Vail Resorts appears to have its sights on further expansion in Europe.

In an interview with Squawk Box on CNBC, Vail Resorts CEO Kirsten Lynch discussed how the season is going so far, and their next planned geographical region for expansion.

While getting through a round of bizarre and meandering questions from Joe Kernen, she mentions that ski season is off to a solid start. Regarding where they want to grow next, Kirsten mentioned a desire to continue acquiring ski resorts in Europe. The reason why Vail Resorts wants to continue to expand in Europe is because the continent has three times the number of ski visits compared to North America. With Crans Montana and Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis now part of Vail’s portfolio, Vail will likely continue to acquire mountains to make the Epic Pass a tempting purchase for European snowsports enthusiasts.

For more information, check out the interview below.

Image/Video Credits: CNBC

An epic lift upgrade is heading to the land down under.

Last week, Perisher Resort announced that they will be replacing the the Mt. Perisher Double & Triple Chairs next summer. They will be replaced in 2025 by a high-speed detachable six-pack chairlift. The new chairlift will have a ride time of five and a half minutes, a rapid improvement over the current ten-minute ride up the Mt. Perisher Triple Chair. This chairlift will also remove the need to traverse that is currently required. When it opens, Mt. P. 6 will become the highest chairlift in Australia, with a peak elevation of 2042 meters (nearly 6700 feet).

The new chairlift is expected to open during the 2025 ski season.

Image Credits: Perisher Resort

For the 2024-25 season, Vail Resorts is planning two major snowmaking investments. As part of their first quarter of fiscal 2024 announcement last week, Vail Resorts detailed its 2024 capital plan. Included in these plans are snowmaking upgrades at New York’s Hunter Mountain and Utah’s Park City Mountain Resort.

At Hunter Mountain, these improvements are coming to three trails: Belt Parkway, Clair’s Way, and Way Out. Seventy snowmaking guns on the Belt Parkway will become automated, Clair’s Way will get 36 high-energy snowguns replaced with new low-energy snowmaking equipment, and 32 new automated snow guns will be added to Way Out.

For the 2024-25 season, Hunter Mountain will also be adding a six-pack chairlift, which will replace the Broadway chairlift. The Broadway chairlift will be moved over to Hunter West, replacing the E lift.

For Park City Mountain Resort, the reality of this season has been that they wouldn’t have been able to open in November without snowmaking. It was a dry November in Utah, meaning that ski resorts had to rely on snowmaking to get open.

With situations like this arising more frequently, Park City is investing in major snowmaking improvements. According to TownLift, they will be adding an automated snowmaking system to the Another World trail and automated snowguns to Chicane. These will be energy-efficient snowguns will help Park City open more terrain before the holiday season. Park City’s trail counts have lagged behind other nearby ski resorts due to its less ample snowfall totals, so the continued investment in snowmaking is a wise move.

Park City also aims to replace the Sunrise chairlift with a new gondola in 2025.

Image/Video Credits: Hunter Mountain Resort, Park City Mountain Resort

Today, Vail Resorts announced that they have acquired Crans-Montana Mountain Resort in Switzerland.

According to the Financial Times, Vail Resorts purchased Crans-Montana for $136 million (Swiss Franc 118.5 million). This huge ski resort features 87 miles of trails and a mind-boggling 4953-foot vertical drop. With this acquisition, Vail Resorts now owns two ski resorts in Europe, both of which are in Switzerland.

After this acquisition, my main question is: Will Vail continue to purchase ski resorts in Europe? Until recently, Europe was an untapped market for them. While they have partner mountains across the pond, they didn’t own a European ski resort until last year, which is when they acquired Andermatt-Sedrun. Now, it appears like Vail Resorts is interested in expanding its European portfolio, which will help grow Epic Pass sales.

A key point in their announcement is that Crans-Montana will NOT be on the Epic Pass for this ski season, but will likely be available on select pass products for the 2024-25 season.

Vail Resorts’ official press release is below.

