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In a significant leadership shift, Vail Resorts announced today that Rob Katz, its former CEO and current Executive Chairperson, will return to the CEO role. Katz replaces Kirsten Lynch, who will remain in an advisory capacity during the transition.

Katz previously served as CEO from 2006 to 2021, a period marked by aggressive expansion, including the introduction of the Epic Pass and numerous resort acquisitions. His return comes as the company faces mounting challenges, including labor disputes, investor dissatisfaction, and declining stock performance.

Our Take

The leadership shake-up follows a tumultuous period for Vail Resorts. The company has faced some decidedly terrible press this year, brought about chiefly by a ski patrol strike at Park City this December and two catastrophic lift failures likely brought about by deferred maintenance, one at Heavenly in December and one at Attitash in February.

From an investor standpoint, Vail Resorts’ financial performance has been underwhelming in recent years. The company’s stock has plummeted nearly 50% since its peak in October 2021, reaching a nine-year low in April, and the 2024-25 season marked the first-ever decline in Epic Pass sales. Earlier this year, high-profile shareholder Late Apex Partners issued a scathing letter calling for the removal of CEO Kirsten Lynch, CFO Angela Korch, and even Executive Chairman Rob Katz himself. This letter gained widespread circulation, and when a shareholder’s demand to “change your CEO” gains such traction, it’s hard to ignore.

Why Rob Katz?

So why would Vail reinstate Rob Katz as CEO? Well, Katz’s previous tenure as CEO was characterized by rapid expansion, with the company growing from owning five ski areas to a staggering 37. Katz was also the head of Vail Resorts when it first launched the Epic Pass, and the company’s stock and revenue numbers grew exponentially under his watch.

However, Katz’s aggressive strategies are also responsible for many of the decisions that have made Vail Resorts so controversial today. The introduction of the Epic Pass, while democratizing ski resort access in many ways, has also resulted in overcrowded slopes and paved the way for extraordinarily overpriced lift tickets. Many of the moves made under Katz have also strained relationships with local communities and employees, including trying to trademark the use of the phrase “Park City” and undercutting wages versus competing resorts.

Final Thoughts

Bringing back Katz may provide short-term stability and appease investors seeking high-profile decision-making based on revenue growth. But while he didn’t see any ski patrol strikes under his watch, so many of the company’s challenges originated during his previous tenure that it’s hard to know whether he’ll be able to turn the U.S.’s largest ski resort operator around. We’ll just have to stay tuned to find out for ourselves.

MOUNTAIN SCORE

#4 East Coast

#67 Overall

WRITTEN REVIEW

MOUNTAIN STATS

CATEGORY BREAKDOWN 

See our criteria

Snow:

Resiliency:

Size:

Terrain Diversity:

Challenge:

Lifts:

Crowd Flow:

Facilities:

Navigation:

Mountain Aesthetic:

GOOD TO KNOW

1-Day Ticket: $73-$105 USD ($101-$104 CAD)

Pass Affiliation: Epic Pass (full pass only)

On-site Lodging: Yes

Après-Ski: Limited

Nearest Cities: Quebec City (1 hr), Montreal (3.5 hrs)

Recommended Ability Level:

  +   Pros

• Terrain diversity

• Fast lifts

• St. Lawrence River views

• Available night skiing

• Value

  –   Cons

• Much more difficult to reach than other Northeast ski resorts

• Some navigational challenges, especially around the summit

• Some frontside snow reliability issues

MOUNTAIN STATS

Skiable Footprint: 547 acres

Total Footprint: 1,609 acres

Lift-Serviced Terrain: 100%

Top Elevation: 2,625 ft

Vertical Drop: 2,050 ft

Lifts: 9

Trails: 71

Beginner: 21%

Intermediate: 46%

Advanced/Expert: 33%

Mountain Review

Are you looking for a comprehensive ski resort experience in the Northeast, but don’t want the crowds of resorts further south? Well look no further than Mont-Sainte-Anne. With terrain for all abilities to enjoy, abundant and affordable lodging options, and easy access from nearby Quebec City, Mont-Sainte-Anne is a standout for visitors of all abilities and inclinations. So how does it compare to other resorts in the region?

