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Hot-listed and helpless: Epic’s zero-tolerance pass policy leaves skiers stranded

Photo: background photo, TownLift file. Epic pass via Epicpass.com
PARK CITY, Utah — Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN) reported a 3.1% decline in skier visits for the 2024/25 season during its most recent earnings report. One possible contributing factor: the company’s zero-tolerance policy on alleged Epic Pass fraud.
This winter, several longtime Epic Pass holders had their passes revoked by Park City Mountain Resort. They claim they were wrongly accused of fraud and left without a clear explanation—or any path to get back on the mountain.
The controversy, which includes a local family pursuing a police investigation after their teen’s pass was revoked under murky circumstances, follows a season already marred by a ski patrol strike and a class-action lawsuit alleging deceptive practices.
The incidents highlight growing frustration with how Vail Resorts, which owns Park City Mountain, enforces its pass policies. Those affected describe a system where customers are presumed guilty, often without evidence, and given little chance to defend themselves—even in cases where it’s possible someone else used their pass without permission.
Vail Resorts says pass fraud is a growing issue across the ski industry. But affected skiers say the company’s enforcement process lacks transparency and accountability, placing the burden on pass holders to file police reports—even when they’ve received little or no information about the alleged misuse. Months later, many say their cases remain unresolved and that Vail has been largely unresponsive to their repeated requests for clarification or appeal.
As the ski season winds down, these stories raise broader questions: Are anti-fraud policies being properly applied? Are customers being unfairly penalized? And when misuse occurs, who should bear the consequences?
Among those demanding answers is the Williamson family of Park City, whose son’s pass was flagged and canceled, and a local skier whose pass was confiscated after a fraudulent scan appeared on the Canyons side while she was skiing on the Park City side. TownLift has confirmed a half dozen other cases with similar patterns during the course of this reporting.
Park City family files police report over Vail pass suspension
Wade Williamson alleges that Vail Resorts suspended the pass of their 17-year-old son Wyatt, over what the company called “unauthorized use” of the pass at the Crescent lift on February 11, 2025. But the family says they were never informed of the details behind the alleged misuse until months later—after a press inquiry was made into the situation.
“For over two months, we repeatedly sought details from Vail Resorts,” the family wrote in a letter to Vail Resorts, shared with TownLift. “Despite our persistent efforts, we received no response until your press person became involved.”
Because Vail did not provide specific information in a timely manner, the family said they couldn’t file a police report when the incident first occurred. They have since reported the situation to Park City police, who confirmed this week that an investigation is underway.
The family emphasized that Wyatt’s pass was not stolen, to their knowledge, but they do not rule out the possibility that an old pass may have been used fraudulently or that a system error occurred. Without more information from Vail, they said, they were unable to determine what actually happened.
“As loyal Vail customers for over a decade, with no prior violations, we find the suspension of Wyatt’s pass to be punitive and disproportionate,” Williamson wrote.
Vail Resorts has yet to publicly respond to the allegations but has previously pointed to its Terms of Sale, which hold pass holders responsible for safeguarding their passes and reporting any theft or loss.
The family said that provision is unfairly applied in this case: “Your failure to notify us promptly of the incident denied us the opportunity to fulfill this obligation,” they wrote. They also criticized what they see as a lack of due process and transparency in Vail’s disciplinary approach. “The suspension may violate principles of fairness, as it was imposed without transparent evidence or an opportunity for us to contest the decision.”
In addition to financial loss—Wyatt’s pass went unused for the remainder of the season—the family said the suspension disrupted their ability to ski together and caused emotional distress. They are seeking compensation for the pass, a detailed explanation of the evidence that led to the suspension, and a review of Vail’s customer notification procedures.
Jennifer Watson: “hot-listed,” stonewalled, and still waiting
For Jennifer Watson, the trouble with her Epic Pass began with what seemed like a harmless mistake.
During a family trip to Park City in early winter, Watson — a Florida resident who spends part of the year in Kamas — found herself in possession of three Epic Passes issued to her over previous seasons. While trying to determine which one was active during a buddy pass transaction for her sister, she handed them over to a ticket agent at the window. The ticket agent reprinted a new one for Watson and kept the others. Watson assumed the rest had been deactivated or discarded.
She skied a couple of days, flew home, and returned the following month. That’s when she was notified via email that her pass was suspended.
