Key Takeaways:
- Epic Experience spans five pillars: gear, lessons, food, guest engagement and talent.
- Rollout follows a fiscal 2026 marked by record low Rockies snowfall and reduced earnings.
- CEO Rob Katz says the Epic Pass and years of acquisitions were “not the end goal.”
Vail Resorts is putting guest experience at the center of its next growth chapter. The company announced “Epic Experience” on Tuesday, a multi-year roadmap of investments in food, private lessons, gear rental, guest engagement and talent.
CEO Rob Katz said in a statement that the Epic Pass and years of acquisitions helped establish the company’s position today, “but the Pass and acquisitions were not the end goal.”
“The next chapter of growth for Vail Resorts is about delivering a guest experience that undeniably leads the ski industry and is best-in-class in the travel sector,” he said.
Katz added that Epic Experience uses the strength of the company’s integrated model and its scale and technology to make every part of the mountain journey more seamless, personalized and memorable.
Gear Rental Changes
Gear rental is getting reimagined through the continued integration of My Epic Gear features into traditional rentals. Starting this season, guests booking high-performance demo rentals across 12 participating resorts will get the curated My Epic Gear experience, including the ability to select ski or snowboard models and premium BOA ski boots or Step On bindings online in advance, without paying the membership fee.
Private Lesson Changes: Epic Ascent
Private lessons are being elevated into what the company calls Epic Ascent. This winter at Vail Mountain and Beaver Creek, all private lessons will be upgraded to include concierge services, white glove gear rental and enhanced customer support, with a dedicated concierge coordinating dining reservations, transportation and gear logistics. The offering expands to more resorts in the 2027/28 season. The company is also expanding connected ski and ride school functionality in the My Epic app from four resorts to 14.
Food Improvements
Vail Resorts is investing to improve the quality and presentation of its most popular dishes, including staples like burgers, chili, pizza, fries, hot dogs, chicken fingers and mac and cheese, across 15 destination resorts, without price increases beyond normal inflation.
Digital and App Updates
Guest engagement investments focus on making digital interactions and communications feel more personal, with plans to bring pass and lift ticket purchases into the My Epic app starting this fall.
Talent and Staffing Investment
On talent, the company is building on a previously announced $175 million investment in wages and benefits aimed at keeping resorts fully staffed and improving frontline service.
Vail Resorts said it will maintain its industry-leading investments in lift infrastructure and take an aggressive approach to snowmaking technology to support early- and in-season conditions.
A Difficult Fiscal 2026
Epic Experience arrives after one of the most challenging seasons in the company’s history. Vail Resorts reported third quarter fiscal 2026 results on June 8, showing net income attributable to the company of $314.4 million compared with $389.7 million a year earlier, while Resort Reported EBITDA fell to $586.4 million from $647.7 million.
Katz said in a statement that weather conditions remained extremely unfavorable through the third quarter, adding to what had already been one of the most challenging winters in history across the western United States, driving continued pressure on visitation and revenue, particularly at destination resorts in the Rockies. He said the company’s advance commitment model provided stability and that strong cost discipline kept the business on track to exceed its resource efficiency transformation savings target for the year.
The company narrowed its full-year guidance to net income of $128 million to $162 million and Resort Reported EBITDA of $735 million to $755 million. Early spring pass sales for the 2026/2027 season also softened, with pass product units down approximately 10%, days sold down approximately 8% and sales dollars down approximately 5% through late May, compared with the prior-year period.
Groundwork From the March Investors Conference
At the company’s March investors conference, executives had already outlined the scale of the weather disruption. Rockies’ snowfall was down 44% season-to-date through late February compared with the prior year, contributing to a 12% decline in North American visitation.
Resort Reported EBITDA was guided down 8% to 12% for the year. Executives said at the time that regional diversification and the advance commitment strategy from season pass sales helped offset some of the volatility, and that the company still achieved record guest satisfaction and employee engagement scores despite the disruption.
Executives described gear rental as a significant, underpenetrated growth opportunity, noting the company captures only about 10% of visits at its 16 largest destination and regional resorts, which generate $93 million in rental revenue. Ski and ride school and food and beverage were also flagged as areas with room to grow guest capture, with dining capture still nine percentage points below pre-pandemic levels.
Executives also detailed a broader marketing overhaul, shifting from an email-led approach to a full-funnel strategy spanning connected TV, social media and influencer partnerships, and outlined new pricing products, including Epic Friend tickets and a one-month advance lift ticket product, aimed at bridging the gap between window pricing and season passes.