Size and Terrain Layout

With 547 acres of skiable terrain, Mont-Sainte-Anne ranks among the largest ski areas in Quebec—and holds its own against some of the biggest resorts on the East Coast. 360-degree skiing and riding is available off the summit across half a dozen distinct terrain pods, giving the mountain a true big-mountain feel. Terrain is generally divided by ability zone, allowing lower-ability skiers and riders to enjoy much of the mountain without frequent interference from faster-moving experts; that said, a few shared junction points do exist.

Beginner Terrain

Mont-Sainte-Anne offers a diverse and enjoyable beginner experience. Beginner terrain is spread across multiple areas of the resort, though most first-timers will find themselves descending east off the summit toward the north side base. These green trails feature long, gently-rolling pitches with a pleasant sense of isolation, offering serene views of the largely undeveloped woodlands to the northeast. Thanks to their higher elevation and northern exposure, these zones typically maintain snow quality far better than the base-area beginner zones found at many other resorts.

One of the resort’s most unique features for adventurous beginners—particularly children—is the Forêt Enchantée (Enchanted Forest), a beginner glade located in the backside zone. This area features interactive elements, including toys and wind chimes, creating a whimsical atmosphere rarely found at other resorts. The glade area itself is widely spaced and in some sections groomed, offering a choose-your-own-adventure experience that’s accessible to a broad range of ability levels.

Once visitors are ready to return to the front side, the long but scenic La Familiale trail provides a wide, straightforward route back to the main base without requiring a lift download. For true first-timers, Mont-Sainte-Anne also offers a magic carpet learning area near the base, set apart from the main skier traffic to ensure a safer environment for learning.

TRAIL MAP

Intermediate Terrain

From the first glance at the trail map, it’s clear that Mont-Sainte-Anne is heavily catered toward intermediate skiers and riders. Aside from the expert-focused Panorama Express bowl, every terrain pod at the resort offers a wide range of blue trails, covering nearly every style of intermediate skiing. For those seeking fast, lower-angle groomers with wide cuts, the north-facing backside trails are the best option. This zone also features two excellent blue-rated glade trails with sustained vertical drops and some of the best snow preservation on the mountain.

Intermediates looking to progress from the north side will find the frontside blue trails particularly appealing, with these runs offering steeper pitches than those on the north side and often incorporating ungroomed sections that would earn a black diamond rating at many other resorts. And on busier days when the Corde Raide T-bar is running, Mont-Sainte-Anne’s often-overlooked west side offers a handful of isolated blue trails that sit well away from the masses.

Advanced Terrain

While Mont-Sainte-Anne offers fewer single-black diamond trails compared to its broad selection of blues, there’s still plenty for advanced skiers and riders to enjoy across every terrain zone. Each major pod at the resort features at least one advanced-level trail, and none feel like an afterthought. On the backside, the Mélanie Turgeon trail offers a long, rolling groomed pitch that’s perfect for those looking to pick up speed.

On the front side, advanced visitors will find the Panorama Express pod particularly appealing, with a variety of steep groomers, bump runs, and glades. However, caution is warranted in this zone—many trails carry a legitimate double black diamond rating, and even some single blacks can become treacherous in adverse conditions. Thanks to the sustained pitch throughout this pod, skiers can expect a serious leg-burner on the way down, provided they’re fit enough for the challenge.

Beyond the Panorama Express area, many of the frontside blue trails also feature steep, frequently ungroomed sections, offering additional opportunities for advanced skiers looking to mix things up.

Expert Terrain

While Mont-Sainte-Anne may not offer the most extreme terrain on the East Coast, its expert offerings are far from lacking. Nearly all of the resort’s double black diamond trails are concentrated off the Panorama Express, a steep, expansive bowl that serves as an expert’s playground. With a sustained pitch and natural separation from the rest of the mountain, this zone often stays uncrowded on most days.

Skiers and riders who enjoy the tight, technical glades the East Coast is famous for will find no shortage of terrain to explore here, with roughly 100 acres of steep woods feeding directly back to the Panorama Express. Trails like Le Canyon, La Rousseau, and La Saint-Laurent deliver the classic, narrow, and challenging New England double black experience experts seek out. For those looking for a true test, La Super S offers a precipitously steep, often icy groomed pitch that demands precision—and is really best reserved for those with sharp edges and strong nerves.

