Season Ski Pass Breakeven

Decide whether an unlimited ski pass pencils out before early-bird deadlines. Enter the pass price, what you typically pay for day tickets, and how many days you expect to ski to reveal the break-even day count, net savings, and effective per-day cost. Add the value of perks like parking, food discounts, or buddy tickets to make apples-to-apples comparisons.

Full price for your Ikon, Epic, or local unlimited pass.
Walk-up or advance-purchase daily lift ticket you would otherwise buy.
Optional. Defaults to 12 days if blank.
Optional. Defaults to $0. Includes free parking, discounts, or buddy tickets per day.

Pricing shifts each season. Confirm blackout dates, partner resort access, and perk terms before purchasing.

Examples

  • $1,150 Epic-style pass vs. $189 day tickets, 14 planned days, $15 in daily perks ⇒ Break-even ski days: 5.54 days • Equivalent spend if you bought day tickets for 14 days: $2,856.00 USD • Net impact at your plan: Savings of $1,706.00 USD • Effective cost per day with the pass: $82.14 USD • Passholder perks add $15.00 USD of value per day when comparing to day tickets.
  • $850 local pass vs. $120 day tickets, planning 6 days, no perks entered ⇒ Break-even ski days: 7.08 days • Equivalent spend if you bought day tickets for 6 days: $720.00 USD • Net impact at your plan: Shortfall of $130.00 USD • Effective cost per day with the pass: $141.67 USD • Perk field left blank—comparison uses ticket price only.

FAQ

Should I include gas, lodging, or rentals?

Only include costs that change based on whether you buy a pass or day tickets. Travel and gear are usually identical either way, so the calculator isolates lift access and passholder perks.

What if I only ski powder days?

Lower the planned-day input to the number of storm days you realistically chase. If that count is below the break-even line, stick with day tickets or a smaller frequency pack.

Can I model family passes?

Yes—add up the total pass cost for your group and use the blended day-ticket price you would pay for the same number of people.

How do frequency passes fit in?

Treat a 4- or 10-day pack as the "day ticket" price by dividing the package cost by the included days. Then compare it against the unlimited pass to see which structure wins at your usage.

Additional Information

  • Use the highest day-ticket price you realistically pay; midweek or advance-purchase deals lower the comparable spend.
  • Buddy tickets or dining credits only count if you redeem them every visit—otherwise leave the perk input at $0.
  • Set planned days to last season's actual count for a conservative estimate, then rerun with a stretch goal.
  • If you visit multiple resorts, average their day-ticket prices or run separate scenarios for each destination.

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