Mark Your Calendars: Vail Resorts Announces 2023/24 Winter Opening Date Plans at its Largest Resorts
- Vail Resorts plans to open its resorts across the Rocky Mountains and the West for the 2023/24 ski and ride season. Keystone Resort will have an early opening in October, with other resorts opening by December 1.
- Lift tickets will be limited again this year to preserve the guest experience. Guests are encouraged to purchase their lift access in advance.
- The Epic Pass Labor Day deadline is September 4. Guests can save up to 65% off lift tickets by purchasing an Epic Day Pass before the deadline.
- Vail Resorts will introduce new chairlifts and lift-served terrain upgrades for the 2023/24 season, increasing uphill capacity and improving the guest experience.
- The My Epic app will offer Mobile Pass & Mobile Lift Ticket for the 2023/24 winter season, allowing guests to buy and store their passes or lift tickets on their phones.
- None.
Plus, Three More Tips to Maximize Your 2023/24 Ski and Ride Season by Spending More Time on the Slopes
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
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
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
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
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 theColorado 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'
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,
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SOURCE Vail Resorts, Inc.
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