Ikon Pass vs Epic Pass

Updated October 3, 2026

One of the passes is better. Read on for more.

The Ikon and Epic passes have kept drifting apart on price. For 2026-27 the full Ikon Pass runs $1,449 and the full Epic Pass $1,145, a gap of about $300. The cheaper versions are $1,019 for the Ikon Base Pass and $849 for the Epic Local Pass. Both companies raise prices in steps through the fall: Epic's next increase hits October 7 and Ikon's after October 8, and both passes go off sale in early December. Buying earlier is always a good move.

Epic has one new edge on price this year: skiers ages 13 to 30 get 20% off the Epic Pass ($909) and the Epic Local ($675). Ikon's young-adult price (ages 13 to 22) is $1,049.

For some, the choice will remain an easy one. If you live in Park City, for instance, and ski its eponymous mountain on most days, the Epic Pass remains the default. For destination skiers who pick different trips each year, or for Front Range Coloradans who can use either pass all season, there are more wrinkles to consider.

But let us be clear: one of these passes offers a better set of skiing experiences, and it's Ikon.

The Ikon Pass simply has more resorts that offer premium experiences. What enters into that premium calculation, in our minds: the mountain (terrain), the snow, crowds and the town.

The best places to ski in North America, when you take all of these factors together: Jackson Hole, Telluride, Aspen. Ikon has two of them: Jackson Hole and Aspen Snowmass, with seven days at each. Epic has Telluride, which isn't Vail-owned. Access comes only with the full Epic Pass (seven days, and you'll need the physical pass card) and with Epic Day Passes configured for all resorts.

After those three, the second-level mountains favor Ikon as well:

• Alta and Snowbird: should be first tier, other than crowding on weekends and powder days. Ikon gives seven days combined between them.
• Deer Valley: terrain used to be middling, but the East Village expansion has grown it to about 4,500 acres, with the final new lift opening this December, and the overall experience is outstanding.
• Winter Park: some of the best snow in Colorado outside Wolf Creek, and fewer crowds than the Epic resorts close to Denver.
• Big Sky: a great mountain, where crowds aren't a huge issue and conditions are dependable.
• Taos: no crowds, awesome terrain, a singular experience.

The Epic Pass counters with Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Park City, Whistler and Keystone. Those are fine places to ski where amazing days can be had, but they're a cut under the mountains on the Ikon Pass, both in terrain and definitely in crowds.

For skiers focused solely on Colorado, see:

The best ski pass for Colorado: Ikon or Epic?

The best ski pass for Colorado powder chasers

Utah and Tahoe skiers should see our pieces on those regions:

The best ski pass for Utah: Ikon or Epic?

The best ski pass for Tahoe: Ikon or Epic?

And for every pass side by side, including the Mountain Collective, the Indy Pass and the Power Pass, see our 2026-27 season pass guide.

What each pass gets you

The Epic Pass ($1,145) gives unlimited skiing at all 37 of Vail Resorts' North American mountains: Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Crested Butte, Park City, Whistler Blackcomb, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood, Stevens Pass, Stowe, Okemo, Mount Snow, Hunter and Vail's other Northeast and Midwest hills. On top of that come seven days at Telluride and seven days combined at the six Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (Fernie, Kicking Horse, Kimberley, Nakiska, Mont-Sainte-Anne and Stoneham). Sun Valley and Snowbasin, once Epic partners, are now on the Ikon Pass.

The Epic Local Pass ($849) is holiday-restricted at Vail, Beaver Creek, Whistler, Park City, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood and Stowe. It gives 10 days combined at Vail, Beaver Creek and Whistler, with peak dates blacked out (Nov. 27-28, Dec. 26-31, Jan. 16 and Feb. 13-14). It includes no Telluride.

Epic Pass holders also get five Epic Friend Tickets at 50% off and 20% off food, lodging, lessons and rentals. Epic Coverage refund protection comes included.

The Ikon Pass ($1,449) gives unlimited, no-blackout skiing at 18 resorts. In Colorado that means Steamboat, Winter Park, Copper Mountain, Arapahoe Basin and Eldora. In California it's Palisades Tahoe, Mammoth, June Mountain, Big Bear and Snow Valley. Utah has Solitude. Elsewhere: Crystal Mountain, Schweitzer, Sugarbush, Stratton, Snowshoe, Tremblant and Blue Mountain.

Holders also get seven days each at about 30 more, including Jackson Hole, Aspen Snowmass (all four mountains), Alta and Snowbird (combined), Deer Valley, Sun Valley, Snowbasin, Big Sky, Taos, Revelstoke, Brighton, Killington, Sugarloaf, Sunday River, Mt. Bachelor and Alyeska. Ikon skiers can road-trip to Canada, too: the pass includes seven days at the SkiBig3 around Banff (Lake Louise, Sunshine and Norquay), plus Revelstoke, Panorama, Sun Peaks and others.

