Updated October 2020
Here’s a look at how the Northeast Value Epic Pass stacks up for people in New Jersey, Northeast PA, and the greater New York City area.
This pass typically costs $619, but teenagers (13-17) and seniors (65-79) will pay only $459, and college students can get a pass for $429. Additional savings can be found by purchasing the pass over the summer or during the spring at the end of the previous season.
There are more than 10 mountains (owned by Vail Resorts) on the Epic Northeast Value Pass, so this pass has the potential to be a great value for people in the NYC area, especially those interested in traveling up to Vermont or New Hampshire at least once.
Mountains
Local Mountains
In order to get the most value out of a multi-mountain pass like this one, it’s important to have at least one nearby mountain available for you to visit whenever you don’t want to travel very far.
Fortunately, the Epic Pass has a handful of options. No matter where you live in the NYC area, you should be able to hit each of these in a single day, though some will be a longer drive than others, depending on where you live:
- Hunter (NY)
- Jack Frost/Big Boulder (PA)
- Roundtop (PA)
- Liberty (PA)
- Whitetail (PA)
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is another great place to go skiing or snowboarding on the East Coast. There are four mountains there on the Northeast Value Epic Pass, so you can try to hit them all, or you can choose which ones you’d like to visit.
- These mountains are in Southern NH, so you could probably visit both of them over a long weekend:
- Mount Sunapee
- Crotched
Suggested weekend trip: drive up to NH on a Friday night, spend all day at Mount Sunapee on Saturday, do a half day on Sunday at Crotched, and then drive home Sunday afternoon.
- These mountains are in Northern NH and will require a longer trip. It’ll take about 7 hours by car to reach them.
- Wildcat
- Attitash
Suggested half-week trip: drive up to NH on a Thursday, spend all day at Wildcat on Friday, rest on Saturday, spend all day at Attitash on Sunday, then drive home on Monday.
Vermont
Vermont is a popular winter destination for skiers and riders in the NYC area. Here’s how you can head to Vermont mountains with your Epic Pass:
- Mount Snow (Southern Vermont, 4-5 hours drive)
- Stowe (Northern Vermont, 6.5 hours drive)
Mount Snow is in Southern Vermont, so it makes for an easy weekend trip, or you could hit it on the way up to or back from Stowe.
Other
There are also a few other mountains included on the Northeast Value Pass, but they are probably not worth the trip from the NYC area unless you have friends or family out there.
- Alpine Valley, OH
- Mt. Brighton, MI
- Boston Mills, OH
- Brandwine, OH
- Mad River Mountain, OH
Sample Seasons
Season A:
Maximum Mountains
December
- Jack Frost/Big Boulder
- Weekend Trip to Mount Snow (2 days, 1 night)
- Hunter Mountain
January
- Vacation in New Hampshire (5 days, 4 nights:
- Attitash
- Wildcat
- Roundtop Mountain
- Nearest Local Mountain
- Vacation in New Hampshire (5 days, 4 nights:
February
- Long Weekend at Stowe (4 days, 3 nights)
- Liberty Mountain
- Nearest Local Mountain
March
- Long Weekend in New Hampshire (4 days, 3 nights)
- Mt. Sunapee
- Crotched
- Whitetail Mountain
- Nearest Local Mountains
- Long Weekend in New Hampshire (4 days, 3 nights)
Analysis:
The pass typically costs $619, plus you paid for 11 nights in a hotel this season, and you also spent a lot of money on gas driving to and from the mountains.
By the end of the season, you got 16+ days in on the slopes, which means that you paid $39 or less per day on the slopes (that’s a great deal!) and you also made it to 11 different mountains, which means you only spent $56 per mountain (which is also a great deal).
Of course, hitting 11 different mountains means that you spent a decent amount of money on hotels and gas this season, and you also spent a lot of time in the car this season when you could’ve been shredding the local mountain all day instead, so there are some drawbacks. You’re also not entirely sure which mountain was which in some cases… was Roundtop the one you really liked?
Verdict: If you’re looking to explore a bunch of different mountains across the northeast this season, this is one of the best ways to do it. Bring a buddy or two so you can split gas and hotel costs, and your season will be even better. Most season passes in the NYC area are in the $300-600 range, so paying $600 to hit ELEVEN mountains instead of just one is a nice way to get some variety this season as a good price.
Season B:
Lowest Cost
December
- Jack Frost/Big Boulder
- Hunter
- Roundtop
- Liberty
January
- JF/BB
- Hunter
- Roundtop
- Mount Snow (It’s a really long roundtrip journey, but why pay for a hotel if you don’t have to?)
February
- JF/BB
- Hunter
- Roundtop
- Whitetail
March
- JF/BB
- Hunter
- Roundtop
- Another really long day trip up to Mount Snow, even though driving four hours just to ski/ride for four hours and then drive four hours home again after is a grueling routine.
Analysis:
The pass typically costs $619, and other than gas money (and some bad lodge food), that’s all you spent this season.
By the end of it, you got 16+ days in on the slopes, which means you paid $39 or less per day on the slopes (that’s a great deal!), and you also made it to 5 different mountains, which means you paid $124 per mountain (not too shabby!).
Of course, traveling up to Mount Snow and back in a single day was somewhat painful, so you might consider getting a hotel and staying overnight there next year, but you were happy to save money this year, and you enjoyed being able to visit a bunch of the local mountains multiple times.
Verdict: If you’re looking to explore a handful of local mountains in the area this season, and you don’t mind spending some long hours in the car, then this is a good deal. Bring a friend to save on gas money (and to keep you awake on the Mount Snow return trip!) and you’ll have an even better time. Most season passes in the NYC area are in the $300-600 range, so paying $599 to hit FIVE mountains instead of just one is a great way to get some variety this season as a good price.
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