Vail Resorts, already the 800-pound-canary of American ski operators, is bulking up again with its quarter-billion-dollar purchase of Peak Resorts, which operates seventeen ski areas.
The deal continues a trend of consolidation in the ski resort industry, even at a time when European operators are worried about snowless futures. Vail sells a ski pass that is good for all of its sites, and industry commentators have pointed out that the company’s acquisition of smaller ski areas near major cities allows them to sell more passes and lure more skiers to its major slopes.
Among the acquired areas are well-known sites such as Mount Snow, Vermont, Hunter Mountain in New York as well as others in New Hampshire, Missouri, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Photo: Hunter Mountain, New York
