As a longtime member of the Park City community, a multiple business owner, and someone who supports our local workforce and the tens of thousands of visitors who keep our winter economy thriving, I feel compelled to express deep frustration over Vail Resorts’ continued refusal to refund unused Epic Day passes under reasonable circumstances.
Despite the obvious lack of snow, Vail Resorts continued marketing Epic Day passes to locals and past visitors as recently as Nov. 16 — even though it was clear the resort would not open on Nov. 19.
Now we have families arriving for Thanksgiving, many of whom were already impacted by last year’s ski patrol strike, once again forced to experience the same “Vail Fail” when they learn their Epic Day pass will not be refunded or credited.
To make matters worse, I was told directly by Park City’s Ski School (on a recorded call, should any Vail Resorts executive care to hear it) that guests booked for private lessons next week would be fully charged unless they called to cancel.
In other words: if Vail Resorts cannot provide the service because the resort is closed, they will still bill you for the lesson. Let that sink in.
While an Epic Day Pass is technically valid all season, many families can only afford one annual ski trip — especially in today’s economic environment. Flights, rental cars, and lodging are often non-refundable. Visitors can still enjoy restaurants and activities in town even without skiing, but being told by Vail Resorts’ offshore call center to “just plan another trip” is tone deaf, dismissive and frankly terrible customer service.
Did Vail Resorts learn nothing from last year?
Even more insulting: I was told that if a guest purchased a standard Park City Mountain lift ticket — at nearly triple the price — a refund would be issued with no questions asked. But because they purchased an Epic Day Pass, they’re simply out of luck. So
Vail Resorts’ message to our community is clear: Pay three times more or don’t expect fair treatment. Meanwhile, they’ll still happily charge $7 for a fountain drink.
And so here we are again: a multibillion-dollar corporation clinging to rigid, outdated refund policies and leaving guests with no recourse when the services they purchased simply aren’t available.
Park City deserves better. Our visitors deserve better. And this community deserves a resort operator that listens, adapts, and values long-term trust over short-term revenue. I am confident that if someone like Matthew Prince ran this resort, he’d take a customer-first approach and do what’s right because he understands lifetime value, not just transactions.
It’s time for Vail Resorts to modernize their refund policies, honor the experience they promise, and finally show that they learned something from last year’s strike.
Sam Rubin
Park City