Vail Resorts today announced target winter opening dates for the 2025/26 ski and ride season for resorts located in the North American Rocky Mountains and West, as well as Europe—plus a sneak peek at what’s in the mix for guests this season. Guests get access to all of these resorts and more with the Epic Pass, available now at the lowest price of the Fall until September 1. Now is the time to mark your calendars, get the trip out of the group chat with new “Epic Friend Tickets,” and unlock your adventure with five easy steps.

1. Pick Your Resorts

The season is less than 75 days away, and the resorts are gearing up. Keystone will be blazing the trail, opening as early as possible in October with the help of Mother Nature and the resort’s state-of-the-art, energy-efficient snowmaking system. The rest of Vail Resorts’ larger resorts in North America and Switzerland plan to open in the weeks that follow, and the season will last more than half the year, going all the way to May at Breckenridge and Whistler Blackcomb.

Target Opening Dates*

Mid-October (pending early season conditions): Keystone (CO)
November 7: Breckenridge (CO)
November 14: Vail Mountain (CO)
November 15: Gemsstock at Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis (Switzerland)
November 21: Heavenly (CA), Northstar (CA), Park City Mountain (UT), Whistler Blackcomb (British Columbia)
November 26: Beaver Creek (CO), Crested Butte (CO)
November 29: Crans-Montana (Switzerland)
December 5: Kirkwood (CA), Stevens Pass (WA)
*All opening dates are subject to change, based on weather and conditionsADVERTISEMENTVail Resorts will announce opening day targets for its resorts in the East closer to the start of the season. Those resorts expect to open consistent with target dates shared in years past.

2. Pick Your Fun

There’s so much fun to pick from this year across Vail Resorts’ portfolio, including guest experience enhancements, headline music acts, world-class competitions, signature dining experiences and more. Starting at Whistler Blackcomb, get ready to celebrate winter in a big way with the 60th Anniversary of Whistler Mountain and the new Wonder Routes. Alpine Sampler? Going for Gold? Glade Stashes? Or, here for the Après? No matter your ski and ride style, Wonder Routes offers a network of trails, waypoints, and stops to help you discover all of the wonders and jaw-dropping experiences that make Whistler Blackcomb one of the best resorts in the world. When you’re ready to call it a day on the mountain, the fun continues with a vibrant village and legendary après scene to carry the celebrations well into the evening.

Park City Mountain is set to debut the new Sunrise Gondola for winter 2025/26, replacing the Sunrise limited-access lift with a high-speed 10-person gondola for faster, more reliable access out of Canyons Village all the way to the Red Pine Lodge area. Paired with upgrades to beginner terrain and the kids’ Ski and Ride School area at Red Pine Lodge, these enhancements beckon guests to ignite their passion in a setting where they truly belong. Also returning this season, the new signature Orange Bubble Bite, a complimentary daily sweet treat made with orange, rosemary and honey, welcomes guests back to Canyons Village after a day on the mountain.

Starting this December in Colorado, Vail Mountain, Beaver Creek Resort, Keystone Resort and Breckenridge Ski Resort will be launching a new technology in the My Epic app that takes Ski and Ride School to the next level. With innovative new features, parents and students can easily check in for lessons, receive real-time updates and photos, track progress, and celebrate milestones and skills with digital badges, all from the convenience of their phone.

Keystone’s River Run Village is set to debut the highly anticipated Kindred Resort at the base of River Run Gondola. Kindred Resort will open as Colorado’s newest premier luxury development, featuring ski-in, ski-out residences along with a RockResorts-branded hotel. This new development will also be the new home of Keystone Ski and Ride School, and slopeside retail and rental. At Breckenridge, guests can expect the high-energy vibe and unique town-to-mountain connection to continue this season, with weekend concert series and high-level competitions to be announced closer to the season.

Special celebrations for milestone anniversary years are coming together across a number of Vail Resorts’ North American resorts. In addition to Whistler’s 60th anniversary, Heavenly is celebrating 70 years of fun and iconic Lake Tahoe views. On the East coast, Okemo celebrates 70 years of Vermont adventure, while Liberty hits 60 years of carving memories in the snow.

