Update - September 9th, 2026
The new prices were revealed by Vail Resorts this morning. For adults, the Epic Pass increased $26 to $1,145, and the Epic Local Pass increased $20 to $849.

Vail Resorts has announced prices for its 2026/27 Epic Pass products will increase after September 7, 2026. This year has been difficult to predict due to a number of factors at play, but historical trends suggest the price of the Epic Pass will rise $28 to $1,147, and the Epic Local Pass will likely go up $22 to $851.

The price increase estimates we provide are based on an analysis of past trends, which show different patterns in how much the Epic Pass and Epic Local Pass typically rise in September.

Why this year is harder to predict

This year, both Vail Resorts and Alterra Mountain Co. (owner of the Ikon Pass) have departed from the relative consistency of 2022-2025 with regard to updating their passes’ prices. All passes went on sale with their lowest year-over-year price bump since 2021.

At the end of its introductory pricing period, Alterra increased the price of the Ikon Pass by $50 in April instead of the $100 increase seen in three out of the last four years. Conversely, the full Epic Pass increased by $30 at the end of this year’s introductory pricing, which was 15% more than we had expected.

Adding further uncertainty to our predictions, Vail Resorts reported a 10% decrease in the number of passes sold through the end of May compared to 2025. It is unclear whether this report will lead to a deviation in either direction from the price increase patterns of prior years. If there were to be a change, Vail Resorts could opt for a larger increase in an attempt to offset the lower volume of passes being sold, or a smaller one with the hope of enticing people who put off buying a pass in the spring.

Epic Pass

Over the last four years, the Epic Pass’s September price increases have only grown from $20 to $22, which may raise eyebrows over our $28 prediction. Our estimate is based on the relationship between the May and September increases of the same year rather than on prior September increases alone.

Since 2022, the Epic Pass’s September price increase has been getting smaller relative to its May counterpart, shrinking from $2 above the May increase to $2 below it last year. With this year’s price increase of $30 in May, we believe the price of the Epic Pass will be close to $1,147 after this increase.

Epic Local Pass

The Epic Local Pass’s history has shown relatively consistent behavior, with increases of $17, $16 and $16 in the last three years. Those amounts were $1, $1 and $3 more than the increases in May of the same years, respectively. Based on those numbers, we feel our estimate of a $22 September increase this year will be close to the actual amount.

Price increase timing

The early September date of the price increase aligns with Vail Resorts’ typical pricing schedule, where the cost of a pass goes up shortly after Labor Day each year. Based on previous years, pass prices will likely go up again in early-to-mid October and mid-November.

Note: Vail Resorts tends to provide at least a 24-hour grace period after its announced deadlines before increasing prices. So, if you miss the published deadline, you may still have a short window to buy at the lower price.

For a detailed record of past pricing changes for both Epic and Ikon passes, see the full price history page.