Vail and Aspen, two Colorado towns well-known to skiiers, are also the name of two ski giants, competing to dominate the North American ski industry. In a new deal this week, Aspen Skiing Company snapped up 9 new properties, including California’s Mammoth.
It’s a move that puts it up against Vail Resorts, which has 13 sites across North America, including in Canada, as well as properties in Europe.
The new deal involves Aspen taking over Intrawest Resort Holdings, operator of Mammoth and also of Steamboat in Colorado, Stratton in Vermont and Mount Tremblant in eastern Canada, as well as operating Winter Park for the City of Denver. It also has 13 lodges in British Columbia. Aspen’s financial partner in the deal owns Squaw Valley.
It looks like climate change may be taking a back seat to financial change in the world of skiing for a while!
