Vail Resorts Announces Operating Plans, Enhanced Epic Coverage for 2020-21 Season

Background

In a letter to passholders this morning, Vail Resorts announced details on its 2020-21 operating plans. Nobody will be allowed on the mountains without a face covering. The number of guests at each resort will be limited, and visitors will be required to make reservations before going.

The overwhelming majority of reservations will need to be made week-of, but season and day passholders will have the opportunity to book up to seven Priority Reservation Days for the core season between November 6 and December 7. After priority days have been used up, passholders can book a new set of advance reservation days, holding up to seven days (or however many days of access are remaining on day passes) at a given time.

Early season days will be exclusive to passholders only, and lift tickets won’t be sold until December 8 (at which point they will only be available for access to individual mountains). At this time, Vail says that passholders will not need reservations for Epic partner resorts such as Telluride, Sun Valley, and Snowbasin.

The company plans to run its chairlifts and gondolas, but with capacity restrictions to maintain social distancing. With the exception of parties skiing or riding together, the following seating operations will be in effect: two singles on opposite sides of a four-person lift; two singles or two doubles on opposite sides of a six-person lift; or two singles on opposite sides of our larger gondola cabins. There's no mention of physical distancing plans for lower-capacity chairs and surface lifts, but it’s unlikely that these lifts will carry more than one single at a time.

Vail says they’re committed to opening all of their on-mountain restaurants this season, with reduced seating in sit-down facilities and limited, cafeteria-style operations with no food customization options in quick-service lodges. Rental shops will open with limited capacity as well.

To account for these new limitations, Vail has announced new Epic Coverage protections and refund policies for passholders. Passholders will now be eligible for a refund if they “are unable to book their preferred Priority Reservation Days during the initial booking window (Nov. 6-Dec. 7) and if they have not used their pass yet.”

For returning passholders, the deadline to renew with a prorated discount has been pushed back to September 17th. In addition, those who purchased an Epic Pass before August 27th can now request a refund through September 17th through Vail’s call center (or September 1st through an online form).

North American Vail-owned resorts will open for the season between November 6 and December 19. Specific dates for each resort can be found here.

Our Take

We applaud Vail for taking social distancing seriously and extending pass protections. We’re also glad that Vail has figured out a system for operating all of its lifts and restaurants next season, something not guaranteed so far at other non-Vail resorts.

However, these new measures make it quite clear that Epic products will not function as normal passes for next season. With the exception of the priority days, passholders will have to make week-of reservations that will be outrageously impractical for anyone needing to travel to reach the resorts. Weekends and holidays will likely be very difficult to book, and we wouldn’t be surprised if spots for these days at some popular resorts are entirely filled during the priority booking period. With their new refund option for previous purchasers, it’s evident Vail Resorts knows these changes will be dealbreakers for some.

Right now, we don’t know how far in advance lift tickets will be sold. It’s possible Vail will only put them on sale a few days ahead of time, making them unsuitable for all but day trippers. On the other hand, if Vail puts tickets on sale for all 2020-21 season days come December 8, it’s possible to imagine a scenario where passholders won’t be able to guarantee spots for any days besides their chosen priority electives due to their comparably short booking window.

At this point, it’s unclear whether Epic’s competitors will be implementing similar reservation systems. If you’re considering an Epic Pass but looking to get as many skiing days in as possible next season, it may be worth waiting until Epic’s delayed deadline of September 17th to finalize your decision.