Terrain Parks

Mont-Sainte-Anne’s primary terrain park is located on the Grande-Allée trail, descending east from the summit. While it’s the resort’s only major park, it’s well-built, easily accessible via the gondola, and lappable from the (admittedly slow) La Tortue lift. The park typically features a range of small to medium-sized features, making it approachable for a variety of ability levels, though it’s not quite up to the caliber of the largest parks elsewhere in the East. Its high-elevation location helps preserve snow quality, though its eastern aspect can occasionally expose it to sun and variable conditions. Additionally, a beginner park is often set up near the base area, offering an accessible option for newer park riders.

Snow and Resiliency

Mont-Sainte-Anne averages 169 inches of snowfall annually—a healthy total that’s competitive with many East Coast destinations, though slightly behind some resorts in northern Vermont. The resort’s far northern latitude helps it avoid many of the midwinter warm spells that impact stateside resorts; however, the south-facing frontside terrain can still see variable conditions even during the core season. Thanks to relatively modest crowds compared to U.S. resorts, snow preservation often outperforms expectations, particularly in the resort’s large network of gladed terrain.

The vast majority of trails are supported by snowmaking infrastructure, and when combined with the mountain’s colder climate than parts of the U.S., key trails typically remain well-covered throughout the heart of winter. That said, Mont-Sainte-Anne is not immune to the East Coast’s trademark thaw cycles, which can cause melt-outs—with the south-facing front side, which includes all of the true expert terrain, being the most susceptible. That said, even during low-snow periods, the more sheltered northern face tends to hold snow quite well.

Lifts

Mont-Sainte-Anne’s lift setup is generally a strong suit, although some lifts are starting to show their age. All major terrain zones at Mont-Sainte-Anne are served by a fleet of modern high-speed lifts and a gondola, with the exception of the west side trails. For most visitors, lift placement is intuitive, allowing for quick laps within each terrain pod and maintaining a loose separation between different ability levels. However, skiers looking to lap the primary terrain park on Grande Allée may find the main lift serving this zone—La Tortue—to be notably slow, with the only alternative being a long runout back to the gondola at the base.

Crowd Flow

Like most Quebec resorts, Mont-Sainte-Anne rarely experiences the large crowds typical of major U.S. destination resorts, although the busiest holidays and weekends can bring some lines at popular lifts—particularly the gondola. When it comes to crowds on the ski trails, a few choke points do exist near the frontside base, where skier traffic tends to merge onto the La Familiale and Le Court Vallon runs. That said, for most visitors, especially those skiing midweek, long lift lines and trail congestion are not much of a concern.

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On-Mountain Facilities

Mont-Sainte-Anne offers a handful of well-placed, well-maintained facilities spread across the mountain. Base lodges exist at both the main southern base and the more isolated northern base, and an on-mountain lodge sits just below the summit at the top of the La Tortue lift. Each lodge provides food and restroom access, ensuring visitors are never more than a lift ride away from a place to rest or grab a bite, regardless of which terrain zone they’re lapping. Food quality is about average for a Quebec resort—generally a step above what’s typical stateside, though not a standout—although thanks to favorable exchange rates, prices tend to come in slightly cheaper than at comparable resorts in the United States.

Navigation

When it comes to getting around Mont-Sainte-Anne, the resort features abundant, well-placed signage across the mountain. However, the resort’s highly three-dimensional footprint—particularly around the crowded summit area with its frequent double fall lines—can sometimes make navigation challenging. Guests aiming to access the north or west sides from the summit should study the trail map carefully and follow signage closely, as it’s surprisingly easy to accidentally drop into the expert-only Panorama zone.

Mountain Aesthetic

While the area around Mont-Sainte-Anne’s southern base feels somewhat developed and commercialized, most other terrain zones—particularly on the north side—offer a more isolated, even remote atmosphere. The Enchanted Forest trail, complete with hidden wind chimes strung through the trees, creates a distinctive skiing experience unlike nearly anything else out East. And on clear days, east-facing trails also offer stunning views of the legendary Saint Lawrence River just a few miles away.

Night Skiing

It’s also worth noting that Mont-Sainte-Anne offers one of the most extensive night skiing experiences in the East, featuring 19 illuminated trails and the highest vertical drop for night skiing in Canada at 625 meters (2,050 feet). Night skiing typically operates from 4pm to 9pm on Thursdays through Saturdays during the regular season, with expanded schedules during peak periods such as the Christmas holidays and March spring break. The resort’s night footprint only extends to its beginner and intermediate trails, but it’s still quite a bit more competitive than similarly-sized resorts elsewhere in Quebec, Vermont, and Maine, which typically offer no night skiing at all.

