Today, Vail Resorts announced the purchase of Okemo and Mount Sunapee in New England, along with Crested Butte in Colorado and Stevens Pass in Washington. The total purchase price for all 4 resorts is expected to be about $150 million.
Vail Resorts, by far the largest ski resort operator in the country, now owns 17 mountains across North America, including Stowe in Vermont which was purchased last year. Stowe was the first mountain on the east coast to be acquired by Vail Resorts. A quick glance at the comments on many of Stowe’s social media posts show a very mixed approval rating of Vail’s ownership in the inaugural season.
Vail Resorts is known for the Epic Pass, which provides unlimited access to all of their resorts for a very affordable price. However, they are also known for their record breaking single day lift ticket prices, which are quickly approaching $200 at some of their mountains in the west. Okemo and Sunapee will be integrated into the Epic Pass, but any change in single lift ticket prices is unknown at this time.
The impact this transaction will have on Okemo and Sunapee remains to be seen, but for skiers and riders who are not interested in a season pass, No Boundaries will continue to provide a great solution for single day lift tickets.