Plus, Three More Tips to Maximize Your 2023/24
Ski and Ride Season by Spending More Time on the Slopes
BROOMFIELD, Colo., Aug. 16,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Vail Resorts today announced
target winter opening day plans for the 2023/24 ski and ride season
for its resorts across the Rocky Mountains and the West.
Here are four things to know to plan for the season:
1. From October to May, Epic Pass offers one of the longest
seasons in North America.
The season will kick off at Keystone Resort, with an
early-as-possible opening scheduled for October, contingent on
Mother Nature and some added assistance from the resort's
state-of-the-art, energy-efficient snowmaking system. The rest of
Vail Resorts' resorts located in the Rocky Mountains and West plan
to open by December 1*, giving Pass
Holders and guests an opportunity to maximize their time on the
mountain all winter long.
Target Opening Dates
- Mid-October (pending early season conditions): Keystone
(CO)
- November 10: Breckenridge (CO), Vail Mountain (CO)
- November 17: Heavenly
(CA), Northstar (CA), Park City Mountain (UT)
- November 22: Beaver Creek (CO), Crested Butte (CO)
- November 23: Whistler
Blackcomb (British Columbia)
- December 1: Kirkwood (CA),
Stevens Pass (WA)
*All opening dates are subject to change, based on weather
and conditions
The season will continue through the spring, with Whistler
Blackcomb and Breckenridge
planning to stay open into May. Vail Resorts will announce opening
day targets for its additional resorts closer to the start of the
season. Those resorts expect to open consistent with target dates
shared in years past.
Lift tickets will be limited again this year to preserve the
guest experience at each resort. Guests are encouraged to purchase
their lift access in advance – whether that is a lift ticket,
season pass or Epic Day Pass. If tickets are sold out online,
guests will not be able to purchase them at ticket windows. Lift
ticket availability will be visible on resort websites in the
coming weeks.
2. The Epic Pass Labor Day Deadline is Just Around the
Corner!
Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 4, is the
deadline to lock in an Epic Pass before prices increase. Guests
planning to visit this winter – whether one day or every day – are
encouraged to purchase their lift access online in advance to save
big on skiing and riding. For instance, Epic Day Passes offer up to
65% off when compared to a lift ticket. Compare all Epic Pass
offerings, including regional passes, on the Epic
Pass website.
Skiers and riders who purchase their Epic Pass now will also
unlock early access to Vail Resorts' Winter Getaway Sale. The
Winter Getaway Sale will offer Epic Pass Holders an additional 20%
off already discounted lodging rates for stays during the winter
season. Running Aug. 24-Sept. 5 for
Pass Holders and Aug. 29-Sept. 5 for
public access, Epic Pass Holders will have access five days earlier
to lock in their preferred winter lodging at a great rate across
Vail Resorts' portfolio of hotels, condos and premier vacation
residences.
3. 2023/24 Epic Lift Upgrades Will Enhance the Experience
from Coast-to-Coast.
Over the past two seasons, 25 new or upgraded gondolas and
chairlifts have been introduced across Vail Resorts, and even more
is in store for the 2023/24 season. This season, five resorts will
see new chairlifts (four of them high-speed), plus exciting new
lift-served terrain at Keystone – all designed to help skiers and
riders make the most out of every minute on the mountain. The
projects will increase uphill capacity, giving guests more time to
learn new skills, explore new terrain, and discover new peaks.
- This season at Keystone Resort, for the very first time,
guests will have lift access to Keystone's high alpine, thanks to
the installation of a brand-new, high-speed, 6-passenger chairlift
in Bergman Bowl. The Bergman Express will provide lift
access to more than 550 acres of intermediate-and-above-level high
alpine terrain, including 16 new trails in Bergman and Erickson
Bowls. In addition to offering an inviting high alpine adventure,
Bergman Express will elevate the guest experience by improving
skier and rider circulation across Keystone's three mountain
peaks.
