A class action lawsuit filed in federal court this week claims that Vail Resorts and Alterra Mountain Co. — the two biggest ski companies in the U.S. — have unlawfully inflated pass prices and suppressed competition.
The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Denver on Monday was brought by four skiers — three from Colorado and one from Massachusetts — who claim that the two ski giants have coerced customers into buying expensive multi-resort mega passes by setting single-day lift ticket prices artificially high.
“For years, skiers have been told that soaring lift-ticket prices, reduced choice and overcrowding are simply the new reality,” said Greg Asciolla, an attorney for the plaintiffs, in a statement. “Our complaint alleges that these outcomes are not the result of healthy competition, but of exclusionary conduct by two companies that dominate access to the most desirable destinations.”
The 74-page complaint claims that Vail Resorts and Alterra have violated antitrust laws, including the federal Sherman Act and Colorado’s Antitrust Act of 2023, resulting in the two companies unjustly enriching themselves. The lawsuit seeks damages on behalf of a class of potentially millions of skiers and snowboarders who have purchased lift tickets or season passes from the two companies.
Vail Resorts spokesperson Kelsey Pietranton said in a statement that the company believes “these claims are without merit.”
“We launched the Epic Pass in 2008 to make skiing and riding more accessible,” Pietranton said, claiming that the mega pass reduced the price of a season pass significantly. “… We’re proud that 18 years later, it’s still one of the best values in the industry.”
A spokesperson for Alterra declined to comment on the litigation.
Over the last 30 years, the complaint states, “the ski resort business has changed dramatically” with mergers, acquisitions and partnerships resulting in “two — and only two — behemoth ski resort” companies.
Across the world, Vail Resorts owns or operates 42 ski resorts and contracts with partners to provide access to another 30, while Alterra owns or operates 18 ski areas and contracts partners to provide access to about 70 more, according to the complaint. The complaint argues that the two companies have “locked up” ownership of nearly every major destination ski resort in the U.S. and also own or partner with some of the country’s most popular regional ski areas. There are about 486 ski areas in the U.S., according to the National Ski Areas Association.
In Colorado, which usually sees about 20% of the nation’s annual skier visits, Vail Resorts owns or contracts with Keystone Resort, Breckenridge Ski Resort, Vail Mountain, Beaver Creek Resort and Crested Butte Mountain Resort. Alterra owns or contracts with Copper Mountain, Eldora Mountain Resort, Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, Steamboat Resort, Winter Park Resort and Aspen Snowmass.
Because the two companies own such a large share of the industry, they have been able to raise daily lift ticket prices — sometimes to more than $300 at destinations like Vail and Steamboat — to push customers to purchase expensive mega passes, according to the complaint.
Vail Resorts offers access to its resorts on the Epic Pass, while Alterra offers access to its resorts on the Ikon Pass. For the 2026-27 season, a full Epic Pass starts at $1,089 for adults and a full Ikon Pass starts at $1,399. The complaint states that Epic Pass prices have risen about 37% over the past six seasons, while Ikon Pass prices have increased about 40%.
“Vail Resorts and Alterra make every effort to drive more and more people to purchase their respective Mega Passes,” the complaint states. “But in order to do so, they each have resorted to an anticompetitive scheme that, as alleged herein, violates the antitrust laws.”
The complaint notes that Vail Resorts CEO Robert Katz previously told the New York Times that “Vail’s lift-ticket prices have been ‘intentionally’ aggressive” to push customers to buy the Epic Pass.
Katz told investors last month that passholders who purchase lift access ahead of the season make up about 75% of Vail Resorts’ annual visitation, providing “meaningful stability” for the company, even in a low snow year like this season. He said owning and contracting with resorts in different geographic regions also helps insulate the company when one region experiences bad conditions.
Pietranton noted in the statement from Vail Resorts that the company reduced Epic Pass pass prices by 20% in 2021.
Pietranton pushed back against claims that the mega pass bundling scheme disproportionately hurts casual and lower-frequency skiers, noting that as Vail Resorts acquired smaller resorts, it also began offering “new, lower-priced pass products” like the Epic Day Pass for one to seven days of lift access and the Epic Local Pass aimed at those that live in resort communities.
“We will always give the best value to our pass holders who commit ahead of the season,” she said. “But that said, we have also been intentional to price our lift tickets, sold in season, on a resort-by-resort basis, including numerous discount opportunities this past season.”
