Epic Pass vs Ikon Pass 2026/27: Prices, Blackout Dates and Which Resorts You Actually Get
Prices and rules last checked: October 17, 2026, on epicpass.com and ikonpass.com. Updated every few days until the passes go off sale.Short answer: buy Epic if your season is built around Vail, Breckenridge, Park City, Whistler or a Les 3 Vallees or Verbier trip; it is about $360 cheaper than Ikon right now (~$1,169 vs ~$1,529). Buy Ikon if you want Alta, Snowbird, Jackson Hole, Aspen, Mammoth, Zermatt, Chamonix or Niseko. Skiing fewer than seven days? An Epic Day Pass or Ikon Session Pass beats both.
Every figure on this page was read directly from the Epic and Ikon shop pages on October 17, 2026; the comparison tables only list resorts we have written a guide for, and every resort name links to that guide. Pass prices step up several times between spring and early December, so treat the dollar amounts as "roughly this, probably more next month" rather than a quote. Where a rule is fiddly (consecutive days, reservations, a lodging requirement) we say so, because those footnotes decide more Alpine trips than the headline price does.
2026/27 pass prices at a glance
Both companies launched their 2026/27 passes in March at lower prices and have raised them at least once since. The Epic Pass launched at about $1,089 and now sells for about $1,169; the full Ikon Pass launched around $1,349 and now lists at about $1,529. The gap between the two flagship passes, roughly $360, is wider than it has been in years. The two mid-tier passes are much closer: Epic Local at about $869 against Ikon Base at about $1,099.
| Pass | Adult price (approx., October 17, 2026) | What you get | Blackout dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Epic Pass | ~$1,169 (ages 31+); ~$929 teen and young adult 13 to 30; ~$599 child | Unlimited at 40+ Vail-owned resorts incl. Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Park City, Whistler, Stowe, Andermatt and Crans-Montana; 7 total days at Telluride and at Resorts of the Canadian Rockies; 5 consecutive days each at Hakuba and Rusutsu; consecutive-day access at Les 3 Vallees, Verbier, Ski Arlberg, Zillertal, Solden, Saalbach, Silvretta Montafon and Skirama Dolomiti | None |
| Epic Local | ~$869 adult; ~$689 teen and young adult; ~$455 child | Unlimited at Breckenridge, Keystone, Crested Butte, Stevens Pass and the Eastern and Midwestern resorts; unlimited with peak-date blackouts at Park City, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood and Stowe; 10 total days shared between Vail, Beaver Creek and Whistler Blackcomb (blackouts apply); 5 days each at Andermatt and Crans-Montana; 5 consecutive days at Verbier with restrictions; 5 consecutive days each at Hakuba and Rusutsu. No Telluride, no Canadian Rockies, no other European partners | Nov 27 to 28, 2026; Dec 26 to 31, 2026; Jan 16, 2027; Feb 13 to 14, 2027 (plus Feb 6 to 20 at Verbier) |
| Epic Day Pass | Roughly $63 to $121 per day depending on resort tier, number of days (1 to 7) and whether you add peak dates | 1 to 7 days, usable at any of the chosen tier's resorts, non-consecutive; 4-day and longer All Resorts passes add Telluride and the Canadian Rockies | Optional: pay more for peak-date access |
| Ikon Pass | ~$1,529 (ages 23+) | Unlimited at 15+ destinations incl. Winter Park, Copper, Steamboat, Mammoth, Palisades Tahoe, Solitude, Stratton, Sugarbush, Tremblant and A-Basin; 7 days at 50+ others incl. Alta, Snowbird, Aspen Snowmass, Jackson Hole, Deer Valley, Big Sky, Sun Valley, Zermatt, Chamonix, Kitzbuhel, Dolomiti Superski, Niseko and Thredbo; reservations needed at Jackson Hole and a few others | None |
| Ikon Base | ~$1,099 (ages 23+) | Unlimited at Winter Park, Copper, Tremblant and most of the unlimited list; unlimited with blackouts at Mammoth, Palisades, June, Stratton and Sugarbush; 5 days at about 30 destinations incl. Snowbird, Big Sky, Steamboat, Zermatt, Chamonix and Niseko; Snowmass only at Aspen. No Alta, Jackson Hole, Deer Valley, Sun Valley or Snowbasin | Dec 26 to 30, 2026; Jan 16 to 17, 2027; Feb 13 to 14, 2027 |
