those hoping to visit Telluride will have to splurge for the full Epic Pass, while those looking to visit Jackson Hole or Aspen can purchase an $150 Ikon Base Pass Plus add-on.

A major Epic advantage is unlimited access to a significantly higher number of resorts. Epic offers unlimited access to all mountains owned by Vail Resorts, with a grand total of 36 (33 in North America). Ikon’s unlimited access resorts, mostly owned by Alterra, only come out to 15 (13 for the base pass).

Based on our resort assessments, we feel Epic has a slight edge over Ikon in Colorado. Epic offers unlimited access to nearly every resort on the pass (the exceptions being Telluride on the full pass and Vail and Beaver Creek on the base pass), while Ikon only offers unlimited access to Copper, Eldora, and Winter Park. While Snowmass is our highest-rated Colorado resort, Vail, Beaver Creek, and Telluride, all of which are on Epic, are not far behind on the experience. Other very competitive options on the passes include Winter Park, Arapahoe Basin, and Copper on Ikon and Breckenridge, Keystone, and Crested Butte on Epic. Ikon also offers access to the solid Steamboat and Eldora.

Ikon has a clear edge over Epic in Utah—unless you live there and ski constantly. Alta and Snowbird are much better than anything else on these passes in Utah, and they’re available on the base pass. Ikon also offers access to Deer Valley, Brighton, and Solitude, all of which are solid mountains but fall short of the best destination areas. Epic offers access to Snowbasin and Park City, both of which are very good mountains but can’t match the Alta/Snowbird duo in snow quality. Ikon becomes less valuable when you’re using it as a Utah season pass; the pass only offers unlimited access to Solitude, while Epic offers unlimited access to Park City.

It’s harder to make a decision between Epic and Ikon for Tahoe. Ikon offers unlimited access to Palisades Tahoe, the Olympic Valley side of which is our highest-rated Tahoe resort. The Alpine Meadows side is tied for second in our Tahoe rankings; the two resort sides will be connected by a gondola that is currently under construction. However, Epic offers unlimited access to Heavenly, Kirkwood, and Northstar, all of which are decent options. If you’re planning to venture south to Mammoth, the choice becomes more clear—Ikon offers unlimited access to this highly competitive destination.

Unlike Ikon, the Epic Pass covers several local, regional mountains in addition to destination resorts. Ikon Passes offer five-to-seven days at Windham and unlimited access to Snowshoe, which those in the NYC and DC areas may find valuable; however, those looking for unlimited access resorts in most major metropolitan areas will find Epic a better value. Those looking to visit only local mountains next season may benefit from looking at Vail’s cheaper regional pass options before committing to a true Epic product.

Ikon does hold an advantage over Epic in a few regions. Places such as Oregon, the Northern Rockies, and Southern California contain Ikon-affiliated resorts but few or no Epic ones.

With the exception of Sun Valley and Snowbasin on the Epic Local Pass, both passes offer at least 5 days of non-holiday access at each resort. Those only interested in two or fewer days at any given resort next season may want to check out the cheaper Mountain Collective, which offers two-day access to a heavily-Ikon-overlapping suite of destination resorts, or the Indy Pass, which offers two-day access to a variety of local hills and a handful of large ones.

Both pass products also include global destinations, with multiple partners in Japan, Oceania, and Europe. Ikon also offers one South American partner—Valle Nevado in Chile.

Pricing

Thanks to a 20% price cut across the board compared to last season, Epic holds a price advantage at first glance. However, this picture isn’t quite as straightforward for certain age groups.

Both Ikon and Epic offer two season pass tiers, with the higher-tier for each featuring no blackout dates and access to a few extra resorts. For those over the age of 23, prices for Epic are substantially cheaper. A full adult Epic Pass is currently $879, while a full adult Ikon Pass is $1,149. The lower-tier Epic Local Pass is $679, while the Ikon Base Pass is currently $879.

