How Vail Resorts Built The Largest Ski Empire

Vail Resorts has become the most extensive ski lodge company in history. However, they have pretty humble beginnings. 

Nestled in the snowy mountain town of Vail, Colorado, the area opened its first ski resort in 1919. Its perfect location in the Rocky Mountains made it the ideal place for year-round skiing, snowboarding and other winter activities. The area is also what drew in Vail Resorts founders Pete Seibert and Earl Eaton. 

Both men were WWII veterans and had skied in Vail while training during the war. After the war, the two veterans found their way back to the area and developed a friendship while serving as ski guides. It was Eaton who first convinced Siebert to help open the first resort in the area, and it did not take much convincing. What happened after resulted in the largest ski empire the world has ever seen. 

The Origins of Vail Resorts

Soon after Eaton convinced Seibert to start a ski resort, Seibert had to go out and find some investors in the project. Some early investors and leaders of the first Vail property included fellow veterans Bill “Sarge” Brown and Bob Parker. Their idea was to develop a new ski area from the existing, untouched wilderness that the US Forest Service still owned. They needed to raise at least $1 million in capital to procure the property, which they did by promising early investors lifetime season passes – plus condos on the property. 

But while the investors wanted Vail to be a state-of-the-art vacation destination, they also wanted people to stay for more than just a weekend or two. To entice people to stay longer, they started creating Vail into its own little town. Complete with an internal transit system, shops, library, and other places you would find in a small city, the investors soon made the place into a veritable town. Their vision of a mountain community had become a reality.

Vail Resort’s Continued Success

One of Vail’s calling cards to keep prices low and ensure steady revenue was to sell season passes. Going on sale before the season started, Vail started with a $5 pass in 1962, Today, season passess have now gone up to $879. But despite this dramatic uptick in price, Vail still sells over a million passes to this day. Why? Because of this guaranteed price model and access to a majority of Vail properties. 

By the 1980s, Vail had developed into a year-round vacation destination. They had to create new innovations to keep visitors entertained year-round, including a gondola that replaced the rope tow to transport sightseers instead of skiers. The resort also built golf courses and mountain biking trails. 

Vail Resorts Today 

Since acquiring the Seven Springs Mountain Resort in 2018, the portfolio of Vail properties now includes 40 different destinations. Spread between the East Coast and West Coast, as well as the Rocky Mountains and Midwest – you can shred the gnar at any Vail Resorts your heart desires.

Additionally, the resort owns property in both Canada and Australia. The company also has partnerships with other ski resorts that allow guests access to 73 different locations with its annual “Epic Pass.” 

But even with all the huge growth and massive revenues that Vail brings in, they still remember their most important aspect: Their guests. Over the past year alone, Vail has invested more than $1 billion in enhancements to its mountain resorts. With a track record like that, the monstrous growth the company has seen will not stop any time soon.

Read about the history of another game-changing company here!

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