This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The competition to hook season passholders for next winter jumped Tuesday with both Vail Resorts and The Mountain Collective, which includes Alta and Snowbird, unveiling early-signup enticements.
Vail Resorts, which operates Canyons Resort outside of Park City, said its 2014-15 Epic Local Pass is available for $549 if bought before April 13. The spring purchase price can be locked in for a down payment of just $49, said Canyons spokeswoman Caitlin Martz, and also comes with six "buddy tickets" good for discounted lift tickets next winter as well as summer gondola rides.
The Mountain Collective also started its spring sale, announcing that a limited number of passes are available for $359. The pass is good for two days of skiing or riding at each of six independent resorts — Alta/Snowbird, Aspen/Snowmass, Jackson Hole, Mammoth Mountain, Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows and Whistler/Blackcomb.
In addition, the collective is adding two free days of skiing this summer at Thredbo, Australia, and Valle Nevado, Chile, when those Southern Hemisphere resorts are in their winter seasons. It also provides a 50 percent discount on extra day passes and discounted hotel rates.
The international component of Vail's Epic Pass is selling for $729 this spring, giving purchasers five days at Niseko Resort in northern Japan along with unlimited days at Canyons, Vail's four Colorado resorts (Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone), its three in California (Kirkwood, Heavenly and Northstar), Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan.
Epic Local Passes have use restrictions on 11 days — Nov. 28-29, Dec. 26-31, Jan. 17, 2015 and Feb. 14-15, 2015.
Twitter: @sltribmikeg