Ikon Pass VS Epic Pass Canada

ikon pass vs epic pass comparison in canada

Should I get an Ikon or Epic Pass to Ski in Canada?

Both Ikon Pass and Epic Pass have some amazing deals to offer skiers and snowboarders around the world. While both passes have their own pros and cons, we are here to help you compare the two passes in Canada. Which is the best ski pass in Canada? We will touch on several important considerations in this IKON Pass vs EPIC Pass comparison in Canada below! Both passes have access to several of the resorts on our list of the best freeride resorts for advanced and expert skiers in Canada. Read on to find out if the Ikon Pass or the Epic Pass is the better pass for you!

Ikon Pass details in Canada

The Ikon Pass is a heavy hitter in the ski pass game and seems to be growing each year. We have outlined what the Ikon Pass includes in Canada below. The pass inclusions consist of two parts- unlimited skiing and limited days at partner resorts. The Ikon Pass includes unlimited skiing at Blue Mountain and Mt Tremblant, with limited ski days at Red Mountain, Skibig3 and Revelstoke Mountain Resort, along with a few others. If you are a skier living in Montreal or Toronto area, and plan on doing a ski trip in British Columbia or the Rockies this winter, this pass makes perfect sense, as well as if you plan to visit any of the American resorts on the Ikon Pass.

Ikon pass benefits in canada

Full ikon pass- $1840 cad/ $1359 USD (2024/2025 season)

• Unlimited skiing at Blue Mountain

• Unlimited skiing at Tremblant

• 7 days at Skibig3 (Lake Louise, Sunshine, Norquay)

• 7 days at Red Mountain

• 7 days at Revelstoke Mountain Resort

• 7 days at Sunpeaks Resort

• 7 days at Cypress Resort

• 7 days at Panorama Mountain Resort

• No blackout dates on the full Ikon Pass

ikon base pass- $1310 cad/ $969 USD (2024/2025 season)

• Unlimited skiing at Blue Mountain

• Unlimited skiing at Tremblant

• 5 days at Skibig3

• 5 days at Revelstoke Mountain Resort

• 5 days at Red Mountain

• 5 days at Panorama Mountain Resort

• 5 days at Sunpeaks

• 5 days at Cypress Mountain Resort

• Blackout dates apply

Is The Ikon Pass worth it In Canada?

The Ikon Pass can be one of the best ski passes in Canada, depending on where you live and ski all season long, as well as your travel style and frequency. If you live in Montreal or Toronto areas and ski at Blue Mountain or Mt Tremblant regularly, the Ikon Pass adds a lot of value as a regular season pass with unlimited skiing at your local resort.

If you travel a few times each winter to ski in Canada, or at the other Ikon Pass resorts in the US, the pass adds further value by covering 5 or 7 days at up to 51 resorts. If you go for a ski trip in Canada with 7 days of riding on the mountain, you would be paying roughly $840 for lift tickets, depending on the mountain and packages available. If you go on two trips like this, the pass easily pays for itself and as a bonus, you can ski unlimited at your home resort if you ski at Blue or Tremblant.

If you spend less time on trips, or go on fewer trips, the pass may not be as valuable to you.

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Epic pass Details In Canada

The Epic Pass has been shaking up the ski industry for a few years now, offering unlimited skiing at all Vail owned ski resorts, including Whistler/ Blackcomb. The Epic Pass offers very little to skiers on the East Coast of Canada, and even to skiers on the East Coast of the USA. In Canada, East Coast skiers can only ski 7 days total in Quebec, and if they do that, the only other benefit is unlimited skiing at Whistler during a ski trip to the West Coast. For skiers around Vancouver there is an obvious appeal to the Epic Pass with unlimited skiing at Whistler/ Blackcomb, just two hours North of Vancouver. Vancouver skiers can also benefit during a trip to the RCR resorts in interior BC with a total of 7 included days. This could look like a ski week to Kicking Horse, Kimberly and Fernie, with 2,2 and 3 days at each of the resorts, which are only a few hours apart from each other.

