Short answer: Epic and Ikon are still the right tools when your family needs unlimited days at a big destination mountain (Park City on Epic; Steamboat, Solitude, or a Cottonwoods week on Ikon). Indy Pass and the new Snow Pass are cheaper access products built around two days per partner hill, not a home-mountain season. The base Indy product stays two days per partner. It is still not a Park City or Wasatch destination-week substitute. A Destination Upgrade add-on, announced Nov 5, 2026, can add 3 days at 13 participating resorts only (up to 5 days at one of them). Indy spreads those two-day visits across 300+ independent resorts worldwide. Snow Pass does the same idea across 14 mostly Northeast partners (plus Monarch, CO and Snow King, WY), then 30% off extra tickets. For a PA family that mostly drives to Mid-Atlantic or Northeast hills and only flies West once, Indy or Snow can cover more useful days for less cash than a full Epic or Ikon. For a Park City / Wasatch destination week with little kids, start with Epic or Ikon and the childcare map, not Snow Pass.
New Nov 12, 2026: Indy added 15 partners for 26/27, including Cherry Peak in northern Utah as a full two-day partner. New York's Whiteface, Gore and Belleayre joined Indy's Allied Program, so passholders can buy up to two lift tickets a season at each for 25% off the daily window rate. That is a discount, not free days. The added capacity opens a limited 26/27 pass sale starting Fri Nov 13, offered first to the earliest people on Indy's waitlist, who get an email when it's their turn. It is not an open public sale.
Indy prices, sale status, new partners and the 26/27 Indy blackout list checked Nov 12, 2026. Ikon Base blackout dates rechecked Nov 12. Destination Upgrade checked Nov 6. Epic, Ikon and Snow Pass prices were last checked Oct 23, 2026 unless a line says otherwise. Prices, blackouts, partner lists, and sell-out status change. Every number below came from the pass company's own site or a clearly dated industry release. Re-check before you buy. Sources at the bottom.
I'm a dad based in PA. Park City and the Wasatch are this site's home-mountain focus. Pass shopping is how a lot of families either save a season or overbuy a barcode they barely use. This page is the cheaper-pass side of that decision. For the classic Epic vs Ikon map, see Epic vs Ikon for families. For the broader budget stack (kitchens, midweek, unfashionable mountains), see How to save money on a family ski trip.
The four products in one table
| Pass | Access model (26/27) | Adult price checked | Kids pricing | Holiday / blackout risk | Family fit in plain language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epic Pass | Unlimited at Vail Resorts owned mountains (incl. Park City, Breck, Keystone, Stowe, Okemo, PA Mid-Atlantic hills). Limited days at partners. | Adult 31+ $1,169; teen/YA 13-30 $929; child 5-12 $599 (epicpass.com cart, Oct 23) | Separate child pass ages 5-12. Also check Epic SchoolKids and under-5 products on epicpass.com. | Full Epic: no peak restrictions on unlimited owned resorts. Epic Local and regionals: restricted peak dates include Thanksgiving weekend, Dec 26-31, MLK, Presidents Day weekend at listed hills (Park City included on Local). | Best when your home or destination week is a Vail mountain and you will actually ski enough days. |
| Ikon Pass / Ikon Base | Unlimited at Alterra destinations; limited days at many partners (Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, Deer Valley, Steamboat days vary by product). New Nov 9, 2026: Ikon Base now gets 3 days at Deer Valley (full Ikon gets 7). Base blackouts and Deer Valley reservations apply. | Ikon Pass from $1,529 (23+); Ikon Base from $1,099 (23+) on ikonpass.com Oct 23 | Child savings for ages 5-12 advertised on the shop hub ("as low as" language). Confirm the cart for your household. | Ikon Base blackouts: Dec 26-30, 2026; Jan 16-17, 2027; Feb 13-14, 2027. Full Ikon is the holiday-week product if your mountains are Ikon. Reservations required 26/27 at Jackson Hole, Deer Valley, and Loon. | Best when your week is Steamboat, Solitude, Winter Park, or a Cottonwoods / Deer Valley mix. |
