Over the past decade, the growth of multi-resort season pass sales has been good news for the ski industry. But in many ways, those skiers are low-hanging fruit; they’re already committed to the sport, likely to ski multiple days and willing to purchase a pass months in advance. Now, for long-term economic health, resort operators increasingly see the need to attract a harder-to-reach group: less-frequent skiers, for whom high window-ticket prices are a well-publicized deterrent, not an incentive to buy a season pass.

Just consider this stat from the 2024–25 Kottke End of Season and Demographic Report: 73 percent of all U.S. skiers and snowboarders got to the slopes five days or less in 2024-25. That means the industry has been catering to less than a third of all skiers with its focus on season-pass sales. 

“It was one of the data points we used to help identify the market of more casual skiers,” says Dave Belin, COO of the Snow Triple Play pass and chair of the National Ski Areas Association’s growth committee.

True, some in that market segment buy season passes, then use them for only a few days. But overall, there’s a big opportunity to bridge the gap between season passes and daily lift tickets with products that are more flexible and user-friendly than the traditional multiday ticket. Here’s a look at how some of the products aimed at casual (and new) skiers performed this past winter and what the future may hold.

Multiday Ticket Packages

In recent years, more resorts have added multiday packages that skiers purchase in advance at significant savings, can be used throughout the season, and are sometimes transferable to family or friends. Some of these products are even good at multiple ski areas. Their popularity appears to be increasing.

Mission Affordable. For example, for several years, Pacific Group Resorts (PGR) has offered the Mission Affordable Quad Pack (from $269–$289 during the initial sales period): four fully transferable tickets valid all season at one resort, with no blackout dates. This past winter, Jay Peak, Vt., saw the biggest jump in Quad Pack sales among PGR’s portfolio, doubling unit sales thanks in part to great early-season snowfall, says PGR VP and chief marketing officer Christian Knapp. 

Across the board, multipack unit sales were up 28 percent. Knapp attributes the growth to better product awareness. PGR has relied on each resort’s databases, plus word of mouth and referrals to reach new guests.

Freestyle pass. Boyne Resorts introduced the non-transferable Boyne Freestyle pass last winter, which gives three- to seven-day access at all 10 of its ski areas, starting at $399 for three days. The only blackout days are at Big Sky Resort, Mont., but as of this spring, the pass now includes the Lone Peak Tram, too. “It outperformed our expectations,” says Stacie Harris, Boyne Resorts VP of communications.

Multiday tickets for individual resorts continue to be one of the company’s strongest-growing product segments in all markets, she adds. “It delivers on two things guests increasingly prioritize: the value that comes from committing to multiple days and the flexibility to use those days on their own schedule.”

Triple Play. Snow Partners, owner of Mountain Creek and Big Snow American Dream, N.J., launched another multi-mountain newcomer last winter: Snow Triple Play. As the name implies, the $199 non-transferable product offered three total days of skiing or riding at any of 16 small to midsize resorts in the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada. The only caveat: no more than two days can be used at any one resort. Sales exceeded expectations, according to Belin. “It continues to prove the point that skiers and snowboarders like variety and like to go to someplace they maybe haven’t been lately,” he says.

Most first-year purchasers live in the New York metropolitan area, and resort partners in the Catskills and Adirondacks, as well as Mountain Creek, received the most redemptions. Snow Triple Play plans to expand the pass geographically for next winter. 

Single-Day Savings

Epic Friends. When Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz termed lift tickets “an essential driver of revenue and long-term growth” in a September 2025 earnings call, it was perhaps an unexpected statement from the mastermind behind the Epic Pass. Epic Friends, introduced last fall, was the first part of a strategy to enhance products and pricing that complement Vail Resorts’ pass program (pass holders could share a 50-percent daily ticket discount with up to 10 friends).

