Updated at 6:24 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025.
Ski and snowboarding season means a lot of fun on the slopes. It also means long lines at the chairlift.
No resort will be busier than Winter Park Resort due to its close proximity to Denver compared to other resorts in Colorado. If you want to avoid all the hassles that come with the ski season at the resort, it’s going to cost you $2,499.
That’s the price tag for the Winter Park Reserve Pass with Parking the resort has introduced for the 2025-2026 season. The pass includes priority lift access all day at the Gondola, Explorer Express, Super Gauge Express, Olympia Express, and Panoramic Express lifts.
Early-ups, which allow access to lifts as early as 8 a.m. on weekdays and 8:30 a.m. on weekends before they are opened to the public at 9:00 a.m., are included for the Gondola, Explorer Express, and the Super Gauge Express.
Reserved, covered parking that is a one-minute walk from the gondola.
Winter Park Resort spokesperson Jen Miller said the resort’s owner, Alterra Mountain Company, is introducing reserve passes based on consumer research.
“There's been demonstrated desire for options like the Reserve Pass program,” Miller said. “Looking at other hospitality businesses and what some other businesses, like airlines and amusement parks, have done. We sort of modeled it after that.”
Reserve passes have sparked backlash at at least one of the resorts. A petition was started on Change.org against reserve passes at Crystal Mountain in Washington, stating the passes create an inequitable experience for visitors.
Miller said that Winter Park hasn’t received pushback. She said the passes are more suited for visitors who are not from the Denver area, which is only 70 miles away.
“It's the kind of pass that is appropriate for a certain type of skier, for someone who maybe is coming for a week-long vacation with their family, and they have the resources and would like to create a better experience for themselves for the week they're here,” Miller said. “So, it might make sense for them. Whereas someone from Denver, for example, who comes up frequently knows how to navigate parking in the mountain. It may not be appropriate for them; that may not be of value to them.”
Another reserve pass at the resort goes for $999. But it doesn’t include priority parking. Other passes at Winter Park range from $260 to $899. Some offer payment plans. The passes are not connected to the Ikon Passes.
The Alterra Mountain Company operates 19 destinations in the United States and Canada, including three in Colorado. According to their websites, Arapahoe Basin and Steamboat Springs don’t offer reserve passes.
Seven other Alterra Mountain Company resorts are offering reserve passes with different perks. Sugarbush Resort's $2,000 pass in Vermont includes access to a new private lounge, a $100 food credit, and two discounted friends and family passes. Tremblant's $1,897 pass in Quebec includes VIP parking and ski valet service, as well as food and drink.
Winter Park Resort is selling a limited number of its reserve passes. Once purchased, priority line access will begin on Dec. 15. The resort opens for its first day of skiing and riding for the 2025-2026 season tomorrow, Oct. 31, at 1 p.m.
Editor's note: This has been updated with Winter Park's opening date.