Vail Resorts to Acquire Crans-Montana Mountain Resort in Switzerland, the Company’s Second Ski Resort in Europe

BROOMFIELD, Colo., Nov. 30, 2023– Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN) announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Crans-Montana Mountain Resort in Switzerland from CPI Property Group (“CPIPG”). Crans-Montana Mountain Resort spans over 1,400 meters (approximately 4,593 ft) of skiable vertical terrain, and 140 kilometers (approximately 87 mi) of trails. Accessible from five airports and by train, Crans-Montana Mountain Resort is located in the Valais canton of Switzerland, approximately two and a half hours from Geneva and less than four hours from Milan and Zurich. The resort is two and a half hours away from the company’s other owned and operated European resort in Andermatt-Sedrun.

Crans-Montana Mountain Resort is a top ski destination in the heart of the Swiss Alps, offering breathtaking views of the Matterhorn and the Mont Blanc, and has been recognized as one of the best ski resorts in Europe. Crans-Montana has a legacy of being a renowned outdoor sports destination, with signature events such as the Ski World Cup, Mountain Bike World Cup, Omega European Masters, and other championships, the Caprices Festival and more. The commune of Crans-Montana has gourmet restaurants and luxury retail stores, as well as stylish five-star hotels, including the recently developed Six Senses lodge and spa, a luxury 45-room ski-in, ski-out chalet-style property situated above the main gondola.

“Crans-Montana is an iconic ski destination in the heart of the Swiss Alps, with a unique heritage, incredible terrain, passionate team, and a community dedicated to the success of the region,” said Kirsten Lynch, Chief Executive Officer of Vail Resorts. “Our acquisition of the resort aligns to our growth strategy of expanding our resort network in Europe, creating even more value for our Pass Holders and guests around the world. Much like Andermatt-Sedrun, we believe Crans-Montana has a unique opportunity for future growth.”

Vail Resorts is acquiring an 84-percent ownership stake in Remontées Mécaniques Crans Montana Aminona (CMA) SA, which controls and operates all the resort’s lifts and supporting mountain operations, including 4 retail and rental locations. The company is acquiring an 80-percent ownership stake in SportLife AG, which operates one of the ski schools located at the resort. Vail Resorts is also acquiring 100 percent ownership of 11 restaurants located on and around the mountain.

The company’s industry-leading line of Epic Pass products allows skiers and riders to access the company’s resorts at an incredible value, whether they plan to ski one day or every day. Vail Resorts plans to include access to Crans-Montana Mountain Resort on select Epic Pass products for the 2024-25 ski and ride season. Crans-Montana Mountain Resort will not be included on the Epic Pass for any remaining part of the 2023-24 ski and ride season after the deal closes. The Epic Pass currently provides access to Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis, as well as European partner resorts, including five days at Verbier4Vallées in Switzerland, seven days at Les 3 Vallées in France, seven days at Skirama Dolomiti in Italy and three days at Ski Arlberg in Austria, with specific details available at www.epicpass.com.

“CPIPG is proud to have contributed significantly to the positive development of Crans-Montana over the past 10 years,” said David Greenbaum, CEO of CPIPG. “Vail Resorts is a talented ski resort operator, and we are certain that Crans-Montana will thrive under their ownership.”

In a statement from its Board of Directors, the Association of the Municipality of Crans-Montana added: “Crans-Montana looks forward to working closely with Vail Resorts, which will undoubtedly have a clear, long-term strategy for development, marketing, and providing top-quality guest experience. Vail Resorts will bring new energy to the ski area, positively impacting the entire economic structure of the region of Crans-Montana. Vail Resorts as new owner of the ski area will also have a positive impact on the organization of the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in 2027 at Crans-Montana.”

“We look forward to investing to support the growth, sustainability and vitality of the resort and region,” continued Lynch. “We care deeply about the guest experience and are committed to working with the community, listening and learning from local partners and the resort’s dedicated teams. We share many values with the Crans-Montana community, including a commitment to environmental responsibility and reducing our net-operating footprint.”

