Due to abysmal snowfall in Colorado and across much of the Mountain West, Vail Resorts reported a decline of 12.5% in skier visits for the season and a 7% drop in third-quarter revenue compared to 2025 in a fiscal report to investors on Monday.
“Weather conditions remained extremely unfavorable in the third quarter,” chief executive Rob Katz is quoted as saying in the report, “adding to what had already been one of the most challenging winters in history across the western U.S., driving continued pressure on visitation and revenue in the quarter, particularly at our destination resorts in the Rockies.”
Vail Resorts owns 37 North American ski areas, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Breckenridge and Crested Butte in Colorado. Last week, Colorado Ski Country USA announced that the projected statewide decline in skier days for the 2025-26 season is 24%.
Vail Resorts also reported a 10% decrease in pass product sales for the 2026-27 season.
“While any decline in pass sales is disappointing, it is not surprising given the severity of this past season’s conditions, and we are encouraged that third-party data indicates our spring pass results are meaningfully outperforming others in the industry during this period,” Katz said. “We believe the challenging conditions have delayed purchase decisions, creating the opportunity for improved pass performance in the fall selling season and/or ultimately through lift ticket purchases during next season.
“Historical U.S. ski market data indicates that visitation typically fully recovers following a season with poor conditions if the subsequent season has normal conditions,” he added, “and we believe we are well positioned to capture that visitation with the pass and lift ticket product and marketing strategies we have developed.”
