World’s Largest Ski Resort Operator Announces Limits on Skier Numbers on Their Slopes

Vail Resorts, which operates more than 40 ski areas in the USA, Australia, Canada and Switzerland, say they’ll be limited the number of people allowed on the slopes at each of their North American resorts every day of the coming ski season.

“Lift tickets will be limited every day, across every resort, during the 2022/23 season in order to preserve the guest experience at each resort,” a company statement explains.

Limiting guest numbers is not new, resorts like Lech in Austria have done so for decades to preserve the quality of the experience, while all ski areas have safety limits on skier numbers too.

“Guests planning to visit this winter – whether one day or every day – are encouraged to purchase their lift access in advance – whether it is a lift ticket, Epic Day Pass or season pass,” the vail resorts statement continues, adding, “Availability of lift tickets will be visible on resort websites in the coming weeks. If tickets are sold out online, guests will not be able to purchase them at ticket windows.”

More than half of lift tickets sold in the US are now reported to be for one of the multi-resort season passes offered by a number of companies including the Alterra Group (the Ikon Pass) and Vail Resorts (The Epic Pass) among others and there is a fierce battle to secure the biggest market share and resulting captive market.

Vail Resorts make it clear that those who have bought Epic Day Passes will not be subject to the limitations. Epic Pass prices are set to rise after the Labor Day public holiday in the US on September 5th.

Limiting the number of skiers and boarders on the slope is part of a greater emphasis on the quality of customer experience in their current marketing. In an unprecedented move they have been highlighting a big rise in pay for company employees across the board for the coming season which the company says is part of a policy to keep employees happy and motivated to provide the best service to skiers and boarders at their resorts.