NH Governor Says She's "Pleased" With Vail Resorts Ski Pass Change
After calling for an investigation of the ski mountain conglomerate Vail Resorts, New Hampshire governor Kelly Ayotte is "pleased" with the company's decision to offer Granite State skiers some tax-free season pass options for next winter.
Vail Resorts faced scrutiny from Ayotte and the state because of a new "blended" about 3% tax added to the company's season passes that access resorts in taxable jurisdictions. New Hampshire, like only a few other states, doesn't have a general sales tax.
At the time, Ayotte said in a statement, New Hampshire was "proud to have no sales tax, and we're not going to let an out-of-state company try to sneak one in."
In response, Vail Resorts announced late last week that it would give New Hampshire residents the option to avoid the tax if they limited their pass to ski resorts in New Hampshire only. The passes remain the same price, just without the additional tax. For skiers interested, Vail Resorts provided a form to fill out.
"I am pleased that Vail will once again be offering tax-free products in New Hampshire in compliance with our laws," Ayotte said in a statement on Monday.
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Ayotte added that the investigation will continue and New Hampshire will ensure "any Granite Staters charged a sales tax can be refunded, and that Vail's tax-free passes are easily accessible."
Vail Resorts owns and operates multiple ski resorts across the country and around the world, including three in New Hampshire: Wildcat Mountain, Attitash, and Crotched Mountain. The company also operates Mount Sunapee under a leasing agreement with New Hampshire.
To provide access to those resorts, the company sells a slew of pass products, including the flagship and well-known Epic Pass. It also sells region-specific passes that cover fewer resorts, like the Northeast Value Pass.
That pass grants access to resorts across the Northeast, including the four in New Hampshire. It also includes ski resorts in other states that have sales taxes.
Under Vail Resorts' new approach to pricing, which adds taxes at checkout for multi-resort passes that cross into a taxable jurisdiction, the pass costs $662, plus a separate tax charge of about $21.
But now, Granite State skiers can avoid that tax. Alongside the Northeast Value Pass, the following passes are available tax-free with access limited to New Hampshire.
- Northeast Value Pass
- Northeast Midweek Pass
- Epic Military Pass
- Epic Day Pass (local resort tier)
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This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 4:16 PM.