Epic Pass drops price by 20% for Generation Z

The ski industry has been trying for years to solve an equation that is no longer just about sport or climate, but also demographics. The “core skier” is ageing, the cost of entry remains high and consumer habits have changed. In this context, the move by Vail Resorts – with the return of Robert Katz to the helm of the company after replacing the recently arrived Kirsten Lynch, whose annual remuneration was around $6 million – makes the strategic shift announced by the group even more significant.

The discount on the Epic Pass is not just a simple commercial promotion: it is a clear sign of how one of the world’s largest ski resort operators is trying to adapt to a rapidly changing market.

The company has announced that it is reducing the price of the Epic Pass for young people aged 13 to 30 by 20%, bringing it down to £869, while the adult price (30+) rises to £1,089. At the same time, the Epic Local Pass for the same age group will drop to £649 (with a maximum saving of up to £220).

At I Love Ski, we believe that the industry outlook is clear: if skiing wants to continue growing, it needs to turn Generation Z into regular skiers, not sporadic visitors.

The battle for the 25-year-old skier begins with the price of the ski pass.

We have already discussed the discount, but it does not come alone. Vail also reinforces the social component of the product with an incentive that is very much in line with Gen Z behaviour and aimed at those who purchase certain season passes early:

You will have 10 Epic Friend Tickets available at a 50% discount to invite friends.

This is not a minor detail. For Generation Z, value is not defined solely by absolute price, but by the ability to turn the experience into something shareable and collective. Vail makes this explicit in his own communication when he talks about “prioritising experiences” when deciding where to spend time and money.

In addition, the company is adding a bridge to attract customers who still purchase individual ski passes: those who have skied this season with a day ticket at one of its resorts can obtain up to £120 off when switching to a season pass in 2026/27; with the new rate, that could bring the Epic Pass Gen Z below £700 in some cases.

In business terms, we consider this to be a very smart strategy: it reduces entry friction, encourages early purchasing, and turns young people into influencers by bringing their friends to the domain.

There is a risk. The younger generation spends money on Chipotle, Playstation 5 or buying the new Nike Air Force 1 trainers.

According to information gathered by the American financial press, Generation Z accounted for approximately 26% of ski visits last season, but their share has been declining since the peak in 2020/21.

That nuance is key. It is not enough to say “young people are there”: you have to look at the trend. If the quota falls, the sector loses its natural replacement and is exposed to a scenario where skiing gradually becomes a niche leisure activity for older, higher-income profiles.

And this is where the data from Snowsports Industries America (SIA), the US winter outdoor industry association, which in its 2023/24 participation study points out that total participation in snow sports in the United States exceeded 30 million for the first time, with growth concentrated particularly in the under-18 and 18-24 age groups, while the 25–54 age group remained more stable.

In other words, young people do practise skiing or snowboarding… but the challenge is to retain them and accompany them in the critical transition to stable consumption (season passes, trips, equipment, lessons, loyalty to destinations). Epic Pass is tackling precisely that point.

Gen Z “tastes” applied to the mountains: experience, identity, and social proof

When analysing Generation Z’s leisure consumption in the United States, skiing no longer competes solely with other winter sports, but with a much broader ecosystem of brands, experiences and products that capture their attention and budget.

Firstly, fashion and sports footwear play a central role: trainers such as Nike Air Force 1, Nike Dunk and Adidas Samba have become true cultural icons among young people, while brands such as lululemon and American Eagle dominate the casual clothing segment. Added to this is growing spending on personal technology, where products such as the iPhone, AirPods and PlayStation 5 are part of this generation’s everyday equipment.

Beauty and personal care also account for a significant portion of their budget, with viral brands such as Rare Beauty, e.l.f. Cosmetics and CeraVe amplified through social platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. At the same time, social spending is concentrated on fast-paced, shareable consumer experiences, from chains such as Chipotle, Chick-fil-A and McDonald’s to entertainment subscriptions such as Netflix and Spotify, as well as video games with internal economies, such as Fortnite, which generate recurring purchases.

Various market studies on youth consumption habits in the United States indicate that these categories account for a substantial portion of Generation Z’s discretionary spending, which means that industries such as skiing compete not only with other tourist destinations, but with a whole universe of cultural and digital products capable of offering immediate gratification, social identity, and visibility on social media. In other words,

“When a resort tries to attract a 22-year-old skier, its real competitor is no longer necessarily another mountain, but a pair of Nike Dunks or a new iPhone.”

If we translate this into tourism products, Generation Z does not just buy “kilometres of slopes”. They buy a combination of three things: experience, belonging and storytelling.

On the one hand, Gen Z is characterised by an emotional economy and a search for memorable experiences, but at the same time it is a generation under budget pressure, very sensitive to value and less loyal to brands if it does not perceive a clear quality/price ratio.

On the other hand, their leisure decisions are increasingly linked to wellbeing and life balance (free time, mental health, autonomy), even above purely material objectives, according to recent consumer surveys.

In the snow, this translates into patterns that European resorts are increasingly recognising: the culture of “short breaks” with friends, après-ski as an event, unstoppable visual content as part of the experience, and a growing interest in formats that lower the barrier to entry (packs, flexible passes, smart rental, integrated transport).

Epic Pass is not lowering “a price”; it is adapting skiing to Gen Z language, where the experience must be accessible, social, and easy to plan.

When you see your American neighbour’s beard being cut…

Although the movement is taking place in North America, the mirror effect for Europe is evident. The Alps have been observing the transformation of the ski industry’s economic model for years: the rise of large multi-ownership passes, the need to attract families and new generations, and growing competition from other leisure industries. If Vail succeeds in reactivating Generation Z through pricing and community logic, European resorts are likely to face increasing competitive pressure on several fronts.

The first is generational pricing. For decades, ski passes have been designed according to age: child, adult or senior. However, Generation Z is a segment with its own characteristics: limited budgets, short trips, high social consumption and low brand loyalty if they do not perceive immediate value. Adapting the price of access to this profile – as Epic Pass is doing – can become a strategic tool for converting occasional skiers into repeat customers.

The second front is the social dimension of skiing. Young people don’t just consume sport, they consume shared experiences. Invitation programmes, credits for friends, digital rewards or advantages within user communities can become powerful drivers of recruitment. In an environment where the decision to travel is often made as a group, a skier’s ability to attract others can be as valuable as individual loyalty.

The third axis is not new, but it remains relevant and has to do with redefining the skiable area as a platform for experiences. Generation Z is not only looking for kilometres of slopes, but also a cultural environment: music, gastronomy, events, visual aesthetics, spaces where they can produce content and socialise. Resorts such as Laax, Ischgl and some North American resorts are already working in this direction, integrating sport, lifestyle and culture into a coherent narrative.

In this context, the message to the industry is clear: the future of skiing will not be decided solely by snow quality, the modernisation of ski lifts or the sensations provided by the best All-Mountain skis of 2026 — although these will remain essential — but rather on the ability of destinations to adapt their economic, social, and cultural model to a generation that consumes the mountains in a different way.

The question, therefore, is no longer just how to improve the experience of traditional skiers, but how to convert a digital, mobile and demanding generation into the community that will sustain skiing in the coming decades.