Petition author calls for Epic Pass holders to cancel auto-renew on Jan. 18

The line at the Town Lift during the holiday season in Park City. The author of a viral petition is now calling for Vail Resorts customers to cancel their Epic Passes for next season. Photo: Sylas Payne

PARK CITY, Utah — The author of a viral petition with over 40,000 signatures that criticized the management of Vail Resorts-owned Stevens Pass Ski Resort in Washington is now calling for Epic Pass holders to cancel auto-renew.

“Vail thinks of itself as skiing as a service or a subscription, like Netflix. They have our money for 21-22 season but one key metric that subscription companies look for as a business is renewals. This will put pressure on Vail’s 22-23 season,” the petition’s creator, Jeremy Rubingh writes.

“Please join us on January 18th by sending a message stating that you’d like to cancel your pass “auto-renew.” Even if you don’t have the auto-renew activated, you can send an email to seasonpass@vailresorts.com explaining why you will not be renewing your pass.”

Along with garnering thousands of signatures, the original petition gained press in the Seattle Times, Newsweek, and local television news networks.

The company recently made a change at Stevens Pass following the outrage from customers.

The new general manager, Tom Fortune, who most recently worked at Heavenly Ski Resort in Lake Tahoe, said in an introductory letter that he is “committed to securing both short-term wins and outlining a long-term roadmap of improvement.”

He conceded that “change will not happen overnight” but said he is “committed to communicating often, and with transparency.”

“Whether he acts on that remains to be seen,” wrote Rubingh. “The memo from the new General Manager acknowledged their disappointing performance and there has been some lip service in internal memos to affordable housing for employees and finding beds “immediately.”

“Still, they haven’t actually solved the problem at Stevens Pass yet and we remain vigilant in holding Vail Resorts accountable. Especially in solidarity with all the other areas that they operate and are failing their employees and customers, from the Pacific Northwest to Park City, to Crested Butte, to Ohio, to New Hampshire and Vermont. Here at Stevens Pass, we need to see immediate changes.

“Vail Resorts will need to earn our business back with their actions over the rest of the season. We are having a positive impact, but we need to keep pushing. The Vail Resorts business model must change.”