NewEnglandSkier13;c-57276 wrote[…] and Vail is also making it unaffordable for any who won't buy their pass products.
[Original post was long and rambling. Shortened and rephrased.]
I would argue it’s worse than that. I would argue we shouldn’t even consider Vail a ski area operator.
Instead they are a financial firm. Their whole business model for Wall Street is pass sales to get money in ahead of time. And buy resorts for 2 benefits: (1) ever increasing growth desired by Wall Street and (2) give those pass purchasers more options.
Well guess what happens if people buy ski passes? They want to go skiing. That means you need to make enough snow, groom it out, run the lifts. That’s all a hassle. There is basically zero return for any of that operating costs. The only income Vail really gets after pass sales end is food and beverage and any ancillary fees they can hoist on you after you purchased your pass (such as parking. This is why Vail’s ops are so anemic.
And to make matters worse, anything ancillary to a ski area makes things extra hassle-y. Lots of buses coming at once with many kids for many lessons? That’s a massive hassle. But most areas put up with that because it’s a cash cow, it brings customers in the door into the sport and the mountain.
