SAM Magazine—Broomfield Colo., March 30, 2023—Vail Resorts (VR) plans to introduce a new membership program called My Epic Gear, which could replace the habit of owning gear with renting, for the day or for the season. The program will launch in 2024-25 at selected resorts, according to the plan, following a pilot program, with a limited number of Epic Pass holders, at VR's Colorado resorts—Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, and Keystone—in the 2023-24 season.

My Epic Gear members will be able to choose the gear they want, for the full season or for the day, from a selection of popular and current ski and snowboard models. The program will deliver the gear when and where members want it, tuned daily, with free slopeside pick up and drop off every day. My Epic Gear will also offer name brand, high-quality ski and snowboard boots with customized insoles, all sized via boot fit scanning technology, for those who wish to go that route; members are also free to use their own boots.

My Epic Gear members can choose a model of ski or snowboard at the beginning of a season, and be guaranteed that model will be available any day of the season. They can also try a different model of ski or snowboard any day, such as powder skis, based on availability. My Epic Gear will have 15 different leading brands and more than 50 of the most popular and latest ski and snowboard models available.

The entire My Epic Gear membership—from gear selection to boot fit to delivery—will be available through the new My Epic app. Further, the app will make personalized recommendations to help guests determine the right gear for their needs, based upon their experience level, conditions, and the latest equipment choices, as well as reviews and feedback from members in the program.

For 2024-25 winter season, My Epic Gear will expand from the pilot resorts to Whistler Blackcomb, Park City Mountain, Crested Butte, Heavenly, Northstar, Stowe, Okemo, and Mount Snow. VR expects further expansions in future years.

A full season My Epic Gear membership for adults will cost $50, with members paying an additional $50 per day—"less than the average daily cost of owning gear for a destination guest, and less than the price of premium demo rentals," VR said.

“Having the right gear is essential to the experience of every skier and rider. However, the traditional model of gear ownership and gear rental has not changed in decades,” said Kirsten Lynch, VR CEO. “My Epic Gear reimagines gear ownership and gear rental, whether guests want the certainty of their gear for the season or for the day, transforming the quality, service, convenience and cost of one of the most critical parts of the mountain experience.”

“My Epic Gear will leverage our extensive footprint and experience selling, renting, and delivering gear, our prime slopeside locations across our mountain resorts, our data, the relationships we have with top gear vendors and over two million passholders, as well as the scale to invest in the technology and most popular gear for the guest,” continued Lynch.

VR's vendor relationships stem from its position as one of the largest, if not the largest, ski and snowboard retailers in North America. VR's Retail division operates more than 250 retail and rental locations across North America. Those locations also give VR the ability and capacity to tune and store gear daily.

“Most gear owners have their skis and snowboard sitting idle, untuned, for most of the year, but they want the certainty of having the gear they want when they get on the mountain. My Epic Gear will offer a much lower cost option, without the hassle of transporting, maintaining, or upgrading to the latest models, while still providing the certainty of having the gear they choose when they get on the mountain. For gear renters, My Epic Gear gets them the best skis and snowboards, name brand, high quality-boots with a customized fit, and the specific gear they want, ready for them, when and where they want it,” Lynch said.