However, teens and young adults may actually find similar value in the Ikon Pass—in certain situations. Both Ikon tiers offer young adult discounts ($869 for the full pass, $679 for the base) for 13-to-22-year-olds. Only Epic’s Local Pass offers a discounted $495 teen rate—the full pass doesn’t offer one—and it only covers ages 13 to 18. Consequently, the price difference between the two passes is negligible for 19-to-22-year-olds. Those aged 13-18 will save $10 on a full pass purchase with Ikon, but will save a whopping $184 on a base pass purchase with Epic.

Ikon’s 5-to-12-year-old child discounts ($379 for the full pass, $339 for the base) are somewhat similar to Epic’s ($423 full, $327 Local), if a bit better in the full pass segment. However, an adult Ikon Pass can be paired with a child pass to save up to $200 total ($100 each) on both passes.

For those age 4 and under, Epic has the upper hand thanks to free passes for these youngsters. For ages 0-4, Ikon charges $149 for the full pass and $99 for the base. For families with children of different ages, the value-adds from these differing price policies could effectively cancel each other out.

Both Epic and Ikon offer discounts for college students, though once again, Epic’s special college deal only applies to the Local Pass. At $551, Epic’s Local College Pass slightly undercuts the Ikon Base Pass’s $639 college rate. However, the full Ikon Pass’s $829 college rate comes out below the full Epic Pass, which has no college equivalent, by $50.

Epic offers substantially better military deals than Ikon. Ikon’s military discounts are the same as the college discount, but Epic offers special Military Pass products that range from just $175 for active and retired military personnel and dependents to $479 for veterans and their dependents. These passes offer unlimited access to Vail-owned resorts but do not include partner mountains. As a result, military members or veterans can save several hundreds of dollars with an Epic product over Ikon. However, Ikon offers their same discounted rate for nurses, whereas Epic does not.

For those who can’t afford to pay in full now, the Ikon Pass offers a payment plan. However, Ikon’s payment plan now runs through Affirm, and going this route requires a soft credit check. In addition, a 0% APR on the payment plan is not guaranteed. Epic previously offered a simple payment plan with $49 down, but this is no longer available.

Renewal Discounts

Epic has foregone any renewal discount in favor of their 20% price cut. Ikon previously offered renewal discounts for last season’s passholders, but these are no longer available.

COVID-19 Insurance Policy

Both Epic and Ikon have retained their COVID insurance policies for the 2021-22 season. In the event of eligible closures, Epic will refund your money while Ikon will credit the value to the purchase of a pass for the 2021-22 season. Both passes provide two different compensation options for COVID-19 resort closures, one of which covers all resorts and the other covers a specific resort of your choosing.

For both passes, the “specific resorts” option provides a refund based on the number of days the chosen resort is forced to close due to COVID-19 during the season. For Epic, the resort you choose must be closed for 7 or more consecutive days for the pass coverage to kick in. Ikon’s coverage kicks in after one day. Epic also allows passholders to choose insurance that covers a “specific week” rather than the entire season, but the coverage still doesn’t take effect unless your resort closes for 3 or more days during the specified time period.

Epic’s “all resorts” option requires all of Vail’s Colorado, Utah, Lake Tahoe, and British Columbia resorts to be closed for 7 or more consecutive days for passholders to be eligible for a refund. On the other hand, Ikon just provides a proportional credit based on the average percentage of days closed among all North American non-heli destinations during the peak season.

If you buy an Ikon Pass product this season and decide you don’t want to use it for any reason, you can push the value to a 2022-23 pass product. The deadline to request a deferral is December 9, 2021. Epic has no proactive deferment or refund policies.

Verdict

For the 2021-22 season, Epic offers a better upfront value for 23+ adults and military members, a wider local-mountain selection, and a more accessible payment plan than Ikon. However, Ikon still offers a very compelling roster of resorts, decent renewal discounts, and a strong deferral policy.

The best deals to be had on these products are now far in the past, but if you plan on skiing more than seven days across multiple resorts on the same pass this winter—especially with the exorbitant rise in lift ticket costs in recent years—the purchase may still be worth it.