Vail Resorts Explained

Vail Resorts, Inc.
Type:Public company
Revenue: (2021)
Operating Income: US$261 million (2021)
Net Income: US$128 million (2021)
Assets: US$6.25 billion (2021)
Equity: US$1.83 billion (2021)
Num Employees:6,100 (July 2021)
Footnotes:[1]

Vail Resorts, Inc. is an American mountain resort company headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado. The company is divided into three divisions. The mountain segment owns and operates 42 mountain resorts in four countries. Vail Resorts Hospitality owns or manages hotels, lodging, condominiums, and golf courses, and the Vail Resorts Development Company oversees property development and real estate holdings.

History

Vail Resorts was founded as Vail Associates Ltd. by Pete Seibert and Earl Eaton in the early 1960s. Eaton, a lifelong resident, led Siebert (a former WWII 10th Mountain Division ski trooper) to the area in March 1957. They both became ski patrol guides at Aspen, Colorado, when they shared their dream of finding the "next great ski mountain." Siebert set off to secure financing, and Eaton engineered the early lifts. Their Vail ski resort opened in 1962.[2] George N. Gillett Jr. purchased Vail Associates in 1985.[3] Vail Associates changed its name to Vail Resorts and went public in 1997[4] after Gillett Holdings went bankrupt.[5] Apollo Management, headed by Leon Black, bought the company out of bankruptcy and took Vail Resorts public, controlling Vail Resorts until 2003, when Apollo divested itself of controlling interest. The skating rink at Beaver Creek, Colorado, was named the Black Family Skating Rink after Leon Black.

Rob Katz, a former executive at Apollo, ran Vail Resorts as CEO until November 2021, when he was appointed executive chairperson of the board. Kirsten Lynch, the company's former chief marketing officer, then took over as CEO.[6]

In June 2024, Vail Resorts reported lower-than-expected revenue during the February-April quarter due to a significantly warmer-than-anticipated winter across western North American resorts, with snowfall 28% lower than average. The company generated $1.28 billion in revenue during the quarter despite the stabilizing effect of its Epic Pass program, which allows customers to purchase a season pass for its North American resorts at a significant upfront cost. However, Vail's stock price has declined by 50% since its October 2021 peak of $360. While this past winter was one of the warmest on record for the company, concerns exist that future winters may even be warmer.[7]

Criticism

Some of Vail Resort's acquisitions have fueled anger among local residents. Locals complain that the Vail's pass structure caters to wealthy international pass holders and reduces access to nearby residents; additionally, residents have seen their cost-of-living increase following Vail's takeovers.[8] [9]

RockResorts

In 2001, Vail Resorts acquired the luxury hotel chain RockResorts, contributing substantially to its brand recognition. RockResorts was named after its original owners, the Rockefeller Family. As of January 2017, the properties include:

Subsidiaries and affiliates

All of the company's retail operations are run by a smaller company, [Vail Resorts Retail, VRR], of which Vail owns 70%. The owners of the other 30% are the Gart Brothers, specifically Tom Gart, Ken Gart, and John Gart. The Gart family has been in the sporting goods business for three generations and was the former owner of Gart Sports, a large chain of sporting goods stores in the western US. Gart Sports was sold by the Gart family in the 1990s and then recently sold again to Sports Authority, which discontinued the use of the Gart Sports name in 2006. In 2010, Vail completed the buyout of the Specialty Sports Venture brand and is now the 100% owner of all SSV operations. In addition to all of the ski shops in the Vail Resorts portfolio of ski areas, the SSV chain of stores includes Bicycle Village in Denver, Colorado Ski & Golf, Boulder Ski Deals, Aspen Sports, Telluride Sports, and Mountain Sports Outlet in Summit County and Glenwood Springs and many others. SSV is reportedly the largest Trek bicycle dealer in the world.

Vail Resorts also owns just over 50% of Slifer Smith and Frampton (SSF), the largest real estate brokerage company in the Vail region, controlling over 70% of the real estate transactions in the market. Slifer, Smith, and Frampton were called Slifer, Smith, and Frampton/Vail Associates Real Estate, but they dropped the "Vail Associates" name in 2003. The founders of SSF are Rod Slifer, a former ski instructor who was recently the mayor of the Town of Vail, and Mark Smith, a real estate broker/turned developer who currently also runs East West Partners with Harry Frampton, who was the former President of Vail Associates and currently owns East West Partners. East West Partners has built most of the large buildings that make up the Beaver Creek Village, including the Marketplace Building, Village Hall, and One Beaver Creek. This is separate from East West Resorts, a separate property management group.