Epic pass benefits in canada

Epic Unlimited Pass $1025 usd/ $1385 cad (2024/2025 season earlybird pricing)

• Unlimited skiing at Whistler/ Blackcomb

• 7 days skiing at Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (7 total days at Kicking Horse, Fernie, Kimberly, Nakiska, Stoneham and Mont Sainte-Anne)

is The Epic Pass Worth It In Canada?

To be honest, we’d like to see some more versatile offerings for Canadian skiers before recommending the Epic Pass in Canada. Th Epic Pass may be strong for unlimited skiing in Western US resorts, but in Canada, it lacks punch, with just a total of 7 day (not even 7 days each) at the RCR resorts, which are absolutely worth exploring for a good week each! Unlimited skiing at Whistler is great, but only appeals to Vancouver residents, who pan to spend more than 10 days at Whistler is a season.

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ski season pass comparison

Is the Ikon Pass or Epic Pass better in Canada for skiing?

It’s true, both the Ikon Pass and Epic Pass both have pros and cons. Perhaps the most significant factor when comparing the two passes is where you live and ski the most. If you live in Toronto or Montreal and ski near there, taking a trip or two each winter, I would recommend the Ikon Pass. Also, if you live on the East Coast or plan to ski in the Eastern United States, I would recommend the Ikon Pass, since it includes far more resorts on the East Coast. If you plan on attending our guided ski and snowboard tours in British Columbia, I would suggest the Ikon Pass.

If you live in Vancouver and ski locally, taking a trip once or twice a year, I would recommend the Epic Pass. If you are attending our guided ski tour in the Rockies I would suggest the Epic Pass.

Another consideration for skiers in Western Canada is that the Ikon Pass includes 42 ski days at 8 resorts, while the Epic Pass includes only 7 days at 4 resorts, plus the unlimited skiing at Whistler.

Whichever pass you end up with, we hope to see you on one of our guided small group ski and snowboard trips along the Powder Highway. These trips are a perfect way to dodge crowds and get the powder stashes with local guides! Best of all, you save big on our tours with both the Epic Pass and Ikon Pass, or both!

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Make the most of your pass on our guided Powder Highway ski & snowboard tours!

Ski With our local guides and a small group of likeminded skiers and snowboarders on the powder chasing adventure of a lifetime!

best of BC Ski/ snowboard Tour - 11 Days

Revelstoke - Kicking Horse - Whitewater - Red Mountain
Spend 11 days exploring the absolute best of the Powder Highway on this guided ski tour in Canada. This tour package spends two days at each resort, covering the best terrain & snow in Canada with local guides.

Ultimate Powder Highway Roadtrip- 12 Days

Fernie - Whitewater - Red Mountain - Revelstoke - Kicking Horse
Named the ultimate Powder Highway ski trip for a reason! Ski the best resorts in the Rockies and Powder Highway. Soak your tired legs in amazing hot springs and enjoy the best food and drink in 5 mountain towns.

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Ikon pass FAQ

How much does the ikon pass cost?

For the 2024/2025 season the full Ikon Pass costs $1359 usd or $1840 cad, and the Ikon Base Pass costs $969 usd or $1310 cad.

Where can I get the Ikon Pass?

You can purchase the Ikon Pass directly online from the Ikon Pass website, several Ski Travel Agencies, or any mountain that the Ikon Pass is valid at.

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Epic Pass FAQ

How mUch Does the Epic Pass Cost?

For the 2024/2025 season, the Epic Unlimited Pass costs $1025 usd or $1385 cad if ordered before October 9, 2024.

Where Can I get the Epic Pass?

You can order the Epic Pass from the Epic Pass website, or can also purchase it from any Epic Resort, including Whistler/ Blackcomb.