Vail Resorts expects to drive significant growth for Crans-Montana Mountain Resort through ongoing investments in the resort and inclusion of the resort on Epic Pass products, attracting a broader population of international guests to the resort who are seeking a high-end destination resort experience in the Swiss Alps.

“Vail Resorts commitment to Crans-Montana rewards the Valais destination’s dynamism, innovation, positioning and strategy for high value-added, four-season sustainable tourism,” said Bruno Huggler, CEO of the Crans-Montana Tourism and Congress. “Vail Resorts’ in-depth analyses confirmed Crans-Montana’s potential as a leading destination in the Swiss Alps. Every possible effort will be made to foster synergies with all players from Crans-Montana in developing tourism offers, marketing, and sales. Vail Resorts’ network will be a definite asset, especially in North America.”

Subject to closing adjustments, the valuation for the resort operations is expected to be CHF 118.5 million, including approximately CHF 7 million of debt that will remain in place. Vail Resorts anticipates that the resort will generate approximately CHF 5 million of EBITDA in its fiscal year ending July 31, 2025, the first full year of operations following the expected closing later in fiscal 2024. Vail Resorts anticipates EBITDA growth over time from the inclusion of the resort on the Epic Pass products, network synergy, and investments in the guest experience. Subject to the timing of capital project approvals and completion, Vail Resorts is planning to invest approximately CHF 30 million over the next five years in one-time capital spending to elevate the guest experience, and the resort is expected to generate over CHF 15 million of annual EBITDA following these investments and including the impact from incremental Epic Pass sales. This initial phase of growth of the resort is expected to be primarily driven by operating and marketing initiatives along with capital investments focused on maximizing gastronomy efficiencies and improving and expanding snowmaking capabilities. After closing the transaction, normal annual maintenance capital expenditures for Crans-Montana Mountain Resort are expected to be approximately CHF 3 million.

The transaction is expected to close during the 2023-24 ski and ride season, subject to certain third-party consents. Operations at Crans-Montana Mountain Resort for the 2023-24 winter season will continue in the ordinary course of business. Vail Resorts is committed to retaining the vast majority of employees, the existing operational infrastructure, and local expertise. Vail Resorts will incorporate areas of expertise from its business strategy, including enhancements to data and analytics capabilities, accessibility with the Epic Pass product lineup, and best practice sharing from its mountain operations.

About Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN)
Vail Resorts is a network of the best destination and close-to-home ski resorts in the world including Vail Mountain, Breckenridge, Park City Mountain, Whistler Blackcomb, Stowe, and 32 additional resorts across North America; Andermatt-Sedrun in Switzerland; and Perisher, Hotham, and Falls Creek in Australia – all available on the company’s industry-changing Epic Pass. We are passionate about providing an Experience of a Lifetime to our team members and guests, and our EpicPromise is to reach a zero net operating footprint by 2030, support our employees and communities, and broaden engagement in our sport. Our company owns and/or manages a collection of elegant hotels under the RockResorts brand, a portfolio of vacation rentals, condominiums and branded hotels located in close proximity to our mountain destinations, as well as the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Vail Resorts Retail operates more than 250 retail and rental locations across North America. Learn more about our company at www.VailResorts.com, or discover our resorts and pass options at www.epicpass.com.   