| Ikon Session | From ~$369 (2 days) to roughly $650 (4 days) | 2, 3 or 4 total days at about 40 destinations, mostly the unlimited and 5-day North American resorts plus Niseko, Thredbo and Valle Nevado | Yes, on the same holiday dates as Ikon Base |
| Mountain Collective | ~$729 adult; ~$594 teen; ~$304 child | 2 days at each of 27 destinations (Alta, Snowbird, Aspen Snowmass, Jackson Hole, Big Sky, Sun Valley, Taos, Banff Sunshine, Lake Louise, Revelstoke, Sun Peaks, Niseko, Chamonix, Megeve and more), then 50% off further days | None (reservations at Jackson Hole and Taos) |
| Indy Pass | ~$399 (Indy) and ~$449 (Indy+) when on sale; currently sold out for 2026/27 | 2 days at each of 300+ independent resorts in North America, Europe and Japan; Indy+ removes blackouts | Indy: yes; Indy+: none |
Sources: epicpass.com, ikonpass.com, mountaincollective.com, indyskipass.com. All prices in US dollars; Epic lists Whistler in CAD at the till.
Blackout dates compared
The full Epic Pass and the full Ikon Pass have no blackout dates at all, which is a large part of what the extra money buys. The mid-tier passes black out the same three holiday periods, with one difference worth knowing. Epic Local blocks the two days after Thanksgiving (November 27 and 28, 2026) as well as December 26 to 31, January 16 and February 13 to 14; Ikon Base skips Thanksgiving entirely but blocks December 26 to 30, January 16 to 17 and February 13 to 14. In practice: if your only big trip is Christmas week or Presidents' Day weekend, neither mid-tier pass works and you need the full pass or day tickets. If you ski Thanksgiving weekend, Ikon Base is the only cheaper pass that lets you.
Two more rules bite harder than blackouts. Jackson Hole requires a free lift reservation for Ikon and Mountain Collective holders, and sells out on powder weekends. And Epic's European partners work on consecutive days: five in a row at Verbier, up to seven in a row at Les 3 Vallees, with Ski Arlberg (St. Anton and Lech) only honouring the pass if you book partner accommodation directly. Epic's mobile pass is not accepted at any partner resort either, so you need the physical card.
Which pass covers which resort
These tables cover only the resorts we have written a guide for. "Unlimited" means every day of the season; a number is the total days you get at that resort (or that resort group) for the whole season. Click the Resort header to sort.
North America
| Resort | Epic Pass | Epic Local | Ikon Pass | Ikon Base | Mountain Collective |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vail, Colorado | Unlimited | 10 total days (shared with Beaver Creek and Whistler), peak dates excluded | No | No | No |
| Breckenridge, Colorado | Unlimited | Unlimited | No | No | No |
| Keystone, Colorado | Unlimited | Unlimited | No | No | No |
| Park City, Utah | Unlimited | Unlimited, peak dates excluded | No | No | No |
| Northstar California | Unlimited | Unlimited, peak dates excluded | No | No | No |
| Whistler Blackcomb, BC | Unlimited | 10 total days (shared with Vail and Beaver Creek), peak dates excluded | No | No | No |
| Telluride, Colorado | 7 total days | No | No | No | No |
| Winter Park, Colorado | No | No | Unlimited | Unlimited | No |
| Mammoth Mountain, California | No | No | Unlimited | Unlimited with blackouts | No |
| Palisades Tahoe, California | No | No | Unlimited | Unlimited with blackouts | No |
| Steamboat, Colorado | No | No | Unlimited | 5 days | No |
| Stratton, Vermont | No | No | Unlimited | Unlimited with blackouts | No |
| Tremblant, Quebec | No | No | Unlimited | Unlimited | No |
| Aspen Snowmass, Colorado | No | No | 7 days (all four mountains) | 5 days, Snowmass only, with blackouts | 2 days |
