Vail Resorts has announced its ski season metrics for the period ending April 14, showing mixed financial results amidst challenging conditions. 

File photo courtesy of Vail Resorts

The company reported a decrease in skier visits by 7.8% compared to the previous year. Despite this downturn in visitation, Vail Resorts managed to increase its lift ticket revenue by 3.2% and ski school revenue by 7.0%. Dining revenue also saw a modest increase of 2.4%.

CEO Kirsten Lynch said in a statement, “Given the unfavorable conditions across our North American resorts for a large portion of the season, we are pleased with our overall results… highlighting the stability provided by our season pass program and the investments we have made in our resorts and employees.”

However, retail/rental revenue for North American resort and ski area store locations declined 7.1%.

Lynch said company results improved in March and April as more snow arrived in several regions, however Whistler Blackcomb remained challenged.

Lynch said the results demonstrate the resilience of the Vail Resorts business model. “Our lift revenue increased driven by the growth in pass sales committed ahead of the season, and our ancillary businesses performed well, with particularly strong growth in spending per visit in our ski and ride school, dining, and rental businesses compared to the same period in the prior year.” 

Lynch also updated the fiscal 2024 outlook, and said the company will close the financial year around the lower end of the resort-reported EBITDA guidance range. This forecast is largely due to the challenges at Whistler Blackcomb.

Vail Resorts’ portfolio includes destinations like Vail Mountain, Breckenridge, Park City Mountain, and Whistler Blackcomb, in addition to Stowe and over 30 other resorts across North America. With Andermatt-Sedrun in Switzerland and three locations in Australia, the company has a large global footprint.