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements discussed in this press release, other than statements of historical information, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including the statements regarding growth opportunities related to the acquisition of Crans-Montana Mountain Resort, expected investments in the Crans-Montana Mountain Resort, the expected valuation and timing of the closing of the acquisition, and the expected performance of the Crans-Montana Mountain Resort following the acquisition. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. All forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Such risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to the economy generally, and our business and results of operations, including the ultimate amount of refunds that we would be required to refund to our pass product holders for qualifying circumstances under our Epic Coverage program; prolonged weakness in general economic conditions, including adverse effects on the overall travel and leisure related industries; risks associated with the effects of high or prolonged inflation, rising interest rates and financial institution disruptions; unfavorable weather conditions or the impact of natural disasters or other unexpected events; the willingness or ability of our guests to travel due to terrorism, the uncertainty of military conflicts or public health emergencies, and the cost and availability of travel options and changing consumer preferences, discretionary spending habits or willingness to travel; risks related to travel and airline disruptions, and other adverse impacts on the ability of our guests to travel; risks related to interruptions or disruptions of our information technology systems, data security or cyberattacks; risks related to our reliance on information technology, including our failure to maintain the integrity of our customer or employee data and our ability to adapt to technological developments or industry trends; our ability to acquire, develop and implement relevant technology offerings for customers and partners; the seasonality of our business combined with adverse events that may occur during our peak operating periods; competition in our mountain and lodging businesses or with other recreational and leisure activities; risks related to the high fixed cost structure of our business; our ability to fund resort capital expenditures; risks related to a disruption in our water supply that would impact our snowmaking capabilities and operations; our reliance on government permits or approvals for our use of public land or to make operational and capital improvements; risks related to federal, state, local and foreign government laws, rules and regulations, including environmental and health and safety laws and regulations; risks related to changes in security and privacy laws and regulations which could increase our operating costs and adversely affect our ability to market our products, properties and services effectively; potential failure to adapt to technological developments or industry trends regarding information technology; our ability to successfully launch and promote adoption of new products, technology, services and programs; risks related to our workforce, including increased labor costs, loss of key personnel and our ability to maintain adequate staffing, including hiring and retaining a sufficient seasonal workforce; a deterioration in the quality or reputation of our brands, including our ability to protect our intellectual property and the risk of accidents at our mountain resorts; risks related to scrutiny and changing expectations regarding our environmental, social and governance practices and reporting; our ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses, including their integration into our internal controls and infrastructure; our ability to successfully navigate new markets, including Europe; or that acquired businesses may fail to perform in accordance with expectations; risks associated with international operations; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates where the Company has foreign currency exposure, primarily the Canadian and Australian dollars and the Swiss franc, as compared to the U.S. dollar; changes in tax laws, regulations or interpretations, or adverse determinations by taxing authorities; risks related to our indebtedness and our ability to satisfy our debt service requirements under our outstanding debt including our unsecured senior notes, which could reduce our ability to use our cash flow to fund our operations, capital expenditures, future business opportunities and other purposes; a materially adverse change in our financial condition; adverse consequences of current or future litigation and legal claims; changes in accounting judgments and estimates, accounting principles, policies or guidelines; and other risks detailed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2023, which was filed on September 28, 2023.

All forward-looking statements attributable to us or any persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. All guidance and forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date hereof and we do not undertake any obligation to update any forecast or forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

Statement Concerning Non-GAAP Financial Measures
When reporting or forecasting financial results, we use the term EBITDA, which is not a financial measure under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). EBITDA should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to, or substitute for, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP.  The Company believes that EBITDA is an indicative measurement of the Company’s operating performance and is similar to performance metrics generally used by investors to evaluate other companies in the resort and lodging industries. We do not provide forward-looking guidance for certain financial measures, such as EBITDA, on a GAAP basis because we are unable to predict certain items contained in the GAAP measures without unreasonable efforts.

Image Credits: Tim Arnold (Featured Image), Crans-Montana, Luciano Miglionico, Vail Resorts

Vail Resorts’ latest venture will attempt to revolutionize ski and snowboarding rentals.

This season, the ski resort giant is doing a pilot run of My Epic Gear. This membership program gives users access to fifteen top ski and snowboard brands at each mountain that offer the service. Each location will have more than fifty of the most popular ski and snowboard models. For ski and snowboard boots, they’ll have users come into one of their shops to get customized insoles thanks to their boot fit scanning technology. The cost is $50 to join, then $50 for each visit where you use the gear.

