Lift Revenues Up, Visits Down at Vail Resorts

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28 April 2015

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SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., April 28, 2015—Vail Resorts has reported that for the 2014-15 season, total lift revenues, including an allocated portion of season pass revenue, were up approximately 8.5 percent, while total skier visits for the company's nine mountain resorts were down 2.8 percent compared to 2013-14.

Additionally, ancillary spending for the season outpaced skier visitation, with ski school revenue up 3.4 percent, and dining revenue up 3.3 percent. Retail and rental revenue for resort store locations was up 3.8 percent.

"This was a challenging year, with snowfall in Tahoe at record lows and Utah experiencing abnormally warm and dry conditions this spring, however we were able to overcome these challenges through the strength of our season pass program,” said Rob Katz, CEO.

Katz said that due to “further deterioration in conditions we faced this spring in Utah and Tahoe," the company was likely to finish the year in the lower half of the $109 million to $127 million net income range it issued in its March 12 earnings report. Katz added that the company's season pass program secured significant advance revenues and “mitigated the volatility of results.”

He said the company was able to expand its yields by implementing increasingly sophisticated pricing, promotion, and distribution strategies. The metrics reported do not incorporate Vail Resorts' urban ski areas of Afton Alps and Mt. Brighton.