Vail Resorts Development Company (VRDC) is the wholly-owned real estate development company that Vail Resorts uses to develop all of its company-owned real estate, other than the projects East West Partners develops. VRDC developed Bachelor's Gulch, one of the business's most upscale ski-in/ski-out resorts, with its own Ritz Carlton and just over 100 slopeside mansions. President Gerald Ford kept his ski house between Beaver Creek and Bachelor's Gulch in the Strawberry Park section of Beaver Creek. Arrowhead is the third "peak" in the heavily promoted "village to village ski experience" in which you can ski from Beaver Creek to Bachelor's Gulch to Arrowhead and back again. Arrowhead was a separate ski area unrelated to Beaver Creek for years before Vail Associates finally bought them in the early 1990s. VRDC also developed the "club" division of Vail Resorts, including the Beaver Creek Club, the Arrowhead Alpine Club, and the Game Creek Club (in Vail). VRDC also developed Red Sky Ranch in Wolcott (approximate 10miles west of Beaver Creek), which includes two golf courses and many million dollar golf course homes. These clubs are now operated by the "Mountain Division" of Vail Resorts.

List of resorts

Vail Resorts operates 42 ski resorts in the United States, Canada, Australia and Switzerland including, notably, the Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, and Crested Butte ski areas in Colorado, and Northstar California, Kirkwood Mountain Resort, and Heavenly Mountain Resort on the California-Nevada border. In British Columbia, Canada, they also acquired the largest ski resort in North America: Whistler Blackcomb. Vail Resorts offers a variety of multi-resort season passes under the Epic Pass program. The Epic Pass also has partnerships that allow access to several other resorts in the US, Canada, Japan, France, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy.[10] Vail Resorts acquired the Grand Teton Lodge Company within the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming in 1999. The GTLC properties include the Jenny Lake Lodge, Jackson Lake Lodge, and Colter Bay Village.

NameLocationNumber of liftsDate openedDate acquiredNotes
Afton AlpsHastings, Minnesota221963 December 212012 December 6[11]
Alpine ValleyChesterland, Ohio519652019 September 24Bought from Peak Resorts along with 16 other mountains.
Andermatt-SedrunSwitzerland192022 March 28Vail owns a 55% share of the resort [12]
Attitash MountainBartlett, New Hampshire91965 January 262019 September 24Bought from Peak Resorts along with 16 other mountains.
Beaver Creek ResortBeaver Creek, Colorado251980 December 15
Big BoulderLake Harmony, Pennsylvania1019472019 September 24Bought from Peak Resorts along with 16 other mountains.
Boston MillsPeninsula, Ohio819632019 September 24Bought from Peak Resorts along with 16 other mountains. * 16 lifts jointly with Brandywine
BrandywineSagamore Hills Township, Ohio819632019 September 24Bought from Peak Resorts along with 16 other mountains. * 16 lifts jointly with Boston Mills
Breckenridge Ski ResortBreckenridge, Colorado321961 December 161996[13]
Crans-MontanaSwitzerland192023 November 30 [14]
Crested Butte Mountain ResortCrested Butte, Colorado161961 November 232018 September 27 Purchased with Mt. Sunapee, Stevens Pass, and Okemo.[15]
Crotched MountainBennington, New Hampshire51969 December 142019 September 24Bought from Peak Resorts along with 16 other mountains.
Falls CreekBogong High Plains, Victoria, Australia1419462019 February 22Bought from Merlin Entertainments along with Hotham.
Heavenly Mountain ResortSouth Lake Tahoe, California301955 December 15[16] 2002 March 26
Hidden ValleyEureka, Missouri919822019 September 24Bought from Peak Resorts along with 16 other mountains.
Hidden Valley Resort (Pennsylvania)Hidden Valley, Pennsylvania419582021 December 31Bought from Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Inc. and affiliates along with two other resorts.[17]
Hotham Alpine ResortMount Hotham, Victoria, Australia1419252019 February 22Bought from Merlin Entertainments along with Falls Creek.
Hunter MountainHunter, New York151960 January 92019 September 24Bought from Peak Resorts along with 16 other mountains.
Jack FrostWhite Haven, Pennsylvania1819722019 September 24Bought from Peak Resorts along with 16 other mountains.
Keystone ResortKeystone, Colorado201970 November 211996
Kirkwood Mountain ResortKirkwood, California1519722012 February 22[18]
Laurel MountainSomerset County, Pennsylvania119392021 December 31Bought from Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Inc. and affiliates along with two other resorts.
Liberty Mountain ResortFairfield, Pennsylvania919602019 September 24Bought from Peak Resorts along with 16 other mountains.
Mad River MountainZanesfield, Ohio1219622019 September 24Bought from Peak Resorts along with 16 other mountains.
Mount BrightonBrighton, Michigan1219602012 December 6
Mount SnowWest Dover, Vermont2019542019 September 24Bought from Peak Resorts along with 16 other mountains.
Mount Sunapee ResortNewbury, New Hampshire111948 December 262018 September 27 [19] Owned by the State of NH but operated alongside Okemo, the first resort in New Hampshire to be operated by Vail
Northstar CaliforniaTruckee, California201972 December2010 October 25[20]
Okemo Mountain ResortLudlow, Vermont201956 January 312018 September 27 Purchased alongside Mount Sunapee, Stevens Pass, and Crested Butte.
Paoli PeaksPaoli, Indiana81978 December2019 September 24Bought from Peak Resorts along with 16 other mountains.
Park City Mountain ResortPark City, Utah411963 December 212013 May 29 (Canyons)2014 September 11 (Park City)In 2015, Vail merged the Park City and Canyons resorts under the Park City Mountain Resort name, connecting them with a gondola.[21] [22]
Perisher Ski ResortPerisher Valley, Australia4619512015 March 30Vail's first Australian property.
Roundtop Mountain ResortLewisberry, Pennsylvania71964 November 282019 September 24Bought from Peak Resorts along with 16 other mountains.
Seven Springs Mountain ResortSeven Springs, Pennsylvania1419372021 December 31Bought from Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Inc. and affiliates along with two other resorts.
Snow CreekWeston, Missouri519862019 September 24Bought from Peak Resorts along with 16 other mountains.
Stevens PassSkykomish, Washington1019372018 June 4Purchased alongside Mount Sunapee and Okemo.
Stowe Mountain ResortStowe, Vermont121937 February 72017 February 21Vail's first resort on the East Coast of the United States.[23]
Vail Ski ResortVail, Colorado311962 December 15The third-largest ski resort in the United States.
Whistler BlackcombWhistler, British Columbia, Canada371966 January 152016 August 8Purchased 75% interest in Whistler & Blackcomb Partnerships (balance owned by Nippon Cable)
Whitetail ResortMercersburg, Pennsylvania919912019 September 24Bought from Peak Resorts along with 16 other mountains.
Wildcat Mountain Ski AreaGorham, New Hampshire51958 January 252019 September 24Wildcat trail cut by CCC in 1933. The original gondola started operation in 1958. Peak Resorts acquired Wildcat in 2010.
Wilmot MountainWilmot, Wisconsin111938 February2016 January 19

