Vail Resorts CEO Kirsten Lynch was pressed by investors Mar. 10 wondering how the company is responding and if future business could be harmed due to bad press.
The union that represents more than 200 Park City Mountain ski patrollers and safety staff went on strike Dec. 27 calling for increased wages and benefits. It left Park City Mountain with reduced staff and limited open terrain. Guests made national news complaining about long lines and concerns about on-mountain safety.
In January Vail announced it would provide a discount on Epic passes for the 2025-2026 season to anyone who skied or snowboarded during the strike. That move came days after a class-action lawsuit was filed by resort guests who claim the company misled them about on-mountain conditions during the work stoppage.
Lynch said the company felt the need to take action because Park City Mountain did not deliver the full experience guests were expecting.
“Our hope is that we are showing the commitment to those passholders, that we heard them, that it was not a good experience, they have credits that they can apply toward a pass next year, and that we can earn back their loyalty,” Lynch said. “I think it’s really critical that we earn back their loyalty and we acknowledge that it was not the experience that our team or any of us would have wanted to provide.”
The CEO said guest reactions to the strike credits have been mixed. She also said it’s too early to tell if the strike will have a tangible impact on pass renewals.
Lynch called the 13-day strike “very challenging,” but said it didn’t reflect conditions at the company’s other resorts.
Long lift lines were a top complaint during the ski patrol strike, largely due to a lack of open terrain.
But Vail says that’s not commonplace. The company claims that on average this season, lift lines lasting more than 10 minutes have occurred less than 3% of the time, including weekends and holidays.
Season-to-date total skier visits are down 2.5% compared to the same period last year. But because of early season pass sales, lift ticket revenue is up 4% year-over-year.
The company said destination guest visitation at its western North American resorts was below prior year levels, which they believe is driven by a continued shift in visitation patterns to later in the ski season.
Ski school and dining revenue are both up around 3% year-over-year, while retail sales have slightly declined.
Vail resolved its impasse with the ski patrollers union after offering a contract that included a $2 wage increase for all entry-level patrollers and safety staff, a key demand during negotiations.
