You said "Five companies own 71 of North America’s biggest ski resorts, with Vail laying claim to 31 of those."
This did not sound right, my research (on Feb 11, 2024) shows:
Five companies own 76 resorts in North America: Vail (38), Alterra (17), Boyne (9), POWDR (9), Aspen SkiCo (3). Only 36 of these are in the top 100 of size (measured in skiable acres), Vail has only 12 of these 36.
At least half of Vail owned resorts are small operations in the midwest and mid-Atlantic : Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin.
I do not disagree with the basic premises of your article. I have skied in France, Italy, and Austria and plan to return. Yes, overall it is less expensive (especially for the casual skier), and offers more choices and opportunties for spontaniety.
The detailed explanation of multiple ownership of infrastructure in Austria was insightful. There was no mention of government subsidies. Are present in Austria and how much impact do they have?
I do question your characterization of Vail as a near monopoly. There are approximately 800 ski resorts in North America, Vail owns 36 as mentioned previously and only 12 are in the top 100 of the largest resorts.
And of course you included pictures of the crazy lift lines. I have skied in the North American west for 40 years, I can assure you that those are aberrations. I have also been in several chaotic Euro cable car scrums, at least we show some respect to others while we wait for a lift.
Well written and great analogous analysis!
You said "Five companies own 71 of North America’s biggest ski resorts, with Vail laying claim to 31 of those."
This did not sound right, my research (on Feb 11, 2024) shows:
Five companies own 76 resorts in North America: Vail (38), Alterra (17), Boyne (9), POWDR (9), Aspen SkiCo (3). Only 36 of these are in the top 100 of size (measured in skiable acres), Vail has only 12 of these 36.
At least half of Vail owned resorts are small operations in the midwest and mid-Atlantic : Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin.
I do not disagree with the basic premises of your article. I have skied in France, Italy, and Austria and plan to return. Yes, overall it is less expensive (especially for the casual skier), and offers more choices and opportunties for spontaniety.
The detailed explanation of multiple ownership of infrastructure in Austria was insightful. There was no mention of government subsidies. Are present in Austria and how much impact do they have?
I do question your characterization of Vail as a near monopoly. There are approximately 800 ski resorts in North America, Vail owns 36 as mentioned previously and only 12 are in the top 100 of the largest resorts.
And of course you included pictures of the crazy lift lines. I have skied in the North American west for 40 years, I can assure you that those are aberrations. I have also been in several chaotic Euro cable car scrums, at least we show some respect to others while we wait for a lift.
Love this analogy and comparisons.
Having skiied on both sides of the Atlantic, I can attest to this, and do favor the European experiences. The food generally sucks in NA.
Decentralization and freedom of choice are the antidote to monopolies.
Another similar segment could be airports.