Summit County Citizens Voice

Lifting off the Nose at Arapahoe Basin. A new $359 pass for A-Basin and Keystone should be popular with snowboarders looking to alternate between Keystone's world-class terrain park and A-Basin's unmatched natural terrain. PHOTO BY BOB BERWYN.

Ski through 6 p.m. at Keystone with twilight  sessions on Monday, Tuesday; Summit Pass cracks $400

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Call it Epic Light, or maybe the Snake River Special, but skiers and boarders who favor the east side of Summit County will have a new option next winter with a $359 pass valid at Keystone and Arapahoe Basin ($199 for children ages five-12).

The two resorts have been twinned for many years and share a common history, as Snake River Valley ski pioneers Max and Edna Dercum helped start both ski areas.

Read a nice post on Max Dercum and the history of skiing in the Snake River Valley  by ski writer Peter Shelton here.

Keystone and A-Basin were owned by Ralston Resorts until the late 1990s. When Vail Resorts bought Ralston Resorts, the U.S. Department of Justice required A-Basin to be divested from the deal to meet anti-trust rules. Read the Justice Department anti-trust case here.

The two-mountain pass could help lure visitors back to Keystone, where skier numbers have slipped relative to nearby Breckenridge. The pass is priced competitively with the A-Basin-only pass and could be an attractive option for A-Basin loyalists looking to enjoy some night skiing every now and then.

Vail Resorts announced the new pass deal March 10, along with prices for next season’s Epic and Summit pass prices. The Epic Pass, valid at Breckenridge, Keystone, Vail, Beaver Creek, Heavenly Valley and A-Basin, will sell for $599, up $20 from this season (children five -12 pay $299).

The Summit Pass (Breck, Keystone and A-Basin) will crack the $400-dollar mark, selling for $409. The popular Colorado Pass, covering Breck, Keystone, A-Basin and 10 days at Vail or Beaver Creek, is priced at $449 for next season (Children’s passes, ages five-12 priced at $209, teens at $319).

For the same price — $449 — Vail is also selling what it’s calling and Epic 7-Pack, with unrestricted skiing and riding at any one of Vail Resorts’ five mountain resorts, plus Arapahoe Basin anytime during the season.

Vail said those prices are only guaranteed through May 31 for now, and a $49 deposit will help skiers and riders reserve a pass, with the balance due in fall.

Online pass renewals for the Colorado Pass start March 15 and in-store sales in Colorado will begin April 9. Get all the details at www.epicpass.com.

Keystone also announced it will run its lifts until 6 p.m. March 15 and 16, “In honor of spring break and daylight savings time.”

Filed under: Arapahoe Basin, Keystone, ski industry, Ski Resorts, skiing and riding, Summit County Colorado Tagged: | Colorado Pass, Epic Pass, skiing and riding, Summit County Colorado, Summit County News, Summit County skiing, Summit Pass