With 100 days until the lifts open, Aspen Skiing Company released this winter’s season pass prices Tuesday morning, with rates about 6 to 7% higher than last year for most of the offerings.
That’s slightly less, percentage-wise, than the increase two ski industry giants applied to their multi-resort mega-passes this year: Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass prices went up about 8% this year, and Alterra Mountain Company’s Ikon Pass offerings rose about 7 to 8%. But it’s still a steeper increase than SkiCo applied to most passes last year, when rates rose an average of 5.5%.
The increases mean that unlimited access to the slopes of Aspen Snowmass will cost most skiers roughly $1,800 to $3,300 this winter, depending on when they purchase their season pass and whether they get a discount through a local chamber of commerce.
The standard, “super early” Premier Pass rate, which applies through Sept. 15, is $2,779 this year, up $180 from the year before. Rates increase to an “early” tier on Sept. 16, when the pass will cost $2,994, then to “regular” pricing on Dec. 2, when the pass tops out at $3,314.
The “Chamber” Premier rate, meanwhile, is $1,809 at the “super early” tier for people who work for a Roaring Fork Valley business that’s a member of a local chamber of commerce. It will increase to $2,094 on Sept. 16, then top out at $2,324 on Dec. 2 when “regular” pricing goes into effect.
That price is $110 higher than last year’s chamber-discounted Premier rate, but only $10 more than the same pass cost three years ago. Amid pandemic restrictions in the 2020-21 season, SkiCo raised the Premier pass to $1,799 — a 22% increase from the year before — and offered a significantly cheaper weekday-only pass as an alternative in an effort to spread out the crowds on the slopes. The company then reduced the price and discontinued the weekday pass the following year for the 2021-22 season.
The Premier option includes all-you-can-ride lift access to Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk Mountain and Snowmass Ski Area, as well as an uphill pass for hiking and skinning up the local slopes and an Ikon Base Pass to access other resorts around the country. It also includes a few other passholder benefits, like discounted lift tickets and summer sightseeing access for the following season.
There are also discounted Premier-level passes available for children, teens, college students and seniors as well, though some of those passes don’t include the Ikon access. Kids, teens and college students can get a pass for $829 and seniors over 70 can get one for $699 at the super-early rate, without the Ikon pass; seniors between the ages of 65 and 69 will owe $2,074, but they do get an Ikon pass.
Those prices, like the standard and chamber-discounted Premier rates, are about 6 to 7% higher than last year, with the exception of the “Silver” pass for seniors over 70, up 11%.
Other passes with limited access to the slopes include the Alpine one-day and two-day options, which are valid one or two days per week throughout the season, and the Valley pass, valid any seven days between opening and closing day.
At the “super early” rates, the Alpine one-day pass is $1,119 with the chamber discount and $1,324 without; the two-day pass is $1,564 with the chamber discount and $1,944 without.
The Valley pass, which is intended for residents of the Roaring Fork Valley and nearby communities in the Colorado River Valley, is $469 this year during the “super early” period.
Buyers usually need to have a driver’s license or state ID with an eligible local address to purchase a Valley pass over the phone or online. But this year, during the last week of October, SkiCo will offer an in-person sale at the Aspen Mountain ticket office; anyone can purchase one Valley Pass during the sale, no ID required, as long as they show up in person.
Anyone who wants to hike or skin up SkiCo’s four mountains will also need to acquire an uphill pass. Premier passholders can opt in to get their uphill pass for free; all others will need to purchase a $69 pass, which includes a $10 donation to Mountain Rescue Aspen.
Aspen Mountain and Snowmass Ski Area are both slated to open on Nov. 23, keeping with the traditional Thanksgiving kickoff to the ski season. Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk Mountain are slated to open Dec. 9.