According to Vail Resorts, here are the benefits of joining the program:

• “Choose a model of ski or snowboard at the beginning of a season, and be guaranteed that model will be available any day of the season, fully tuned.
• Try a different model of ski or snowboard any day, such as powder skis, based on availability.
• Select from the most popular and latest skis, snowboards and boots.
• Choose from name brand, high-quality ski and snowboard boots with customized insoles and boot fitting process. Option to opt out of choosing boots, if guests prefer to use their own.
• Ease of free in-resort delivery, and slopeside pick up and drop off every day, at every participating mountain resort.
• The new My Epic app will manage the entire experience, from gear selection to boot fitting to delivery.
• Low daily fee for each day the gear is used.”

This initial season will have the service situated at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, and Keystone. Next winter, they will offer it at the aforementioned mountains, along with Whistler Blackcomb, Park City Mountain Resort, Crested Butte, Heavenly, Northstar, Stowe, Okemo, and Mt. Snow.

Kirsten Lynch, who’s the CEO of Vail Resorts, said the following in the March press release about the service:

“Having the right gear is essential to the experience of every skier and rider, however, the traditional model of gear ownership and gear rental has not changed in decades. My Epic Gear reimagines gear ownership and gear rental, whether guests want the certainty of their gear for the season or for the day, transforming the quality, service, convenience, and cost of one of the most critical parts of the mountain experience.

Like many other business models in lodging and transportation that leverage technology and scale to allow guests to transition from ownership to the benefits of the ‘access economy,’ My Epic Gear will leverage our extensive footprint and experience selling, renting, and delivering gear, our prime slopeside locations across our mountain resorts, our data, the relationships we have with top gear vendors and over two million Pass Holders, as well as the scale to invest in the technology and most popular gear for the guest…

Most gear owners have their skis and snowboard sitting idle, untuned, for most of the year, but they want the certainty of having the gear they want when they get on the mountain. My Epic Gear will offer a much lower cost option, without the hassle of transporting, maintaining, or upgrading to the latest models, while still providing the certainty of having the gear they choose when they get on the mountain. For gear renters, My Epic Gear gets them the best skis and snowboards, name brand, high quality-boots with a customized fit, and the specific gear they want, ready for them, when and where they want it.”

If you’re interested in trying this service out, it sounds like you’ll need to wait until next fall. Vail Resorts’ website says that applications for My Epic Gear have closed on November 16th, with an official launch for everyone set for the 2024-25 season.

What are your thoughts on this new rental service from Vail Resorts? If you’re a part of the ski rental industry and have opinions (positive or negative) about it, reach out to me at ian@unofficialnetworks.com.

Image Credits: Vail Resorts

One of New Hampshire’s most epic mountains (pun intended) is opening on Wednesday.

Throughout November, Wildcat Mountain has been making snow. On Saturday, Wildcat Mountain GM JD Crichton announced they’ll be opening this week. Lift operations will start Wednesday from 9 am to 3:30 pm. The trail and lift lineup has yet to be announced.

Wildcat will likely be the second ski resort to open in New Hampshire, as Bretton Woods became the first to open last week. Loon Mountain will likely be opening soon, but an official date has yet to be announced.

In terms of other Vail properties in New Hampshire, their opening dates have yet to be announced. Based on historical trends, Sunapee would seem like the next Vail mountain in New Hampshire to open. Chris Corliss, who’s the Director of Operations at Mount Sunapee, gave a snowmaking update last Friday. They believe that the cold weather required for snowmaking is coming later today. Sunapee tends to open in late November.

Attitash has done some snowmaking, but a lot of their focus right now is understandably on the completion of the Mountaineer Express chairlift. They typically open in early December.

Over at Crotched Mountain, which usually opens in December, they recently released a quirky video showing their crews doing a snowmaking test. That’s pretty cool!

