When Rob Katz took the helm at Vail Resorts in May for his second spin as CEO, the innovator of the Epic Pass he said he needed time to “listen and learn.”

“The thing I learned very quickly is there is more we can do to connect and communicate with our guests,” he told The Sun this week. “There is more innovation with our products to make skiing more accessible.”

Katz this week unveiled his first initiative as the returned CEO. The new Epic Friend Tickets program gives pass holders six to 10 half-priced lift tickets to share for the season. Skiers who use those discounted tickets can deduct what they paid — half of the ever-shifting day ticket price — from an Epic Pass the following season.

Skiers have “strong emotional connections” with their ski hills and skiing “is a social sport

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