U.S. class‑action lawsuit targets owner of Whistler Blackcomb over ski pass pricing

Whistler and Blackcomb mountains are seen in the winter. (Shutterstock.com)

A proposed U.S. antitrust class‑action lawsuit is accusing the owner of Whistler Blackcomb of using bundled ski passes and high single‑day ticket prices to stifle competition.

The lawsuit, filed in Colorado federal court last week on behalf of four U.S. residents, names Vail Resorts and rival operator Alterra Mountain Company. Vail Resorts owns Whistler Blackcomb.

The claim alleges Vail uses steeply priced single‑day lift tickets to push skiers toward its Epic Pass, a season‑long product that costs roughly C$1,500 and provides access to dozens of resorts worldwide. Plaintiffs argue that strategy locks customers into Vail’s system at the start of the season and makes it financially impractical to ski at independent or competing resorts.

At a ski and snowboard shop in Vancouver, longtime employee Colleen Zirk says she regularly hears frustration from local customers.

“Lots of comments about how they don’t want to go there anymore, that Vail is just not thinking about the Vancouver people. They don’t care about the Vancouver people,” said Colleen Zirk, manager of Destination Slope and Surf Outfitters in North Vancouver.

In 2007, a daily lift ticket at Whistler cost about $77. That rose to roughly $130 by 2017 and now exceeds $300.

Carrie Syme, a New York lawyer representing the proposed class, says the pricing model effectively narrows consumers’ choices.

“They’ve now locked that customer into the Vail Epic or the Alterra Ikon system at the beginning of the season,” Syme said. “So that means it no longer makes any financial sense for that customer who bought the pass to go outside the system to visit competing resorts.”

The lawsuit also alleges Epic Pass membership has surged from roughly 60,000 users when it launched in 2008 to more than two million today, giving large resort operators increasing market power.

In a statement to CTV News, Vail Resorts said it believes the claims are without merit. The company said it launched the Epic Pass in 2008 to make skiing and riding more accessible, including cutting the price of a season pass by 60 per cent at the time. Vail also says it has introduced lower‑priced pass options and prices in‑season lift tickets on a resort‑by‑resort basis, with discounts available.

The proposed lawsuit is seeking financial compensation and changes to how the companies price and sell lift access.

“So that could mean changing pricing structures. It could mean offering different kinds of passes. It could mean changing sales practices,” Syme said.

However, a Canadian lawyer contacted by CTV News noted that even if the plaintiffs succeed, any impact at Whistler could be limited.

“A U.S. court can’t order what is essentially a Canadian operation to change how it markets its products,” said John Green, a lawyer with John Michael Green Law Corporation. “So, I mean, they might choose to change it company‑wide—but who knows what they do up here.”

Back at the ski shop, Zirk says many locals already feel priced out.

“It’s becoming so prohibitive for local skiers to go for a day,” she said.

None of the allegations have been proven in court.