Tag Archives: Vail Resorts

Family-Friendly Ski Pass Deals You Don’t Want To Miss!

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Skiing can be expensive, so if you are a family that likes to ski, it’s best to get a season pass. Here is what you should know about current pass promotions for families with kids and teens. I’m posting now even though Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass has not posted their 2018/19 season pass details because there are some time sensitive season pass decisions to be made. Here’s what we know about family-friendly promotions for the new IKON Pass and the Mountain Collective. 

IKON Pass. The new IKON offers different levels of passes just like the Epic, but does it a little differently. They offer unlimited access to Winter Park, Copper Mountain, Steamboat, Eldora, Mammoth, Squaw Valley, and a few more. with then limited access to mountains like Aspen, Snowmass, Jackson Hole, Big Sky, and more. They offer 26 ski destinations in North America. The passes for kids or teens fully match up with the adult pass products.

Kids 12 & under: $149 for Ikon Base Pass & $199 for Ikon Pass. The kids pass price is good through April 9, 2018.

Teens/College: $479 for Ikon Base & $719 for Ikon

[For perspective: one day lift tickets at Aspen are $169/adult and $112/child/teen]

Get the details @ IKON Pass

Mountain Collective Pass. This pass offers 2 days of skiing at their 16 resorts for a total of 32 days of skiing at resorts such as Aspen, Alta, Taos, Snowbird, etc. This may work for some families, but it may not for others. The kids passes fully match up with the adult pass product. Early Season Adult price: $409

Kids 12 & under: Get a kid’s pass for $1 with the purchase of an adult pass and $99 for additional kid passes.

Teens/College: No Discount – real bummer!

[For perspective: one day lift tickets at Aspen are $169/adult and $112/child/teen]

Get the details @ Mountain Collective.

Epic Pass. No news yet from Vail Resorts on their 2018/19 season pass products. I’m wondering what to expect from Vail – I assume we will see the FREE Epic School Kids back which offers 16 days of skiing between Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone, for kids K-5th grade. The question is will Vail Resorts jump in with more discounted kids and teen passes? If they want to get more ski families in the Front Range and beyond, I sure hope so. I’m crossing my fingers!

Get the details @ Epic Pass  or Epic School Kids

Are you excited for the new IKON Pass? What pass will your family get? I’d love to hear your thoughts…

#Skiing #SkiPasses #Vail #EpicPass #IKONPass #MountainCollective #Kids #Families

ALL Colorado K-5th Grade Kids Get 16 days of FREE Skiing! Find out how…

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Elementary kids in Colorado – It’s your lucky day! Colorado elementary school kids don’t have to wait until they are in 5th/6th grade to get their own ski pass – Vail Resorts’ Epic School Kids now offers FREE skiing to ALL elementary school children.

The catch? Get your kids registered by October 8, 2016!

Q: WHAT IS THE EPIC SCHOOL KIDS?

Epic School Kids is a FREE program for Kindergarten through 5th graders that provides skiing and riding at some of Colorado’s best areas – Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, and Keystone. That means 4 days of FREE Skiing at each area or 16 days in all.

The pass also includes one FREE first-timer ski or ride lesson with equipment rental.

Q: ARE THERE RESTRICTIONS?

The following are blackout dates: 11/25/16-11/26/16, 12/26/16-12/31/16, 1/14/17 and 2/18/17-2/19/17

Q. HOW CAN PARENTS ENROLL THEIR CHILDREN IN EPIC SCHOOL KIDS?

Parents can take their children to a participating Front Range Colorado Ski & Golf, or Boulder Ski Deals location to register their child in person. In Boulder – just head to Boulder Ski Deals. Take a look at what you need to bring below.

