Posted for Nancy Yearout
RE/MAX Properties of the Summit, Breckenridge, Colorado
nyearout@colorado.net
http://www.realestate-breckenridge.net
#Breckenridge, Colorado
Snow for ski areas is a little like grandmothers, sick kids and chicken soup —
it usually helps, and it sure can't hurt.
The results of a better snow
season showed up in a Vail Resorts report Monday detailing “ski season metrics”
including revenue and skier numbers compared to last season.
According to
the report, the numbers were adjusted as if Kirkwood, which was acquired in
April 2012, was owned in both periods. The reported ski season metrics do not
incorporate the recently acquired urban ski areas of Afton Alps and Mt.
Brighton.
The report's highlights include:
• Season-to-date
(through April 14) total lift ticket revenue at the Vail Resorts' seven mountain
resorts, including some season pass revenue, increased 10.2 percent compared to
the prior season.
• Other spending by guests outpaced growth in skier
visits, with dining revenue up 13.1 percent and ski school revenue up 11.6
percent, with retail and rental revenue up 8.9 percent compared to the prior
season-to-date period.
• Season-to-date total skier visits increased 5.5
percent.
“As the 2012-2013 ski season comes to a close, we are very
pleased with the strong results this season,” Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz wrote in
a press release. “The growth in skier visitation continued to accelerate through
spring break and the Easter holiday, which contributed to our double-digit
growth in lift ticket, dining and ski school revenues compared to the same
period last year, offset by somewhat slower momentum at our Tahoe resorts and
our retail business.”
Reached at his Denver office, National Ski Area
Association President Michael Berry said Vail Resorts' success this season has
been mirrored across the industry, for a simple reason: This was a better snow
year.
Berry said final numbers won't be in until next week, but said
resorts in the eastern part of the country did “very, very well.”
Last
year's snow in the east was mostly gone by March, Berry said. In comparison, the
snow measurement site on Vail Mountain was reporting no snow in early April.
Business was better in the northwest in and in California this season, too,
Berry said, again due to snow.
As a result, the national ski industry
will end up with about 57 million skier visits for this season, Berry said.
That's close to the 10-year average of 57.5 million skier visits. Two seasons
ago, the epic winter of 2010-11, the nation's ski industry recorded 60.5 million
skier visits.
“Snow really does determine success,” Berry said. “At the
end of the day, you have to have a strong snow message.”
That success
this season is translating into more optimism for next season, Berry said,
adding that ski pass sales this spring are stronger this year than
last.
Katz made a similar comment in the press release accompanying the
latest report from Vail Resorts:
“I am pleased to report that our spring
season pass sales for the 2013-2014 ski season are off to a strong start,
showing good momentum over last spring's record results for the program.”
Courtesy of the Summit Daily News
