Vail Resorts Unveils New Plan For Growth After Poor Winter

15th July 2026

The largest ski resort group in the world says it will put ‘guest experience’ at the centre with a number of new initiatives as it aims to re-invent itself. NEW

Vail Resorts CEO, Rob Katz, has announced what he calls “a new era for the company” defined by what he said would be “delivering the best and most differentiated guest experience in skiing and riding”.

Vail Resorts believes that future growth will come by offering an exceptional experience that drives loyalty and visits.

The so-called Epic Experience vision is a multi-year plan that comes with a series of investments in food, lessons, gear, guest engagement and talent.

Vail Resorts says it is aiming to “raise the bar on mountain food” with a significant investment in its most popular dishes.

It will introduce Epic Ascent to enhance private lessons with concierge services.

“For years, Vail Resorts focused on building the Epic Pass model and expanding its resort network,” said Rob Katz as he announced the plan.

“That strategy helped establish the company’s position today, but the Pass and acquisitions were not the end goal.

“The next chapter of growth for Vail Resorts is about delivering a guest experience that undeniably leads the ski industry and is best in class in the travel sector.

“Epic Experience is about using the strength of our integrated model and leveraging our scale and technology to make every part of the mountain journey more seamless, personalized and memorable.”

It follows a poor winter in 2025/26 for Vail Resorts and other resort operation companies in the US Rockies:

Much was due to poor snow but there are questions about other factors, mainly the high costs of lift passes and ski lessons, plus what some see as the corporate nature of a ski trip to a resort owned by Vail Resorts.

Some industry commentators are unmoved by the announcement seeing it as much of the same, with more rhetoric and PR spin than substance.

They say that it shows Vail Resorts understands it needs to re-build and re-focus its business model and this is an attempt to do so.

The company says it will continue its investment in lifts and expand snow-making/technology to create the best possible early-season and in-season conditions.

Vail Resorts claims five new initiatives:

Re-imagining rentals with My Epic Gear
Elevating lessons into personalised mountain experiences
Setting a higher standard for guest engagement
Raising the bar on mountain food
Investing in top talent to drive excellent guest service

See here for full details.

About Vail Resorts

Vail Resorts is a network of mainly North American resorts including Vail Mountain, Breckenridge, Park City Mountain, Whistler-Blackcomb, Stowe, and 32 additional resorts across North America.

It owns Andermatt-Sedrun and Crans-Montana Mountain Resort in Switzerland; and Perisher, Hotham, and Falls Creek in Australia.

The company owns and/or manages a collection of elegant hotels under the RockResorts brand, a portfolio of vacation rentals, condominiums and branded hotels located in close proximity to our mountain destinations, as well as the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole.

Vail Resorts Retail operates more than 250 retail and rental locations across North America.

See more about the company at www.VailResorts.com, or discover its resorts and Pass options at www.EpicPass.com.

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