During Vail Resorts’ March earnings call, Katz noted pricing adjustments to the Epic Day Pass resulted in higher sales of one- and two-day passes this winter. He also said the redemption rate of Epic Friends tickets was greater than that of past pass holder benefits. “We saw a lot of folks going into Epic Friend, who came from a lot of different kind of corners, so to speak, and so we felt like that was a real positive,” said Katz.

Best Deal. For two seasons, Sugarbush, Vt., has offered the $99 Best Deal Ticket, which includes a bonus day that can be redeemed after April 1. “Finding a ticket product with a lower barrier to entry was really important to us, as we need to continue to find new ways to bring skiers here,” says director of communications and community engagement John Bleh. “Hopefully, someone comes, loves the place, buys a quad ticket or season pass next year, and joins the family more permanently.”

The ticket has appealed to both casual skiers and Sugarbush pass holders who have friends or family coming to visit. In the product’s second year, as people gained awareness of it, says Bleh, sales skyrocketed, with a 60 percent increase in units sold over the first winter.

Midweek philanthropy. Copper Mountain has also had success with its Play Forever Thursdays, which combines a midweek discount with philanthropy. Introduced in the 2019-20 season, the $99 advance-purchase ticket is good on Thursdays from early January through early April, and a portion of proceeds benefit nonprofit partners. “It’s the best opportunity for guests to access Copper at a great value while directly supporting organizations that make a meaningful impact in our community,” says communications and philanthropy manager Olivia Butrymovich. As of late March, the program had raised more than $850,000 for some 35 nonprofits.

Midweek savings. Ski Cooper, one of Colorado’s smaller ski areas, introduced a new midweek pricing model in winter 2024-25, aiming to divert skier traffic from busy weekends (see “Breaking Down the Cost Barrier,” SAM, May 2025). In that first season, tickets cost $45 Mondays to Thursdays (outside of holiday and spring break dates). This winter, the offer was extended to Fridays at $49 a day (whether purchased in advance or at the window), about half off the $99 weekend rate.

In the program’s first winter, says CEO Dan Torsell, it attracted new skiers as well as guests new to Ski Cooper. Though final numbers for this season were not available in late March, there were some early indicators of continued success in reaching beginners.

Whereas lift ticket sales and overall skier numbers were down about 40 percent—due largely to the atypically low snowfall and a premature closing date—lesson and rental numbers were down only 20 percent. “That tells me that we are getting newer skiers—or smart people who didn’t want to use their own equipment,” says Torsell.

Additionally, when compared to the 2023-24 season, before the midweek pricing change took place, rentals were down only 11 percent this season and lessons were actually up by 2 percent.

Attracting Beginners (and Others)

Never-evers pay less. Getting more people to try skiing, especially as many Baby Boomers age out of the sport, has been a longtime issue for the industry. The good news: resorts haven’t stopped trying. “We feel pretty confident we have one of the best never-ever programs in the industry,” says PGR’s Knapp. Indeed, some of the company’s resorts offer a full-day lift ticket and rental plus half-day lesson for $19-$25. Guests can then roll that fee into a future lesson.

So do intermediates. Now, PGR is looking at growing a product already offered at Jay Peak: a four-pack of group lessons for intermediates, starting at $119 (lessons must then be reserved in advance). The company plans to extend that model to additional resorts, with lesson vouchers transferrable among skiers.

Indy’s Learn to Turn. Meanwhile, sales of Indy Pass’s new Learn to Turn product—which included three days of lift tickets plus rentals and lessons for $189, redeemable at participating Indy partners—were double expectations. Last winter, 67 ski areas signed on; Indy Pass director Erik Mogensen believes that number will approach 100 for the 2026-27 season. 

“What was really interesting is that there were a ton of referrals from current Indy pass holders,” says Mogensen. Buyers referred by a pass holder paid only $149 for the package. More than a third of Learn to Turn guests converted to a full Indy Pass for next winter. And resorts with no restrictions on when beginners could come received the most visits. 

“We wanted to create a product that would change the narrative of skiing being exclusive and expensive,” says Mogensen.

Mission accomplished? We’ll keep you posted.