Skiers sue 2 major resort owners over lift ticket prices

SALT LAKE CITY — The two largest ski resort owners in North America face a class-action lawsuit that claims the businesses artificially inflated every day lift ticket prices to “coerce” skiers and snowboarders to purchase costly season passes.

Four skiers, three from Colorado and one from Massachusetts, declare within the lawsuit filed in federal court docket in Denver that Vail Resorts and Alterra Mountain Company interact in anticompetitive practices that violate antitrust legal guidelines.

“For years, skiers have been told that soaring lift ticket prices, reduced choice, and overcrowding are simply the new reality,” Greg Asciolla, a lead lawyer for the plaintiffs, mentioned in an announcement, per Reuters. “Our complaint alleges that these outcomes are not the result of healthy competition, but of exclusionary conduct by two companies that dominate access to the most desirable destinations.”

The rise of the mega cross

Vail Resorts basically modified the ski trade when it launched the Epic Pass in 2008. The multi-mountain season cross supplies entry to what are actually 42 Vail-owned ski areas and one other 30 it contracts with all over the world. Alterra adopted with its Ikon Pass in 2018, for 18 resorts it owns, plus one other 70 it has offers with.

In Utah, the Epic Pass is nice at Park City Mountain, whereas the Ikon Pass is nice at Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, Solitude, Deer Valley and Snowbasin.

For the 2025-26 season, a full Epic Pass bought for $1,051, whereas a full Ikon Pass went for $1,329. Locals-only season passes run slightly cheaper.

After introducing the multi-mountain passes, Vail and Alterra raised every day lift ticket prices sharply, exceeding $350 a day at top-tier ski resorts.

“But this is no accident, or the result of competitive market forces… lift tickets for ski areas within the Epic and Ikon ecosystems are priced in a way to induce (or coerce) customers into buying the mega pass bundles,” in response to the lawsuit.

Why every day lift tickets price a lot

Speaking concerning the creation of the Epic Pass and the rise of every day lift ticket prices throughout the trade, Vail CEO Rob Katz instructed The Wall Street Journal that “this was an industrywide, ultimately global transformation that happened that our company absolutely led.

“And a part of that was making the season cross the best possible alternative you could possibly have after which making the lift ticket dearer. If you are going to stroll as much as a ski resort and purchase a lift ticket, you are not giving the ski resort any advance dedication.(*2*)Skiers and snowboarders are led to consider they’re making a cost-conscious determination in shopping for the Epic or Ikon mega cross, however in actuality, and on account of Vail Resorts’ and Alterra’s respective anticompetitive schemes involving bundling, they’re in truth being pressured into shopping for a mega cross, which is itself maximally (over)-priced as much as the purpose the place it appears to be like like a great deal when in comparison with the overpriced lift ticket. In brief, each the lift ticket and the mega cross are overpriced,” in response to the grievance.

What the ski resort companies say about the lawsuit

Vail and Alterra say the claims in the lawsuit are without merit.

“We launched the Epic Pass in 2008 to make snowboarding and using extra accessible, lowering the value of a season cross by 60%,” according to a Vail spokesperson, adding it’s still one of the best values ​​in the industry, especially following our further 20% price reduction in 2021.

“As we acquired smaller resorts over the years, we additionally launched new, lower-priced cross merchandise, such because the Epic Day Pass Local and Limited, for friends who solely wish to ski near house,” to the spokesperson.

“We will all the time give one of the best worth to our cross holders who commit forward of the season—however that mentioned, we’ve additionally been intentional to cost our lift tickets, bought in season, on a resort-by-resort foundation, together with quite a few new low cost alternatives this previous season.”

Last month, Vail cut the price of an Epic Pass by 20% for people aged 13 to 30 to attract and retain Gen Z skiers and snowboarders.

An Alterra spokesperson said the Ikon Pass “supplies one of the best worth” with its access to more than 70 ski areas.

“We consider these claims haven’t any benefit and intend to defend ourselves vigorously,” the accused said in a statement emailed to the Durango Herald. “It is disappointing that we’re pressured to defend this baseless declare and divert any consideration away from working our enterprise and delivering unbelievable experiences.”

The lawsuit contains high lift ticket prices for people who don’t ski often and locals “who lose significant selection about the place to go” because the season pass model “channels” them to solely affiliated resorts.

Vail skier visits, season cross income down

Park City Mountain and its five ski areas in Colorado generate the largest share of the company’s revenue, according to the company’s second-quarter fiscal report, released March 9.

Vail had a net income of about $210 million, down from $244.4 million during the same period last year.

Season-to-date total skier visits were down 11.9% at Vail’s North American ski areas compared to the prior year. A skier visit is counted each time a person uses a lift ticket or pass at a resort. Total lift revenue, including season pass revenue, was down 3.6%.

“This has been essentially the most difficult winter throughout the Rockies that we’ve ever skilled with the bottom snowfall ranges in additional than 30 years for our Colorado and Utah resorts, mixed with hotter temperatures, leading to lowered terrain all through the quarter and into February,” Katz said in the report.

“Given that backdrop, we’re happy with the energy and stability proven by our working mannequin, as we reported solely modest declines in lift income in what many would think about a worst-case climate situation.”