Vail Resorts-owned Breckenridge on opening day 2014
The entire ski world is talking about Vail Resorts this week, whether it's their $50 million plan to create the biggest ski area in the US or the effects of their well-known Epic season pass. After combing through the best stories, we've found 10 interesting facts about the most important company in the ski industry. Ever wanted to know just how many ski passes Vail sells each year or how much the company expects to make? We've got all the answers, this way.
10. Vail's most popular season pass, the Epic Pass, provides unlimited skiing and snowboarding to 22 mountains for only $769 ($399 for children ages 5 to 12).
9. Roughly 400,000 people have purchased some sort of Vail Resorts pass. That totals about $200 million in revenue.
8. Pass sales have increased by 13% (16% in revenue) over previous years. Vail is making more money than ever.
7. Vail has spent $492 million in the last five years on capital improvements.
6. According to the Steamboat Today, CEO of Vail Resorts, Rob Katz, projected that Park City Mountain Resort would add $35 million in earnings to his company's balance sheet.
5. About 50% of Vail Resorts' ski-season lodging is already booked and at higher daily rates than in previous years.
4. As of July 31, 2014, Vail Resorts reports that they currently employ approximately 4,700 year-round employees. When winter is in full swing, the company adds around 17,900 seasonal employees.
3. Vail Resorts predicts its total "earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization" to be between $327 and $354 million. Give or take a few million, of course.
2. Vail Resorts went public on February 4, 1997, at an IPO price of $22.00. Shares plummeted 76% from mid-2007 to March 2009, when they bottomed at $14.80. Shares spiked 12% when the Park City deal was announced.
1. Vail Resorts stock is currently at about $88 per share. But according to the Vail Daily, one analyst predicts that the company's stock could meet or exceed $100 per share.
· Vail Resorts [Official Site]
· Vail Resorts has plans to spend big bucks in Utah [Vail Daily]
· Vail's 'transformative' purchase of Park City issues a challenge for destination ski resorts like Steamboat [Steamboat Today]
· Vail Resorts' CEO: Transforming the Business of Skiing [Barron's]
· Vail Will Replace Avanti Express With New Six-Person Chairlift [Curbed Ski]
· What It Means To Ski in a Vail-Dominated World [Curbed Ski]
· Vail To Get Huge $25M Mountain Adventure Theme Park [Curbed Ski]
· The Seven Most Insane Moments from the PCMR-Talisker Battle [Curbed Ski]