Vail Resorts announced Tuesday that the company will introduce a new discount program for the 2025-26 ski season, allowing friends of Epic Pass holders to purchase lift tickets at half price.
The program applies to holders of the Epic Pass, Epic Local Pass, Epic Military Pass, Northeast Value Pass, and most other Epic passes, excluding day passes. The number of discounted tickets each pass holder receives depends on when the pass was purchased. Ten Epic Friend Tickets are available to use throughout the season for passholders who made their purchase before April 14, and six are available for purchases made afterward.
Epic Friend Tickets replace Buddy Tickets, a previous discount program that offered smaller and variable savings depending on the resort. Where discount passes, including the Epic Military Pass, did not previously offer Buddy Tickets, Epic Friend Tickets are now included as part of the pass benefits.
“One cool and unique thing about Park City is that the people who live in this area have lots of friends and family visiting regularly. They are used to hosting and showcasing our town to visitors from all over. This is something new that we’re excited to introduce so we can make skiing with friends more accessible,” said John Kanaly, senior manager of communications at Park City Mountain.
Each Epic Friend Ticket provides a 50% discount on the single-day lift ticket window price at all 37 Vail Resorts ski areas in North America, including Park City Mountain.
“With Epic Friend Tickets, your friends get half off lift tickets but full access to Park City Mountain’s 7,300 skiable acres. Best of all, pass holders and their friends can enjoy Park City Mountain’s boundless terrain together,” said Kanaly.
Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz said the program is intended to make it easier for passholders to introduce others to the sport.
“Skiers and snowboarders know this sport is magic; a passion you can’t help but pass on,” said Katz in a press release on Tuesday. “If you ski or ride, chances are someone brought you into the sport, and we want to make it easier for you to pay it forward. Epic Friend Tickets are the next step on our nearly two-decade-long journey to find ways to make skiing more accessible to more people.”
The program further benefits friends of passholders by crediting the full amount paid for one Epic Friend Ticket toward their purchase of an Epic Pass for the 2026-27 season.
“By making it easier for our Pass Holders to share the ski experience with friends — through savings across not one, but two winter seasons — we hope to help spark traditions that will inspire groups of friends to return to the mountains for years to come,” said Katz.
Epic Passes for the 2025-26 season are currently priced at $1,075 for adults and $548 for children, with prices increasing after September 1. The Epic Local Pass costs $799 for adults and $416 for children, with access to 29 resorts and some restrictions. The Epic Military Pass is $190 for active and retired military members and their dependents.
“We will always give the best deal to our Pass Holders who commit to skiing with us ahead of the season,” said Katz. “That said, we know not everyone can plan ahead, so if you don’t have an Epic Pass, the next best thing is knowing someone who does.”