What does the new Flex Pass let you do that the Valley Pass didn't? Day for day, nothing. Last season's Valley Pass gave you seven days of your choosing on Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass, with no blackout dates. The seven-day Flex Pass for 2026-27 offers seven days on the same four mountains, also with no blackout dates.
The real changes are who can buy it, when, and at what price. Those three changes decide whether a seven-day skier in the valley gets their days this winter. Flex Pass sales close Oct. 30.
Same Days, Different Gate
Aspen Snowmass sold the Valley Pass only to Roaring Fork Valley residents. The one exception was a limited in-person sale each October at the Aspen Mountain ticket office, open to residents from outside the valley. In practice, the only limit on who could buy it was where you lived.
The Flex Pass drops that rule. Anyone can buy it. Instead, it's limited in three new ways: there's a fixed number of passes, sales stop on a set date, and you get one per person. Sara Roston, president of communications at Aspen One, described the change to the Aspen Daily News in April this way:
"The Valley Pass was limited in how and to whom it was available. The Flex Pass is more flexible and more widely available."
"More widely available" is accurate. Aspen Snowmass's own Flex FAQ also says who else the pass is for. It calls the Flex Pass "a great option for guests holding other multi-mountain destination passes who plan several days of skiing at Aspen Snowmass during the season." So a valley resident who used to buy a seven-day product sold only to locals now competes for a limited supply with visitors who hold Ikon or Epic passes.
The side-by-side terms show what moved and what didn't.
| 2025-26 Valley Pass | 2026-27 Flex Pass | |
|---|---|---|
| Days | 7 | 4, 5, 6 or 7 |
| Mountains | All four | All four |
| Blackout dates | None | None |
| Who could buy | Roaring Fork Valley residents, plus one October in-person sale | Anyone |
| Supply | Not described as capped | Limited; can sell out while other passes are still on sale |
| Extra days | 30% off the in-resort ticket rate | 25% off the in-resort ticket rate |
| Seven-day price | $529 early; $664 by season's end | $889 in spring; $1,049 as listed in early October 2026 |
What a Ski Day Costs Now
The extra-day discount looks like a small change, but it adds up over a season. Valley Pass holders bought additional days at 30% off the in-resort rate. Flex holders get 25% off. For someone who used seven days and then kept skiing on discounted day tickets, every day after the seventh now costs a bit more.
The base price changed more. The Valley Pass's early price was $529, which works out to about $76 a day. In early October 2026, Aspen Snowmass's Flex page lists these adult prices:
- 4 days: $799, about $200 a day
- 5 days: $879
- 6 days: $959
- 7 days: $1,049, about $150 a day
The seven-day Flex was $889 during the spring sale. At today's price, a valley skier who didn't hold a Valley Pass last season pays about twice the old Valley Pass early price for the same seven days.
The Flex terms are also stricter than a stack of day tickets. You can't upgrade a four-day pass to seven days. You can't transfer unused days to a partner or neighbor, and you get no credit for days you don't use. Aspen Snowmass's own FAQ points out that lift tickets can be refunded if unused or used as in-resort credit, and Flex Passes can't. Lift tickets booked 30 days ahead are discounted up to 25%, so a skier who doesn't know their winter schedule yet has a real alternative to buying Flex days up front.
The Discount That Only Looks Backward
Last season's Valley Pass holders get a better deal, because Aspen Snowmass changed course once already. When the passes launched in April, former Valley Pass holders were offered 20% off a Flex Pass. In June, the company raised the discount to 33% and refunded the difference to anyone who had already bought at 20%. Aspen Skiing Company CEO Geoff Buchheister said the change came from community feedback. At the spring prices, that made the seven-day Flex $595 and the four-day Flex $455 for qualifying holders. The Aspen Times noted that $595 was close to last season's $529 Valley Pass.
Two details are still unclear. The Flex page says Valley Pass holders get 33% off "this spring" and gives no specific expiration date. Aspen Snowmass's general season-pass FAQ still says 20%. If you held a Valley Pass and haven't redeemed your voucher yet, check it in the Aspen Snowmass app or your online account before Oct. 30. Don't assume the spring price still applies.
The bigger problem is that the discount only helps people who held a Valley Pass last season. Aspen resident Tara Land made that point in a Sept. 7 letter to The Aspen Times. She credited SkiCo for raising the discount and noted that "it's tied to who happened to hold a pass last season, so it solves this year and nothing after." Her letter also listed the workers who don't fit any of the remaining community programs: "Property managers. House managers. Nannies. Landscapers. Plumbers." She asked for a permanent pass based on residency instead of occupation.
Where the Old Local Price Went
Some lower prices still exist, but you now qualify through your job or your school. Eligible Roaring Fork Valley teachers can get a seven-day Flex Pass for $400. Employees of Chamber member businesses get access to a Flex 15-Day Pass starting at $1,499. Eligible grade-school students and Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club participants can get a pass starting at $309, and eligible high school students a Premier Pass starting at $519. The military discount doubled to 50% off a Premier Pass and lift tickets.
The other new product built with locals in mind is the Weekday Pass. The Aspen Times reported that it's "envisioned to offer something new for valley locals," though anyone can buy it. It gives unlimited Monday-through-Friday skiing, plus weekends from opening day through Dec. 13 and again from April 5, 2027, until closing. It started at $2,099 in the spring sale.
You can combine passes. Aspen Snowmass lets you pair one Flex Pass with a Weekday Pass or an Alpine 2-Day Pass. A Weekday holder could add a four-day Flex to cover a handful of midwinter Saturdays, as long as both are bought before their deadlines.
Buchheister has said this lineup may change. "This is phase one of trying to see what works," he told The Aspen Times in April. His case for the Flex was that it serves skiers who "can't commit to the longer windows."
Two Deadlines, a Month Apart
The rest of the season pass lineup keeps its best price until Dec. 4. The Flex closes on Oct. 30, nearly four weeks before the lifts start turning. It can also sell out before then, because once the allotment is gone, Aspen Snowmass stops selling it for the season even while other passes stay on sale.
The dates for this winter:
- Oct. 30: last day to buy a Flex Pass, if any are left.
- Nov. 26: Aspen Mountain and Snowmass open. Aspen Mountain opens with the new Nell Bell lift, and Snowmass with the rebuilt Ullrhof.
- Dec. 4: last day for the best price on the Premier, Weekday and Alpine 2-Day passes.
- Dec. 12: Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk open. For the 80th anniversary, lift tickets are $80 at all four mountains on Dec. 12 and 13.
- Dec. 13: last early-season weekend day on the Weekday Pass.
- April 4, 11 and 18, 2027: scheduled closing days for Buttermilk, then Aspen Highlands and Snowmass, then Aspen Mountain, as conditions allow.
A valley skier who wants seven days this winter has to decide by the end of October and accept that the days can't be refunded or shared.
How much skiing you get in a season is part of owning a home here, and this winter's pass changes affect it directly. If you're weighing that alongside a move within the valley or a first home here, Michael Latousek is glad to talk it through with you. Let's Connect.
