There鈥檚 still plenty of summer left, with grilling and mountain biking in full swing. But that doesn鈥檛 mean you shouldn鈥檛 be getting ready for winter. If you鈥檙e planning to buy one of the season鈥檚 hottest passes, which grant access to multiple major resorts, consider booking聽now. Prices tend to shoot up the closer you get to opening day and some passes sell out completely even before the start of the season, so the best advice we can offer: Buy your pass early.聽
Pass prices tend to jump up in early fall, often as soon as September. The , currently on sale for $559, offers unlimited days at Colorado鈥檚 Winter Park, Copper, and Eldora, plus six days at Steamboat and three days at Crested Butte. The deadline for the current price will likely end sometime after Labor Day, according to resort insiders, although nobody will offer up an exact date.聽
The ,聽a new pass for this year, gets you five days each at 22 mountains across the country, ranging from Brighton, Copper, Crystal Mountain, Big Sky, Sugarloaf, Stratton, Killington, and more. 鈥淲e are planning on several price increases before it goes off sale,鈥 says Jodie Silva, vice president of marketing and sales at Winter Park Resort, one of the MAX Pass resorts. 鈥淏ut it has not yet been determined what those price increases will be. However, it is safe to say that the lowest price available is the current price of $699.鈥
Or take the ,聽Vail Resorts鈥 massive pass, which gives you full access to Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Arapahoe Basin, Park City, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood, and more. The current price is $769 and although Vail won鈥檛 yet say when the deadline for that price is, or what the price increase, if any, will be, chances are the pass price will go up鈥攁nd soon. If you鈥檙e in the market for an Epic Pass, get it while you still can. 鈥淲e historically don鈥檛 announce a specific date that Epic Passes will go off sale entirely, but it will certainly be before the ski season begins,鈥 says Lesli Carlson, corporate communications coordinator for Vail Resorts.
The ,聽currently on sale for $809, grants you unlimited riding at Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows, as well as four days at Sierra-at-Tahoe and Sugar Bowl. Plus, Squaw鈥檚 offering a new worry-free guarantee this year, so if Tahoe gets skunked again this winter and you don鈥檛 use your pass at least five days, the resort will issue you a credit for a pass for the following season.聽鈥淟ike previous years, skiers and riders can assume there will be an increase in price as we get closer to the start of the 2015-16 winter season,鈥 says Squaw spokesperson Michael Radlick. 鈥淔or those interested in locking in the lowest possible rate, our recommendation is to purchase now.鈥
The 听箩耻蝉迟 made news by adding Taos and Stowe to their roster. The gem of a pass that gets you two days each at those new resorts, plus Alta/Snowbird, Lake Louise/Sunshine Village, Mammoth, Jackson Hole, Whistler Blackcomb, Aspen Snowmass, Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows, Sun Valley, and Australia鈥檚 Thredbo. Quantities for the early bird rate of $399 are limited, so nab it before it sells out.
Bottom line: The best time to buy your pass is actually in the spring, at the end of the ski season when resorts offer deep discounts to lock you in for another year. But if you鈥檝e waited until now, don鈥檛 fret. There's still time to buy before the snow starts to fall.