Epic, Ikon or Other: How to Choose the Right Ski Pass for 2026/2027

The cost of skiing and snowboarding in North America keeps going up, but if you plan to ski more than just a few days, one of the Ikon Pass, the Epic Pass, the Mountain Collective, or the Indy Pass is your best bet to save money on the slopes. 

At some of the most popular ski resorts in North America like Vail, Jackson Hole, Breckenridge, Big Sky, Park City, and Deer Valley, the cost to ski a single day is normally more than $200. At some of those resorts, peak rates around the holidays can creep closer to $350 or more! 

But if you purchase one of these mega passes, which range in price from $1,399 for the Ikon Pass to $399 for the Indy Pass, you stand to save big the more you ski. My rule of thumb: If you ski more than five days a year within one of these passes, it's worth it to get the mega pass. 

But in order to maximize the value of these expensive passes, you should plan to buy your pass this spring for next winter. The cost of these passes goes up by about $100 every two months leading up to next year. So you're looking at the very best rates right now, even though next year's season is still about nine months away. 

Look, I don't blame you if your idea of an affordable hobby doesn't include a nearly $1,400 buy-in, but if you ski often enough, there's actually tons of value to be had in these mega passes – especially the alternatives like Mountain Collective and Indy Pass. 

Here are the pass options skiers and riders should consider. 

The Ikon Pass

The Ikon Pass will go on sale Mar. 12, 2026 for the 2026/2027 winter season, and the all-access adult rate for the Ikon Pass will debut at $1,399 for the year for adults. If you renew your existing pass, you get $50 off that rate. 

As of this writing, the teen and youth prices for next year's Ikon Pass have not been released. 

The Ikon Pass is the cream of the crop for mega passes, offering access to some of the biggest, best ski resorts on earth. I'm talking about places like Big Sky, Jackson Hole, Deer Valley, Aspen, Arapahoe Basin, Copper, Palisades Tahoe, Steamboat, Winter Park, Revelstoke, Taos, Lake Louise, and many more. There are more than 70 resorts spanning four continents in Ikon's portfolio.

The Ikon Pass will go on sale Mar. 12 for next winter and, like all of these passes, will debut at its lowest price of the year. 

The pass added more partners this year, including Midwest resorts like Lutsen Mountains (Minnesota), Granite Peak (Wisconsin), and Snowriver (Michigan). 

Depending on the resort and your level of pass, you either get unlimited access or seven days at almost all of the resorts. Ikon also has some partners where you can get two free days. See their website for a full list. 

You also get other random benefits like 15% off food and drink at many resorts, 25% off discounts for friends and family, and even the ability to ski this spring (after Mar. 12) at select resorts, too. 

Who is the Ikon Pass For? 

If you're a serious skier or rider who has one big trip or several ski trips out west, to the Alps, or to Japan or New Zealand in 2026/2027, the Ikon Pass is for you. 

The resorts on the Ikon Pass tend to skew extremely expensive for day lift tickets, so picking up the pass will definitely save you money at many of these bougier resorts. 

The Epic Pass

The Epic Pass is on sale now for the 2026/2027 season and comes with the best deal for younger skiers and riders along with a massive list of partner resorts. The full Epic Pass will cost adults $1,089 next season if you buy now. 

But Epic is trying something new this year, offering a ticket for “Young Adults” up to age 30 a serious discount at $869. Teens also get that rate and kids ages 5-12 can get a rate of $555 for the year. 

The Epic Pass gives you access to world class mountains like Vail, Beaver Creek, Park City, Whistler-Blackcomb, Crested Butte, several Lake Tahoe resorts, and many more. 

Epic's 90+ resorts all over the country, including many smaller resorts in the Northeast and Midwest, make it a compelling option for skiers and riders not based in mountain towns.

Maybe the best part of the Epic Pass: You can reap the value of an Epic Pass skiing at a nearby mountain like Stowe in the Northeast, Afton Alps in Minnesota, or Wilmot near the Chicago area and then take one trip out west a year to make it worth it. 

You also get other random benefits like 20% off food, drink, and lodging at many resorts, 50% off discounts for friends and family, and more. 

Who is the Epic Pass For? 

If you're an avid skier who lives near one of Epic's 90+ resorts, or you plan to take one or more trips to the mountains, this pass is a great deal. 

