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Skiers amped about Vail’s Epic Pass

Melanie Wong
mwong@vaildaily.com
Vail, CO Colorado

VAIL, Colorado ” Glancing out the window Tuesday afternoon at the fast-falling snow in Colorado’s Vail Valley,Morgan Kolek said she couldn’t wait to go snowboarding.

“I’m so excited,” said Kolek, who recently moved to Avon from California. “It just needs to snow more and stay on the ground.”

Skiers and snowboarders have until Saturday to purchase the Epic Pass, which gives unlimited access to Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Heavenly and Arapahoe Basin with no black-out dates for $579. Vail Resorts also announced earlier this week that it will the sales of their Summit and Colorado passes at fall prices until Nov. 16.



“It’s designed to reward our most loyal guests,” said Vail Resorts spokeswoman Kelly Ladyga. “It offers a way to make a commitment to our resort early on and be able to come back and ski our resorts for a day or a week-long trip at different times for a terrific value.”

Ladyga said the company is not releasing numbers on how many passes have been sold.

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While some in the Vail have worried the pass will draw overwhelming crowds that willl stress local parking facilities, many residents say they are taking advantage of the Epic Pass deal.

Kolek said she got an Epic Pass through her job at Beano’s Cabin, but that she would have bought one anyway.

“It’s way worth it, considering now with prices the way they are. You go five times and you’ve paid for it,” she said.

Vail resident Jozef Hulec said he bought an Epic Pass because it was the best deal he’d seen in his eight years living here.

“It’s the first time it’s been so cheap. At first I couldn’t believe it, and then I heard more and more people talking about it,” he said.

Chelsea Rude, who said she is looking forward to her first ski season in the valley, said she has been saving to purchase the Epic Pass.

“I’m very psyched,” she said. “It’s not the easiest thing to (afford), but I think it’s worth it. With the Epic Pass, I can ski everywhere for unlimited days. And what else am I going to do around here?”

Others were set with their merchant passes, provided through businesses.

Jonathan Franz, who works at Starbucks, said the included pass was a “massive” factor in why he took the job.

“That’s why I’m here,” he said, grinning. “I can’t wait to board.”

Staff Writer Melanie Wong can be reached at 970-748-2928 or mwong@vaildaily.com.


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