The Ultimate Ski Pass Comparison for 2026–27: Epic, Ikon, Indy & Every Pass Worth Knowing

Every fall, the same conversation happens in every ski town group chat: someone buys the Ikon Pass because their friend has it, someone else buys Epic because it was on sale in March, and by January half the group is annoyed they can't ski together because nobody actually compared what they bought. A pass is a bet on a season you haven't skied yet — how many days, which mountains, whose company. Get the bet wrong and you're either paying $1,400 for a pass you use six times, or nickel-and-diming yourself on day tickets that would've been cheaper as a season pass by Presidents' Day.

This isn't a ranked list. There isn't a "best" ski pass — there's a best pass for your season, and that depends on things a marketing page won't ask you. Below: how to actually run the numbers, a real breakdown of Epic, Ikon, Mountain Collective, Indy, the New England Pass, the Snow Triple Play card, and the Power Pass, and straight verdicts for the situations we hear about most from Killington skiers — families, New York/New Jersey commuters, New England locals, mountain-hoppers, and anyone plotting a season in Europe or Japan.

Run these six questions before you look at a single pass.

1. How many days will you realistically ski?

Not how many days you want to ski — how many you skied last season. Take that number, multiply by what a single lift ticket costs at your most likely mountain, and compare it to the pass price. Most people cross the break-even line at 5–7 days on a full-access mega-pass, and as few as 3–4 days on a cheaper regional or independent pass.

2. Where do you plan on skiing most?

Every pass here has a "home turf" — a cluster of mountains it actually treats as unlimited, no-blackout access. Everything else on the pass is bonus days with a cap. Buy for your home turf first, treat the rest of the resort list as a nice-to-have, not the reason to buy.

3. What's your actual budget?

The spread here is enormous — from a $170 punch card to a $1,550 unlimited family pass. Decide the ceiling before you start comparing perks, or the perks will talk you into the ceiling.

4. Are you actually making a trip out West this winter?

Be honest about this one. If a Western trip is a maybe, don't pay a $400–$700 premium for a pass's Western access on the chance you use it. Buy the cheaper regional option and pay for day tickets if the trip firms up — day tickets at Western resorts run $150–$250, so you'd need several days to eat that premium anyway.

5. Hedge the weather

Lower-elevation, more southerly mountains lose their season from both ends — later openings, earlier closings, more rain-on-snow days. It's a real, quantifiable risk, not just bad luck. If your pass's home mountain sits at the southern edge of its range, driving an extra hour or two to a higher, more northern mountain on the same pass can be the difference between a normal February and a mud season in disguise.

6. Smaller mountains, smaller bills

This one never makes the marketing copy: a lift ticket at a big-name resort town buys you a $1,400 pass and then $22 lodge burgers and $300/night lodging next door. The independent and regional mountains on Indy, the Snow Triple Play card, or your own pass's smaller partner list usually sit in towns where a night's stay and a meal cost half that. If budget is the binding constraint, that gap can matter more than the sticker price of the pass itself.

Price, access, blackout dates, and the one thing that actually makes each one worth considering.

Epic is Vail Resorts' pass, and it's the one with the flattest access model: the full Epic Pass has zero blackout dates anywhere, including at Vail, Whistler Blackcomb, and Park City. The cheaper Epic Local Pass trades that away — Park City, Northstar, Stowe, Beaver Creek, Heavenly, Kirkwood, Vail, and Whistler Blackcomb all get holiday blackouts on the Local tier. There's also a Northeast-only Value Pass (~$642) restricted to the pass's eight Northeast mountains, with its own restricted dates at Stowe, Okemo, Mount Snow, and Hunter.

The Northeast anchor is Stowe, with Mount Snow, Okemo, Hunter, Mount Sunapee, Crotched, Wildcat, and Attitash rounding out the regional roster — none of them within a short drive of Killington, so this is a pass for people willing to drive north and east, not a Killington-adjacent option.

