By Robb M. Stewart
It has been a bad ski season for Vail Resorts, with little snow and warm weather deterring activity on its slopes and eating into revenue.
Vail's portfolio of North American mountain resorts saw a 14.9% drop in total skier visits season-to-date, the company said Thursday.
Lift revenue, including an allocated portion of season pass revenue, was down 5.6% compared on a year earlier from the beginning of the ski season through April 19. And Vail said ski school revenue was down 12% and dining revenue down 11.7%.
Retail and rental revenue for North American resort and ski area stores is 6.6% below the same period a year ago.
Chief Executive Rob Katz said it has been one of the most challenging winters in history across the western U.S., with record low snowfall and historically warm temperatures hitting visitation and spending.
Vail's operations include Vail Mountain, Breckenridge, Park City Mountain, Whistler Blackcomb, Stowe, and 32 other resorts across North America. Metrics for the current season don't include Andermatt-Sedrun and Crans-Montana Mountain Resort in Switzerland, or Perisher, Hotham, and Falls Creek in Australia.
Katz said conditions saw a continuation of low snowfall and warmer temperatures well outside of historical norms in March, leading to weaker late-season visits and earlier than planned closures for many resorts across the western U.S. The largest impact was seen in the Rockies, where visitation declined 25%, he said.
As a result of the conditions, Vail forecast resort earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for fiscal 2026 is likely to be at or around the low end of its March guidance for between $745 million and $775 million.
Write to Robb M. Stewart at robb.stewart@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 23, 2026 08:34 ET (12:34 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Comments