Getting There and Parking

With its far northern location, Mont-Sainte-Anne is north of every other East Coast destination resort, save for nearby Le Massif de Charlevoix. Because of this, the resort can be a challenging drive for visitors coming from major U.S. metropolitan areas, and even for those in Montreal. However, the mountain is easily accessible from Quebec City, sitting just a 45-minute drive up a major highway from there. For those flying in, it’s possible to get from Quebec City’s airport to the resort base in under an hour. Once on-site, visitors will find a massive, free parking lot that easily accommodates typical skier traffic.

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Lodging and Après-Ski

Mont-Sainte-Anne features a small but modern ski village at its base, with plenty of lodging options right on the mountain. Village accommodations lean upscale, though even the more luxurious options tend to be noticeably more affordable than comparable experiences stateside. Visitors on a tighter budget will find more affordable options just down the road in the town of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, where a range of motels, hotels, and condos cater to all types of travelers—along with a solid selection of cafes and restaurants. For those accustomed to the steep prices near major Rocky Mountain resorts, the often sub-triple-digit lodging costs in Sainte-Anne can be reason enough to consider a trip to the region.

For après-ski, a base area bar and a handful of family-oriented dining options are available in the village. Additional food and activity choices can be found a short drive away in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. However, those seeking true nightlife will want to drive 40 minutes back into Quebec City proper.

Verdict

While its exceptionally northern location will dissuade many from visiting, Mont-Sainte-Anne’s broad diversity and high-quality terrain make it a standout option versus other East Coast ski resorts. It offers some of the best value for money in the region and qualifies as a true destination resort by most metrics. Beginners and intermediates will find Mont-Sainte-Anne to be a top-tier Eastern mountain, while advanced and expert skiers should have little trouble staying engaged for multiple days on the mountain.

Pricing

For the 2024-2025 season, adult day tickets at Mont-Sainte-Anne are priced at $135 CAD, with advance purchase and shoulder-season rates dropping as low as $101 CAD—an excellent value for visitors coming from the United States. Budget-conscious skiers can also take advantage of steeply discounted half-day and night skiing options, with adult night tickets regularly available for as low as $43 CAD. For a destination resort, it’s one of the best single-day values in North America. Full Epic Pass holders also receive up to seven days of access at Mont-Sainte-Anne, although these days are shared across Stoneham, Kicking Horse, Fernie, and Kimberley.

This winter in the ski industry felt unlike anything we’ve seen in years—and there’s good reason for that. From operational controversies, to on-mountain accidents, to weather instability, the 2024-25 season was packed with drama, danger, and a few unexpected developments. 

So what do we make of all this, and what do these developments mean for the future of the ski industry? In this piece, we’ll dive deep into the most notable things that happened across the North American ski world this winter—and why they matter as you plan next year’s ski trips. Let’s jump right into it.

Part 1: Labor Unrest

Let’s start with what may have been the most disruptive storyline of the year: ski industry workers pushing back against corporate power. At Park City Mountain in Utah, the ski patrol union made headlines by launching a full-scale strike over contract negotiations. The patrollers, who are employed by Vail Resorts, had been pushing for higher wages, better working conditions, and stronger safety measures. After months of stalled negotiations, they walked off the job on December 27, creating a huge headache for the resort just as peak season was getting underway.

Vail Resorts then responded by flying in patrollers from other resorts they owned around the country, hoping to effectively replace the team on strike; however, the resort still found itself unable to get huge swaths of terrain open, with the overcrowded areas that did actually open facing unconscionable lift lines. This was the first ski patrol strike of its kind in more than 50 years, and it reignited national conversations about labor conditions in the ski industry. The strike reached a resolution after 12 days, but not until the patrollers had walked off the scene for the vast majority of the December holiday period, upending thousands of people’s vacations. Vail Resorts is now facing a class-action lawsuit from some of these visitors, who claim the company intentionally failed to warn them about the strike and its potential impacts.

Park City wasn’t the only Vail-owned resort where worker concerns boiled over. In the wake of what happened with the ski patrol there, patrol unions at Keystone and Crested Butte also voiced public frustrations—though both mountains eventually reached agreements with Vail Resorts. Notably, Keystone ski patrollers had only voted to unionize for the first time in spring 2024, making this the first time a bargaining agreement was ever negotiated with Vail. 

