Vail and Alterra ski resorts face consumer class action over lift ticket prices

By Mike Scarcella

March 24 (Reuters) - Four skiers have filed a proposed class action against Vail Resorts and Alterra Mountain Co in U.S. federal court, accusing the companies of exploiting their grip on the industry to artificially inflate the cost of skiing and snowboarding across the country.

The lawsuit, filed on Monday in U.S. federal court in Denver, said Vail and Alterra, which own or operate 60 ski areas around the country, are violating federal antitrust law by bundling access to resorts in their multi-mountain season passes.

The plaintiffs, three Colorado residents and one Massachusetts resident, allege both companies set high single-day lift ticket prices to steer consumers into purchasing higher-priced multi-mountain season passes.

“For years, skiers have been told that soaring lift-ticket prices, reduced choice, and overcrowding are simply the new reality,” Greg Asciolla, a lead attorney for the plaintiffs, said in a statement. “Our complaint alleges that these outcomes are not the result of healthy competition, but of exclusionary conduct by two companies that dominate access to the most desirable destinations.”

Vail in a statement said the claims in the lawsuit are without merit. Vail said its multi-resort Epic Pass was launched in 2008 to make skiing more accessible and reduced the price of a season pass by 60%. The company also said it has launched new, lower-priced pass options in recent years.

Alterra declined to comment.

According to the lawsuit, a wave of mergers, buyouts and partnerships dating back 30 years has created “two — and only two — behemoth ski resort owner/operators in the United States: Vail Resorts and Alterra.”

The price of Vail’s Epic Pass has climbed 37% since the 2021-22 season, to $1,089, according to the lawsuit. Alterra’s Ikon Pass has risen 40% over the same period, to $1,399.

The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified monetary damages and a court injunction dismantling the alleged bundling practices on behalf of a proposed class of all U.S. consumers who purchased certain tickets since 2022.

The lawsuit said it seeks class action status for potentially millions of skiers and snowboarders in the United States and its territories.

The case is Goloja v. Vail Resorts Inc , U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, No. 1:26-cv-01191.

For plaintiffs: Gregory Asciolla of DiCello Levitt; Eric Cramer of Berger Montague; and Yaman Salahi of Salahi PC

For defendants: Not yet known