Aspen Skiing/KSL Partnership Buys Deer Valley – Is The Shopping Going To Continue?

Deer Valley, UT | Photo: Skyguy414 | Cover Photo: Deer Valley

In August of this year the Aspen Skiing/KSL – yet to be named – partnership announced that they have bought the Deer Valley Resort in Utah.  Deer Valley is a very high end luxury resort that caters to an upscale and loyal clientele.  This is one more step in their challenge to compete with Vail Resorts Epic Pass and it makes them the ski world’s second largest ski resort company.  Since last spring these two  companies have successfully maneuvered to put together Mammoth Resorts, Squaw/Alpine and Intrawest Resorts into one powerful company.   We will probably not see a new pass in the 2017-2018 ski season but it will come soon and that will most assuredly start an Epic marketing battle (excuse the pun).  This will obviously be a great benefit to season pass holders.

Now the question is, will this partnership keep shopping for more resorts?   An article on UnofficialNetworks.com suggests they will!  They think that the new partnership will look to some of the resorts in The Mountain Collective™ a multi resort pass that includes the the following resorts: Alta, Aspen Snowmass, Banff Sunshine, Coronet Peak/The Remarkables, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Lake Louise, Mammoth Mountain, Revelstoke, Snowbasin (NEW!), Snowbird, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, Sugarbush (NEW!), Sun Valley, Taos, Telluride and Thredbo. 

UnofficialNetworks think Sun Valley and Snowbasin may be the next to be acquired if they can make it happen before Vail Resorts does.  The think this is a possibility because the owner of both resorts, Robert Holding a ski industry icon, passed away in 2013 and both resorts are now owned by the Holding family.  They also suggest that both Lake Louise and Revelstoke are possibilities. 

• Read The Denver Post article: Inside look at the $1.7 billion deal that weds Aspen, Steamboat, Winter Park and Canadian Mountain heliskiing operation.
• Read The Aspen Times article: Ski resort buying binge over for Aspen Skiing Co.? 
• Read Sierra Sun article: Despite ski industry merger, few changes expected for upcoming season at Squaw Valley.

 

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