That being said, it’s worth noting that this year’s unionization developments were not exclusive to Vail-owned mountains. Solitude and Arapahoe Basin, both of which are now owned by Alterra, voted to unionize within the past year, although neither has at least publicly reached a contract. Other resorts out west such as Whitefish and Eldora have taken similar steps as well. Patrollers from these mountains raised similar concerns to that of Park City’s patrollers, citing stagnant wages and lack of career progression in the move to unionize.

Besides the ski patrol strike, the highest-profile labor-related event arguably took place at Breckenridge, another Vail-owned mountain. Employees took to social media to expose unsafe and substandard conditions in company-provided housing. Reports described units without functioning heat during sub-zero cold snaps, no hot water for extended periods, and pipe bursts in at least three buildings. Some employees said their apartments were effectively unlivable—a disturbing reality in one of the country’s most visited ski towns. Winter sports goers and industry observers criticized the company for prioritizing profit over the well-being of its workers, especially in light of the ski patrol strike only weeks earlier. Both of these issues became flashpoints in the larger debate about the future of labor in the ski world, where the tension between corporate growth and worker welfare is more visible than ever.

Part 2: Ski Lift Accidents

Unfortunately, it wasn’t just labor issues that rocked the industry. This season also saw a disturbing number of lift-related incidents, sparking new concerns about safety and deferred maintenance. While chairlift malfunctions are rare, there were several high-profile failures that raised eyebrows. 

At least four serious incidents caused casualties this winter. At first, the focus was on Vail Resorts, with the first two out of these four accidents occurring at the resorts they owned. At Heavenly, a chair on the Comet Express slipped backwards and collided with another, causing five guests to fall nearly 30 feet and leading to multiple hospitalizations. In New Hampshire, a chair on Attitash’s Flying Bear lift detached and fell to the ground, injuring a skier who was riding the lift and prompting a state investigation. The lift was permitted to re-open more than a month later, but only after several chairs that had been found to have faulty grips were removed from the line.

But by March, it became clear that these issues were not exclusive to Vail-owned mountains. At British Columbia’s Kicking Horse, a gondola cabin on the Golden Eagle Express separated from its cable shortly after loading, forcing a dramatic rope and helicopter evacuation. And in one of the most tragic incidents of the season, a strong wind gust at Red Lodge Mountain in Montana caused the Triple Chair to derope, ejecting a rider who later died from his injuries. Looked at together, these incidents marked a dramatic increase in serious lift incidents versus previous years.

While it’s important to note that lift riding remains incredibly safe overall, several concerns have rightly been raised about whether resorts have been focusing too much on cost cutting—to the point of deprioritizing safety investments—in a time of operational strain and climate uncertainty. Notably, every resort that had a serious accident was either in a region that had a below-average season the winter prior to this one, or was owned by a company that was heavily exposed in a region with a below-average season.

Part 3: Volatile, High-Avalanche-Risk Weather Patterns

Speaking of climate uncertainty, this middle of this winter also brought one of the most alarming avalanche cycles in recent memory. The situation began with a historically low snowpack across much of North America through December and early January. Many resorts, especially in the Rockies and Sierra Nevada, were struggling with bare terrain and unseasonably warm temperatures. Then, seemingly all at once, the storms arrived—and they arrived hard, affecting some of the most prominent ski resorts on the continent.

One of the most tragic incidents occurred at Mammoth Mountain, California. On February 14, two ski patrollers were caught in an avalanche during routine mitigation work. While the area was closed to the public at the time, one of the patrollers, Claire Murphy, suffered critical injuries and later passed away on February 22. Within the two-week period of that tragic incident, in-bounds avalanches also occurred at Snowbird, Big Sky, and Palisades Tahoe, underscoring just how unstable the snowpack was across a large portion of the Western United States.

Another volatile snow cycle resulted in avalanches at Mammoth and Palisades Tahoe again in late March, with the Palisades Tahoe incident causing injuries to a ski patroller on duty. While in-bounds avalanches are still exceedingly rare, the array of high-profile incidents this winter was a sobering reminder that even in-bounds terrain can carry serious risk, especially if a massive storm system follows a long period of no new snow.