| Indy Pass | 2 days (or nights) at each of 300+ independent partners. Optional 25% off a third day at many partners. New Nov 12: Allied discount, up to 2 tickets a season at 25% off the window rate at Whiteface, Gore, Belleayre and Mont Ripley. Separate Destination Upgrade (announced Nov 5, 2026) adds 3 days at 13 participating resorts only. | Indy Base adult $419 / kids $269. Indy+ adult $469 / kids $299. (indyskipass.com shop, Nov 12, 2026. Limited sale to the waitlist from Nov 13.) | Kids passes for under 13 only (terms). Learn to Turn beginner product: $189 adult or kid, ages 6+, 3 days lesson+lift+rental at 40+ resorts (not on sale yet as of Nov 12; waitlist). | Indy Base: blackouts apply at some partners. Indy's 26/27 list is out, and its Christmas/New Year window is Dec 19, 2026 to Jan 3, 2027. Indy+: no blackouts. Some partners require reservations. | Best for road-trip families and independent hills. Base access is still two days per partner. Destination Upgrade is a separate add-on at 13 resorts, not every Indy hill, and not a Park City or Alta substitute. Utah alpine partners include Beaver Mountain and Cherry Peak (new full partner for 26/27). |
| Snow Pass | 2 visits at each of 14 partners (up to 28 days), then 30% off later tickets at those partners. Triple Play = 3 total days across 23 partners. | Launch intro $339.99 (reg $399.99) per SAM Mag Aug 25, 2026. Confirm live price on mysnowpass.com. 5% processing fee (FAQ). | No child discount. Same price for every age (FAQ). | Partner-specific. Whiteface, Gore, Belleayre, HoliMont and others post holiday / weekend blackouts. Belleayre and HoliMont are weekday / non-holiday style products. Monarch and Snow King: no blackouts on the FAQ list. | Best for Northeast exploration from PA/NJ/NY. Not a Wasatch pass (only western Snow Pass alpine partners: Monarch CO, Snow King WY). |
Prices rise and sell out. As of Nov 12, the 26/27 Indy Pass is not on open sale: Indy is selling a limited number to its waitlist starting Nov 13, earliest sign-ups first. Snow Pass runs limited releases. Epic and Ikon keep selling later at higher steps.
What each pass actually is
Epic: unlimited at the Vail map
Epic is a season pass to Vail Resorts' owned mountains, with capped days at partners. For families, the useful part is often Mid-Atlantic / Northeast owned hills plus one destination week at Park City, Breckenridge, or Keystone. Full Epic has unrestricted peak access on those unlimited resorts. Epic Local is cheaper but blacks out peak dates at Park City and other name hills... if Christmas week is your only Utah trip, Local is the wrong product.
Epic also sells the soft costs down: Epic Mountain Rewards (20% off food, lodging, group lessons, rentals at participating owned resorts) and Epic Friend Tickets for people who are not on a pass. Those matter more for a family week than a solo powder day.
Ikon: Alterra destinations plus partner days
Ikon is the other big network. Unlimited mountains include Steamboat, Solitude, Winter Park, Copper, Mammoth, Stratton, Sugarbush, and more depending on product. Partner days cover a lot of the Wasatch names parents actually search (Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, Deer Valley, Snowbasin) plus Jackson Hole and Aspen Snowmass. Day caps and blackouts are the catch on Base. If your school break lands on Base blackout dates, you need full Ikon or a different plan.
Ikon's shop hub pushes child savings for ages 5-12. Treat that as a checkout fact, not a blog coupon. Confirm the live child price when an adult pass is in the cart.
Indy Pass: two days at each independent hill
Indy is not unlimited skiing at one home mountain. It is two ticket redemptions per partner resort, across a huge independent network (300+ for 26/27, with a published 300-resort guarantee window). Indy+ removes blackouts. Base keeps blackouts. You redeem at the ticket window with the pass or matching ID. Some resorts need reservations. RFID cards at some mountains cost extra.
