Honoring Military Service with Discounts and Events in Colorado Ski Country

At Colorado Ski Countrys 23-member resorts, we believe in honoring the service of our military veterans. Across the state, military skiers and snowboarders will find special appreciation events, adaptive skiing programs, free and discounted season passes, lift tickets, rentals, lessons and lodging deals.

Ski Resort Discounts for Military Veterans

Rocky Mountain Super Pass Plus Unlimited Access: Winter Park Resort, Copper Mountain, Eldora Mountain Resort; 6 Days: Steamboat, 3 Days: Crested Butte. Military adults receive up to $140 off the RMSP+, and military children receive an additional $30 off the discounted child pass.*
Route 40 Pass Unlimited access: Winter Park Resort, 4 days: Steamboat. Military adults receive up to $170 off the Route 40 Pass, and military children receive an additional $80 off the discounted child pass.*
*The RMSP+ and Route 40 Pass are also available at Patriot Pass discounts for those who are active military or served for 20 years and have retired and their dependents.
Arapahoe Basin -Active military and military dependents with valid ID receive up to $200 off Arapahoe Basin season passes, plus special discounts on daily lift ticket discounts and 20% off group class lessons Monday-Friday. These are available for purchase at the Arapahoe Basin Ski Area or at ski shows.
Cooper Season Pass Unlimited access to Cooper, plus three days of free skiing at dozens of partner resorts. Military adults get up to $200 off a Cooper season pass, and military children get up to $60 off the price of the discounted child season pass.
Copper Mountain Season Pass Unlimited access to Copper Mountain, plus discounts on lodging and resort offerings. All Active Duty, Military Retiree, National Guard, Reserve Forces, and their Spouse/Dependents with a current valid ID card are eligible for a $130 discount for adults and a $70 discount for children. Military ticket rates available at the ticket window for $89/adult and $69/child with identification.
Crested Butte Season Pass Unlimited access to Crested Butte, plus discounted buddy tickets and free days at partner resorts. Active military personnel receive up to $530 off the Peak Pass Plus and up to $460 off the Peak Pass. Military discount on lift tickets includes $67/adult and $35/child for active military, retired military, their legal dependents, disabled veterans and Department of Defense employees.
Echo Mountain Season Pass Unlimited access to Echo Mountain. Active Duty Military receive a $50 discount on the season pass.
Eldora Season Pass Limited access to Eldora with black-out dates. Active Duty Military Personnel receive 20% off current adult pass price.
Hesperus - Hesperus honors active military personnel with free lift tickets. Present your active duty military ID card, and ask for the Military Ski Free deal at the ticket window. Blackout dates apply, and this does not include lessons or rental equipment.
Loveland Season Pass Loveland offers the Stars and Stripes Pass, a deeply discounted season pass offered to active and retired military personnel only. The Stars & Stripes Pass is only available on select bases and is not available at Loveland Ski Area or any Loveland pass sales events.
Monarch Mountain Season Pass Unlimited skiing at Monarch, plus free or discounted days at partner resorts and discounts on buddy tickets, rentals and dining. Military members with ID receive up to $280 off the season pass.
Powderhorn - $10 Off Ticket Window Price with Active Duty Military Card.
Purgatory - Purgatory recognizes the service of active and retired military and their families. Save 15% on ski and snowboard rentals. Lodging and lift tickets are discounted 15%, too. Military ID required.
Steamboat Military discount includes 20% discount per day off lift tickets and 20% off Ski & Snowboard School and rentals.
Sunlight Adaptive or Disabled Military with ID receive a full day lift ticket for $40.
Telluride For credentialed military personnel & their household family, Telluride offers a Military card for $75 that includes the first day of lift tickets, plus 30% off additional days.
Winter Park Season Pass Unlimited access to Winter Park Resort, plus 3 days at Mt. Hood Meadows. Active and retired military and their dependents receive a discount on the Winter Park Season Pass, including a $150 discount for adults and a $70 discount for children. Active duty and retired military personnel and immediate family receive up to 44% off single and multi-day lift tickets.
Wolf Creek - Active Duty Military and their spouses and children can receive $48/adult or $26/child lift tickets.