Part 4: Southwest Drought Conditions (Until March)

While many resorts were battling too much snow, others were struggling with the exact opposite problem. Across the Southwest—from New Mexico to Southern California—ski areas experienced one of their most challenging seasons in recent memory. In New Mexico, Taos Ski Valley reported less than 100 inches of snowfall—significantly below its seasonal average of around 200 inches—resulting in the worst season since 2018. Despite a few late-season storms, the resort relied heavily on snowmaking and faced inconsistent conditions throughout the winter. Several resorts near Los Angeles faced similar issues as well, missing out on storm cycles that hit resorts further north in California.

Arizona Snowbowl in Flagstaff had an especially slow start to the season, recording just 2 inches by early January. Thankfully, a series of March storms brought the resort over 100 inches of snow by season’s end—and allowed the resort to extend its season well into the spring. However, many visitors during the core season—including some on our team—were greeted with white-ribbon snow conditions and only a small handful of trails open.

For many resorts in the Southwest, 2024-25 was a reminder of just how precarious skiing can be in marginal climates. Warm spells, inconsistent storms, and climate variability continue to threaten operations in areas that can’t rely on deep base depths or consistently cold temperatures. 

The terrible season had impacts on operations as well. Southwest Colorado’s Purgatory resort, which is owned by Mountain Capital Partners, a ski resort company that is heavily leveraged in the Southwest, faced high-profile financial issues this March. The company abruptly implemented a wave of budget cuts across its portfolio, including staff layoffs, curtailed lift operations, and scaled-back events. However, despite these issues popping up this year, Purgatory announced a new lift and small terrain expansion for the coming season, so it’s hard to place how the financial situation is really impacting MCP as a whole.

But regardless of Purgatory’s true financial state, the timing couldn’t have been worse. Just days after the staffing cuts were publicized, a 7-year-old boy fell from the Purgatory Express lift—and was later airlifted to Denver for treatment. The incident came at a moment when issues like overworked and undertrained staff, high-profile weather volatility, and lift safety were already top of mind. In many ways, it became a flashpoint that symbolized the perfect storm of challenges plaguing the ski industry this year—where financial stress, operational downsizing, and mounting incident numbers collided on the mountain.

Part 5: Private Club Business Models

Have the more variable winters been convincing certain ski industry stakeholders to switch up their business models? Quite possibly. Another significant trend this season has been the shift of some independently-owned ski resorts toward a private club model, aiming to offer exclusive experiences to a wealthier clientele. Utah’s Powder Mountain, under the new ownership of Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, announced a transition to a semi-private model starting in the 2024-25 season. This approach blends public access with private skiing areas tied to real estate ownership, with about a third of the resort’s previous lift-accessed terrain now reserved exclusively for homeowners and their guests. While the move has been paired with some significant public investments, it has sparked heated backlash from longtime skiers and riders, with critics calling it a betrayal of the resort’s community-focused roots and emblematic of a broader trend where skiing is becoming less accessible to the average person.

Similarly, New York’s Windham Mountain Club has been repositioning itself as a high-end destination by limiting ticket and pass sales, raising prices, and investing in upscale amenities. The resort also introduced a private membership with an initiation fee of over $200,000, which gives access to an on-site spa, a snowcat that goes up to the mid-mountain restaurant, and other perks that are designed to cater to the exclusive few who buy in. While it hasn’t closed any of its terrain to willing ticket buyers, Windham has announced it will leave the Ikon Pass after the 2024-25 season—becoming the first resort in the pass’s history to exit the partnership. This move follows several questions on whether the Ikon Pass has reached a tipping point, especially as crowding, blackout dates, and resort commoditization become more visible issues. Windham’s decision signals a growing interest among some resorts in reclaiming control over the guest experience, even if it means losing out on volume-driven passholder revenue. We’ll be keeping an eye out over the next few years to see if any other resorts drop off Ikon and its main competitor, Epic, and it remains to be seen whether Windham’s strategy is an anomaly or the canary in a coal mine.

It’s also worth briefly touching on another mountain that tried moving to a semi-private model but ended up not opening up at all: Homewood. This Lake Tahoe-adjacent resort tried installing a new gondola this past summer and floated plans to go private back in 2022, but the resort ended up having to abandon both plans—as well as their ability to open up at all—after an unnamed financial partner pulled their support. According to the resort, the investor’s withdrawal was tied to concerns over permitting timelines—delays that were ironically compounded by public backlash and speculation surrounding Homewood’s potential privatization. As of spring 2025, the resort now plans to reopen next season and remain public for the foreseeable future. But for now, it appears the long-promised gondola still won’t be making its way up the mountain.