| Alta and Snowbird, Utah | No | No | 7 days at each | Snowbird 5 days; no Alta access | 2 days at each |
| Deer Valley, Utah | No | No | 7 days | No | No |
| Jackson Hole, Wyoming | No | No | 7 days, reservations required | No | 2 days, reservations required |
| Big Sky, Montana | No | No | 7 days | 5 days | 2 days |
| Taos, New Mexico | No | No | 7 days | 5 days | 2 days, reservations required |
| Banff Sunshine (SkiBig3), Alberta | No | No | 7 days across SkiBig3 | 5 days across SkiBig3 | 2 days |
| Revelstoke, BC | No | No | 7 days | 5 days | 2 days |
| Sun Peaks, BC | No | No | 7 days | 5 days | 2 days |
Alps and Europe
| Resort | Epic Pass | Epic Local | Ikon Pass | Ikon Base | Mountain Collective |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courchevel and Val Thorens (Les 3 Vallees), France | Up to 7 consecutive days | No | No | No | No |
| Verbier 4 Vallees, Switzerland | 5 consecutive days | 5 consecutive days with restricted dates (incl. Feb 6 to 20, 2027) | No | No | No |
| St. Anton and Lech (Ski Arlberg), Austria | Consecutive-day access; partner lodging booking required | No | No | No | No |
| Mayrhofen (Zillertal), Austria | Consecutive-day access (see Epic Europe terms) | No | No | No | No |
| Solden, Austria | Consecutive-day access (see Epic Europe terms) | No | No | No | No |
| Madonna di Campiglio (Skirama Dolomiti), Italy | Consecutive-day access (see Epic Europe terms) | No | No | No | No |
| Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis, Switzerland | Unlimited | 5 days | No | No | No |
| Zermatt, Switzerland | No | No | 7 days | 5 days | No |
| Chamonix, France | No | No | 7 days | 5 days | 2 days |
| Megeve, France | No | No | 7 days | 5 days | 2 days |
| Kitzbuhel, Austria | No | No | 7 days | 5 days | No |
| Ischgl, Austria | No | No | 7 days | 5 days | No |
| Cortina d'Ampezzo (Dolomiti Superski), Italy | No | No | 7 days | 5 days | No |
| Cervinia and Courmayeur (Valle d'Aosta), Italy | No | No | 7 days | 5 days | No |
Epic's Austrian and Italian partner access is sold as blocks of consecutive days and the exact allotment varies by region; read the Epic Europe page before planning a week around it.
Japan and the Southern Hemisphere
| Resort | Epic Pass | Epic Local | Ikon Pass | Ikon Base | Mountain Collective |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hakuba Valley, Japan | 5 consecutive days | 5 consecutive days | No | No | No |
| Rusutsu, Japan | 5 consecutive days | 5 consecutive days | No | No | No |
| Niseko United, Japan | No | No | 7 days | 5 days | 2 days |
| Furano, Japan | No | No | 7 days | 5 days | No |
| Thredbo, Australia | No | No | 7 days | 5 days with blackouts | No |
| Queenstown (Coronet Peak, The Remarkables), New Zealand | No | No | 7 days | 5 days | No |
Which pass should you buy?
Choose Epic if...
- Your home mountain or annual trip is Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone, Park City or Whistler. Nothing on Ikon replaces them.
- You want the cheapest unlimited, no-blackout pass. At about $1,169 Epic undercuts Ikon by roughly $360.
- You are planning one Alpine week in Courchevel, Val Thorens or Verbier and can ski consecutive days.
- You ski on the East Coast or Midwest: Epic's long list of small Northeastern, Pennsylvanian and Midwestern hills has no Ikon equivalent.
- You are 13 to 30: the new teen and young-adult price (about $929) is a 20% discount Ikon does not match for over-23s.
Choose Ikon if...
- You want Utah's Little Cottonwood Canyon: Alta and Snowbird are Ikon and Mountain Collective only.
- Your dream trips are Jackson Hole, Aspen Snowmass, Big Sky, Deer Valley or Taos.
- You live near Denver and ski Winter Park, Copper or Steamboat, or in California and ski Mammoth or Palisades.
- Your Alpine or Japanese trip is Zermatt, Chamonix, Kitzbuhel, the Dolomites or Niseko: Ikon's 7 days do not need to be consecutive.
- You want the biggest list of destination resorts and are happy to pay about $1,529 for it.
