How Corporate Consolidation is Killing Ski Towns

Corporate consolidation in the ski industry, exemplified by Vail Resorts, is causing ski towns to lose their vibrancy and become ghost towns for much of the year.
💼 Vail Resorts has decoupled itself from physical ski resorts, buying up smaller resorts across the US and internationally, and transforming the industry.
🎿 Skier numbers have stagnated due to high costs, and the industry’s focus on catering to the wealthiest customers.
🏔️ Once thriving mining and resource towns became ski towns and were kept alive by resorts in the early days of skiing.
🏘️ Ski towns today have been gutted and are largely empty for much of the year, with only a resilient few fighting to keep the dream alive.
📈 Vail’s Epic Pass was designed for skiers priced out by day-passes and punch passes. It became an entirely new product and a cheap season pass.