The Ikon Base Pass ($1,019) is Alterra's answer to the Epic Local:

• Limits: five days instead of seven at most partners, and no Jackson Hole, Deer Valley, Snowbasin, Sun Valley or Alta at all. Aspen means Snowmass only, and Snowbird is five days.
• Blackouts: Dec. 26-30, Jan. 16-17 and Feb. 13-14.
• Reservations: required at Jackson Hole and Deer Valley.
• Gone: the Base Plus pass was discontinued, and Ikon's free refund protection was replaced by a paid add-on.

Kids' passes run $449 for the Ikon Pass and $585 for the Epic Pass.

For skiers, the right pass depends on preferences and on where a given skier or family lives. A head-to-head matchup depends on which regions a skier will focus on that season, so we've broken down Ikon Pass vs. Epic Pass by geography.

Colorado

Colorado remains the most concentrated stretch of major ski resorts in North America. Most people look to this state first for ski vacations, and the Denver area is home to millions of skiers who buy a season pass every year.

The Epic Pass includes these Vail-owned stalwarts: Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Breckenridge and Crested Butte. Telluride adds seven days. That's six destinations, all of them strong.

The Ikon Pass has unlimited skiing at Steamboat, Winter Park, Copper Mountain and Arapahoe Basin, plus Eldora, which is more of a locals' hill on the Denver side of the range. It also has seven days at the four Aspen Snowmass mountains, enough for a week-long Aspen trip or two long weekends.

A-Basin has the most interesting story here. After 20 years with Vail Resorts, it left the Epic Pass in 2019, citing overcrowded parking lots and lunch lines driven by Epic skiers whose passes limited their days at Vail and Beaver Creek. It joined Ikon, and Alterra then bought the resort outright in late 2024. This season A-Basin is unlimited on both the Ikon Pass and the Ikon Base Pass, which has some locals worried about crowds at a place built around a quieter, skier-first experience.

The Ikon Pass does put a compelling case together around snow:

• Steamboat receives more snow than any other destination resort in Colorado, and its Mahogany Ridge expansion added 650 acres of steeper terrain in 2023-24.
• Winter Park is one of our top-rated resorts for snow in Colorado.
• Copper Mountain doesn't get as much snow as the other two, but its high elevation and north-facing terrain make it one of the best bets in spring. The Epic Pass counters with Telluride, which excels in spring as well.
• A-Basin has the highest base in the state's big leagues, and the best spring skiing in Colorado.

As winters warm, Ikon's Colorado lineup is also the more resilient one. A-Basin, Winter Park, Copper and Loveland top our climate resilience rankings for the state.

Who wins inside Colorado is close. Epic has more true destination resorts and the better towns, Telluride and Crested Butte among them. Ikon has the snow, the spring skiing and, now, unlimited A-Basin.

Colorado Edge: Draw

Utah

After Colorado, skiers normally look to Utah, and both passes have strong offerings in the Wasatch.

The Epic Pass grants unfettered access to Park City Mountain, the largest ski resort in the United States. Park City has charms few other resorts can match, with ski runs tumbling into a charming Main Street and a town lift that takes skiers straight from premium drinking holes to high-quality terrain. Experts will find worthy terrain off the Jupiter and Ninety Nine 90 lifts. New this winter, the Canyons Village Skyway gondola opens on the Canyons side.

That's Epic's only Utah resort now. Snowbasin, which joined Epic for 2019-20, has moved to the Ikon Pass.

The Ikon Pass, meanwhile, gets skiers seven days combined at two of the best ski resorts in North America, Alta and Snowbird. Both rank in the ZRankings top tier and sit in Little Cottonwood Canyon, the most hospitable place for good skiing snow on the continent.

Ikon also adds:

• Deer Valley (seven days), now about 4,500 acres after its East Village expansion. It's focused on higher-spending clientele, but the terrain is better than ever, and Deer Valley remains ZRankings' undisputed king of slopeside food. Even the baked goods rival a five-star bakery at sea level.
• Solitude (unlimited) and Brighton (seven days) in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
• Snowbasin (seven days), the quiet giant north of Ogden, and a good bet on weekends when lines at Park City and the Cottonwoods get gnarly.

Solitude isn't as strong a total package as Park City, which remains one of the pre-eminent town-mountain combinations in North America. But it's far quieter on holidays, when Park City and Little Cottonwood can get mobbed.

Here's how we see the winners in Utah:

• Destination skiers who like to stay in Park City's Old Town and keep things simple: Epic Pass
• Destination skiers who want to ski multiple mountains: Ikon Pass. There's no Park City, but Deer Valley is a strong alternative, and the other options are overwhelming.
• Salt Lake locals: Ikon Pass, though many will still buy a full pass at Alta or Snowbird.
• Park City locals: Epic Pass, or a full season pass at Deer Valley.

