Vail Resorts: COVID impacts fade, but travel disruptions hurt U.S. ski areas

BROOMFIELD — As fears and restrictions related to COVID-19 fade, Vail Resorts Inc. (NYSE: MTN) saw ski area visits and sales increase in the first half of the 2022-2023 ski season.

However, bad weather and even worse performance from airlines over the holidays kept the resort operator from fully cashing in during an important stretch of the early season.

From the beginning of the ski season through Jan. 8, total skier visits were up 12.5% compared to the prior year season-to-date period.

Lift-ticket sales were up 5.3%, ski school revenue was up 35.6% and dining revenue was up 58.0%.

“We are pleased to see…