Image/Video Credits: Wildcat Mountain, Mount Sunapee, Attitash Mountain Resort, Crotched Mountain Resort

The planned upgrades at Park City Mountain Resort will remain in limbo for the foreseeable future. After a Judge denied Vail’s appeal this week, Vail Resorts will weigh whether to submit new permit applications that may require resort operators to disclose lift capacity and skier counts or appeal again to a higher court to try and protect its Comfortable Carrying Capacity (CCC) numbers and other metrics.

Back in 2022, Vail Resorts planned two major lift upgrades at Park City Mountain Resort. These two projects would have replaced the Silverlode chairlift with an eight-pack and the Eagle & Eaglet chairlift with a high-speed six-pack chairlift. Four locals decided to appeal the city planning director’s approval of the lifts due to the belief that the Utah ski resort was consistently above its CCC. An appeal by four locals was granted by the Park City Planning Commission after pointing out that PCMR’s new parking plan was insufficient, and that the new Eagle chairlift proposal was improperly aligned compared to the 1998 development agreement with Park City Municipal, among other crowding concerns.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that on Monday, Utah Third District Court Judge Richard Mrazik upheld the local’s appeal, stating that a permitting authority like the Planning Commission has the right to verify planning metrics such as Comfortable Carrying Capacity. Vail Resorts, which has claimed that its CCC numbers are proprietary, can appeal to a Utah state appellate court, which seems likely.

Following the ruling, the four local appellants released the following statement:

“We are pleased the court upholds the conclusions of Park City’s Planning Commission and affirms the right of a permitting authority to verify a ski resort’s operation in accordance with code and law. Visitors, employees, and surrounding communities depend on transparency and disclosure to assure safety and function at all Vail Resorts properties. We hope Vail Resorts and Park City Mountain accept Judge Mrazik’s ruling and also accept the invitation extended by Park City Municipal in 2022 to apply for new permits in accordance with code and capacity considerations.”

Clayton Scrivner from Park City Municipal said the following regarding the litigation’s latest development:

“Though disagreements in our community can be contentious at times, our system is designed to resolve these matters deliberately as is the case today. We appreciate the Court recognized the diligence of our Planning Commission, whose complex work often goes underappreciated.”

Sara Huey, who’s a spokesperson for Park City Mountain Resort, released the following statement:

“We appreciate the District Court’s time and consideration of our appeal. We continue to be disappointed in the Park City Planning Commission’s decision to revoke the permit for these lift upgrades, but remain committed to investing in the guest experience at Park City Mountain.”

This decision doesn’t factor into the proposed Sunrise Gondola over at the Canyons Village, which goes under a different approval process via Summit County. In addition, it was announced yesterday that a new parking garage could replace the current parking setup in the Canyons Village, which would ease the traffic flow. For the Park City side of the mountain, Vail Resorts is still allowed to go for conditional-use permits from Park City Municipal.

In terms of my personal views on this, I’m pretty neutral. I lived out in Utah for a couple of years, so I witnessed what has become a crowded experience in the town of Park City, which has changed quite a bit since it hosted the Olympics in 2002. I would like to see Eagle, Eaglet, and Silverlode chairlifts replaced soon, but I get the four locals’ hesitation on what it could mean for traffic around Park City.

Getting to the mountains in Park City is a pain in the ass, with the Canyons Village being the easiest to reach. Incentivizing people to go to the Mountain Village side because of the new lifts compared to the Canyons seems counterintuitive. The Sunrise replacement should be the priority for them at the moment, which seems like Vail Resorts is now aiming for. In addition, I’d also like to see Vail Resorts update the 1998 development plan (which is used for the PC side) to reflect better how the two ski resorts have changed since merging.

Ultimately, Utah is rapidly changing despite its very noticeable environmental challenges, and pumping the brakes every once in a while doesn’t hurt.

Click here for more information about the arguments being made by Vail Resorts, Park City Municipal, and the locals over these proposed new lifts.

