Vail Resorts is acquiring an 84% ownership stake in Crans-Montana Mountain Resort, located 2.5 hours from Geneva and less than four hours from Milan and Zurich.
Crans-Montana has over 4,500 feet of skiable vertical terrain, and approximately 87 miles of trails. The resort offers views of Matterhorn and Mont Blanc, and hosts events like the Ski World Cup, Mountain Bike World Cup, and the annual Caprices electronic music festival.
It’s accessible from five airports and by train. In addition to acquiring a majority stake in the resort, Vail Resorts is buying an 80% stake in SportLife AG, which operates one of the ski schools. Vail is also acquiring full ownership of the 11 restaurants on and around the mountain.
Swiss news outlet Le Temps reported in October the company was in advanced talks to buy the resort.
Last year Vail Resorts bought a majority stake in the Swiss resort Andermatt-Sedrun, which is about 2.5 hours from Crans-Montana.
Vail Resorts CEO Kirsten Lynch said the acquisition aligns with the company’s strategy of expanding its resort network in Europe.
Vail Resorts plans to include access to Crans-Montana on select Epic Pass products for the 2024-25 ski and ride season. Crans-Montana will not be included on the Epic Pass for any part of the 2023-24 ski and ride season after the deal closes.
The Epic Pass provides access to four other European resorts Vail does not own.
Epic Pass sales end Sunday, Dec. 3.