Vail Resorts released its season-to-date report Friday morning, showing more visitors and earnings than last season.
The report compared numbers from the beginning of the season through April 16, including revenue from season pass sales.
During that time period skier visits were up 6% this year over last year. Ticket revenue, including those season pass sales, was up 4%.
Epic Pass prices rose from a discounted $783 in March 2021 to $841 last year. Those are the starting prices on full-access, non-local passes. This spring, full Epic Passes are going for $909 for the 2023-2024 season.
What Vail calls “ancillary businesses” saw higher revenue increases. Ski school earnings were up 26%, and North American retail and rental earnings were up 22%. Dining was up 35%
CEO Kirsten Lynch attributed those numbers to a post-COVID rebound. Last year, some dining was closed and staffing limited by the pandemic.
Regionally, Vail’s western resorts in Utah and Tahoe have been able to extend their seasons, although Lynch admitted some challenges in Tahoe after too much snow closed resorts there in March.
And Lynch reported a rebound in the northeast, where Vail was able to extend the ski season at resorts thanks to better conditions, like Hunter Mountain in New York and Mount Snow in Vermont. In previous earnings reports, the company had said visits and earnings were down in the region.
Midwest and mid-atlantic resorts saw unseasonably warm weather the whole season, according to the report. Vail closed its resorts there early.