Image Credits: Park City Mountain Resort, Ian Wood

Update 11/14: The Judge upheld the local’s appeal, further derailing Vail Resort’s plans. Vail Resorts can appeal to Utah’s appellate court, which seems likely.

One of the biggest stories in the North American ski industry last year was the blocking of two lift projects at Park City Mountain Resort. The Utah ski resort planned to replace the Eagle, Eaglet, and Silverlode chairlifts during the 2022 season. Eagle and Eaglet would have been replaced with a high-speed six-pack chairlift, and Silverlode would have been replaced with a high-speed eight-pack chairlift.

After the city planning director initially approved the lift replacements, four locals appealed the decision. Based on their experiences on what had become a packed mountain, they believed that the Utah ski resort was constantly above their comfortable carrying capacity. In addition, they believed that Park City’s parking plan, which needed to be implemented in order for the new lifts to be installed, was insufficient in handling the area’s traffic issues.

After hearing the local’s arguments, the planning commission granted the appeal, leading to the delay of these lift replacements. The lift parts, which arrived at the ski resort, were eventually moved up to Whistler Blackcomb for some lift replacements up there. Vail Resorts appealed the decision made by Park City Municipal, and over a year after the locals were granted the appeal, the case will finally be heard by Utah’s Third District Court.

Today, the appeal is being heard by Judge Richard Mrazik, who will hear arguments from Vail Resorts versus Park City Municipal and the four locals. Vail Resorts is arguing that by granting the appeal, the Planning Commission was acting outside of its power, believing that the decision was arbitrary and illegal. They argued that new chairlifts wouldn’t grow visitation.

Park City Municipal argued that the decision wasn’t arbitrary, arguing that it was within its powers to grant the appeal. In addition, they argued that the Eagle replacement lift was different from the original proposal in the 1998 development plan and that their parking plan was insufficient.

The four locals, who joined the case as intervenors, have joined the defense. Their argument is for the judge to rule in favor of Vail, the corporation needs to overwhelmingly show that the decision was arbitrary and illegal. The locals are arguing Vail Resorts can’t reach that threshold. The appellants have set up a GoFundMe to pay for a portion of the extensive legal fees incurred when Vail brought the matter to Utah’s Third District Court. 

Their main goal is to figure out how Park City’s comfortable carrying capacity is determined and if Park City Mountain is adhering to its maximum of 12,570 skiers. Comfortable Carrying Capacity is a ski resort planning metric developed in the 1960s by Snow Engineering. Snow Engineering now goes by the name SE Group and is considered one of the leading firms for ski resort master development plans. 

According to a master development plan produced by Waterville Valley Resort, Comfortable Carrying Capacity is “the optimum number of skiers and riders that can utilize a ski area in a day while providing a pleasant recreational experience and at the same time preserving the quality of the environment.” What the appellants are aiming for with this case is to determine how Park City determined its comfortable carrying capacity and prove that it has been past this limit.

SE Group says the calculations to determine a resort’s Comfortable Carrying Capacity are proprietary. Vail argues Park City Mountain’s Development Agreement should be considered a dynamic roadmap rather than a precise blueprint.

The locals maintain Comfortable Carrying Capacity is a matter of public safety that ought to be transparent like building standards. They also believe that the Development Agreement is a binding document that becomes code. They want to expose decades-old Comfortable Carrying Capacity calculations to determine their relevance at present-day resorts operating on mega passes and force Park City Mountain to confirm it operates within capacity limits. 

Here’s a core point brought up in the local’s GoFundMe regarding what it could mean if they’re successful:

“If we beat Vail Resorts in court, then not only will it have to justify its CCC calculations, it will also have to prove Park City Mountain is in compliance with capacity limits going forward. And if this precedent is established in Park City, then communities like Breckenridge, Leavenworth, Stowe, Tahoe, Truckee, Vail and Whistler will similarly be able to rein in capacity and traffic at their local Vail-owned resorts.”

Who will win this battle? Who knows, but it’ll be a fascinating story to watch this week.

