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Skiing in Vail costs more than the lift ticket. For the 2026/27 season an adult lift ticket costs $202 to $259 when bought ahead and reaches $374 at the ticket window on the busiest dates, and an adult group lesson starts at $248 for a half day. An adult Epic Pass costs $1,169 after the October 7, 2026 price rise, and pays for itself after five or six days at the advance prices. Rentals and parking come on top.
To see what lodging adds for your dates, compare Vail hotels for opening weekend, November 13 to 15 with Christmas week, December 24 to 27.
Lift tickets: what one day costs
Vail prices every date separately and shows a lower advance price beside a struck-through same-day price. The table shows adult (ages 13 to 64) and child (ages 5 to 12) prices for a sample of dates as they stood on September 30, 2026, fees included. Vail's lowest prices go to buyers four or more weeks ahead.
| Date | Adult, advance | Child, advance | Adult, same day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 13, 2026 (planned opening day) | $202 | $139 | $239 |
| Tue, Jan 12, 2027 | $209 | $145 | $319 |
| Mon, Dec 28, 2026 (holiday week) | $259 | $179 | $374 |
| Sat, Feb 13, 2027 (Presidents' Day weekend) | $259 | $179 | $374 |
| Sat, Apr 10, 2027 | $256 | $177 | $303 |
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Vail limits the number of lift tickets it sells each day, and popular dates sell out. Unused days are refundable if you ask before 5 p.m. on the last day of the ticket. Current prices for your own dates are on Vail's lift ticket page; how much lift tickets at Vail cost covers multi-day tickets, and how to get cheaper Vail lift tickets covers ways to pay less.
Epic Pass and Epic Day Pass
The 2026/27 Epic Pass is $1,169 for adults (31 and older), $929 for teens 13 to 17 and young adults 18 to 30, and $599 for children 5 to 12, at the prices listed after the October 7 increase (checked October 21, 2026). It covers every day of the season at Vail, peak dates included, so it beats advance tickets once you ski five or six days. Buyers also receive five Epic Friend Tickets, which take 50 percent off an adult lift ticket for a companion. The Epic Pass listing summarizes what the pass covers.
The Epic Day Pass suits a shorter trip. You buy one to seven days before the season starts and pick the dates later, and the price per day falls as you add days: a four-day adult pass (ages 13 and up) with access to all resorts is $481 ($120 a day) and the child version $250 ($63 a day). The one-day adult pass without peak dates is $147. Our Epic Pass 2026/27 guide lays out every Day Pass price and the Epic Local peak dates. Day passes exclude a handful of holiday peak dates unless you add peak-date access when you build the pass. Vail Resorts advertises savings of up to 65 percent against window prices.
Both products include Epic Mountain Rewards, which takes 20 percent off food, lodging, rentals and group lessons.
Lessons
Group lessons are priced by length and age, and adult lessons are for ages 16 and up. Each also needs a lift ticket or pass, and Vail sells discounted tickets and rentals as add-ons at checkout. Lessons meet at Golden Peak or Lionshead, depending on the base you choose at booking, and multi-day lessons have to run on consecutive dates.
| Lesson | Price | With Epic Mountain Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Adult group, half day (2½ hours) | $248 | $198 |
| Adult group, full day (5½ hours) | $331 | $264 |
| Adult group, two full days | $662 | $529 |
| Adult beginner series, three days for the price of two | $662 | – |
| Child group, ages 3 to 4, half day | $248 | $198 |
| Child group, ages 7 to 15, full day (6 hours, lunch included) | $387 | $309 |
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The Vail Ski and Snowboard School listing has contact details, and the Golden Peak guide explains where the children's lessons check in.
Rentals
Booking rentals online in advance saves up to an extra 20 percent, and Epic Pass holders take 20 percent off through Epic Mountain Rewards. Vail also offers free rental delivery to a hotel, vacation rental or condo. Independent shops set their own prices; browse the Vail ski rentals directory or read how much ski rentals in Vail cost. One that books online is Vail and Beaver Creek ski rental with delivery on Viator.
Parking and getting there
Vail's in-town buses and the Core Transit routes through the Vail Valley are free, so a hotel outside the villages does not require a car on those routes. Vail is 119 miles from Denver International Airport by I-70; see the closest airport to Vail for the alternatives. Viator lists a Denver Airport to Vail car service and the return trip to the airport.
If you drive, the town garages in Vail Village and Lionshead charged winter 2025/26 visitors nothing for the first hour and then $10 an hour, capped at $30 on a regular day and $50 on a peak day, with overnight parking at $60. Winter 2026/27 paid parking runs from November 20, 2026 to April 18, 2027; as of September 30, 2026 the town had not published the new rates and says details will be available in mid-October. Parking in town lots is free until November 19, and where to park at Vail covers the options in detail.
Lodging and food
Hotel rates and restaurant prices are set by each business and move with the calendar, the same way lift tickets do. The Vail hotels directory and budget lodging ideas are the place to start for a bed, and the Vail restaurants directory and on-mountain dining guide cover meals. For the cost of the wider trip, see how expensive Vail is.
Plan your trip
Sources: Vail's lift ticket page, the Epic Pass and Epic Day Pass pages, Vail's adult and child lesson pages and rental delivery page, all checked September 30, 2026, and the Town of Vail parking page, with winter 2025/26 rates from its archived rate page.
