Vail announces opening dates for its New England-based resorts

Will paid parking help control traffic flow on Mountain Road in Stowe? (Stowe/Ski Vermont)

Mount Snow, Stowe, and Wildcat will be the first three New England resorts under the Epic umbrella to open for the 2021-22 season. Each resort has a planned opening of (Friday) Nov. 19, followed by Okemo Mountain Resort a day later. 

In all, 15 of the company’s North American resorts are set to open for skiing and riding in November.

New Hampshire’s Mount Sunapee will open on Nov. 24, the day before Thanksgiving, followed by Attitash Mountain Resort and Crotched on Dec. 3. 

Here’s a look at when Vail plans on opening each of its 34 resorts in North America this winter. Dates are, of course, subject to change.

East planned opening dates:

• Nov. 19: Afton Alps (MN), Hunter (NY), Mt. Snow (VT), Stowe (VT), Wildcat (NH)
• Nov. 20: Okemo (VT)
• Nov. 24: Mt. Sunapee (NH)
• Dec. 3: Attitash (NH), Crotched (NH), Jack Frost (PA), Mt. Brighton (MI), Wilmot (WI)
• Dec. 17: Big Boulder (PA), Liberty (PA), Roundtop (PA), Whitetail (PA)
• Dec. 18: Alpine Valley (OH), Boston Mills and Brandywine (OH), Hidden Valley (MO), Mad River (OH), Paoli Peaks (IN), Snow Creek (MO)

Rockies & West planned opening dates:

• October: Keystone (CO) – as early as possible, as weather and conditions permit
• Nov. 12: Breckenridge (CO), Vail (CO)
• Nov. 19: Heavenly (CA), Northstar (CA), Park City (UT)
• Nov. 24: Beaver Creek (CO), Crested Butte (CO)
• Nov. 25: Whistler Blackcomb (Canada)
• Dec. 3: Kirkwood (CA), Stevens Pass (WA)

Vail made headlines earlier this year when it announced that it would offer the popular Epic Pass at a 20 percent reduction from last season. Labor Day is the final day to secure an Epic product at the lowest price. 

The Epic Pass ($783 vs. $979 last season) provides unlimited, unrestricted access to 34 North American resorts. In New England, that includes Stowe, Attitash, Wildcat, Okemo, Mount Sunapee, Mount Snow, and Crotched. The Epic Local Pass ($583 vs. $729 last season) provides unlimited access to 26 resorts, as well as holiday-restricted access to resorts like Stowe, and 10 days total to use at Vail, Beaver Creek and Whistler Blackcomb. Now in its second year, the Northeast Value Pass ($479 vs. $599 last season) has holiday blackouts at Hunter Mountain, Okemo, Mount Snow, and Stowe, and only includes a total of 10 days at Stowe. www.epicpass.com