Skiers File Federal Antitrust Lawsuit Against Vail Resorts and Alterra Mountain Company

Ski pass giants Vail Resorts and Alterra Mountain Company are facing a federal antitrust class action lawsuit alleging they used their dominant position in the ski industry to unfairly raise prices and steer customers into expensive multi-mountain season passes, according to a complaint filed this week in Colorado.

Filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, the proposed class action was brought on behalf of skiers and snowboarders nationwide who purchased either day lift tickets or season passes tied to the companies’ Epic and Ikon pass products. The suit alleges Vail Resorts, Inc. and Alterra Mountain Company unlawfully inflated prices and suppressed competition through “tying” or bundling practices linked to those passes.

According to the complaint, Vail and Alterra together control access to nearly every major destination ski resort in North America and have leveraged that position to steer consumers into all-or-nothing “mega pass” bundles. Plaintiffs say the companies accomplished this in part by setting single-day lift-ticket prices at artificially high levels, making the Epic and Ikon passes appear to be the only economically rational option for many skiers and riders.

The lawsuit focuses on Vail’s Epic Pass and Alterra’s Ikon Pass, which offer access to dozens of resorts across the United States and beyond. The plaintiffs contend that by bundling marquee destinations with smaller regional ski areas, the companies force consumers to pay for access to mountains they may not want in order to ski at high-profile resorts such as Park City and Deer Valley.

Attorneys bringing the case argue the alleged conduct violates federal and state antitrust laws, including Section 1 of the Sherman Act, by restraining trade and foreclosing independent ski areas. The complaint claims virtually all marquee destination ski resorts are either owned by or contractually tied to Vail or Alterra, leaving consumers with few meaningful alternatives and putting pressure on independent hills to join one of the two pass networks or risk losing skier traffic.

The proposed class would cover U.S. residents who bought a qualifying season pass or lift ticket from Vail Resorts or Alterra Mountain Company over a defined period, which the complaint says could amount to millions of consumers. Plaintiffs are seeking damages and injunctive relief aimed at restoring competition in the ski resort market, including changes to the way Epic and Ikon passes are structured and sold.

“For years, skiers have been told that soaring lift‑ticket prices, reduced choice, and overcrowding are simply the new reality. Our complaint alleges that these outcomes are not the result of healthy competition, but of exclusionary conduct by two companies that dominate access to the most desirable destinations,” said Greg Asciolla, Chair of DiCello Levitt’s Antitrust and Competition Litigation Practice.

Additionally, the lawsuit alleges the increase in season passes caused “crowding effects,” which included long lift lines, congested slopes, and customers being “locked” into an entire winter season.

A Vail spokesperson provided the following statement:

“We believe these claims are without merit. We launched the Epic Pass in 2008 to make skiing and riding more accessible, reducing the price of a season pass by 60%. We’re proud that 18 years later, it’s still one of the best values in the industry, especially following our further 20% price reduction in 2021.

“As we acquired smaller resorts over the years, we also launched new, lower-priced pass products, such as the Epic Day Pass Local and Limited, for guests who only want to ski close to home. We will always give the best value to our pass holders who commit ahead of the season—but that said, we have also been intentional to price our lift tickets, sold in season, on a resort-by-resort basis, including numerous new discount opportunities this past season.”

The case is captioned Goloja et al. v. Vail Resorts, Inc. et al. and marks the first federal antitrust class action to directly challenge the pricing and bundling strategy behind the Epic and Ikon passes.