Vail Slashes 50% Off Friends' Day Tickets—But Read the Fine Print!
If you know a passholder and can commit to one specific day, Epic Friend Tickets are a great deal. But they’re not a Vermont perk — and if you can’t ski that day, you’re out of luck.
Vail Resorts, owner of Stowe, Okemo, and Mount Snow, is overhauling its discount ticket system this winter. Gone are the “Buddy” and “Ski With a Friend” tickets. In their place: Epic Friend Tickets, an opportunity of 50% off a single-day lift ticket — which can mean saving nearly $100 at Vermont’s most expensive mountains.
But there’s a catch. Actually, several.
The Rules in Plain English
Who controls them? Only Epic Pass holders — whether they live in Vermont, Massachusetts, or anywhere else.
How many do they get? Each passholder gets between 6 and 10 half-price tickets per season.
Who can use them? Anyone the passholder chooses. There’s no residency requirement — Vermonters don’t automatically get access.
How are they used? The passholder must send you a digital link for a specific date. You buy the discounted ticket through your own Epic account, and it loads into the My Epic app.
Here’s the kicker: Each friend can only redeem one discounted ticket per day. In practice, that usually means one ski day at 50% off — not a whole week, not a season’s worth.
The Fine Print
Epic Friend Tickets come with a use-it-or-lose-it rule. Once purchased, they are non-refundable and locked to the date chosen by the passholder. If your plans change or the weather turns bad, you can’t just move it to another day.
While some skiers say Vail’s guest services will occasionally shift a ticket before it’s used, that’s not guaranteed — and it’s not official policy. In other words, you should only buy a Friend Ticket if you’re sure you can ski on that specific date.
Why It Feels Complicated
For Vermonters, the system raises more questions than it answers. If you know a passholder, you can snag a steep discount — but only once, on the exact date the passholder designates. If you don’t know a passholder, you’re stuck with either the full $175–$200 ticket window price or navigating Vail’s advance-purchase “Epic Day Pass,” which is cheaper but less flexible.
So the “deal” depends on three things:
Knowing someone with a pass.
Getting one of their limited tickets.
Being locked into the exact date they assign.
Why Vail Designed It This Way
The fine print reveals what this is really about:
Rewarding passholders. They feel like VIPs because they hold the keys to cheaper tickets.
Creating scarcity. Limiting the number of discounted tickets keeps the program from devaluing the pass.
Capturing new customers. When you buy a Friend Ticket, you give Vail your information — and they’ll push you to buy your own pass next season.
What Vermonters Should Know
This isn’t a Vermont discount. It’s a Vail marketing tool. A Vermonter without a pass is in the same boat as a skier from Boston or New York: you’ll only get the deal if you’re connected to someone in the club — and if you’re locked into a date that actually works.
Still, for that one day, if you line it up right, Epic Friend Tickets are the cheapest way to ski Stowe, Okemo, or Mount Snow this winter.
Alternatives If You Don’t Know a Passholder
Epic Day Pass: Buy online early, save 25–35% — but you lose flexibility if your plans change.
Vermont-owned mountains: Resorts like Mad River Glen, Bolton Valley, or Burke offer lower day prices and Vermont ID deals.
Pass math: If you’ll ski 4–5+ days, the Northeast Value Pass ($656) is the most cost-effective option.
Midweek Strategy: Day tickets are always cheaper midweek, when demand is lower.
📌 Takeaway: If you know a passholder and can commit to one specific day, Epic Friend Tickets are a great deal. But they’re not a Vermont perk — and if you can’t ski that day, you’re out of luck.