facebook-pixel

12 Utah ski passes for any personality

Whether you’re broke, a parent or someone looking to make friends, here’s your buyer’s guide for next ski season.

(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Skiing at Deer Valley Resort, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025.

(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Skiing at Deer Valley Resort, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025.

  | March 27, 2025, 12:00 p.m.
| Updated: 9:54 p.m.

Like the snow they count on, ski resorts’ season pass offerings can vary greatly from year to year.

Sometimes it’s possible to find the equivalent of a powder stash — a pass that’s so unbelievable, you’ll only tell your closest friends about it. And sometimes you navigate your way over to a favorite pass, only to find that it’s become much more treacherous (read: expensive) or that your favorite perks have been ripped out.

So, as individual ski areas and multi-resort companies begin to make their pitches for the 2025-26 season, we’ve set out to map out the best places to go depending on the type of skier or snowboarder you are and what you’re looking for.

(Note: Prices as of March 26. In most cases, early season deals will end by mid-April and prices will continue to increase as the season draws closer.)

Best season pass for:

  • Seniors: The list of great deals for finely aged skiers is shrinking quicker than your granddad. Still some remain. If you are 80 or older, you can get a no-blackouts pass to Alta Ski Area for around $50*. Younger seniors (ages 65 and older) should consider Sundance Resort, where they can pick up a no-blackouts season pass for about $400*. Not cheap enough? Cherry Peak Resort is selling no-blackout passes to ages 70+ for $100 and Nordic Valley and Brian Head Resort will let those 75-and-over ski for free.
  • Local lookie-loos: Go ahead and feed your curiosity about the biggest ski resort expansion in 40 years with the Deer Valley Utah Pass. New for the 2025-26 season, the weekday pass allows Utah residents to explore all of Deer Valley Resort from Monday through Thursday without reservations. That includes the new East Village, which next season will add seven lifts and more than 80 runs of ski-only terrain. Cost: All ages, $1,400.
  • The cool aunt/uncle: What better way to impress your teenage niece, nephew or neighbor than to give them a pass to Snowbird? The Little Cottonwood Canyon offers a “Freeloader” pass to any adult, senior or member of the military who buys a Summit or Alta-Bird pass by May 14. The free Freeloader pass can be given to anyone 18 or younger, no relation required. After May 14, an equivalent pass will cost between $405 and $615. A Summit adult pass currently goes for $1,439. The price of the two-resort Alta-Bird pass is expected to be released in early May. In 2024-25, that pass cost $3,248 for an adult.
  • Military discounts: It seems nearly every enlisted person I come across skis or rides Park City Mountain. Now I know why. For $185, active duty and retired military and their dependents can access Park City Mountain and 36 other North American resorts via the Epic Local Pass. Blackout dates apply. Veterans get less of a deal: $601 for ages 18 and older.
  • Parents who want to ski with their kids ages 12 and under: It’s not much of a secret that the Ikon Pass is one of the best multi-resort values in Utah. It’s even better for parents who want to ski or ride with their kids. Each Ikon pass holder, be it base ($909) or full ($1,329), can get up to two passes for kids 12 and under for $199 apiece. That’s cheaper than a kid’s pass at just one of most of the associated resorts — Solitude, Brighton and Snowbird on the base pass, plus Alta, Deer Valley and Snowbasin on the full pass.
  • Parents who want their kids ages 10-12ish to ski: Oh to be a kid again. If we could be, we’d all buy the Ski Utah Passport. For $89*, any kid in fourth, fifth or sixth grade gets three tickets to each of Utah’s 15 ski areas. Six of them have no blackout dates. (Adults serious about tagging can pick up Ski Utah’s Yeti Pass, which permits a day at each Utah resort with no blackouts for $799*).
  • If you want to ski hard for a month: Have plans other than skiing next winter? Check out Woodward Park City’s Mountain Park Membership. Full access to the hill and its wealth of terrain park features plus a buddy ticket can be had for $139 per month.
  • The midweek skier: Next season, Solitude will ax its midweek parking fees, which makes its $459 midweek pass a dream deal, despite a few blackout dates. It also includes midweek access for the rest of this season and summer lift access. Snowbasin has a comparable pass for $549.
  • Taking a stand against corporate consolidation: Unlike the Ikon and Epic pass, the Mountain Collective is, as its name implies, a collective of independent or small-group ski areas. Several are among the premiere resorts in the country, like Alta, Snowbird and Snowbasin in Utah plus Jackson Hole (Wyo.) and Sun Valley (Idaho). For $639, you’ll get two days at each of 26 destinations with no blackout dates plus 50% off additional tickets.
  • Beginners: When you’re just starting out, you just need a ski area you can feel comfortable at. Cue Nordic Valley, a small but mighty resort in the Ogden Valley. Its Core Power Pass tops out at $299 (for ages 37-64, with blackouts), possibly leaving you with enough cash to explore a few other resorts once you catch on. Bonus: Days at other Mountain Capital Partner resorts like Brian Head are included, and kids 12-under ski free.
  • College students: You go to school to expand your horizons. Likewise, you’ll have to expand your radius to get the best deals. Eagle Point near Beaver offers a college pass for $329. It comes with no blackout dates, but the resort is closed Monday-Thursday most of the season. To the north, Cherry Peak near Logan offers a no-blackout pass to all students for $269.
  • Making friends: They say no friends on a powder day, but you might find the opposite to be true if you’re holding one of the few transferable passes on the market. The idea is: If you’re not using it, one of your buddies can be. Deer Valley offers one for $9,200, while the one from Sundance goes for about $3,500*. Most tantalizing of all, though, is Ski Utah’s Gold Pass: Every day, fully shareable access to all 15 Utah resorts can be yours for about $11,000*.

    • *Prices from 2024-25. Ski Utah, Alta and Sundance have not released their pricing schedule for 2025-26.

    Correction: March 27,2025, 3:45 p.m. >> The Mountain Collective pass offers two days at each of its 26 ski areas. The amount was incorrect in a previous version of this article.


    Subscribe