The view from the summit: Mobile experience at U.S. ski resorts

As ski season approaches, a dependable mobile connection becomes an essential piece of gear — whether you're streaming ski tutorials to refine your technique, downloading piste maps for navigation or sharing moments on social media at après-ski.

In this analysis, we look at mobile network experience across ski resorts in the U.S., ranking the performance of the three national mobile network operators (MNOs) — T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T. We use last ski season’s experience across ski resorts found on the two main ski passes, the Ikon Pass and the Epic Pass, to see what experience users can expect when they hit the slopes this winter. Additionally, we compare the overall experience for resorts on each pass, to determine how they stack up.

Key Findings:

• Verizon has the best overall coverage at ski resorts, while T-Mobile wins 5G Coverage Experience. Verizon’s near perfect Coverage Experience score of 9.7 points on a 10-point scale denotes comprehensive coverage. T-Mobile scores an impressive 8.4 points for 5G Coverage Experience, out-scoring its national results.
• On the slopes, T-Mobile has the fastest overall average download speeds and the most consistent quality of experience. T-Mobile is out in front for both Download Speed Experience and Consistent Quality, with average download speeds of nearly twice those of its peers.
• The race for top 5G experience is neck and neck. Verizon is the outright winner in two metrics, 5G Upload Speed and 5G Games Experience, while T-Mobile is the sole winner of 5G Coverage Experience. The pair share the winners’ podium for 5G Download Speed and 5G Video Experience.
• Epic Pass resorts provide a slightly better mobile network experience than Ikon Pass resorts. While the difference is slight in most cases, Epic Pass resorts outscore or match their competition for all five analyzed metrics. The most significant gap being a 7.6 percentage point difference for Consistent Quality.

Across the national U.S. carriers, our T-Mobile users see the fastest average overall download speeds at ski resorts, nearly double those of their peers on AT&T’s and Verizon’s networks. Additionally, they share the top spot with Verizon users for Upload Speed Experience, Video Experience and Games Experience. T-Mobile outpaces the competition for Consistent Quality, providing a more consistent experience when supporting common applications’ requirements. However, when it comes to Coverage Experience, Verizon takes home the gold with a near perfect score of 9.7 points out of a possible 10.

These results reflect what we see nationally, with Download Speed Experience, Coverage Experience and Consistent Quality winners echoing those in our July 2024 mobile network experience report. While most scores are closely representative of what is seen nationally, T-Mobile does score significantly lower for Download Speed Experience and 5G Download Speed. This is likely due to 5G connections more often using lower bandwidth spectrum in difficult terrain, trading speed for increased coverage.

The 5G experience at the resorts is impressive, rivaling the national experience in most cases. Verizon stands on the winners’ podium for four of the five metrics, sharing the limelight with T-Mobile for 5G Download Speed and 5G Video Experience. Verizon is first for 5G Upload Speed and 5G Games Experience by a comfortable margin, and places in the Good (75-85) experience category for the latter, one category higher than T-Mobile and AT&T.

T-Mobile is first for three metrics — the operator shares the winners’ podium with T-Mobile for two metrics and wins 5G Coverage Experience outright with a score of 8.4 points on a 10-point scale, meaning that our T-Mobile 5G users could find a 5G connection at most places around the analyzed resorts. This reflects the experience across the country, however, T-Mobile achieves even higher scores at the resort locations compared to its national performance — bolstered by sites such as Vail, where T-Mobile has partnered directly with the resort to provide enhanced coverage. 

Users’ mobile experience is closely matched between Epic Pass resorts and Ikon Pass resorts, however, the Epic Pass comes out on top for almost every metric — both passes have the same Coverage Experience score and therefore comprehensive coverage. Users enjoying Epic resorts can expect to find 5G service in more locations, slightly faster average download speeds and a more consistent quality of experience.

Both passes’ experience falls below the national average for download speeds and Consistent Quality. The aggregated score across the country for Consistent Quality on T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T — 78.6% — is only one percentage point higher than that seen at Epic resorts. Similarly, national average download speeds slightly surpass the resort experience, clocking in at 65Mbps. However, the disparity for 5G Download Speed is slightly more pronounced, with national speeds measuring over a third higher. Conversely, coverage is consistent with the national average, despite the often difficult terrain, with 5G Coverage Experience at Epic Pass resorts surpassing the national figure by 0.5 points. 

The winter resort industry is one that benefits greatly from mobile connectivity. Impressions on social media help drive sales and resort apps provide vital information and navigation. Both the Epic Pass and the Ikon Pass have released their own apps that can track activity, provide information and manage or act as passes. With the integration of technology into winter sports, excellent network performance will become indispensable. Infrastructure upgrades at resorts have helped to bring user experience close to what is seen nationally, ensuring mobile connectivity is no longer an uphill climb.

To learn about the national experience of the three MNOs, please read our most recent mobile network experience report. And why not stay up-to-date with all the Opensignal insights and articles by signing up to our newsletter?