Events and Programs Honoring Military Service

Aspen Snowmass In honor of the service veterans have provided to our country, Aspen Snowmass offers a variety of military discounts, including discounted lift tickets and special Veterans Day hotel room rates, for all retired veterans, active duty and honorably discharged military personnel. Aspen Snowmass Military Ski Week includes three days of skiing and lodging for as little as $279 per person. Aspen Snowmass also hosts the annual National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic and the Challenge Aspen Military Opportunities (CAMO) to provide opportunities for veterans to reconnect with outdoor recreation activities through professional adaptive instruction.
Cooper In honor of their 10^th Mountain Division history, Cooper hosts the annual 10^th Mountain Day Ski Down, a tribute to military veterans and local history.
Crested Butte Every January, Crested Butte Mountain Resort hosts Military Appreciation Month with discounted lift tickets, lessons, lodging and rentals valid for all active military, retired military, their legal dependents, disabled veterans and Department of Defense employees. Crested Butte also partners with the Adaptive Sports Center for adaptive skiing opportunities for wounded soldiers and veterans, including Operation Rise and Conquer.
Loveland In honor of military veterans, Loveland Ski Area hosts the annual Eagles Over Loveland event, partnering with Team Red, White & Blue Veterans for a breathtaking display of patriotism.
Winter Park Resort In addition to offering discounted season passes for military veterans, Winter Park partners with the Nationals Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) to host an adaptive ski and snowboard program for military veterans, including the No Boundaries program for combat wounded service men and women.
Telluride Partnering with the Telluride Adaptive Sports Program, Telluride offers the Disabled Veterans Winter Adventure Week, an opportunity for free travel, lodging and program expenses to any U.S. Service member who has been disabled as a result of an incident occurring while serving in the U.S. military.

HOW TO: Squeeze Every Last Dollar Out Of Your Epic Pass

With a bevy of benefits offered by every multi-resort pass on the block, it’s hard to keep track of where you should be saving all that hard-earned money.
So this week, we’re checking out the EPIC PASS and giving you, THE SKI.COM COMMUNITY, an insider’s look as to how you can truly maximize your passholder benefits at 78 mountain resorts across the globe.

EPIC PASS VS. IKON PASS | COMPARE & FIND YOUR PERFECT PASS 

To begin, not all Epic Passes are created equally. The Epic Pass and its more affordable partner, The Epic Local Pass have different levels of benefits that apply to different mountain resorts at different times, so figuring out which applies to you and when is paramount to taking advantage of your pass. 

Unlimited Access, Blackout Dates, And Partner Resorts  

Vail Resorts continues to expand its pass offerings to include some of the best skiing in the world via its Epic and Epic Local passes. Obviously, the full Epic Pass has more expansive access when compared to the Epic Local. That said, the Epic Local also offers some amazing destinations, albeit with blackout dates. Here’s the general breakdown.

• Epic Pass – Unlimited access to 37 mountain resorts, unlimited 7-day access at 9 North American mountains resorts, limited access to 21 European mountain resorts, and 5 consecutive days at Hakuba Valley mountain resorts as well as Rusutsu in Japan.
• Epic Local Pass – Unlimited access to 26 mountain resorts, limited access at 8 mountain resorts, 2 days at Snowbasin and Sun Valley (*blackout dates apply), and 5 consecutive days at Hakuba Valley mountain resorts as well as Rusustsu in Japan. 

Buddy & Ski With A Friend Tickets 

At select resorts, Epic Pass holders can gift 6 ‘buddy tickets’ to friends and family. The discount equates to roughly 40% off the window ticket price and the Epic Pass holder must be present at the time of purchase. 
EPIC PASS Buddy Rates: 

• Vail/Beaver Creek – $135 
• Whistler Blackcomb – $115 CAD 
• Breckenridge – $122 
• Keystone – $109 
• Crested Butte -$85 
• Northstar – $111 
• Heavenly – $101 
• Kirkwood – $77 
• Okemo- $78 
• Mount Sunapee -$65 
• Stowe – $92 
• Stevens Pass – $65 
• Park City – $102 
• Afton Alps – TBA 
• Mt. Brighton – TBA 
• Wilmot – TBA 

Beware The Blackout Dates 

Not doing your homework when it comes to blackout dates is a sure fire way to put a damper on any ski trip. Always double check THE BLACKOUT DATES and make sure your pass is eligible before booking a ski trip.
Epic Pass – $969

• ZERO blackout dates 
• Unlimited, unrestricted skiing at 37 mountain destinations 
• 7 unrestricted days at 8 North American ski areas 
• 5 consecutive days at Japan’s Hakuba Valley, Rusutsu 
• Access to 21 European resorts (learn more here) 

Epic Local Pass – $719

• Blackout dates at Vail, Beaver Creek, Whistler Blackcomb, Park City, Heavenly, Northstar, Sun Valley, Snowbasin, Kirkwood, and Stowe 
• Unlimited, unrestricted skiing at 26 mountain destinations 
• 2 restricted days at Snowbasin and Sun Valley 
• 5 consecutive days at Japan’s Hakuba Valley and Rusutsu 
• Half price and advanced ticket prices available during blackout dates at participating resorts. 

