U.S. ski industry antitrust litigation

A series of legal actions has been initiated against major players in the U.S. ski industry regarding alleged anticompetitive practices. An initial class action lawsuit filed in Denver alleges that companies including Vail Resorts, Alterra Mountain Co., and Powdr Corp. engaged in a scheme to fix prices at destination resorts by sharing proprietary revenue and pricing data. The complaint notes that since 2020, season pass prices rose by approximately 40% and day ticket prices by 55%.

Following these developments, a third lawsuit was filed as a “stockholder derivative complaint” against Vail Resorts and its board of directors. This specific legal action alleges that executives breached fiduciary responsibilities by violating antitrust laws or ignoring red flags. This complaint builds upon previous allegations that the company colluded with competitors to fix pass prices and artificially inflated daily rates to favor multi-resort season passes. Vail Resorts has stated it believes the claims are “without merit” and intends to defend itself vigorously.