What actually makes it special: the international access is unusually generous and genuinely bundled in, not an upsell — five days at Hakuba Valley's ten resorts and Rusutsu in Japan, five days at Andermatt-Sedrun in Switzerland (with 50% off day tickets after), and week-long blocks across 36 European partners in France, Italy, Austria, and Switzerland. If a Europe or Japan trip is realistically on your calendar, Epic covers more of it than any pass here without a separate purchase. Epic Mountain Rewards also knocks 20% off on-mountain dining, lodging, lessons, and rentals.

epicpass.com · Northeast resort list & blackout details

The Ikon Pass is the name Killington actually refers to as its own seasonal ski pass — it's owned by Alterra Mountain Company, and Killington is one of Alterra's premier New England destinations, not a bolted-on partner. The pass itself isn't tied to any one mountain, though; it's a two-tier network system, unlimited-access resorts with no cap, and limited-access resorts capped at a set number of days.

New England Resort Access Breakdown

New for 2026–27: Loon now requires a lift reservation, alongside Jackson Hole, Deer Valley, and the Summit at Snoqualmie — worth planning around if any of those are on your list.

Why Does Killington Call Their Pass the Ikon Pass?

The Ikon Pass is Alterra Mountain Company's multi-resort season pass, the direct rival to Vail Resorts' Epic Pass — and it's the one that actually matters if Killington is your home mountain. The added benefit of skiing Killington is that you also get seamless access to its sister mountain, Pico, just 15–20 minutes up the road: an old-school throwback with real steeps and hidden powder runs, generally considered the more family-friendly of the two. Your pass works at either resort with no extra step.

The larger network covers 70+ resorts across North America, Europe, Australia, Japan, and South America. The catch that trips up a lot of first-time buyers isn't which resorts are on the list — it's which tier of the pass actually gets you onto them without limitations.

The Part Most Buyer's Guides Skip

The full Ikon Pass gives you unlimited access at only 18 of its 70+ resorts — and Killington is not one of them. On the standalone Ikon Pass, Killington-Pico is a 7-day destination, same as dozens of smaller partner mountains. If you're planning to ski K most weekends all winter, the Ikon Pass by itself will run out well before March.

The pass that actually gets you unlimited Killington is Killington's own Beast 365 Pass, which bundles unlimited winter access at Killington and Pico together with an Ikon Base Pass for everywhere else on the network, and can be upgraded to a full Ikon Pass at the time of purchase for an extra fee. It's genuinely easy to get wrong — worth mapping out your actual winter trips before deciding which one is the better value.

Ikon Pass vs. Ikon Base vs. Beast 365

Beast 365 Pass — Killington's own pass, covering just two mountains: unlimited winter access at both Killington and Pico, no reservations and no blackout dates on that access, with an Ikon Base Pass bundled in for everywhere else on the network. Best for anyone whose season is mostly Killington and Pico, all winter long.

Ikon Pass (full) — starting around $1,349–1,399. Unlimited access at 18 resorts network-wide (Steamboat, Mammoth Mountain, Palisades Tahoe, and Tremblant among the most popular), with 7 days max at 40+ others, including Killington-Pico. No holiday blackout dates anywhere on the network. Best if your season splits between Killington and a bigger trip out West.

Ikon Base Pass — the more budget-friendly tier, starting around $949. Unlimited at 14 destinations, 5 days at 30+ more, including Killington and Pico combined. Blackout dates apply at flagship resorts on the busiest holiday weeks, and reservations are required at several, Killington included. Best for lighter, more budget-conscious skiers and riders.

There's also an Ikon Session Pass, starting around $319, built for the once-or-twice-a-season skier: up to 4 days at most participating resorts, with blackout restrictions. It's the cheapest way onto the network — built for someone who just wants to ski with a few friends once or twice a year, not a real season's worth of days.

Blackout Dates & Reservations at Killington

If you're on the full Ikon Pass, there are no holiday blackout dates anywhere in the network, including at Killington — you can burn any of your 7 days over Christmas week or Presidents' weekend with no restrictions. The trade-off is just the day count, not timing.

The Ikon Base Pass, and the Base access bundled into Beast 365, is the tier with real restrictions: Killington and Pico's combined 5-day allotment requires a free reservation, and blackout dates apply on the busiest holiday stretches. If your season plan includes MLK weekend or February break, book your reservation early — popular dates fill.