A Beginner’s Guide to Terrain Park Skiing

I’ll admit, I’ve always been jealous of freestyle skiers. I don’t know much about being cool, but I do know what it looks like. Riding the chair over the terrain park to look down on the skiers and riders gracefully hitting rails and casually sending double-backflips off jumps is, considerably, a hobby of mine. The inherent coolness of freestyle skiers in unavoidably felt while in their presence, even when they aren’t hitting a feature in the park. The closest I’ve come to being “cool” on the hill is wearing my googles under my helmet, and that’s pretty trivial. Not to mention, freestyle skiers always travel in packs, so going into the terrain park without a loiter squad is intimidating.
While I would consider myself a confident skier, I have always been insecure in the terrain park because of how little I know about it. The culture, the tricks, the lingo; it’s all uncharted territory for me! Planting my poles at the top of the terrain park entrance is as close as I’ve come to park skiing, until recently.
 For weeks prior to my day-long lesson, I was anticipating all the tangled-up falls and head-to-snow contact I was going to endure that day. To say the least, I was nervous I might hurt myself, or even get so frustrated with myself that I’d give up.
When I showed up to my lesson I was introduced to my instructor, Gabe (aka Dragon) and immediately told him I was nervous about the day. Gabe, who is an ambidextrous snowboarding-freestyle-skier, was fast to shut my anxieties down and get me amped for the day. At the base of the mountain we went over a brief schedule and then hit the lift to take a warm-up run.
After hitting the trees in the Enchanted Forrest for a quick ego-boost, we swooped into the Upper Playground; one of Woodward’s beginner parks. Gabe gave me some important tips on park safety and etiquette prior to dropping into the Playground features. Just like everywhere else on the hill, there are safety precautions and “unwritten” rules skiers and riders must abide by in the park. Rules such as always looking uphill, respecting the queue, and calling your drops may seem obvious, but can lead to injury if not upheld by every skier and rider in the park. These rules are especially important in crowded terrain parks and parks with a several features stacked beside each other.

SMART Acronym

The five main safety precautions taken by skiers and riders in terrain parks is outlined by the SMART acronym:
Start Small: Working your way up to bigger features by developing skills and smooth progressions is the key to learning park.
Make a Plan: Having a plan prior to hit a feature in the park will help you progress and keep yourself and others safe.
Always Look: Before you drop, look up the hill to make sure no one is dropping in above you. Unlike on the rest of the mountain, the downhill skier or rider has the right-of-way in the park. Hence, it’s also the uphill skier’s responsibility to always look before dropping to ensure the safety of those below you.
Respect: Just as you’d give other skiers and riders space on the rest of the mountain, it’s important to give space to others in the terrain park.
Take it Easy: Knowing your limits is important, especially as a beginner. It’s alright to challenge yourself, but don’t push yourself to injury.
Once I was taught the proper park etiquette, Gabe taught me the progressions of jumping onto a straight-box and sliding down sideways (I’m sure there is a more eloquent way to describe this maneuver, but I’m still not fluent in park lingo). The four progression steps to every feature I practiced were approach, takeoff, maneuver and landing. Basically, setting myself up to be able to get on the feature, ride it out, and land. Eventually, I worked my way up to hitting a double-circular tube, which—to me—was an accomplishment for my first time in the park. We spent four hours learning progressions for the beginner features, including the mini-half pipe and step down jumps.

We spent the last two hours of the lesson in the Woodward Barn; a 19,400 square foot indoor training facility with skate park features, Olympic-grade trampolines, foam pit jumps, indoor ski and snowboard training ramps, and more. Basically, a freestyle skier’s heaven, regardless of what skill level you’re at. I, admittedly, did not pay much attention to Gabe’s instruction while in the barn due to being infatuated with the roller skis. Yes, skis with wheels---like roller blading, but less painful. The number of ramps and jumps to take the roller skis on were endless, but my favorite was the massive ramp into the foam pit.