In Switzerland, Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis is adding two new six-seater chairlifts for the upcoming 2025/26 winter season. These new lifts will better connect Val Val to Cuolm Val and Val Val to Calmut, significantly increasing uphill capacity and reducing lift wait times. Additionally, Crans-Montana Mountain Resort has invested in upgraded snowmaking throughout the Verdets area with new energy-efficient snow guns, elevating the slope and snow quality.

Resorts across the portfolio will be celebrating this Olympic year with world-class competitions, including Birds of Prey at Beaver Creek, which will welcome back the U.S. Men’s Ski Team and racers from around the world and act as an Olympic qualifier from December 4-7. Whistler Blackcomb will host the World Ski and Snowboard Fest in April once again, and more events will be announced closer to the start of the season.

3. Pick Your Epic Friends

Last week, Vail Resorts announced it is cutting lift ticket prices in half for friends of Epic Pass Holders with new Epic Friend Tickets, making it easier for our most loyal guests to bring their friends to the slopes.

Season-long Pass Holders will receive 6-10 Epic Friend Tickets, depending on when they purchase their Pass. Epic Friend Tickets provide 50% off lift tickets at the company’s 37 North American resorts for the 2025/26 winter season. In addition, friends can apply 100% of the cost of one redeemed Epic Friend Ticket toward an eligible 2026/27 Epic Pass.**

Just like the Epic Pass, Epic Friend Tickets can be purchased through EpicPass.com and then activated in the My Epic app for direct-to-lift access, cutting out the need to stand in line at the ticket window. 

4. Pick Your Pass

Epic Passes give guests the opportunity to choose their Pass based on where they want to ski and ride. Passes are on sale now for the lowest price of the Fall before prices increase after September 1, 2025. Whether hitting the mountain for one day or all season, there’s an option for every skier and rider, from first timers to powder pros.

The 2025/26 Epic Pass ($1075 adults; $548 children) offers access to more than 90 resorts across the world, plus unlimited, unrestricted access to Vail Resorts’ 42 owned and operated mountain resorts. Iconic partner resorts and ski areas include Telluride, Colorado; Rusutsu and Hakuba Valley, Japan; Verbier 4 Vallées, Switzerland; Sölden, Austria; Saalbach and Zell am See-Kaprun, Austria; and more across Europe. In addition, Telluride Resort will not require reservations for Epic Pass Holders this year. This means that for the 2025/26 season, no Epic Pass resorts will require advance reservations.

The Epic Local Pass ($799 adults; $416 children) provides season-long access at an incredible value to 29 resorts, plus access to more destination resorts with some restrictions. Epic 1-7 Day Passes provide up to 65% savings compared to lift ticket prices by purchasing ahead of the season. More details on Pass options for the 2025/26 season are linked here. 

5. Pick Your Perks

All Epic Passes come with Epic Mountain Rewards, which offer exclusive discounts including 20% off on-mountain food and beverage, lodging, group ski and ride lessons, equipment rentals, and more – all winter long.

All skiers and riders get access to the My Epic app, which includes Mobile Pass and Mobile Lift Tickets with hands-free access – scannable straight from your pocket. It features interactive trail maps, tracks your stats, Finds Your Friends on the mountain, shares lift line status times, provides real-time mountain alerts, and more.

Now in its second year, My Epic Gear is better than renting and easier than owning. Guests can join for a seasonal membership fee, which then unlocks access to the latest gear from the top brands, including more than 60 of the latest ski and snowboard models. You can reserve in advance in the My Epic app for a low daily use fee that includes slopeside pick-up and drop-off at one of 12 participating resorts.

**Friends who do not hold a 2025/26 Pass can apply the full cost of a single redeemed Epic Friend Ticket towards eligible 2026/27 Passes, including Epic Pass, Epic Local Pass, and other regional passes for a limited time. The full list of eligible Passes will be available once 2026/27 Passes are on sale. 2025/26 Pass Holders are not eligible for this promotion. 

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Source: breakingtravelnews.com