Ski industry giants face antitrust lawsuit over alleged price fixing

A class action lawsuit filed in the Denver U.S. District Court alleges that major ski industry players engaged in an anticompetitive scheme to fix prices at destination resorts. The defendants named in the complaint include Vail Resorts, Alterra Mountain Co., Powdr Corp., Boyne Resorts, the National Ski Areas Association, and the data firm RRS Associates Inc.

The lawsuit claims these companies shared confidential, proprietary revenue and pricing data to artificially inflate costs. According to the complaint, this information sharing allowed companies to avoid meaningful competition and set prices at high levels. The filing notes that since 2020, season pass prices have increased by approximately 40% and day ticket prices by 55%.

The plaintiffs argue that the market for destination ski resorts in the U.S. has been cornered through a sustained strategy of consolidation, particularly by Vail Resorts and Alterra. This marks the second price-fixing lawsuit filed against major ski companies in the last six months.