Vail Resorts plans to invest more resources into its guest experience as the beleaguered ski resort company looks to draw consumers back to its mountains.
The company on Tuesday said it plans to make investments in its digital experience, gear rentals, private lessons and ski and ride schools, and mountain food. The push is part of Vail's "Epic Experience" vision, which it described as a multi-year roadmap for driving growth and improving the quality of its offerings to skiers and snowboarders.
"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," Chief Executive Officer Rob Katz said.
The push comes as Vail has been suffering from muted growth in skiers, a problem compounded this year by what the company described as its worst season of snowfall on record. Last month, the company cut its full-year outlook for a second time after reporting a drop in visits and a decline in revenue.
Vail said that this upcoming season will feature mountain food with better presentation and higher-quality ingredients, without price increases that outpace normal inflation. It will also start selling season passes and lift tickets through its My Epic app and, at two resorts, enhance private lessons offerings as part of an "Epic Ascent" tier.
For the coming 2027-2028 season, Vail also plans to expand Epic Ascent and its gear rentals and service options, as well as guests' ability to use the company's My Epic app to buy lessons and rent gear. Vail plans to add artificial-intelligence trip planning and personalized recommendations features in the future.
The company added that it has already invested $175 million in employee wages and benefits, which it said has translated into better service and higher guest satisfaction scores.
"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," Vail's CEO Katz said.
Write to Elias Schisgall at elias.schisgall@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 14, 2026 11:05 ET (15:05 GMT)
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