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Vail Resorts, Inc. 2021 Annual Report (Form 10-K) . 23 September 2021 . U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
  2. News: Lauren Moran. Vail visionaries. March 19, 2011. Swift Communications. Vail Daily. June 16, 2018.
  3. News: Randy Wyrick. 1985: The year the deals got done. Swift Communications. Vail Daily. May 20, 2011. June 16, 2018.
  4. Web site: Vail Resorts Inc. - 10-K Annual Report. September 30, 1997. Getfilings.com. June 16, 2018.
  5. News: Gillett Bankruptcy Filing. August 18, 1992. Associated Press. The New York Times. June 16, 2018.
  6. Web site: LaConte . John . Kirsten Lynch begins new role as Vail Resorts CEO . 2022-03-15 . www.aspentimes.com . 2 November 2021 . en-US.
  7. News: Badenhausen . Kurt . VAIL RESORTS MISS Q3 REVENUE, EPS ESTIMATES AS STOCK SINKS . . 2024-06-06 . 2024-06-10 .
  8. Web site: Vail Resorts owns Perisher and Whistler ski resorts and the locals aren't happy. 9 April 2018.
  9. Web site: What It Means to Ski in a Vail-Dominated World. 14 October 2014.
  10. Web site: Epic Season Pass. www.epicpass.com. June 16, 2018.
  11. News: Vail Resorts to Acquire Two Ski Areas in Midwest, Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mount Brighton in Michigan. Vail Resorts. June 16, 2018.
  12. Vail Resorts Reports Fiscal 2022 Third Quarter Results, Early Season Pass Sales Results, and Provides Updated Fiscal 2022 Outlook. Vail Resorts Inc. www.prnewswire.com.
  13. Web site: History of the Breckenridge Ski Resort. June 16, 2018.
  14. News: November 30, 2023. Crans-Montana: vous avez râlé, il va falloir assumer maintenant. Le Temps. Baur. Grégoire. November 30, 2023. fr.
  15. News: June 4, 2018. Vail Resorts in buying spree, acquiring Crested Butte, three other ski areas. Denver Business Journal. June 16, 2018.
  16. Web site: 50 years of Heavenly: A chronicle of skiers' dreams and change on the South Shore. Jeremy Evans. Tahoe Daily Tribune. November 21, 2005. June 16, 2018.
  17. News: LaConte . John . Vail Resorts closes on acquisition of Seven Springs, Hidden Valley and Laurel Mountain ski areas . January 4, 2022 . Vail Daily . Steamboat Pilot & Today . January 1, 2022.
  18. News: Vail Resorts To Acquire Kirkwood Mountain Resort. 22 February 2012.
  19. Web site: Vail Resorts Closes Acquisition of Okemo Mountain Resort, Mount Sunapee Resort and Crested Butte Mountain Resort. www.hotelnewsresource.com. 2019-08-11.
  20. News: Scott Miller. October 25, 2010. Vail Resorts acquires Northstar-at-Tahoe. Vail Daily. Swift Communications. June 16, 2018.
  21. Web site: September 11, 2014. Vail Resorts Acquires Park City Mountain Resort in Park City, Utah | Vail Resorts Corporate. June 16, 2018. News.vailresorts.com.
  22. News: Mary Forgione. July 29, 2015. Goodbye Canyons, hello Park City: Utah ski resort on track to be biggest in U.S.. Los Angeles Times. June 16, 2018.
  23. News: February 21, 2017. Vail Resorts To Acquire Stowe Mountain Resort In Stowe, Vermont. News.vailresorts.com. June 16, 2018.