The Journal. The Snowballing Problems at Vail Resorts
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Feb 5, 2025 
Allison Pohle, a WSJ travel reporter specializing in the ski industry, dives into the challenges facing Vail Resorts, the giant of the ski world. She discusses how Vail's luxury positioning has backfired amid overcrowding and labor disputes. The introduction of the Epic Pass has brought millions of new customers but also chaos on the slopes. Pohle highlights the growing discontent among skiers, revealing how rising costs and staffing issues are straining the iconic destination's reputation and leading to calls for executive changes.
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Old-School Skiing
- Skiing used to involve buying day passes at independent resorts, attaching tags to jackets.
- This model made resorts vulnerable to weather and snow conditions, impacting reinvestment.
Vail's Growth Imperative
- Vail Resorts, being publicly traded, faced pressure for consistent growth, unlike privately held resorts.
- This pressure led them to innovate and create the Epic Pass in 2008.
The Epic Pass Disruption
- The Epic Pass bundled multiple resorts for a fixed price, significantly undercutting single-resort season passes.
- This model incentivized frequent skiing, lowering the per-trip cost.