Ready to Learn to Ski or Ride? Start on These Colorado Ski Trails

For new skiers and riders, Colorado’s learning areas are great places to start – these include magic carpets, “bunny slopes” and designated green runs that can help beginners get their feet under them.
We asked our member ski areas: Which run at your ski area is the best for beginners still getting their feet under them?

Arapahoe Basin

After A-Basin skiers have progressed beyond the learning area, Wrangler is the best run for beginners – you get to enjoy the scenery of the Continental Divide on a mellow, winding path from mid-mountain to the base area. You can also access other beginner trails like Chisholm Trail that loop you through the forests on the lower mountain.

Aspen Snowmass

At Aspen Snowmass, Buttermilk and Snowmass are the best resorts for beginners to learn how to ski. On Snowmass, the best learning area resides in The Meadows at Elk Camp because of the dedicated chairlift specific for beginners, easy access to bathrooms, snacks and sunscreen in Elk Camp Restaurant, and the perfect pitch/dedicated arena meant just for beginners learning to ski. At Buttermilk, Panda Peak is the best place to learn how to ski, especially for kids. The Hideout Kids’ Adventure Center is directly adjacent to Panda Peak making for enjoyable and easy experience for kids.

Cooper

EZ Street is a great run for beginners at Cooper, with a gentle slope and the state’s longest magic carpet. It is right at the base of the mountain and just steps away from the parking lot.

Copper Mountain

Copper Mountain’s Soliloquy is a long, meandering green on the west side of Copper’s naturally-divided terrain with a mellow pitch, room to spread out and some of the best views on the mountain.

Echo Mountain

Most of Echo Mountain’s terrain is intermediate, but brand new for the 2018-19 season, Echo’s new beginner area offers an easy, gently graded learning area with a covered conveyer lift. For beginners who are looking for a break from learning to ski and ride, check out Echo’s new tubing hill.
 

Eldora

Eldora’s best run for beginners, Bunnyfair, is a wide green trail with room for brand new skiers and riders to learn the ropes without too much challenge.

Granby Ranch

Granby Ranch’s green run Buckhorn, accessed from the Quick Draw Express, is a wide-open trail with a gentle slope that is great for beginners.

Howelsen Hill

Howelsen’s best run for beginners is Long John. This run is a long meander around the shoulder of Howelsen Hill, with a rolling, twisty route through dark timber forest.

Loveland Ski Area

Loveland Valley is a separate base area just for beginners with their own lifts and wide-open, gentle slopes perfect for newcomers to make their first turns. Located in the Loveland Valley off Lift 7 or the Magic Carpet, the runs All Smiles and Take Off both offer great terrain for beginners.

Monarch Mountain

Snowflake and Butterfly, both served by Monarch’s covered surface lift the Caterpillar, are great runs for beginners.  Not having to load a chairlift can make for a less intimidating beginner experience.  These runs are right by Monarch’s base lodge, so friends and family are easy to find.
If you’re looking for a bit more of a challenge once you’ve mastered the basics, try out Rookie. A short ride on the beginner lift Tumbelina takes you to a beautiful run with approachable terrain and stunning views of the surrounding 13,000 and 14,000-foot peaks. 

Powderhorn Resort

Stagecoach is Powderhorn’s easiest trail down. This trail is great for beginners to start out, winding down the mountain on a wide trail that is great to learn.

Purgatory Resort

There are a variety of beginner trails at Purgatory, such as Columbine, Angels Tread, and Divinity under the Twilight Lift 4 so beginners can enjoy several trails with gentle slopes in this beginner area.

Silverton Mountain

Silverton Mountain doesn’t offer any beginner terrain as an experts-only mountain, and recommends newcomers to the sport to visit Kendall Mountain Ski Area just a few minutes down the road.

Steamboat Resort

Why Not is a perfect run for skiers and riders who are ready to brave the mountain via Gondola. The 3-mile green run meanders gently down the mountain to deliver beginners safely back to the base of the Resort.

Sunlight

Sunlight's Midway run is a great place to learn to ski or snowboard. A wide-open trail with a mild pitch, it's the perfect terrain for beginners. Parents can watch their kids come down the mountain right from the base lodge. And for those ready to tackle freestyle, Sunlight's Pump Haus Park offers the perfect progression for beginners, where professional instructors are ready to teach the first steps of freestyle.