Epic has resisted the urge to drastically increase prices, but keeps adding more and more resorts to its portfolio. It's a tremendous value if you plan to ski one of the big resorts on its roster, but you can nibble away at the total cost of the pass just by skiing close to home in many cases. 

The Mountain Collective

The Mountain Collective shares a lot of DNA with the Ikon Pass – with many overlapping resorts you might be interested in, but it comes with a catch that you can only ski two days for free at each resort. 

The Mountain Collective is on sale now for $669 for the year. The teen rate (13-19) is $529 and the kids rate (6-12) is just $239. 

The pass gives you two days each at 27 resorts – totaling 54 days of skiing and riding. When you purchase the pass in the spring (i.e. now) you also get to choose one resort for a bonus third day. 

The Mountain Collective has an eye-popping list of heavy-hitter ski resorts like Alta and Snowbird in Utah, Aspen, Big Sky, Jackson Hole, Sun Valley, Banff, Lake Louise, Revelstoke, Niseko, Chamonix, and more. 

At less than half the price of the Ikon, it's a great value … if you can navigate the two days of access hurdle. 

Luckily, many of these resorts are clustered together – making Mountain Collective road trips a great way to maximize your days. Alta and Snowbird are Utah neighbors (with Snowbasin not far away either), Jackson and Grand Targhee are about 90 minutes apart, and Banff and Lake Louise are also very close together. Plus, in places abroad like Niseko and Chamonix, day lift tickets are only about $70 – giving you an easy way to tack on inexpensive days. 

Who is the Mountain Collective For? 

Me. That's who. 

I love skiing the biggest and best mountains on earth, but a $1,400 Ikon Pass makes my wallet hurt. Instead, I can plan a few of these Mountain Collective road trips (or some weekend trips) to get my two days-worth at many of these resorts. 

It's a perfect cost-concious way to still ski some of the best mountains in the world and avoid those $300+ day ticket rates. 

The Indy Pass

The Indy Pass is exactly what it sounds like: A pass that brings together literally hundreds of independent ski resorts around the world with the same two day offering that the Mountain Collective does. But you won't find many heavy hitters on this pass –  giving you access to more hole-in-the-wall, charming ski experiences the world over instead. 

The Indy Pass+, which gives you two days of all-access skiing at its 300+ (yes 300!) resorts comes in at a bargain of $399 for the year. The youth pass is just $229. 

There are simply too many Indy resorts to count spread across the world, but I loved skiing Brundage in Idaho, Mt. Hood Meadows in Oregon, Loveland in Colorado, and Lutsen Mountains in Minnesota. 

With resorts all over the east and the midwest, it's easy to get your money's worth in just a few days at your own hill –  not to mention those destination resorts I mentioned above.

Who is the Indy Pass For? 

The cost-sensitive skier will love this pass for the cheap entry point and the access to tons of skiing around the country and the world, that's for sure. 

But the underrated part of the Indy Pass are how low-key many of these destinations are. You won't be fighting crowds and lift lines at Indy resorts. It's a more unspoiled look at the mountains – a great place for skiers who hate the rat race, high resort prices, or just want a little breathing room during their ski days. 

Not Sold on the Mega Pass?

Within each of these pass programs, there are multi-day packs you can buy that still save you a ton of money on lift tickets during your ski season.

This past year, for instance, I opted against one of the bigger mega passes because I just had a baby and wasn't sure how much skiing I'd actually do. Instead, I grabbed an Epic 4-day pass for $451 (the same price this year) for a trip to Telluride and Crested Butte where we skied two days each. 

Ikon offers a similar setup called the “Session Pass” where you can book your tickets in advance at a serious discount compared to the day rates. You can customize it from one up to seven days at a cost of just $113 per day instead of the $250+ that the resorts will charge you themselves. 

It's a great deal and can help you save on those $1,000+ mega passes that you may or may not use. 

Bottom Line

These mega ski passes won't make financial sense for everyone. But for frequent skiers or those planning a few big trips this winter, you can start saving on lift tickets fast.

Which pass is better is up to you – there's no one-size-fits-all answer. Epic and Ikon have loaded rosters of some of the biggest resorts on earth. Mountain Collective can help get you to some of those same resorts, but with just two days of access each. And the Indy Pass is the best of the rest at the lowest price point. 

Whatever you like best, don't wait to make your decision! The prices of these passes go up and up – peaking around early December for the season before they stop selling them altogether.