Image Credits: Ian Wood, Park City Mountain Resort

For decades, Breckenridge Resort has been known for its terrain park network. According to locals though, the terrain parks have been downscaled in recent years. Last week, the Colorado ski resort responded to locals’ concerns and is upgrading their park setup for this upcoming winter.

Last week, Brendan Treffinger and Scooter from Breckenridge’s terrain park team detailed the plan for the 2023-24 season. Their terrain park network will be situated on Peak 8 & 9. The large park will be moving over to the Freeway trail, which is where there have been features and jumps in the past. The medium park will be situated on the Lower American trail (Peak 9), while the small park will be over at El Dorado. This new setup is aimed at progression-based learning. With the new Five Chair, guests will be able to get in more laps with more convenient access.

Comments on the post were largely positive. Many people were a fan of Scooter’s goofy antics and outtakes in the video:

“I dont even know scooter but he’s my hero.”

“Everybody loves scooter.”

One of the few negative comments I found was on Facebook:

“I always enjoy what you share here on but we’re not friends yet. I have tried several times to follow you but it’s not going through I will be so glad if you can just click into my profile and send me a friend request but if you find this message embarrassing please pardon my manners thanks.”

Yeah, you know what? I think that comment was from a bot. Meta should fix that problem.

Breckenridge’s projected opening date is November 10th.

Image/Video Credits: Breckenridge Resort

The reduction of night skiing hours at Keystone Resort will continue this winter.

Summit Daily reports that lifts at Keystone that are used for night skiing will shut down at 7 p.m. for the 2023-24 season. This is one hour less than when they’ve shut down in the past: 8 p.m. They will only be offering night skiing on Fridays, Saturdays, and a few Sundays, which has been the case since the beginning of the 2020-21 season. Wednesday and Thursday evening skiing ended in 2020 at Keystone. They used to have night skiing seven days a week, but this ended after the 2001-02 season. There will be some weekday evening skiing, but this will only be during the Holiday periods.

Here’s the official night skiing schedule for this upcoming winter from Keystone Resort:

• “November: 23 – 25 (Thanksgiving Thursday – Saturday)
• December: 23 – 31 nightly (Holiday Period Nightly)
• January: 5, 6, 12 – 14, 19, 20, 26, 27 (Friday’s & Saturday’s + New Years & MLK Sunday)
• February: 2, 3, 9, 10, 16 – 18, 23, 24 (Friday’s & Saturday’s + Presidents Weekend Sunday)
• March: 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30 (Friday’s & Saturday’s through March 30)
• Night skiing ends for the season on March 30.”

Nathan Yan, who’s a local resident in the town of Silverthorne, expressed his frustration to Summit Daily.

“It’s very disappointing to see. For me it kind of turns me off to wanting to associate or think of Keystone as my home mountain…This is kind of my turning point, my Roman Empire kind of thing. I feel viscerally that they’ve taken away something that I identified with the local Summit County ski experience.”

Night skiing that ends at seven is a tough sell. Having the lifts shut down at that time would definitely keep me from skiing, as I tend to prefer going to places with more extended night skiing hours. In addition, if you aren’t an Epic Pass holder, it’s less tempting to pay for a night skiing ticket for the reduced time frame. It’s kind of odd that Vail Resorts, which definitely knows about having a competitive advantage, is reducing one of the things that makes Keystone special in a packed Colorado ski industry.

On the other hand, running a mountain like Keystone is complex due to its extensive terrain footprint. This is especially true this upcoming winter with the addition of the Bergman Bowl as a lift-serviced terrain pod. Having night skiing puts more pressure on snowmakers (during the early season) and groomers to get a lot done in a more limited time.

Ultimately, if people voice their displeasure about having limited night skiing at Keystone, a change could happen. Vail Resorts has changed its ways when they’ve been criticized on past issues, so I imagine if enough people voice their displeasure, going back to a larger schedule is possible.

Image Credits: Keystone Resort