If sweltering summer days at the lake have you dreaming of powder with friends, Vail Resorts’ new Epic Friend Tickets program might be welcome news.
The company announced Tuesday that Epic Pass holders can give friends 50 per cent off lift tickets this season. The amount spent on a discounted ticket this year can also be applied towards an Epic Pass for the 2026-27 ski season.
Depending on the purchase date, holders of the Epic Pass, Epic Local Pass, Epic Military Pass, Northeast Value Pass and most other season-long passes will receive between six and 10 Epic Friend Tickets.
The discount applies to 37 Vail Resorts properties across North America, including Whistler Blackcomb.
“Skiers and snowboarders know this sport is magic; a passion you can’t help but pass on,” Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz said in a press release. “If you ski or ride, chances are someone brought you into the sport, and we want to make it easier for you to pay it forward. Epic Friend Tickets are the next step on our nearly two-decade-long journey to make skiing more accessible to more people.”
Pass holders who bought before April 14 receive 10 half-price friend tickets, while those who purchased after that date get six. The new program replaces the former Buddy Ticket perk, which varied in value.
A Vail Resorts spokesperson said Buddy Tickets previously offered up to 45 per cent off, but discounts often depended on the resort and date. “In certain instances last season, Buddy Tickets provided only 14 per cent off lift tickets. In contrast, Epic Friend Tickets will always provide 50 per cent off lift tickets at any of Vail Resorts’ 37 North American destinations,” they wrote in an email.
Growing the sport
In an interview with Ski Magazine, Katz said the streamlined 50-per-cent discount aims to grow the sport. He oversaw the launch of the Epic Pass in 2008, which has since become a major revenue driver for the company. Season passes made up about 25 per cent of revenue in 2008 and now account for 65 per cent, according to the Financial Times.
However, skier numbers have not grown at the same pace. Statistics Canada reported strong growth between the 1960s and 1980s, with participation rising 10 to 15 per cent annually. But research by Daniel Scott and Natalie Knowles for the Alpine Club of Canada’s State of the Mountains report shows ski visits in Canada averaged 18.6 million between 2009 and 2014, and 18.4 million between 2015 and 2019—a decline they attribute to climate change shortening and disrupting winter seasons.
One strategy to counter these fluctuations is to encourage pass sales. In a previous interview with Pique, Kate Wilson, Vail Resorts' vice-president of environmental and social responsibility, said selling passes in advance helps protect the business from unpredictable winters.
“We think about our advanced commitment—where people purchase passes ahead of the season—as something that is important to the overall business, and it is something that does help us mitigate climate [impacts], because none of us know what is going to happen in a specific season,” she said.
Advance passes also give guests flexibility to ski elsewhere if their home mountain experiences poor conditions.
Other friend ticket offers
The “Ski With a Friend” tickets will continue through the end of the 2025-26 season, after which they will expire. Epic Pass holders who bought before April 14 receive six of these tickets; those who purchased on or before May 27 get two; and anyone buying after that date receives none.
Certain pass types, including 80-plus and 90-plus passes, as well as Tot passes, are excluded from the Epic Friend Tickets program.
Friend tickets can be redeemed through the My Epic app. The pass holder must be present at the lift line and scan their own Epic Pass before their friend’s discounted ticket becomes active.
“By making it easier for our pass holders to share the ski experience with friends—through savings across not one, but two winter seasons—we hope to help spark traditions that will inspire groups of friends to return to the mountains for years to come,” Katz said.
Whistler Blackcomb offerings include the Day Pass, available for one to 10 days of skiing. Single-day passes cost $132, and EDGE Cards are available for Canadian and Washington state residents. The five-day EDGE option with peak dates included costs $548 for adults; other EDGE options include a two-day and 10-day package.
Epic Pass and EDGE Card prices increase Sept. 1.