Part 6: A Return of Local Stewardship?

Despite the developments at Powder Mountain and Windham, not every shift in the independent ownership space has been about exclusivity. For the first time in years, we’re seeing one of the major ski corporations—Powdr Corp—start to back away from ski resort ownership. The ski resort mega corporation, which owned eight notable ski resorts across North America through 2024, made plans to sell five of them, including Killington, Pico, Eldora, Silver Star, and Mount Bachelor. At the end of last year, Powdr went through with the sale of Killington and Pico, although it’s worth noting that they have since gone back on their move to sell Mount Bachelor. The change marks the first time in years that a large ski conglomerate has actively offloaded ski resort assets—making for a change versus the relentless acquisition trend we’ve seen since the early 2010s.

Whether Powdr’s move is an isolated shift or the beginning of a larger trend remains to be seen. But it opens the door to a new era where corporate consolidation isn’t the only path forward—and where independent ownership doesn’t have to mean exclusivity.

When it comes to resorts historically owned by smaller entities, we’re also seeing them stay in local hands. A similar story unfolded this year at Burke Mountain, also in Vermont, where ownership was transferred to a local group following years of instability tied to the EB-5 investment scandal. The new ownership model emphasizes local stewardship, skier access, and long-term sustainability over short-term profit. Together, these moves challenge the narrative that independent ownership always means privatization.

Another heartening example comes from New Hampshire’s Black Mountain, where a push to become a skier-owned cooperative—similar to the Mad River Glen model—has captured attention for all the right reasons. Faced with financial uncertainty, the resort launched a grassroots campaign this winter to preserve public access and community ownership—and ended up being temporarily purchased by the company that owns and issues the Indy Pass, with the goal of transitioning the resort to a co-op model by the upcoming 2025-26 season. The managing director of the Indy Pass, Erik Mogensen, stepped in as the GM of the resort through the end of this season. The results were promising: Mogensen personally paid parking tickets for visiting skiers, staff handed out free cookies in the lift lines, and the mountain committed to staying open deep into the spring—targeting a season end date of May 3—while nearby Wildcat, owned by Vail Resorts, is closing weeks earlier than usual despite being known for its strong East Coast spring skiing. The effort didn’t just win hearts; it tripled Black Mountain’s revenue compared to the previous season. It’s a compelling counterpoint to the trend of privatization—showing how creativity, transparency, and a commitment to community can reinvigorate a small ski area without sacrificing public access.

Part 7: Continued Capital Expenditures

But even when it came to the mega-resorts, the developments in the North American ski world this winter weren’t all chaotic. As in previous years, dozens of ski resorts continued to spearhead major capital investments. While some major corporations such as Vail Resorts notably pulled back on these projects versus previous years, other high-profile resorts, including Big Sky, Jackson Hole, Banff Sunshine, and Lake Louise, installed new lifts that fundamentally improved the resort experience. And at Sun Peaks, Powder Mountain, and Deer Valley, guests found themselves able to take advantage of substantial lift-served terrain expansions, with Deer Valley’s investment adding multiple lifts and dozens of new trails—and only being the first stage in a massive 3,700-acre expansion over the next few years.

But high-profile investments weren’t the only ones that made an impact—dozens of resorts funneled money into snowmaking systems, upgraded grooming fleets, new employee housing, glade and trail work, and RFID gate infrastructure—investments that may not always grab attention, but collectively made operations smoother and skier experiences more seamless.

Final Thoughts

Taken as a whole, the 2024-2025 ski season was one of extremes. It featured some of the most significant labor actions in decades, real concerns about safety and infrastructure, a sobering period of avalanche activity, dramatic regional climate impacts, and continued questions about accessibility in the evolving ski economy. But it also showed signs of resilience—and even a few encouraging shifts toward a more balanced and community-focused industry.

As we head into the off-season, one thing is clear: the ski world is changing fast. And whether you’re a casual winter sports-goer, a regular passholder, or someone who just loves watching this industry unfold, it’s worth keeping a close eye on where things are headed next.