Vail Resorts, Park City Mountain’s parent company, recorded 20% fewer skiers across its portfolio of ski areas so far this winter compared to the 2024-2025 season.
In a Jan. 15 investor report, CEO Rob Katz attributed that to low snow, saying the Rocky Mountain region saw 60% less snow than the 30-year average. Utah alone has seen record low snowpack.
“We experienced one of the worst early season snowfalls in the western U.S. in over 30 years,” Katz said.
In all, Vail says it opened 11% of the terrain it owns in the Rockies in December.
“Early season conditions at our eastern U.S. ski areas were strong, which provided a partial offset to the broader weather headwinds and highlights the benefit of our geographically diverse network of resorts,” Katz said.
But he believes the weather in western U.S. will leave a mark on Vail’s balance sheet this season. The company is now predicting less resort revenue than it forecasted in September.
The 20% fewer skiers translated to about 15% less ski school revenue and 16% less dining revenue. Retail and rental sales weren’t hit as hard, reporting 6% less revenue so far this season compared to last.
And Vail gets much of its revenue up front from preseason Epic Pass sales.
So its overall “lift revenue,” which factors in season pass sales and daily lift tickets, is down less than 2% so far year-over-year.
Vail’s primary competitor and Deer Valley Resort’s parent company, Alterra Mountain Company, does not report similar data to shareholders since it is privately owned.
Vail Resorts’ EpicPromise foundation is a financial supporter of KPCW.