- Breckenridge continues
the transformation of the Peak 8 Base Area with the upgrade of
5-Chair to a new, high-speed quad – the FIVE SuperChair. With this
lift upgrade, all four chairlifts that service Peak 8 will now be
high-speed to assist with improved flow and circulation out of the
resort's most popular base area. The new investments will provide a
clear path to progression on Peak 8, with Rip's Ride servicing
learning and beginner terrain, FIVE SuperChair servicing beginner
and intermediate terrain, and the Colorado and Rocky Mountain SuperChairs
servicing intermediate and advanced terrain.
- Whistler Blackcomb's Fitzsimmons Express will be
replaced with a high-speed, 8-person chairlift – the first of its
kind across Vail Resorts' North American resorts. The upgrade will
help reduce lift line wait times out of the base at Skier's Plaza
in Whistler Village, increasing
uphill capacity and improving circulation in the mid-mountain
area.
- At Stevens Pass, the iconic Kehr's Chair will be
replaced with a new fixed grip quad ahead of the 2023/24 season.
The new chair brings modern upgrades and comfort while also
increasing uphill capacity. Kehr's Chair has historically provided
access to advanced terrain off Big Chief Mountain, where guests can
choose to take intermediate or advanced trails back to the base
area or can continue to Double Diamond to access a diverse network
of trails on the backside.
- At Attitash Mountain Resort in New Hampshire, the much-anticipated
Mountaineer, a high-speed, 4-passenger chairlift replacing the
Summit Triple, will reduce ride time by more than half, increase
uphill capacity and improve the flow of the Attitash base
area.
4. Skip the Ticket Line: Your Phone is Your Ticket to the
Slopes.
With Mobile Pass & Mobile Lift Ticket on the new My
Epic app coming to guests this fall, your phone is your ticket
to the slopes. Mobile Pass & Mobile Lift Ticket will be
available for the 2023/24 winter season at all Vail Resorts' U.S.
resorts, with availability at Whistler Blackcomb to follow in
future seasons. The new technology will allow guests to buy their
pass or lift ticket online, activate and store it on their phone in
the new My Epic app, put their phone in their pocket, and
get scanned, hands free, via Bluetooth® technology designed for low
energy usage.
This will reduce the need to visit the ticket window or wait to
receive a pass or lift ticket in the mail. In support of the
company's Commitment to Zero sustainability commitment, this change
over time will also reduce the waste created by plastic cards and
RFID chips.
Plastic cards will continue to be available to any guests who
cannot or do not want to use their phone as their pass or lift
ticket. Plastic cards will continue to be used at Whistler
Blackcomb, as Mobile Pass will not be available at the resort
during the 2023/24 season. The company will also activate the
plastic cards of renewing Pass Holders and mail plastic cards to
all new guests for the 2023/24 season, as part of the transition to
Mobile Pass & Mobile Lift Ticket. More information about Mobile
Pass & Mobile Lift Ticket and the My Epic app can be
found on the Epic Pass website.
About Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN)
Vail Resorts is a network of the best destination and close-to-home
ski resorts in the world including Vail Mountain, Breckenridge, Park City Mountain, Whistler
Blackcomb, Stowe, and 32 additional resorts across North America; Andermatt-Sedrun in
Switzerland; and Perisher, Hotham,
and Falls Creek in Australia. We
are passionate about providing an Experience of a Lifetime to our
team members and guests, and our EpicPromise is to reach a zero net
operating footprint by 2030, support our employees and communities,
and broaden engagement in our sport. Our company owns and/or
manages a collection of elegant hotels under the RockResorts brand,
a portfolio of vacation rentals, condominiums and branded hotels
located in close proximity to our mountain destinations, as well as
the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson
Hole, Wyo. Vail Resorts Retail operates more than 250 retail
and rental locations across North
America. Learn more about our company at
www.VailResorts.com, or discover our resorts and pass options at
www.EpicPass.com.
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SOURCE Vail Resorts, Inc.