The Beast 365 Pass itself has no such limits at Killington or Pico. The "unlimited" part is genuinely unlimited — no reservations, no blackout dates — since it's Killington's own local product layered under the bundled Ikon Base Pass for travel days elsewhere.

Perks Worth Knowing About

Beyond lift access, Ikon passholders get a real stack of extras that are easy to forget about until the season's underway: a complimentary one-year Protect Our Winters membership, 15% off Away luggage, discounts from Smartwool, Icebreaker, and The North Face, and a discounted Ship Skis service if you're flying in for a trip. Returning passholders also pick up Marriott Bonvoy points and rental gear credit through Alterra's loyalty program. The Asia footprint is a real differentiator too — nine Japan resorts are included, Niseko United, Furano, Myoko Suginohara, Shiga Kogen, and Zao Onsen among them, alongside Chamonix, Dolomiti Superski, Zermatt, and St. Moritz in Europe, plus Thredbo and Valle Nevado in the Southern Hemisphere.

Two programs worth knowing about if they apply to you: the Squad Pack knocks $199 off per person when five friends aged 23–28 buy together, and Family Savings takes up to $100 off each child's pass when purchased alongside an adult pass. There's also a Bonus Mountains perk — two free days each at seven smaller partner hills, including Cranmore in New Hampshire if you're looking to explore beyond Vermont on an off week.

When to Buy

Alterra opens Ikon Pass sales each spring at the lowest price of the year, and Killington mirrors that with its own early-bird cutoff on the Beast 365 Pass — June 18 for the 2026/27 season. Buy after that window and you're paying a higher price for the identical pass, so if you already know you're skiing next winter, spring is when to lock it in.

Early buyers also get a real bonus: unlimited spring skiing access at select resorts before the pass's official season even starts, with start dates that vary by resort. Alterra's refund policy takes some of the risk out of buying early, too — passholders who haven't scanned their pass by January 15 get a full refund, and passholders with just one scan get 50% back.

ikonpass.com · blackout dates & reservation resorts · Beast 365 Pass details

Mountain Collective doesn't try to be a home-mountain pass — it's built to be a second pass. For about $669, you get exactly two days at each of 27 resorts, with genuinely zero blackout dates on any of those days at any resort, plus 50% off additional day tickets after you burn your two. Nothing else here makes that no-blackout promise across its entire roster.

The New England presence is small but real: Sunday River, Sugarloaf, and Whiteface (NY) are all on the list at two days each — meaning a New England skier can stack Mountain Collective on top of an Ikon or New England Pass and get guaranteed, blackout-free access at resorts their main pass might restrict on peak weekends.

What actually makes it special: the roster reads like a ski trip bucket list rather than a commuter list — Jackson Hole, Alta, Aspen Snowmass, Big Sky, Taos, Banff Sunshine, Chamonix, Niseko United, and Valle Nevado are all two-day stops on the same $669 card. For someone who wants to ski a genuinely new mountain most weekends rather than return to the same one, this is less a discount pass and more a passport.

mountaincollective.com · full 27-resort list

Indy's whole premise is independent, family-owned mountains that never make it onto Epic or Ikon — and for 2026–27 it's guaranteeing 300+ of them, with 16 new additions including Levi (Finland) and Les 7 Laux (France). Every resort gives you two lift tickets, full price included, no upcharge. Indy Base (~$349) carries some blackout days; Indy+ (~$399) has none — for $50 more, that's usually the better buy.

This is where Indy actually shines for a Killington skier: the Vermont and New Hampshire bench is deep and genuinely good — Jay Peak, Magic Mountain, Bolton Valley, Burke, Cannon, Waterville Valley, Ragged, Pat's Peak — plus a long list across New York (Whiteface's neighbors like Gore, Belleayre, Plattekill) and Maine (Saddleback). None of it overlaps with Ikon's Vermont roster, so it's a genuinely additive second pass rather than a redundant one.

