BROOMFIELD, Colo., Sept. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN) today announced an unprecedented number of on-mountain projects planned for the 2022-23 North American ski and ride season in what will be the Company's largest single-year investment into the guest experience. The sweeping set of 19 new chairlifts, including 12 high-speed lifts, a new 8-person high-speed gondola and 6 new fixed-grip lifts, is part of Vail Resorts'$315 million to $325 million capital investment plan for 2022 which is designed to materially reduce wait times, increase uphill capacity and create more lift-served terrain. The projects outlined below span 14 resorts coast-to-coast including Whistler Blackcomb, Vail Mountain, Park City Mountain, Keystone Resort, Breckenridge Ski Resort, Stowe Mountain Resort, Mount Snow and more. Additional projects within the CY22 plan will be announced in December 2021 and March 2022.
Today's announcement is part of Epic Lift Upgrade, Vail Resorts' new initiative to deliver game-changing lift upgrades that will significantly improve and enhance the guest experience and make getting on and around its mountains easier, faster and more enjoyable. With this latest capital plan, Vail Resorts' total investment into the guest experience over 15 years is expected to reach approximately $2.2 billion, which has included transformational lift and terrain projects as well as industry-leading snowmaking infrastructure and state-of-the-art technological innovations. For the upcoming 2021-22 North American ski and ride season, the Company expects to spend approximately $120 million in new projects such as McCoy Park at Beaver Creek Resort and new lifts at Breckenridge, Keystone, Okemo and Crested Butte Mountain Resort.
"Our mission at Vail Resorts is to provide an Experience of a Lifetime to anyone who visits our resorts – and delivering on that mission requires constant re-imagination and investment into the guest experience," said Rob Katz, chairman and chief executive officer of Vail Resorts. "Our teams have been hard at work identifying significant opportunities to improve the guest experience and have produced an initial list of exciting lift upgrades, a restaurant expansion and projects that expand access to incredible terrain for next season, with more to be announced.
"At some of our mountains, this means new high-speed lifts that will double how fast we can move people out of the base areas, and at others, the projects are all about making it easier for people to explore different sections of the mountain," Katz continued. "Overall, our goal is for guests to have more time to enjoy the sport they love. Of course, all of these projects for the 2022-23 season are on top of the big improvements we will have ready this upcoming 2021-22 ski and ride season, which we cannot wait to unveil to guests in just a few months."
Projects planned ahead of the 2022-23 season include: (All projects are subject to government approval, and the completion of each project and its availability for the 2022-23 season will be based on timing of approvals.)
British Columbia, Canada
Colorado
Utah
Lake Tahoe, California & Nevada
Vermont & New Hampshire
Pennsylvania & Ohio
Previously announced projects scheduled to debut in time for the 2021/22 season include:
Epic Lift Upgrade: Guests are invited to explore and follow progress of all these transformational projects at www.snow.com/EpicLiftUpgrade which includes videos of the initiatives opening this season as well as details of the new projects announced today for the 2022-23 season.
About Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN)Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading global mountain resort operator. Vail Resorts' subsidiaries operate 37 destination mountain resorts and regional ski areas, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Crested Butte in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada; Perisher, Falls Creek and Hotham in Australia; Stowe, Mount Snow, Okemo in Vermont; Hunter Mountain in New York; Mount Sunapee, Attitash, Wildcat and Crotched in New Hampshire; Stevens Pass in Washington; Liberty, Roundtop, Whitetail, Jack Frost and Big Boulder in Pennsylvania; Alpine Valley, Boston Mills, Brandywine and Mad River in Ohio; Hidden Valley and Snow Creek in Missouri; Wilmot in Wisconsin; Afton Alps in Minnesota; Mt. Brighton in Michigan; and Paoli Peaks in Indiana. Vail Resorts owns and/or manages a collection of casually elegant hotels under the RockResorts brand, as well as the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo.Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning and development subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc.Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.
Forward-Looking StatementsCertain statements discussed in this press release, other than statements of historical information, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including the statements regarding our calendar year 2022 capital plan and expectations related thereto. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. All forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Such risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to the ultimate duration of COVID-19 and its short-term and long-term impacts on consumer behaviors, the economy generally and our business and results of operations, including the ultimate amount of refunds that we would be required to refund to our pass product holders for qualifying circumstances under our Epic Coverage program; prolonged weakness in general economic conditions, including adverse effects on the overall travel and leisure related industries; willingness or ability of our guests to travel due to terrorism, the uncertainty of military conflicts or outbreaks of contagious diseases (such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic), and the cost and availability of travel options and changing consumer preferences; unfavorable weather conditions or the impact of natural disasters; risks related to interruptions or disruptions of our information technology systems, data security or cyberattacks; risks related to our reliance on information technology, including our failure to maintain the integrity of our customer or employee data and our ability to adapt to technological developments or industry trends; the seasonality of our business combined with adverse events that occur during our peak operating periods; competition in our mountain and lodging businesses or with other recreational and leisure activities; high fixed cost structure of our business; our ability to fund resort capital expenditures; risks related to a disruption in our water supply that would impact our snowmaking capabilities and operations; our reliance on government permits or approvals for our use of public land or to make operational and capital improvements; risks associated with obtaining governmental or third party approvals; risks related to federal, state, local and foreign government laws, rules and regulations; risks related to changes in security and privacy laws and regulations which could increase our operating costs and adversely affect our ability to market our products and services effectively; risks related to our workforce, including increased labor costs; loss of key personnel and our ability to hire and retain a sufficient seasonal workforce; a deterioration in the quality or reputation of our brands, including our ability to protect our intellectual property and the risk of accidents at our mountain resorts; our ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses, or that acquired businesses may fail to perform in accordance with expectations; risks associated with international operations; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates where the Company has foreign currency exposure, primarily the Canadian and Australian dollars; changes in tax laws, regulations, interpretations, or adverse determinations by taxing authorities; risks related to our indebtedness and our ability to satisfy our debt service requirements under our outstanding debt including our unsecured senior notes, which could reduce our ability to use our cash flow to fund our operations, capital expenditures, future business opportunities and other purposes; a materially adverse change in our financial condition; adverse consequences of current or future legal claims; changes in accounting judgments and estimates, accounting principles, policies or guidelines; and other risks detailed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2021, which was filed on September 23, 2021. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or any persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. All forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date hereof and we do not undertake any obligation to update any forecast or forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.
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