From what was an early start to the ski season through January 8th, total skier visits at Vail’s 37 North American resorts were up 12.5% compared to the same timeframe last season.
Vail does not report data related to specific resorts, so exact Park City numbers aren’t publicly available.
Compared to last year total lift ticket revenue is up more than5 %. Ski school revenue is up over a third, and dining revenue is up 58%. Retail and rental revenue also increased by more than 34 %.
Vail Resorts Chief Executive Officer Kirsten Lynch says increased staffing levels this year enabled the resorts to “deliver full operations of lifts and mountain terrain, as well as restaurants, lodging and retail,” which she believes helped drive spending.
Lynch also said last year’s challenges related to poor early season snow conditions and elevated COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant. Lynch also said the easing of travel conditions in Canada allowed for more visitors at Whistler Blackcomb than last year.
Despite the increase in total skier visits, Lynch said numbers were actually below Vail Resorts’ expectations. She said extreme winter weather causing resort closures and airline disruptions negatively impacted travel across the United States during the peak holiday period.
Vail’s stock (MTN) closed trading Wednesday down over 2%.