What actually makes it special: price-per-resort. At $399 for two days each across 300+ mountains, you're paying under $1 per potential ski day if you actually work through the list — and the crowds, lift lines, and lodging prices at independent mountains are consistently lower than anywhere on Epic or Ikon.

indyskipass.com · blackout dates & reservation rules

This is the Boyne Resorts pass built around three of Maine and New Hampshire's biggest names: Sunday River, Sugarloaf, and Loon Mountain. The Silver tier (~$1,109) gets you unlimited access at all three, with holiday blackouts around Christmas week, MLK weekend, and Presidents' week (dates vary slightly by resort). The Gold tier (~$1,549) adds Pleasant Mountain and removes every blackout date — genuinely unlimited, every resort, every day of the season.

Gold passholders also get 3 free days each at six Boyne-owned Western resorts — Big Sky, Brighton, the Summit at Snoqualmie, Cypress, Boyne Mountain, and The Highlands — plus 50% off additional days at those and at every Mountain Collective resort. That's real Western access bolted onto a pass that's fundamentally about three home mountains, without paying Ikon or Epic full-pass prices for it.

What actually makes it special: up to 12 buddy tickets at 25% off, 15% lodging discounts, and 10% off dining — genuinely useful if Sunday River or Sugarloaf is a family's regular weekend trip, since those discounts compound across a season of visits in a way a one-off day-ticket buyer never sees.

newenglandpass.com — Gold Pass · Silver Pass details

Worth being upfront about: this isn't in the same category as everything else on this list. Snow Triple Play is a three-visit punch card, not a season pass — you get three lift-ticket redemptions total, capped at two visits per resort, across 16 participating mountains in New England, New York, New Jersey, and Eastern Canada, including Pleasant Mountain, Whiteface, Gore, Belleayre, Big Snow American Dream, Mountain Creek, and Mount Southington.

At roughly $60–70 per ski day, it's not cheaper than a lift ticket at most of its own partner resorts — the value is entirely in trying a handful of different mountains on one card without committing to any single one, and it's only on sale from September 1 through December 24 each year.

What actually makes it special: it's the lowest-commitment way to sample the smaller New York and New Jersey hills — Big Snow American Dream, Mountain Creek, Belleayre — before deciding whether one of them deserves a real season pass next year. Not a fit for anyone planning to ski more than 3 days total.

snowtripleplay.com

Full disclosure up front: the Power Pass has zero presence in New England or anywhere near Killington. Its ten included mountains — Purgatory (CO), Snowbowl (AZ), Brian Head (UT), Sipapu, Pajarito, and Sandia Peak (NM), Nordic Valley (UT), Lee Canyon (NV), and Willamette Pass (OR) — are spread across the Southwest, Rockies, and Pacific Northwest. For a Vermont-based skier this is not a realistic second pass; it only makes sense if you're relocating to that region or building an entire season around an extended Southwest trip.

Where it earns its price: the top Power Pass tier (~$1,049) is genuinely unlimited, zero blackout dates, at every included mountain, plus 10 free days split between Valle Nevado and La Parva in Chile — real Southern Hemisphere access most regional passes don't touch. Lower tiers (Select ~$699, Core ~$449) trade unlimited access at the three biggest resorts for a capped number of days there, while staying unlimited everywhere smaller.

What actually makes it special: the price has been frozen for four straight seasons while every mega-pass has climbed — a genuinely rare move in this market — and kids 12 and under ski free. Interesting to know about; irrelevant to most Killington Getaway readers' actual season.

thepowerpass.ski · all tiers & pricing

The numbers that actually decide it, in one place.

Prices shown are adult, standard-tier rates as of early-season 2026–27 sale windows and climb closer to winter — check each pass's own page before buying.

Straight answers for the situations we hear about most.

There's no universal right answer here, and any article that gives you one is selling something. Run the six questions above with real numbers from your own last season — not the season you wish you'd had — and the right pass usually becomes obvious. For most Killington-based skiers, that means either the full Ikon Pass or Killington's own Beast 365 Pass as the anchor, with Mountain Collective or Indy+ as a cheap, genuinely additive second pass rather than a redundant one.

Prices, blackout dates, and resort counts reflect each pass's own official page as of August 2026 — mega-pass prices climb through the fall sale window, so confirm current numbers before buying.