Skiing fewer than seven days? Neither full pass pays off. At current prices Epic breaks even against window tickets at roughly five to seven days at a major resort (single-day tickets at Vail and Park City run well over $200 at peak), and Ikon at about seven to nine days. For two to four days look at the Ikon Session Pass (from about $369) or build an Epic Day Pass (from about $63 a day at the smaller resorts, roughly $100 to $120 a day for the big names). For a two-stop road trip across the West, the Mountain Collective at about $729 is often the smartest buy: two days each at Alta, Snowbird, Jackson Hole, Aspen, Big Sky and Revelstoke, no blackouts, and half-price tickets after that.
Mountain Collective and Indy, briefly
The Mountain Collective is the destination skier's pass: 27 resorts, two days at each, no blackout dates, then 50% off lift tickets for every extra day. Its list overlaps heavily with Ikon's 7-day destinations (Alta, Snowbird, Aspen Snowmass, Jackson Hole, Big Sky, Sun Valley, Taos, Revelstoke, Banff Sunshine and Lake Louise, Sun Peaks, Niseko, Chamonix, Megeve), so it is the right pick if you will visit several of those for a long weekend each rather than one for a week. At about $729 it costs less than half the Ikon Pass. The catch is the two-day cap: day three at Jackson Hole is still roughly half of a $250 window ticket.
The Indy Pass is a different animal: two days at each of more than 300 independent resorts, mostly smaller hills in North America plus a growing list in Europe and Japan, for about $399 (with blackouts) or $449 (Indy+, no blackouts). It is the best value in skiing if you like exploring; it covers none of the resorts in our tables. Indy also sells a fixed number of passes and sold out for 2026/27 in early autumn, so if you want one next season, buy in the spring sale.
Before you buy: gear that travels
A multi-resort pass means more days on unfamiliar snow, so a few guides worth a look: a versatile pair of all-mountain skis that handle Colorado chalk and Utah powder alike, a well-vented helmet for long days, and a boot bag that fits airline carry-on rules. Our ski trip packing list covers the rest, and our opening dates page tells you when each pass resort actually starts spinning lifts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Epic Pass or Ikon Pass cheaper for 2026/27?
Epic. On October 17, 2026 the Epic Pass listed at about $1,169 and the Ikon Pass at about $1,529, a gap of roughly $360. Epic Local (~$869) is also cheaper than Ikon Base (~$1,099). Both rise again before the season, so the gap may change.
Does the Epic Pass have blackout dates?
The full Epic Pass has none. Epic Local blacks out November 27 to 28 and December 26 to 31, 2026, January 16, 2027 and February 13 to 14, 2027 at Vail, Beaver Creek, Whistler, Park City, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood and Stowe, plus February 6 to 20 at Verbier.
Does the Ikon Base Pass have blackout dates?
Yes: December 26 to 30, 2026, January 16 to 17, 2027 and February 13 to 14, 2027 at the resorts where it is not fully unlimited. The full Ikon Pass has no blackouts.
Can I ski Alta or Jackson Hole on the Epic Pass?
No. Alta, Snowbird, Jackson Hole, Aspen, Big Sky, Deer Valley and Sun Valley are on Ikon (full pass only for Alta, Jackson Hole, Deer Valley and Sun Valley) and most of them on the Mountain Collective. Epic's Utah resort is Park City; its Wyoming and Montana coverage is nil.
Which pass is better for Europe?
It depends on the resort. Epic covers Les 3 Vallees, Verbier, Ski Arlberg, Zillertal, Solden, Skirama Dolomiti, Andermatt and Crans-Montana, but mostly on consecutive days and with a lodging requirement at Arlberg. Ikon covers Zermatt, Chamonix, Megeve, Kitzbuhel, Ischgl, St. Moritz, Dolomiti Superski, Valle d'Aosta and Grandvalira with 7 (or 5 on Base) non-consecutive days. For a single week in one resort either works; for a two-resort Alpine trip Ikon's flexible days are easier to use.
When do Epic and Ikon pass prices go up?
Both raise prices in steps from the spring launch through early December, and both usually stop selling the unlimited passes in early to mid December (Epic typically around the first weekend of December; Ikon around the second week). The lowest prices are always in the March to May launch window, so if you know you will ski next year, buy then.