MikE CRAnE/TOuRisM whisTlER
SOURCE: Vail RESORtS,
tOURiSM WhiStlER
dECEMBER/JAnuARy 2018 BCBusiness 15
T H E m o N T H lY I N F o R m E R
tmı
"There's an impression that
we make decisions which
ignore communities. In fact,
we don't do that" –p.19
D e C e m b e r / J A n u A r Y 2 0 18
INSIDE
Gimme shelter ... retail recycling ... The good ferry ... indochino's big move ... + more
O
n any given bluebird
day this season, the
slopes of Whistler and
Blackcomb mountains will see
a urry of activity. Snowboard-
ers and skiers will tear through
fresh powder. Lifties will help
riders smoothly navigate the
ascent back up the hill. Every-
one will scatter at the end of the
day, landing at Splitz Grill or
Creekbread or Araxi Restaurant
+ Oyster Bar to refuel.
based Vail is remaking the place
in its own image.
"None of this impacts the
guest experience. This resort
has been outstanding at provid-
ing a great experience to guests.
We expect to maintain that and
enhance it over time," says
COO
Pete Sonntag, who moved to
Sea to Sky country from Vail's
Heavenly Mountain Resort on
Lake Tahoe. "There's a lot of
behind-the-scenes work going
on, but when we open our
doors in November, our guests
will never know that any of this
was happening."
The Vail strate‹y hinges on
the Epic Pass, which gives skiers
Powder Play
ToURISm
Peak earnings
But as these familiar scenes
play out, Whistler Blackcomb
is undergoing a transformation
as monumental as anything in
the B.C. resort's history. In late
2016, Vail Resorts Inc. acquired
Whistler Blackcomb Holdings
Inc. for $1.39 billion, making an
epic bet that it could bring even
more polish to one of the ski
industry's jewels. Now, having
installed a new chief operating
o™cer at Whistler, Colorado-
in the wake of its 2016 purchase of whistler Blackcomb,
Vail Resorts is quietly remaking the ski destination
by Scott Neufeld
LIFT UP THE VAIL
The Colorado company is set
to put its stamp on the hills of
Whistler blackcomb
US$1.89 billion
Vail Resorts' net resort
revenue in fiscal 2017,
a 19.7 per cent surge,
mostly thanks to
whistler Blackcomb
31.1%
Gain in earnings
before interest, taxes,
depreciation and
amortization (EBiTdA),
to us$583.4 million
1.6 million
unique visitors to
whistler during the
2016-17 season, a 24
per cent gain