Want more details? Epic School Kids

ALL Colorado K-5th Grade Kids Get An Epic Kids Pack [4 days of FREE Skiing at 4 Colorado Vail Resorts]

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Elementary kids in Colorado – It’s your lucky day! Colorado elementary school kids don’t have to wait until they are in 5th/6th grade to get their own ski pass – now Vail Resorts is offering their new Epic SchoolKids Colorado Pack – and it offers FREE skiing to ALL elementary school children. Vail Resorts just announced that they will be offering Colorado K-5th grade kids a FREE pass as part of their newly launched Epic School Kids Colorado Pack program. That means 4 days of FREE Sking at Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone and Breckenridge. Vail Resorts is saying that this is a limited time opportunity, so I say get over to Boulder Ski Deals – see below for what you will need to provide them as proof of eligibility.

Current School of Shred [this is the old 5th/6th grade FREE ski program] participants can get the same deal for their child who is going into 6th grade next year – 4 FREE days at Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, and Breckenridge.

Q: WHAT IS THE EPIC SCHOOLKIDS COLORADO PACK?

The Epic SchoolKids Colorado Pack is a FREE program for Kindergarten through 5th graders that provides skiing and riding at each of the state’s top-ranked resorts: Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, and Keystone (restricted: 11/27/15-11/28/15, 12/26/15-12/31/15, 1/16/16 and 2/13/16-2/14/16.)  It includes one FREE first-timer ski or ride lesson with equipment rental during the month of January. (The first-timer lesson is only available from 1/5/16-1/31/16 as a part of “Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month” and is not available 1/1-1/4/16 or 1/15/16-1/17/16.)  Additionally, Epic SchoolKids Colorado Pack provides unlimited summer 2015 scenic chair lift rides at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, and Keystone.

Q. HOW CAN PARENTS ENROLL THEIR CHILDREN IN EPIC SCHOOLKIDS?

Parents can take their children to a participating Front Range Colorado Ski & Golf, or Boulder Ski Deals location to register their child in person. In Boulder – just head to Boulder Ski Deals. Take a look at what you need to bring below.

Q. WHAT DO PARENTS NEED TO BRING TO REGISTER THEIR CHILD FOR EPIC SCHOOLKIDS?

The parent must bring

  • The child must be present at the time of registration
  • A physical copy of the student report card/transcript/school ID or birth certificate
  • A physical photo of the student (no sunglasses, hats or others in the photo)

 

Want more details? Epic School Kids Colorado Pack

Time to Start Thinking Skiing! Get Free Ski Passes for Your 5th and 6th Graders!

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IMG_0070If you have a 5th or 6th grader it is time to start thinking about getting them their Free/Cheap Ski/Snowboard passes. The way it works is that there are two different programs: School of Shred & Colorado Ski Country USA. They both offer 5th graders free skiing, but at different locations, so you want to get both! They offer 6th graders cheap or free skiing depending on the program. More details below.

5th Graders: You get 4 days of free skiing at all Colorado Vail Resorts: Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and A-Basin [School of Shred]. In addition you get 3 days of free skiing at 20 other Colorado ski resorts including Aspen, Buttermilk, Steamboat, Copper Mountain, Winter Park, and many more [Colorado Ski Country USA]. And you also get one free ski/snowboard lesson and equipment rental through both programs – so essentially you could take 2 free lessons with rental gear if you are new to skiing or snowboardng. They really want you to get good!

6th Graders: You can purchase a pass for 4 days at all 20 Ski Country USA resorts for $99 [these are the smaller resorts]. This is a screaming good deal! School of Shred on the other hand is offering the same deal for 6th graders as they did for 5th graders–4 free days of skiing at their resorts.

It is time to get your child[ren] registered! Don’t forget to register for both programs – especially if you have a 5th grader!

School of Shred Passport – Sign Up

Colorado Ski Country USA Passport – Sign Up

Have fun skiing/snowboarding!

Trip Review: Riding the Mountain at Beaver Creek and More!

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Skyler biking on the Rose Pedal trail in Beaver Creek.

Our family loves heading to the mountains! We are avid skiers and at least some of us love mountain biking. Sometimes on long Boulder rides our kids complain, but when we take them to a resort where we take the chairlift up, they always enjoy themselves!