Kids Indy / Indy+ Kids are for children under 13. That is a hard age line in Indy's terms, not a soft "about 12."
For a PA dad, the family use case is usually: local Mid-Atlantic / Northeast independents + a few road-trip weekends, maybe stacked with a local season pass via Indy's Add-On (verification required; not valid at your home Indy partner). Indy does not put Park City, Deer Valley, Alta, or Snowbird on the pass. Utah alpine partners on Indy's Rockies list include Beaver Mountain and Cherry Peak. White Pine Touring Nordic in Park City is a Nordic partner, not a PCMR lift ticket.
The two-day count is still the base product. The Destination Upgrade section below is extra, and only at the resorts named there.
Beginner families: Indy's Learn to Turn product bundles three days of beginner lesson, lift, and rental at 40+ resorts for $189 adult or kid (ages 6+). Check whether it is on sale; the shop showed waitlist language when checked.
Snow Pass: Northeast two-day network (new for 26/27)
Snow Pass (mysnowpass.com, from SNOW Partners) is a new 2026-27 product. You get two complimentary visits at each of 14 partners, then 30% off additional tickets at those partners. There is no child price. Everyone pays the same. Redemption is digital (confirmation / sale code at the window). No physical card. Unused visits expire by April 30, 2027 unless a partner profile says otherwise. Non-refundable.
The partner list is Northeast-heavy: Whiteface, Gore, Belleayre, Mountain Creek, Big SNOW, Ski Butternut, Pleasant Mountain, and others, plus Ski Martock (NS), Monarch (CO), and Snow King (WY). That is a strong map for a family that can drive. It is a weak map if your "big trip" is Salt Lake.
Snow Triple Play is the lighter sibling: three total days across 23 partners, max two days at one mountain. Launch pricing (SAM Mag, Aug 25, 2026) was $179.99 intro / $199.99 regular.
Destination Upgrade (announced Nov 5, 2026)
This is an add-on for current 26/27 Indy passholders, bought in the Indy Pass e-store. It is not a new base pass. The base product is still two days at each partner. The core 26/27 Indy Pass is not on open sale. A limited sale to the waitlist starts Nov 13 (see below).
The upgrade adds 3 extra ski and ride days at participating destination resorts. Paired with the 2 days Indy already includes at each member resort, that is up to 5 days at one of the 13 destinations in the 26/27 pilot. The 3 upgrade days can also be spread among participating resorts. Upgrade days work only at those participating resorts. They are not usable at every Indy partner, and this is not unlimited skiing.
No blackouts on the upgrade days (similar to Indy+). Adult upgrade cost starts at $199. Kids start at $129. The exact price depends on which Indy Pass was purchased and when. Those starts are not a savings claim versus window tickets.
Source: Indy Pass Destination Upgrade, published Nov 5, 2026.
- United States: 49 Degrees North (WA), Brundage (ID), Powderhorn (CO), Red Lodge (MT), Silver Mountain (ID), Tamarack (ID).
- Canada: Big White (BC), Castle Mountain (AB).
- Europe: Innsbruck Region (Austria), Kaunertal Glacier (Austria), Leukerbad Torrent (Switzerland), Pitztal Glacier (Austria), SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser - Brixental (Austria).
New Nov 12, 2026: Cherry Peak and a New York discount
Cherry Peak, in Richmond in Utah's Cache Valley, is new to Indy for 26/27 as a full partner, so the pass includes two days there. Indy's page lists 38 trails, 4 lifts, 400 acres, 1,265 feet of vertical, 40% beginner terrain, night skiing and no blackout dates. It is a small local hill, not a Park City or Cottonwoods substitute, but it is a real option for a family day in northern Utah.
