Vail Resorts Announces Acquisition of Alterra, Creating Largest Ski Resort Company in History

NOTE: The below article was published as satire on April 1, 2022.

On Friday, Vail Resorts announced it had closed a deal to purchase Alterra Mountain Company, an owner of 15 destination ski resorts and one of its chief competitors. As part of the agreement, Vail will take ownership of big names such as Mammoth, Deer Valley, Steamboat, and Palisades Tahoe, among others. With the agreement, Vail will now have ownership over nearly every single large resort in California and Colorado, as well as the majority in Utah and Vermont. On top of that, Vail Resorts will now fully own the Ikon Pass suite.

As part of the announcement, Vail Resorts has announced that Epic Pass holders will have access to all Alterra resorts for the 2022-23 season. All resorts will be unlimited on the full Epic Pass, while access drops down to just 10 days for Crystal, Deer Valley, and Steamboat on the base Epic Local Pass. Given the timing of this announcement, all previously purchased Ikon and season pass products will continue to be honored—however, Vail will not be offering refunds for those who would now prefer to switch to an Epic product.

“We are incredibly excited to have the opportunity to welcome Alterra to the Vail family,” said Tara Hauke, who works in PR for Vail Resorts. “Expanding our offerings in destination regions such as Colorado, Utah, and the Sierra Nevadas has been a long-term strategic priority, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome Epic Pass holders to experience the legendary terrain, villages, and amenities at the full suite of Alterra resorts.”

With this acquisition, Vail Resorts will now own 55 ski resorts across the United States and Canada—the largest of any ski resort company in recorded history.

Our Take

While no resorts are physically changing, this shock announcement will have significant reverberations for the North American ski industry. Vail Resorts now has an effective monopoly on destination ski areas in Colorado and Tahoe, and is now almost ten times bigger than the next largest ski resort companies, Boyne and Powdr. We are still fully processing the effects from this announcement, but here are our initial thoughts.

Perhaps the biggest lesson learned here is that purchasing a pass in advance can have consequences. Those who have already purchased an Ikon Pass will not be able to exchange their products for a comparable Epic one. While non-Alterra resorts will still remain on Ikon only, a significant minority will now be unlimited on Epic, making that pass a much better deal for certain Ikon customers.

Perhaps those who get the shortest end of the stick with this deal are those who purchased a Crystal season pass. This Washington resort dropped off from unlimited Ikon Pass access for the 2022-23 season, and until today, the only true season pass option cost a hefty $1,699. But with Vail Resorts now offering unlimited Crystal access to full Epic Pass holders, this access is now available for just over $800—but those who already purchased a season pass will not be able to get their money back.

For more information on Vail and Alterra resorts as they currently stack up, see our full overall, Colorado, Utah, Vermont, and Tahoe rankings.

Additionally, please be mindful of the date while reading this article. APRIL FOOLS!