Innovation for Snow Equipment

My Epic Gear is a new ski and snowboard gear membership program. Promoted as being better than renting and easier than owning, offering more choice, lower cost and no hassle, My Epic Gear memberships can be purchased and accessed through the My Epic app and online at myepicgear.com.

Until now, only two gear solutions existed: rent or own. Vail Resorts imagined a third solution – a membership model that eliminates the need for skiers or riders to wait in line in a store.

Members set up their profiles with information such as their measurements, skill level and personal preferences and can make reservations to have gear delivered in-resort or picked up and dropped off slopeside. A My Epic Gear membership unlocks access to over 60 of the latest ski and snowboard models.

“Travelers no longer have to haul their gear on flights or through airports and, for families, the gear can grow with the whole family,” said Laura Bonfiglio, director of global media relations at Vail Resorts. “More than 12 million people ski and snowboard in North America each year, but on average, they only spend four to six days per year on the mountain. Yet, more than half of guests own their gear and most gear sits in storage, idle and untuned.”

My Epic Gear members can sample the most popular and latest skis, snowboards and boots for all types of terrain, weather conditions and skill levels, subject to availability. My Epic Gear also recommends options for guests based on their experience level, weather conditions and the latest equipment choices.

“My Epic Gear is designed to improve the skier and rider experience, solving pain points like time spent in store to get gear, pick-up and drop-off logistics, boot fit and the cost of renting equipment,” said Bonfiglio. “My Epic Gear costs less than the average daily cost of premium rentals for destination skiers and riders.”

A full-season gear membership for adults has a one-time fee of $50 per season with a daily use rate of $55 per day for those over 13 years old and $45 per day for ages three to 12. Members can also opt out of choosing boots if they prefer to use their own, saving $10 off their daily use costs. Members can also add a helmet for $10 per day. Memberships are valid for the winter season for which they were purchased, ending at the close of the last participating resort for that season.

“Vail Resorts has a long track record of innovation to improve the ski and ride experience, beginning in 2008 with the launch of the Epic Pass,” said Bonfiglio.

“At the time, no one could imagine connecting resort access on one pass. We continued our legacy of innovation in 2010 when we launched a first-of-its-kind app, EpicMix, that used [radio-frequency identification] technology in ski passes to digitally capture a guest’s experience on mountain and share it with friends and family. My Epic Gear, along with the new My Epic app, Mobile Pass and Lift Ticket technology highlights our continued investment in the future of skiing and snowboarding by leveraging impactful digital innovation to create an experience of a lifetime for every guest who chooses to explore our mountains.”

The gear available through My Epic Gear can cover all skill levels, from beginner to expert, and all terrain types, from groomer to all mountain to powder. Participating brands include skis from Atomic, Blizzard, Icelantic, K2, Nordica, Rossignol, Stöckli and Volki and snowboards from Burton, Capita, Jones, Lib Tech, Ride and Weston, with both skis and snowboards from Salomon. Members can also experience innovative boot and binding technology.

“My Epic Gear offers the latest boot technology, featuring three of the top ski boot brands, including the BOA fit system on select K2 boots and snowboard boots and bindings from top brands, including Burton Step On boots and bindings on select models,” said Bonfiglio. “Daily slopeside pick-up and drop-off locations are conveniently located on or near snow in close proximity to gondolas and chairlifts in most participating resort base areas, so you can grab your skis and poles or snowboard and get to the lift.”

Members can make reservations to sample gear on any day during the winter season, subject to availability. If gear reservations are made less than two calendar days in advance of arrival, gear delivery will not be available, and selection will be subject to limited availability. Gear will only be available for pick up at the member services location for any reservations made less than two days in advance. Member services locations are dedicated indoor spaces in-resort for My Epic Gear member support services, identifiable by My Epic Gear signs and member services designations on doors and windows.

Members who participated in a My Epic Gear pilot at Keystone Resort, Breckenridge Ski Resort, Vail Mountain and Beaver Creek in Colorado in the winter of 2023/24, had the following comments regarding the program:

• “The experience was phenomenal. The convenience of reserving the gear I want and being able to pick up slopeside is unmatched. The experience and customer service made it worth it.”
• “Awesome experience. Wide selection of equipment that I wanted to try. All in fabulous condition. I’m in the market for an upgrade of my ski stuff and loved being able to try my next wave candidates. Also, the services by the app and staff were awesome. The slopeside drop off and pick up was also awesome. What a great program! I will recommend to all.”

My Epic Gear has been introduced at 12 mountain resorts: Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Whistler Blackcomb, Park City, Crested Butte, Heavenly, Northstar, Stowe, Okemo and Mount Snow.

“We know we will learn a lot to allow us to optimize the technology across more resorts in future seasons,” said Bonfiglio. “Delivering guests a great experience, be it on-mountain or with our technology, is a priority.”