Whiteface, Gore and Belleayre are New York State's three state-run ski areas. They joined Indy's Allied Program, not the full partner list: an Indy passholder can buy up to two lift tickets a season at each for 25% off the daily window rate. Gore, which Indy describes as New York State's largest ski destination at 453 skiable acres, also adds its Nordic Center as a full Indy cross-country partner, and so does Mt Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid.
For a PA family that drives north, the math is simple. Snow Pass already includes two visits at each of these three mountains. On Indy, they are a 25%-off ticket, not included days. If New York is your main road trip, Snow Pass covers it better. If you want the wider 300+ Indy map and might add a New York weekend, the Allied discount is a bonus, not a reason to buy.
The 15 additions also gave Indy room to sell more 26/27 passes. The limited sale starts Fri Nov 13 with the earliest people on the waitlist, who are contacted by email in turn. If you are not on the list, join it at indyskipass.com. There is no open public sale date.
Sources: Indy Pass release, Nov 12, 2026 (Business Wire); SAM Magazine, Nov 12, 2026; Indy Pass resort pages, checked Nov 12, 2026.
Blackouts in plain language
Blackouts are the difference between "we can ski Christmas week" and "we bought a coupon for January Tuesdays."
- Full Epic: peak dates are open on unlimited owned resorts. Local / regional products are the ones that lose Thanksgiving weekend, late December, MLK, and Presidents Day weekend at listed resorts (Park City is on the Local restricted list).
- Ikon Base: holiday blackouts Dec 26-30, 2026, Jan 16-17 and Feb 13-14, 2027 (rechecked Nov 12). If those are your only ski days, Base is the wrong buy.
- Indy Base: Indy has published its 26/27 blackout list, checked Nov 12, 2026. It lists 38 resorts, and its Christmas/New Year column runs Dec 19, 2026 to Jan 3, 2027. Closest to home for a PA family: Montage and Shawnee black out that whole holiday window plus MLK weekend (Jan 16-18) and Presidents' weekend (Feb 13-15), and Shawnee also blacks out peak Saturdays until its blackouts end after Mar 1, 2027. Ski Big Bear at Masthope blacks out Dec 26, 2026 to Jan 2, 2027 plus MLK and Presidents' weekends and Feb 16-20. Tussey blacks out MLK weekend only. In Utah, Beaver Mountain blacks out the holiday window, MLK, Presidents' weekend and peak weekends. Cherry Peak's Indy page lists no blackout dates, and Eagle Point is closed for 26/27. Indy+ has no blackouts. Partners can still add dates, so open the list before you book lodging.
- Snow Pass: many Northeast name hills black out holiday weeks and some weekends. Belleayre and HoliMont are weekday / non-holiday style. Check each mountain's Restrictions dropdown on mysnowpass.com before you plan a holiday drive to Whiteface or Gore.
Reservations are a second trap. Indy lists partners that require advance reservations. Ikon requires lift reservations for 26/27 at Jackson Hole, Deer Valley, and Loon. A missed Indy reservation can still burn a redemption day.
Who each pass fits (families)
Two-pass families: Some households end up with a cheap regional product (Indy, Snow, or a local season pass) plus one destination week on window tickets, Epic Day Pass, or Ikon Session. That is often saner than forcing every day onto one mega-pass. Do the actual day count. Fantasy maps are expensive.
Lean Epic if...
- Your kids will rack up days at a Vail hill near home (PA Mid-Atlantic Epic resorts, or Okemo / Mount Snow / Hunter), and
- Your destination week is Park City, Breck, Keystone, or another Epic unlimited mountain, and
- You will use lodging / lesson / rental discounts enough to matter.
Lean Ikon if...
- Your destination week is Steamboat, Solitude, Winter Park, or a Cottonwoods mix, and
- You need holiday-week access (buy full Ikon, not Base), and
- You are willing to track day caps and any reservation rules (Deer Valley included).
Lean Indy if...