Recently we headed to Beaver Creek for a conference my husband was attending and decided to take our nine year old. We love the entire Vail Valley for it’s ski potential, but it is easy to forget that this area is bustling in the summer with so much to do! There were families everywhere enjoying all the recreation options, sitting by a fire pit in the heart of Beaver Creek Village eating pizzas they picked up, making s’mores, ice skating, biking, hiking, swimming, etc… And these resorts know how to make it easy!

What can you do at ski resorts during the summer?

  • Mountain Bike: You can head up hill on your own or you can take the chairlift up and bike down. With kids we always choose the later. They love finding the fun trails down. They also enjoy eating up on the mountain! There were so many kids there! The really young ones were playing in sand box at the top of the lift, others were exploring, eating at the restaurant, or getting ready to hike or bike. Our favorite mountain biking trail was the Rose Pedal. We did this at least 4 times.
  • Hiking: There are endless hiking options in the Beaver Creek area. Hiking on the mountain gives you endless options for hikes for all levels. The flowers are amazing and the views are spectacular! Our favorite hike in that Vail Valley is Booth Creek Falls in Vail.
  • Ice Skating: They keep the ice rinks open all year around. So lace up your skates and take a twirl. The kids love this in the early evening!
  • Roast Marshmallows/Make S’mores: Beaver Creek is renowned for their warm cookies after a long day of skiing. In the summer if you stay at a hotel the warm cookies turned to s’more makings by the outdoor fire pit. Yummmmm!
  • Activities: Kids [and adults] can try their hand on outdoor climbing walls, a putt putt golf course, and much more.
  • Swimming: Take a dip with your kids, slope side. My son loved swimming after a long  day of biking, hiking, & playing!

Things to consider for your visit:

  • Lodging: You can rent directly from any of the hotels in Beaver Creek, or try Vail On Sale, a discount lodging site for Vail and Beaver Creek. You can always enjoy Beaver Creek via a VRBO [Vacation Rental By Owner] deal. This option can net you a condo or house which might work best if you have a larger group.
  • Mountain Biking & Hiking: Purchase chairlift tickets for yourself and your bike onsite or here. It looks like the prices are the same if you purchase ahead of time or right when you need them. Often I find waiting with the kids is best because I just never know what might come up. Kids under 12 are FREE!
  • Activities: There are events and concerts happening all year around. To find out what is happening at Beaver Creek check in here.

#vailresorts #mountainbiking #getoutdoors #kids #families #beavercreek #

Eldora Included with Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass Next Season: Great news for Boulder Families!

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If you have ever felt torn between the ease of Eldora and the big mountains of Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Breckenridge & A-Basin this new announcement is fantastic! So now when you purchase a Vail Resorts Epic Pass [not a small investment!] you can either face the traffic, rent a place in the mountains, or decide on a short commute day and head up to Eldora whenever you please. Eldora offers some fun terrain–especially for kids–and it is so close.

The truth is my family has not skied Eldora for years because of getting Vail passes. We have not wanted to purchase extra tickets so even when friends invite our kids to Eldora we say no. But there are certainly days we would love to leave I-70 behind and stay local. Now we can! But you have to purchase the Epic Pass to get the benefit.

For more information on passes go to the EpicPass website.

Below is the Daily Camera article announcing the collaboration on 3/12/2013:

Eldora to be included in Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass next season

Steve Shelp, of Lafayette, has some fun in the mini terrain park at Eldora Mountain Resort on Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. (Jeremy Papasso / Daily Camera file photo)

Starting next season, Eldora Mountain Resort in Boulder County will be included in the Epic Pass, Broomfield-based Vail Resorts announced today.

The Epic Pass now includes unlimited access to nine resorts in three states with the addition of Eldora, the resort which sits about 45 minutes from Boulder.

Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Breckenridge, Arapahoe Basin, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood and now Eldora are included in the pass, which currently costs $689 for adults and $359 for children.

“We are thrilled to offer Eldora Mountain Resort as part of next season’s Epic Pass for Colorado skiers and snowboarders,” said Kirsten Lynch, Vail Resorts’ executive vice president and chief marketing officer, in a news release.