Media Relations:
Johnna Muscente, (303) 404.1835, jmmuscente@vailresorts.com
2020 EPIC AUSTRALIA PASS SALE ENDS 12 JULY;
PASS ACCESS RESERVATION AND REFUND PERIODS EXTENDED
BROOMFIELD, Colo. — 5 July 2020 — Due to continued low snowfall and less than normal availability of lifts and terrain at Perisher, Hotham and Falls Creek, Vail Resorts announced today that access reservations for pass holders will be extended for the period 13-19 July until the resorts have sufficient lifts and trails open to ensure physical distancing for unreserved access during peak periods. Pass holder reservations will also be required for weekend access until further notice. The Epic Australia Pass will remain on sale until Sunday 12 July 2020 for $889 for Adults, $499 for Students and $685 for Seniors.
Pass holders are reminded that reservation availability is not guaranteed as the resorts are operating at approximately 50% of normal capacity due to COVID-19 capacity constraints and limited snow cover. Until Sunday 12 July 2020, Vail Resorts is offering a refund to any Epic Australia passholder who has not used their pass by that date and does not wish to continue with the purchase.
“It's been a very challenging start to the 2020 snow season. Very low snowfalls and limited opportunities for snowmaking have resulted in the lowest number of lifts operating in our resorts at the start of July in over 20 years.” says Pete Brulisauer, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Australia and Perisher. “We previously announced that reservations would be required for pass holders from opening day until 12 July, or as soon as weather and available terrain and lifts permitted. Unfortunately, due to the poor snow conditions, we need to keep the reservations system in place during peak periods until we can open more lifts and facilities to provide physical distancing and satisfy expectations for COVID safe operations.”
Pass holder reservations for the period 13 to 19 July will occur from 7 July 2020 and pass holders will be informed of when reservations will open for the following weekends. Guests with a 2019-20 Epic Pass or 2019-20 Epic Military Pass will also be required to make reservations to access the resorts during these peak periods.
Guests who purchased a 2020 Epic Australia Pass, who have not used the pass and do not wish to proceed with their pass purchase, may obtain a refund by making a request here no later than Sunday 12 July. After the 12 July refund deadline, the 2020 Epic Australia Pass is non-refundable except as provided for under Epic Coverage and under Australian Consumer Law.
In order to manage capacity under our COVID-19 Safe Operating Plan, Bring-A-Mate tickets are not included with the 2020 Epic Australia Pass benefits. Additionally, the Epic Australia Pass Skitube add-on is not available. A full list of updated benefits are here. Guests who have purchased a 2020 Epic Australia Pass are encouraged to review these updated benefits carefully to ensure they understand the changes.
Following recent snowfalls Hotham and Falls Creek will open their mountain operations on Monday 6 July. Hotham will open with six lifts including Road Runner, Big D, Audi quattro, Summit and Summit Trainer. Falls Creek will open seven lifts including Halley’s Comet, Drovers Dream and Towers.
About Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN)
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading global mountain resort operator. Vail Resorts’ subsidiaries operate 37 world-class mountain resorts and urban ski areas, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Crested Butte in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada; Perisher, Falls Creek and Hotham in Australia; Stowe, Mount Snow, Okemo in Vermont; Hunter Mountain in New York; Mount Sunapee, Attitash, Wildcat and Crotched in New Hampshire; Stevens Pass in Washington; Liberty, Roundtop, Whitetail, Jack Frost and Big Boulder in Pennsylvania; Alpine Valley, Boston Mills, Brandywine and Mad River in Ohio; Hidden Valley and Snow Creek in Missouri; Wilmot in Wisconsin; Afton Alps in Minnesota; Mt. Brighton in Michigan; and Paoli Peaks in Indiana. Vail Resorts owns and/or manages a collection of casually elegant hotels under the RockResorts brand, as well as the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning and development subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.
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