Vail to limit lift tickets at ski areas this season

BROOMFIELD — In an attempt to avoid repeating its mistakes from the past several years — seasons marred by complaints about long waits and shuttered amenities at short-staffed ski areas — Vail Resorts Inc. (NYSE: MTN) is implementing its first portfolio-wide limit on lift tickets for the 2022-2023 ski season. 

The company has not said how many tickets it will make available each day, but did indicate that the limit will not apply to holders of Epic Pass or lift tickets associated with ski-and-ride-school lessons.

“We care deeply about our guests’ experience at our resorts,” said James O’Donnell, president of Vail Resorts’ Mountain division. “Limiting lift tickets throughout the season, alongside the big investments we’re making at our resorts and in our team members, will help us provide our guests with an experience of a lifetime this winter.”

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Vail has scrambled to react to worker shortages, rising costs of living in mountain towns, the COVID-19 pandemic and an increased interest in winter sports, the combination of which has wreaked havoc on its ability to properly staff its properties. 

To combat the problem, the company has instituted pay raises and has vowed to invest millions of dollars in affordable housing projects near its resorts. It’s unclear whether these moves have made much of a dent, and affordable housing efforts in Vail have met resistance from local officials. 

The 2023-2023 ski season will kick off in October with the opening of Keystone, followed by openings at Vail’s other Colorado resorts in November.