Epic Pass vs. Epic Local Pass
Epic Pass vs. Epic Local Pass for 2026/27
The $300 question is not which pass has more resorts. It is whether Epic Local blocks a mountain, holiday week or repeat trip you actually plan to ski.
Verified September 25, 2026
PassTracks take
Start with Epic Local, then name the limit you need removed.
Epic Local is not a small regional pass. It retains unrestricted access at many major Epic resorts and meaningful international access. Full Epic should not be the automatic upgrade.
Full Epic earns its price when the remaining Local limits land on a mountain or date you cannot move. If you cannot name that restriction, that is useful information.
The premium
What does the extra $300 actually buy?
| Decision point | Epic Pass | Epic Local Pass |
|---|---|---|
| Adult price | US$1,169 | US$869 |
| Vail + Beaver Creek + Whistler | Unlimited and unrestricted | 10 total combined days; restricted peak dates apply |
| Other owned resorts | Unlimited and unrestricted at the full owned network | Unlimited at many major resorts; selected destinations have restricted dates |
| Telluride | Up to seven days; no reservation required | No access |
| RCR Canada | Seven total days shared across six partners, then 50% off | No access |
| Europe | Unlimited Swiss access plus deeper partner access | Five days each at Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis, Crans-Montana and Verbier |
| Japan | Five consecutive days at Hakuba and five at Rusutsu | The same Hakuba and Rusutsu access |
| Age band | Epic Pass | Epic Local |
|---|---|---|
| Adult 31+ | US$1,169 | US$869 · US$300 less |
| Teen 13–17 | US$909 | US$675 · US$234 less |
| Young adult 18–30 | US$909 | US$675 · US$234 less |
| Child 5–12 | US$585 | US$445 · US$140 less |
Family economics should be priced person by person rather than by multiplying the adult difference. The premium narrows for younger skiers, but the access question remains the same.
Repeat access
Local's biggest limit may be one shared pool of 10 days.
Epic Local provides 10 total combined days across Vail, Beaver Creek and Whistler Blackcomb. It is not 10 days at each mountain. Six days at Vail plus four at Beaver Creek exhaust the pool before a Whistler trip begins.
For a skier mostly using Breckenridge, Keystone or Crested Butte, that pool may barely matter. For a skier whose winter repeatedly returns to Vail, Beaver Creek or Whistler, it can be the main reason to buy full Epic.
Calendar
The question is not whether you ski holidays. It is where you ski them.
Epic Local is restricted November 27–28, December 26–31, January 16 and February 13–14 during the 2026/27 season at Vail, Beaver Creek, Whistler Blackcomb, Park City, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood, Stowe and Verbier 4 Vallées. Verbier has an extended February 6–20 restriction.
Those dates do not close the whole Local network. Breckenridge, Keystone and Crested Butte remain available, as do Okemo and Mount Snow. A school-calendar family fixed on Vail during Christmas week has a different problem from one willing to ski Breckenridge or Keystone. Calendar and destination have to be tested together.
Telluride
Telluride makes the upgrade question easy.
Full Epic includes up to seven Telluride days, with no reservation currently required. Epic Local includes none. If Telluride is genuinely on the calendar, full Epic has a concrete benefit. If it is only aspirational, it is not a reason to spend $300.
Canada
For Whistler skiers, the difference is much bigger than $300.
Full Epic provides unrestricted repeat access at Whistler. Local puts Whistler inside the shared 10-day pool with Vail and Beaver Creek and applies restricted peak dates. For Vancouver-area skiers and Whistler regulars, that can settle the decision quickly.
Full Epic also includes seven total shared days across six RCR partners: Fernie, Kicking Horse, Kimberley, Nakiska, Mont-Sainte-Anne and Stoneham. Additional days are 50% off the window rate. Epic Local has no equivalent RCR benefit, a difference that matters in British Columbia, Alberta and Québec.
Europe
Europe is where “full” starts to mean more.
Full Epic's European access includes unlimited Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis and Crans-Montana, seven consecutive days at Les 3 Vallées and Skirama Dolomiti, and additional Austrian partners.
Local includes five days each at Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis and Crans-Montana plus five consecutive days at Verbier, where restricted dates apply. Frequent European ski travel makes full Epic more defensible. One occasional Swiss trip may not.
Japan
Japan does not automatically justify full Epic.
Both products include five consecutive days at Hakuba Valley and five consecutive days at Rusutsu. If Japan is the international trip that matters, full Epic does not currently buy more access there.
Epic Local reaches 50+ resorts across major Colorado, Tahoe, Utah and Northeast mountains plus limited Whistler and international partners. It is a large international pass with a handful of strategically important limits.
Four real-world calendars
The premium earns its place only when the calendar finds a limit.
Denver / Colorado skier
Breckenridge, Keystone and Crested Butte can carry a large winter on Local. Full matters when Vail and Beaver Creek days accumulate, restricted dates matter or Telluride becomes a real trip.
School-holiday family
Fixed dates at Vail, Park City, Whistler, Stowe or the restricted Tahoe resorts strengthen the case for full Epic. A family willing to use unrestricted Local mountains can still make Local work.
Whistler skier
If Whistler carries much of the season, full Epic has a much stronger case. Local's shared 10-day allocation is not a Whistler season pass.
International traveler
Europe, RCR or Telluride can earn the premium. If Japan is the primary international trip, Local already includes the same Hakuba and Rusutsu allocation.
Direct decision
Buy the restriction you need removed, not the larger name.
Epic Local makes more sense when…
- Breckenridge, Keystone, Crested Butte or another unrestricted Local mountain carries most of the season.
- Ten combined Vail, Beaver Creek and Whistler days are enough.
- You can route around Local's restricted dates or do not ski the affected mountains then.
- Telluride and the RCR partners are not real trips this winter.
- Local's international access already covers the trips that matter.
- Saving $300 matters more than removing restrictions you may never encounter.
Full Epic makes more sense when…
- Vail, Beaver Creek or Whistler is a repeat destination and the shared pool is too restrictive.
- Fixed holiday dates overlap a Local-restricted destination.
- Telluride is genuinely on the calendar.
- RCR access matters in British Columbia, Alberta or Québec.
- Deeper European access is likely to be used.
- You want fewer calendar and destination compromises instead of planning around Local's limits.
Check the dates before choosing the tier.
Use the 2026/27 Epic blackout guide for the resort-specific calendar, including Northeast Value and Verbier exceptions.