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About the author

Alex Ross- Lead Guide/ Founder

Let’s just say Alex didn’t want to work a real job when he grew up. He had his heart set on avoiding any kind of accounting, human resources, compliance, marketing and business administration, in order to be free for his dream job as a ski guide. Now he guides people on skis, but mostly does accounting, human resources, compliance, marketing and business administration work!

Why Guided Ski Tours Are The Way Forward

Life is too short for bad ski vacations!

Think about your last ski vacation…. wass it truly epic? Memories to last a lifetime? Did you push past your limits? Escape the crowds and find a secret stash of your own?

We hope that it was all that and more, but more and more people are reporting that they were mildly enthused on their last ski trip.

So what is different about a guided ski trip?

Everyone has something they are really good at. Some of you can find accounting errors deep in the books, some can whip up an incredible meal, and some can sniff out the best powder stashes on a mountain while evading the snow-hungry crowds.

Unless the latter is you, why put yourself in charge of delighting your inner kid on your next ski trip. Instead, imagine joining a guided ski tour and spending a week skiing with someone who does it for a living, lives and breathes it, and spends every waking moment on the mountain.

Going on a ski trip with local guides means that you can skip the few days of exploration and missing the perfect run by just a few feet, and jump straight into the goods. Remember that amazing little stash you found on the last day of that trip? Imagine if every run was like that. Bam! Bam! Bam! One incredible run after another, curated and delivered on a silver platter by your goggle-tanned guide.

The Hidden Perks of Skiing With A Guide

So what else is better about being on a guided ski/ snowboard tour? Well for one, let’s admit… driving in winter can be horrible, and driving on the wrong side of the road, in a foreign place, on glare ice, while fumbling with a map is even worse. What’s more fun? Settling back and enjoying the views, while a local handles the driving for you.

What’s worse than driving in winter? Blowing right by a secret set of hot springs that you didn’t know were there, and having cold feet when you could be soaking in that healing water! One of the most overlooked benefits to joining a guided ski tour is that your guide is equipped with a legendary arsenal of local gems that took years to explore and find. During our guided ski trips we stop at several amazing natural hot springs along the way, including a set that are tunneled into a cave inside a mountainside.

On top of all that, when you join a guided ski tour, we plan the finer details for you, so you can dine at all the best hand picked restaurants that deliver time and time again, plus stop at local craft breweries, distilleries, and get hooked up with the best shop to go to in each town!

So next time you are planning a ski vacation- why not try a guided ski trip? Give us a shout to learn more about our ski tours on the Powder Highway.

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About The Author

Alex Ross- Founder and Lead Guide

Alex was born in Ontario with his head turned west, yearning for the mountains of British Columbia. As soon as he graduated university he scampered to BC for a life of adventure. 10 years later, he’s lucky enough to be writing wildly mediocre blog posts on why you should be skiing with him and his team of professional ski bums.

A New Kind Of Canada Ski Vacation

Are Canada Ski Tours Right For You?

Imagine arriving in the heart of the legendary Canadian mountains, strapping your skis on and instantly skiing the same incredible powder stashes that the locals has been searching for year after year. 

This used to be a difficult feat, made possible only with an over-insured car rental, driving through blizzards and slushy mountain passes, with most of your beer budget going to tight-lipped locals in exchange for tips on secret local favorites. 

Cheer up shredder- with a new and revolutionary way to enjoy ski vacations in Canada your chances at hitting the good stuff just got better.  Introducing Canada ski tours, by Fresh Adventures. 

Put the mega-resort brochure down and join us for a British Columbia ski tour, visiting 4 totally off-the beaten path resorts over the course of an 11 day ski trip.  With 8 days of guided skiing in BC, 3 excursions to secluded hot springs and daily doses of vibrant apres ski these Canada ski tours are sure to be the ski vacation of a lifetime. 

No longer do you need to spend your entire Canada ski vacation at a single resort.  Instead your guided ski tour will allow you to experience several resorts in one go, with no lift lines, Canada's best powder and some of the best intermediate and advanced ski terrain on the planet.  Check out some Canada ski tours and guided ski vacations now.