Telluride Ski Resort

Nestled above 11,000ft, Telluride’s Ute Park offers beginner skiers and riders the opportunity to enjoy the mountains and high-alpine vistas normally reserved for advanced skiers. Freshly groomed each night, with two beginner terrain parks to keep things interesting featuring rollers and small jumps to keep things interesting – Ute Park is a beginner skier’s paradise

Winter Park

Village Way is a nice, meandering easy run that is great for beginners because you take it all the way from the top.  It’s also Winter Park’s longest run at 4.9 miles.

Wolf Creek

One of the better-known beginner runs, Kelly Boyce Trail, off of the Raven Chairlift, a high speed detachable quad, is one of many great beginner runs at Wolf Creek. Kelly Boyce Trail is a wide trail with gentle rolling hills along with flats for skiers and boarders looking to get their feet under them early in the morning, families skiing with children and beginners getting the hang of being on snow.

Have you ever read the fine print on a ski area waiver? Here’s what you agree to when you sign

BRECKENRIDGE SKI RESORT — When you buy a lift pass at any ski area, you have to sign a waiver. Most people don’t actually read it, but it severely limits liability for a ski resort, even in cases when claims are based on resort negligence.
Monika May, a 55-year-old from Colorado Springs, knows that all too well. On Feb. 11, 2017, she was taking a lesson for advanced skiers at Breckenridge Ski Resort.
As May stood at the loading zone of 6 Chair, which provides access to black diamond terrain, she said a lift operator walked into a moving chair. It ricocheted off his body, swung wildly and hit her, she said. May said she remained standing, loaded the chair and continued riding up the lift. At the top, she stopped in a warming hut, where she called ski patrol to take her down the mountain.

May reached out to the Summit Daily News about the incident after it published a story about lift safety at Colorado ski areas.
May said she sustained 13 injuries, including to her spine, cartilage in her knees and wrist, and ligaments in her ankles in addition to nerve damage. She said the injuries resulted in multiple surgeries and ongoing pain.

Her injuries put her work as a graphic designer on hold, and she had to live with her parents for several months when she said she could not take care of herself. Her medical care came with a hefty price tag, and she had to go on Medicaid, she said.
Almost three years later, May said she cannot ski and is still recovering from her injuries.
“I can’t ski anymore,” May said. “I’ve skied Breckenridge since I was 9 years old.”
As a Vail Resorts passholder and a participant in a ski lesson, May signed two waivers that limited the company’s liability.
The waiver a season passholder signs when purchasing an Epic Pass from Vail Resorts bars a skier or snowboarder from suing the company. At the top of the liability waiver is a statement bolded and highlighted that reads, “Warning: Please read carefully before signing! This is a release of liability & waiver of certain legal rights including the right to sue or claim compensation.”
Farther down the waiver, passholders sign away their right to sue or make any claims for any injury, including death, even if the claims are based on resort negligence.
There is similar language in all ski area waivers.
Arapahoe Basin Ski Area Slopes Maintenance Manager Louis Skowyra said that while A-Basin’s waiver does not absolve the ski area of all liability, the waivers are very strong.
By signing the waiver, May was barred from taking any legal action against Vail Resorts, and several lawyers declined to take her case. May wrote to high-up officials within the company, including Vice President and Chief Operating Officer John Buhler and Chief Executive Officer Rob Katz, asking for help with her medical expenses, but company representatives said Breckenridge was unable to provide compensation.
“You have to lobby the state to change the law,” May said.
Because the incident happened while loading the chair, it was not reported to the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board, which does not track incidents or injuries that take place while loading or unloading.
Those incidents are tracked at the resort level, according to an email from the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies spokeswoman Lee Raizer.
“Loading and unloading incident logs are collected by ski areas and annually reviewed during unannounced inspections by the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board (CPTSB) in an attempt to identify trends and enact any actionable corrections,” Raizer wrote in an email to the Summit Daily.
That’s something critics says essentially allows the ski industry to regulate itself.  May’s incident was reviewed by Breckenridge, which she said provided a very vague report. The small “incident card” includes the date, time and location of the incident, May’s personal information, a 10-word description of the incident and a 15-word description of the first aid she received from ski patrol.
That exceeds the Tramway Safety Board’s requirements for logging loading and unloading incidents, which calls only for the name of the lift, the date of the incident, and the name, addresses and age of the person injured.
May’s incident remains under investigation by the Tramway Safety Board.
When asked about the incident, Breckenridge spokeswoman Sara Lococo said the resort could not provide information on specific guest incidents or internal practices.