BROOMFIELD, Colo.—Ski resort operator Vail Resorts Inc. on Friday reported fewer skier visits and lower lift ticket revenue for the year through April 12 due to a lull in the last two weeks of March.
The company said total skier visits slipped 6.2 percent while total lift ticket revenue dropped 8.7 percent compared with the year-to-date period that ended April 13 last year.
“Ski school, dining and retail/rental revenue all experienced similar slight declines over this time period,” Rob Katz, Vail Resorts’ chief executive, said in a statement. “This was attributable to a deterioration in our ski season metrics during the last two weeks of March 2009.”
The decline was partly offset by a recovery in April, helped by the Easter holiday and favorable snow conditions at the company’s Colorado resorts, he said.
Vail Resorts said room bookings by guests for the 2008-2009 ski season had fallen 12.8 percent as of March 31 compared with the same period last year.
Based in the Denver suburb of Broomfield, Vail Resorts owns the Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone resorts in Colorado and Heavenly in California.
Shares of the company rose 55 cents, or 2.2 percent, to $26.16 in morning trading Friday.