Overall Utah Edge: Ikon

California

For Californians, the matchup is worth examining north and south.

Southern California skiers will favor the Ikon Pass, which gets unlimited skiing at Mammoth, the alpha destination for those driving north from Los Angeles, plus June Mountain, Big Bear and Snow Valley.

For Northern Californians and the Bay Area, both passes offer good options. Alterra owns Palisades Tahoe (formerly Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows, now connected by a base-to-base gondola), which has some of the best terrain in Tahoe. Palisades is unlimited on both the Ikon and Ikon Base passes. Ikon also includes seven days at Sierra-at-Tahoe.

The Epic Pass includes Northstar, Heavenly and Kirkwood. Kirkwood is the most dependable resort for snow in Tahoe, Heavenly rules South Lake Tahoe and the upscale Northstar gives Epic skiers an anchor close to I-80. In Northern California, the edge goes to Epic.

Northern California Edge: Epic Pass

Southern California Edge: Ikon Pass

Whistler, Jackson, Big Sky, Revelstoke

The wildcard Western resorts are heavyweights. The Epic Pass has Whistler Blackcomb, and the Ikon Pass gives seven days each at Jackson Hole and Big Sky. All three rank highly at ZRankings, especially Whistler and Jackson Hole, which has been our No. 1-ranked resort for years.

Whistler appeals to a larger cross-section of skiers. It has built the most interesting mountain village in the business and spans more acreage than any other mountain on the continent, which leads most skiers there at least once. Epic skiers can ski it as many days as they want, while Ikon skiers are limited to seven days at Jackson Hole and Big Sky.

Ikon's wildcard bench is deeper, though. Revelstoke has 5,620 feet of vertical, more than any other mountain in North America, and views of the Selkirks looming over the Columbia River. It requires a commitment: a flight into Kelowna and a 2.5-hour drive. Ikon also covers Sun Valley, Mt. Bachelor and Alyeska, and Crystal Mountain and Schweitzer are unlimited.

Edge in Wildcard Western Resorts: Ikon, barely, though Whistler loyalists will rightly disagree.

The East

Vail has spent the last several years buying up the Northeast. The Epic Pass now gives unlimited skiing at Stowe, the strongest of all the Eastern resorts on either pass, plus Okemo, Mount Snow, Hunter, Mount Sunapee, Attitash, Wildcat and Crotched, and a string of Pennsylvania hills led by Seven Springs. For skiers in New York, Boston and Philadelphia, that's a lot of unlimited skiing within driving distance.

The Ikon Pass counters with quality:

• Unlimited: Sugarbush, Stratton, Snowshoe and Tremblant.
• Seven days each: Killington-Pico, Sugarloaf, Sunday River and Loon.

Windham left Ikon after 2024-25, the first resort ever to drop the pass.

Edge in The East: Ikon for the best mountains, Epic for the most unlimited skiing near the big Northeast cities.

The Midwest

Vail owns regional hills near Chicago (Wilmot and Alpine Valley), Minneapolis (Afton Alps), Detroit (Mt. Brighton) and Cleveland (Boston Mills and Brandywine), all unlimited on Epic. That has paid dividends for the company, as the hills double as local passes and push skiers toward Epic for their Western trips.

Ikon has moved into the region with seven days at Boyne Mountain and The Highlands in Michigan, plus three new additions this season: Granite Peak, Lutsen and Snowriver.

Edge in The Midwest: Epic for city hills, Ikon for weekend trips north.

The El Niño factor

NOAA's latest readings point to a strong El Niño this winter. In 40 winters of data, El Niño has favored the Southwest and shortchanged the northern Rockies and Canada, which is a knock against both passes' northern resorts.

Jackson Hole has averaged about 11% less snow in El Niño winters, Big Sky and Revelstoke about 6-7% less, and Alta and Park City about 7% less. The winners lean south: Taos (Ikon) has averaged about 14% more, and Telluride (Epic) a little more. Colorado's I-70 resorts show little consistent effect. If you're planning trips around El Niño, aim south. See every resort's record on our El Niño page.

Conclusion

It's remarkable how evenly these passes still compare. Both offer flagship resorts in Colorado, Utah, California and the East. Epic wins on price, Park City, Whistler, Northern California and sheer volume near Eastern cities. Ikon wins on premium destinations: Jackson Hole, Aspen, Alta and Snowbird, Deer Valley, Big Sky and Taos.

Skiers' decisions will come down to where they live and which mountains they come back to year after year. We expect many destination skiers to keep alternating between the two across seasons.

For skiers taking two to four trips a year without a home mountain, the Mountain Collective ($729) covers two days each at Jackson Hole, Aspen Snowmass, Alta, Snowbird, Big Sky, Taos and Revelstoke, for half the price of an Ikon Pass.

Ikon Pass Resorts:

Epic Pass Ski Resorts: