vail resorts 2011/12 season pass prices

[Vet]

Fyi, the Epic Pass for 2011/12 is $US649 and the Tahoe (Heavenly/Northstar) pass is $US379.

Both are available with $49 down and the balance will be charged in September/October. The Tahoe pass has blackouts in November, Christmas-New Year, Martin Luther and President's Weekend.

Btw, hotel apartments in Sth Lake Tahoe might be hit with a 12% hotel tax, so one place we stayed in will go up from $US86 a night by a couple bucks

[sam]

Ski resort operator Vail Resorts Inc. said Thursday that its second-quarter net income rose 34 percent as plentiful snow and the improving economy brought more people out skiing and the company benefitted from acquiring Northstar-at-Tahoe.

Net income attributable to Vail Resorts Inc. during the quarter rose to $54.6 million, or $1.48 per share, from $40.7 million, or $1.11 per share, a year earlier. Vail's revenue rose 29 percent to $388.1 million from $300.5 million.

Analysts expected adjusted net income of $1.44 per share and revenue of $377.9 million, according to FactSet.

Excluding the newly acquired Northstar-at-Tahoe, visits to Vail's resorts rose 8.7 percent from a year earlier, mainly due to season pass holders skiing more often.

Consumer spending cutbacks during the recession dealt a blow to ski resorts and the travel industry as a whole, but results have begun to improve in the sector.

CEO Robert Katz said the better economy and snow conditions led many resorts to open earlier in the season, boosting Vail's profit. Price increases also helped, he said.

Shares fell $1.13, or 2.3 percent, to $48.70 in afternoon trading. The stock has traded between $32.37 and $54.03 over the past year.

[sam]

The adult (13+) epic covers 7 resorts, Araphoe Basin, Vail, Breck, Beaver Creek, Keystone Nstar Heavenly. No blackout dates either. $US649.

The child (5-12 y.o) is $US329. Same resorts and no blackouts.

It won't be long before other resorts announce their pass deals.

[Paul Oberin]

Vet and Sam you would be interested in this.
http://skiingbusiness.com/4554/newswire/press-release/vail-resorts-to-invest-30-million-in-its-tahoe-resort/

[Vet]

Thanks Paul, our resort mgmt study crew will be looking at Homewood's $20m model, Squaw's $50m model, Vail Resorts $50 masterplans with new terrain and new lifts for experts, and buller's $100m masterplan.