- You ski a handful of days at many smaller hills rather than 10+ days at one megaresort, and
- Your kids are under 13 (kids pricing) or 6+ beginners (Learn to Turn), and
- You can live with two days per mountain on the base pass (or pay for a third at 25% off where offered). A separate Destination Upgrade can add 3 days at 13 named resorts only, up to 5 days at one of them, and
- Holiday weeks are either on Indy+ or carefully matched to Base blackouts.
Lean Snow Pass if...
- You are Northeast-based and want Whiteface / Gore / Belleayre / Mountain Creek style exploration without an Epic or Ikon price tag, and
- You accept no child discount (every family member pays the adult-style price), and
- Your holiday dates clear each partner's blackout list, and
- You are not buying it to "cover" a Utah destination week.
Kids ages, lessons, and childcare adjacency
Passes buy lift access. They do not buy ski school or daycare.
- Ages on the pass: Epic child product is 5-12 on the cart we checked. Ikon child savings target 5-12. Indy kids products are under 13. Snow Pass has no age discount.
- Lessons: Epic Mountain Rewards discounts group lessons at participating owned resorts. Indy Learn to Turn bundles beginner lessons for ages 6+. Everyone else: price lessons separately.
- Childcare: Visitor-bookable childcare is uneven and often the trip-breaker for little kids. Use our ski resorts with childcare guide (41 programs checked) before you assume a pass mountain has drop-off care. Many Indy and Snow partners are small hills without visitor daycare. Park City / Deer Valley / Steamboat-style centers live on the Epic/Ikon destination side of the map.
- Kids ski free promos: A pass is not the only lever. See Kids ski free 2026-27 for resort programs that can beat a child pass on short trips.
Value framing without fake break-evens
Window ticket rates move daily. Any "ski X days and the pass pays off" number that does not use your dates and today's window price is fiction. Use this instead:
- List the mountains you will actually visit, and the dates (especially school holidays).
- Cross those dates against blackouts and reservation rules for each pass.
- Price the same days as advance window tickets or day-pass products on the resort sites.
- Add child passes, lessons, and whether Epic/Ikon lodging or lesson discounts apply.
- Only then compare to Indy / Snow / Epic / Ikon cart totals.
If you only ski four destination days at Park City, a full Epic for every family member can lose to lodging packages, kids-ski-free weeks, or an Epic Day Pass. If you will ski 15 days across Mid-Atlantic Epic hills plus a Utah week, full Epic often wins. If you will bounce between independent Northeast hills all winter, Indy or Snow is usually the product that matches the behavior.
More budget tactics that are not pass logos: saving money on a family ski trip and the deals page.
Wasatch / Park City note (site focus)
If the trip that matters is Salt Lake and the Wasatch:
- Park City Mountain sits on Epic.
- Solitude sits on Ikon (unlimited on both full and Base product pages we checked).
- Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, Deer Valley, Snowbasin sit on Ikon as limited-day / partner access (confirm days and blackouts on your product).
- Indy covers nearby independents (Beaver Mountain, and Cherry Peak, new for 26/27) and Park City Nordic at White Pine Touring, not PCMR.
- Snow Pass does not put you on the Wasatch alpine map.
So for a classic Park City family week, start with Epic vs Ikon, childcare, and kids-ski-free... not Snow Pass. Indy is a side door for a different kind of Utah day, not a substitute for PCMR.
FAQ
Is Snow Pass a real national pass like Epic or Ikon?
It is a real multi-mountain product for 2026-27 with 14 Snow Pass partners and a larger Triple Play list. It is not unlimited skiing at 40+ destination resorts. Treat it as a Northeast exploration pass with two western add-ons (Monarch and Snow King).
Can I still buy a 26/27 Indy Pass?
Maybe, through the waitlist. After adding 15 partners on Nov 12, 2026, Indy is running a limited sale that starts Fri Nov 13, offered first to the earliest waitlist members, who get an email when it is their turn. There is no open public sale. The Destination Upgrade is only for people who already hold a 26/27 pass.
Which pass is best for Christmas week with kids?