“At 4 p.m., I got this terrible email,” Watson recalled. “It said someone had tried to use my pass at the Red Pine Gondola. My pass was immediately suspended, and the email said the decision was final.”
It was February 23 and Watson had been scanned hours earlier on a different lift as she left the resort — Silverlode — miles away on the other side of the mountain. “Unless I had a helicopter, there’s no way I could’ve been in both places,” she said.
The only explanation she could piece together: one of the passes she’d turned in was not deactivated and somehow got into someone else’s hands. But Epic’s system didn’t allow for nuance — her account was flagged, her pass “hot-listed,” and she was left with one option: email parkcityresortaccess@vailresorts.com and wait. There was no phone number, no direct contact, and no clear timeline for resolution.
With friends and family coming to ski, Watson had to make a choice. She ended up spending an extra $1,400 over the season on day tickets and additional passes.
When Epic Passes for next season went on sale in April — with full benefits available only for a limited time — she tried to buy again. Her husband and children could renew, but she was still blocked. The hotline told her to call Park City directly. Park City told her they couldn’t override the hot-list. Meanwhile, the clock was ticking on the window to receive early-purchase deals.
Desperate, she emailed the access email again — for what she estimates was the 13th time — and got a reply from someone in customer support, who promised a resolution. A manager from the Park City ticket office called her the next day and helped her purchase the pass, saying she would still receive all the early-bird benefits. He also told her the hot-list status would “wash away” sometime in the summer.
“That doesn’t wash away the $1,400 I spent,” Watson said. “And still — no one has told me definitively if my record is clear.”
Watson says she’s grateful to have a pass again, but the experience has left her shaken — and distrustful. “I just want my name cleared. And I want other people to know this can happen.”
Vail’s policy discrepancies
In situations like Watson’s and the Williamsons’, John Kanaly, Senior Manager of Communications at Park City Mountain Resort, said when resort staff identify someone using a ski pass that does not belong to them, they collect a statement and personal information. That person, he said, is then denied access to the lifts.
While the resort itself does not issue fines, Kanaly said both parties could be subject to any applicable municipal fines and or prosecution. Pass fraud can also result in loss of skiing and riding privileges.
Kanaly also noted that ski passes are non-transferable and that once a new pass is issued, older passes are automatically deactivated.
But for the pass holders caught up in this winter’s controversy, the process Vail outlined doesn’t reflect their experiences.
Kanaly also said that all Epic Passes and lift tickets are non-transferable and cannot be shared or resold.
“Ski pass fraud is considered theft of services,” he said, adding that fraudulent use of passes is an increasing problem across the ski industry.
It is also Vail’s policy, Kanaly said, that if a pass is revoked, the rightful pass holder is notified by email. Guests seeking information or facing issues with their passes are directed to contact the resort’s pass team.
Kanaly and Vail Resorts did not respond directly to questions about why emails sent by Williamson and Watson were left unanswered.
What the law says about ski pass misuse
According to Sgt. Skyler Talbot of the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, unauthorized use of a ski pass can carry serious legal consequences depending on how the pass was obtained and used.
If someone physically stole a ski pass and used it at the resort, they would likely face theft charges. The severity of those charges depends on the pass’s value: a third-degree felony if it’s worth between $1,500 and $5,000, and a second-degree felony if it’s worth $5,000 or more. In such cases, the rightful pass holder would be considered the victim.
If someone found a lost pass and used it anyway, they could be charged with “theft of lost, mislaid, or mistakenly delivered property,” Talbot explained.
Meanwhile, creating a fake pass or duplicating a real one electronically could lead to charges of theft of services or even fraud, again depending on the value involved and the method used. In these cases, the resort could be considered the victim — or in more complex scenarios, both the resort and the original pass holder might be.
Waiting for resolution
As the season turns to summer, Watson spoke from her Florida home while taking her dogs on a walk.
“It’s so frustrating. We love Park City, it’s why we built our home there,” Watson said. “While I’m not hopeful they will ever respond to my emails trying to prove my innocence or even reimburse me for the extra day passes I had to buy to be with friends or family that came to see us, I would just love to be acknowledged that they received my emails.”
The Park City Police Department said this week, their investigation into the Williamsons’ claim is underway. Additional information will be reported once it is available.
This week Vail Resorts announced that the May 26 deadline to receive early-purchase Epic Pass benefits is fast approaching.
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