Ski Inc. 2020: Alterra counters Vail Resorts; mega-passes transform the landscape; the industry responds and flourishes. For skiing? A North American Renaissance.

by Chris Diamond, Andy Bigford (Editor)

Chris Diamond's award-winning first book, Ski Inc., had just hit bookshelves in December 2016 when shock waves reverberated through the ski resort landscape—quickly rippling down to impact millions of skiers and riders. In early 2017, the Alterra Mountain Company emerged to challenge Vail Resorts' supremacy, eventually buying 15 resorts, partnering with another 25-plus, and launching the Ikon Pass to compete with the Epic Pass. The story behind Alterra's rise is remarkable, as is the counter-offensive launched by Vail Resorts, which went on its own buying spree, punctuated by the just-closed purchase of Peak Resorts and its 17 areas.
Nothing like this has ever happened—for skiers and riders, for the resort business, or arguably for any industry. So Diamond decided to write a sequel, called Ski Inc. 2020, which goes on sale Oct. 29, just as hundreds of thousands of skiers and riders decide whether to buy Epic or Ikon.
As the former president of Steamboat in Colorado and Vermont's Mount Snow, he enjoyed unprecedented access to all the major players, and this behind-the-scenes account is an eye-opener, a colorful exploration and analysis that has already earned impressive praise from across the spectrum. "If you love winter, love mountains, and love to slide on snow, this book is a must-read," says Michael Berry, who served as president of the National Ski Areas Association for 25 years.
The resort transformation has created a heyday for skiers and riders, who are now able to access dozens of resorts for a dramatically reduced price. An estimated 1.5 million skiers will buy an Epic or Ikon pass for the 2019-20 season, and hundreds of thousands more will buy some type of value-oriented pass.
When Diamond started Ski Inc. 2020, he thought it would be primarily the story of how these "Big Two" resort companies and their pass partners suddenly came to represent more than half of the U.S. ski resort business. But as he dug deeper, he discovered dynamic trajectories among the next three largest ski conglomerates (Boyne Resorts, POWDR and Peak Resorts, which has been acquired by Vail), plus ingenuity and innovation at a host of small- and medium-sized resorts, dozens of which are chronicled in the book.
Besides the widespread success of value season passes, which trade early commitment for dramatically reduced pricing, resorts large and small have polished their operations. The success starts with passionate leadership and extends to every line item. Resorts now avoid risky real-estate projects; vigorously market to and build relationships with digitally savvy customers; sharpen margins across all departments; and improve the product in every way. For an industry that historically suffered through peaks and valleys with the weather and economy, the result today is an impressive bottom-line consistency that has drawn investor interest worldwide.
There are daunting hurdles ahead, with climate change and sluggish participation trends at the top of the disrupter list, but the future is arguably brighter than ever. This book is a deep, colorful dive beneath the headlines, for any skier who wants to understand today's landscape. And it's a must read for anyone who works—or wants to work—in the ski industry.

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 29, 2019

Reviews

[Larry · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're interested in reading about the ski resort industry, it's history and the recent changes in the business model, this is the book to read. I learned a lot and I'm glad I read it. But, without a passion for the subject, you probably wouldn't want to read this book. On the downside, the material covered is a bit uneven as the author spends a lot of time on the resorts/regions, and people he knows well, and not nearly as much on the rest. As a witness to the changes brought by the mega-passes to my home resort (Snowbird), I sure hope its good for the resort, because it hasn't been good for the experience of a local like me.

[Colin Keeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent primer on the histories of ski resort players and different strategies.

Personally preferred the original (memoir aspects were quite nice) but overall really nice detail.

Missed some of the edge of the first (ripping on Les) likely because he’s friendly / got access with most major players

[Kyle Hickey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well researched book that reads like a Wikipedia article; the emphasis on detail makes for a relatively dry read. That said, if you are an industry insider, it's a great field guide that will help you get up to speed.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at the business side of the ski industry, but not much at all about the Mother Nature side of the product. Thus, a bit like reading about the amusement park industry without hearing much about the rides.

[Rich · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first few chapters of this book are interesting, as the author lays out the dynamics of the creation of the two major players that have evolved in the ski industry, but once he moves past that the book feels more and more like (and I'm stealing this comparison from another reviewer) a collection of Wikipedia entries.

Once the author moves on to talking about smaller/independent mountains, the book is basically a string of quotes lifted from resort press releases and gets pretty boring. Aside from the chapter of how resorts need to confront climate change, the 2nd half of the book was a skim for me. It felt like the author was stretching for content to finish a book.

[Edward Xiao · Rating 3 out of 5]

A major part of the book describes the histories of several ski resorts. Although insightful, the book speaks largely to current events and may become outdated quickly especially given the recent price cuts by Vail.

[Rachel Fetzer · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF p48/212