None of them is "best" in the abstract. Full Epic keeps peak access on unlimited owned resorts. Full Ikon is the holiday product on the Ikon side; Base blacks out late December. Indy Base and many Snow Pass partners black out holiday weeks... Indy+ and no-blackout Snow partners are the exceptions. Match the pass to the mountain and the blackout calendar, then confirm ski school and childcare are open that week. For holiday-week dates, snow history and what to book first, see our Christmas ski trip with kids guide.
What does the Indy Allied Program mean at Whiteface, Gore and Belleayre?
It is a discount, not included days. Indy passholders can buy up to two lift tickets a season at each Allied resort for 25% off the daily window rate. Whiteface, Gore and Belleayre joined on Nov 12, 2026, alongside Mont Ripley in Michigan. Snow Pass includes two visits at each of those three New York mountains.
Do any of these links earn Ski With Family a commission?
Not on this page today. Links go straight to the official pass sites. If that ever changes, the link will say (paid link) and our affiliate disclosure will say so.
Sources
- Indy Pass Destination Upgrade (Nov 5, 2026): https://www.indyskipass.com/this-is-indy/news/indy-pass-launches-destination-upgrade-allowing-up-to-five-days-at-select-resorts
- Indy Pass shop / pricing: https://www.indyskipass.com/shop
- Indy Pass how it works: https://www.indyskipass.com/this-is-indy/how-it-works
- Indy Pass blackouts & reservations: https://www.indyskipass.com/blackout-dates-reservations
- Indy Pass terms (kids under 13; blackouts; 300-resort guarantee): https://www.indyskipass.com/terms-conditions
- Indy Pass Rockies partners: https://www.indyskipass.com/our-resorts/rockies
- Snow Pass: https://mysnowpass.com/
- Snow Pass FAQ (no child discount; blackouts; fee; expiry): https://mysnowpass.com/faq/
- SAM Magazine, Aug 25, 2026 (Snow Pass debut, launch pricing, partner lists): https://www.saminfo.com/news/sam-headline-news/snow-pass-debuts-with-14-partner-ski-areas-snow-triple-play-expands-options-for-2026-27
- Epic Pass product page (prices and unlimited resort list): https://www.epicpass.com/passes/epic-pass
- Epic restricted peak dates (Local / regional / SchoolKids): https://www.epicpass.com/info/peak-restricted-dates.aspx
- Ikon Pass product page: https://www.ikonpass.com/en/shop-passes/ikon-pass
- Ikon Base Pass product page (blackouts, reservations note): https://www.ikonpass.com/en/shop-passes/ikon-base-pass
- Ikon shop hub (child savings claim): https://www.ikonpass.com/en/shop-passes
- Indy Pass home page, sale status (checked Nov 12, 2026): https://www.indyskipass.com/
- Indy Pass release, Nov 12, 2026 (Business Wire): https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261112816597/en/Whiteface-Gore-and-Belleayre-Join-Allied-Program-as-Indy-Pass-Announces-15-Additional-Resorts-for-2627
- SAM Magazine, Indy Pass adds 15 full partners, Nov 12, 2026: https://www.saminfo.com/indy-pass-adds-15-full-partners-whiteface-gore-and-belleayre-join-allied-program/
- Indy Pass, Cherry Peak: https://www.indyskipass.com/our-resorts/cherry-peak
- Indy Pass, Gore / Whiteface / Belleayre (Allied): Gore, Whiteface, Belleayre
- Indy Pass 26/27 blackout list (checked Nov 12, 2026): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTUXA5uhe2QwuQvCTpaSpIQmNNWIAp4gADGo5DIUeDwMOfgg9a8nEMU2K_4J9_24E2dGaLgbBnplpqg/pubhtml?gid=1360740952&single=true
- Ikon Base blackout dates (Ikon Help Center, updated Nov 5, 2026): https://www.ikonpass.com/en/help/blackout-dates/what-are-the-ikon-base-pass-blackout-dates
Last updated: 2026-11-12