And to be fair, 60 percent of the ski areas in the U.S. workforce, such as the housing crisis sweeping ski towns and the loss of labor due to the pandemic. Vail has insisted that its deficiencies this season are a reflection of broader trends in the U.S. And across the internet, photos and humorous memes of Vail’s huge crowds have generated tens of thousands of likes and comments. Local newspapers have lambasted Vail for its drop in customer service. Skiers at Washington’s Stevens Pass have launched a petition to ask for a refund. Customers across its vast empire are lodging daily complaints about congestion, long chairlift lines, and reduced operations. “They left local resorts ill-equipped to deal with that burden.”Įleven months after announcing its record sales, Vail is mired in a seemingly endless barrage of complaints, social media vitriol, and negative news stories. Vail hasn’t had the staff to support the huge crowds they brought in, he said. “I think it might have exceeded their expectations.”Ī Breckenridge, Colorado-based ski instructor who asked not to be named had a less generous assessment. “Vail Resorts took really aggressive pricing action this year on the Epic Pass, and that was undoubtedly going to trigger high sales,” said Tom Foley, a ski-industry analyst and director of business intelligence at the travel research company Inntopia. As a result, earnings jumped 30 percent from fiscal year 2020 to fiscal year 2021. Thanks to the price cut, and to an impressive portfolio of 40 resorts worldwide, Vail sold 2.1 million pre-purchased tickets and season passes for 2021–22, a 76 percent jump over 2019–20 figures. “We are excited to make it easier for everyone to move into a pass,” Vail’s then CEO Rob Katz said in a press release, “and we remain fully committed to ensuring continuous improvements in the guest experience.” Its Epic Local Pass, which grants access to fewer resorts, would also see a price cut, from $729 to $583. In March 2021, Vail Resorts gave the snow-sports world a shock: prices for its multi-resort season pass, called the Epic Pass, would be slashed by 20 percent, from $979 to $783.
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