The headache of planning a ski trip stands in sharp contrast to the freedom of effortlessly slicing down the slopes once you actually get up the mountain.
If you’re tired of worrying about squeezing all of that gear into your car or wrestling with tire chains in the cold, Uber’s latest option for getting you to the slopes is one way to go. The company continues to broaden the services you can book through its app, and now Uber wants you to not only hail one of its rides up the mountain, but also book your ski pass on the way.
Through a partnership with Vail Resorts, Uber is offering an option to buy an Epic Pass through the app. The Epic Pass, sold by Colorado ski giant Vail, is one of the big two multi-resort passes that avid skiers and snowboarders buy each season to unlock access to a huge swath of slopes. (The other option, the Ikon Pass by Vail’s rival Alterra Mountain Company, isn’t available through the Uber app.)
The Epic Pass packs a punch as far as ski destinations go, offering unlimited access to Colorado’s Vail and Breckenridge resorts, Park City in Utah, Heavenly in California, and Whistler Blackcomb in Canada. Right now, the main pass will set a single adult back $1,121, though prices go up the closer it gets to opening day.
Other passes offer a handful of mountain days at a discount for what individual lift tickets would cost, but booking one through Uber doesn’t confer any special perks. After the Epic Pass sales period closes in December, Uber users will apparently be able to book normal lift tickets to any Vail resort through the app.
“We are thrilled to offer skiers and snowboarders alike a convenient and reliable way to get to the mountain this season,” Uber’s director of engineering Adib Roumani said in a press release. “With Uber Ski, you can spend more time enjoying the fresh mountain air and less time worrying about how to get there.”
Uber on ice
Uber will also continue to offer specially outfitted rides through Uber Ski, which is a special tile that pops up seasonally in the “services” area of the app. The company first added this option back in 2019, giving riders in many mountain-adjacent U.S. cities a way to know that their ride can a) actually make it up a mountain, and b) fit bulky skis and snowboards.
Since its launch, Uber has expanded Uber Ski’s area to include more snowy spots in the U.S., as well as in France and Switzerland in Europe. Support for Canadian slopes is on the way “soon,” according to the company, and all Uber Ski rides can be booked up to 90 days in advance.
Uber Ski is just the latest premium offering from the ride-booking company, which advertises a dizzying array of ride options, from UberXL (for groups of up to six passengers, like the ones available through Uber Ski) and Uber Premier (luxe rides) to Uber Pet (for when your non-human companion comes along). Uber’s increasing push into niche and luxury options—and partnerships like the one it just struck for the Epic Pass—can help the company cash in beyond its core ride-booking business.
Unless you’re a seasoned pro, the logistics of carting your gear up a mountain in inclement weather can put a damper on a ski day before it even gets started. For families and friend groups that travel away from home for an extended trip or only make it to the slopes a few days each season, Uber Ski offers a compelling transportation option—especially if you’re splitting the bill.