Who benefits from Vail’s lease?

The Vail business model has reduced ticket prices and enabled people to ski multiple mountains, overrunning small towns. The infrastructure struggles with a toll on roadways, water, sewers, rescue services and the environment. The density of traffic, at times, can result in a long commute to work or to the mountain.

At times, the number of people in Stowe swells to four to five times the size of its base population. But fewer Vermonters are skiing Stowe. Many days, about 80 percent of the license plates in the parking lot are not Vermont. With the addition of parking fees, the cost of parking rivals the EPIC pass.

Return on investment to shareholders and executive compensation are all important. Vail is traded as MTN on the New York Stock Exchange, comprised of large investment firms. The sale of EPIC passes has increased exponentially.

Vail’s CEO earned $6.6 million from salary and bonuses in 2022. In contrast, the average household income of Vermonters in 2022 was $67,600. While Vail provides some local employment, many of the jobs are Colorado-based or provided by people on out-of-country visas.

How many Vermonters might have benefited from those positions? And while local merchants deserve to benefit, the thousands of “beds” and services at Spruce draw dollars away from the village and Mountain Road.

Who benefits? Given Vail’s lease with Vermont, the payout to the state annually is typically less than a million dollars. Spruce Realty benefits from the development at Spruce base. But those who do not benefit are residents, Vermont and Stowe taxpayers, state revenues and skiers.

Growth and development are to be expected, but at what pace and scale? The scale resulting from this business model is not sustainable for small towns. Quality of life, the town’s character, and the skiing experience all suffer.

Looney asks, “Can Vermont evict Vail?” Perhaps. Smart people will generate other ideas. Or, naively, perhaps Vail could show leadership to better balance profit motive with the community, environment and skiing experience.

How can the state and town protect public resources for corporate gain? To become involved, please email stowelovers@googlegroups.com.

Cheryl Vince

Stowe