Vail vs the People 1
Vail vs the People
Skiing is slowly being phased out of being a premier extreme sport by companies prioritizing
profits over people after many public fails all over North America. The “clients” or people buying ski
tickets to actually ski are one of the most important stakeholders in the world of snowboarding and
skiing. Becoming progressively more public with disapproval as costs increase from tickets, food, quality
remaining the same or dropping, and staffing seems to be an issue every day. Very recent articles, Too
Big to Vail: The Downfall of the North American Mega Resort. The Inertia. by Steve Andrews and For
Skiers, a Winter of Discontent by Cindy Hirschfeld collectively illustrate how Vail is reaping the rewards.
Both selected based on time prejudice showing that this issue is still concurrent and relevant in most
areas of North America from Whistler, British Columbia to Crested Butte, Colorado. Thought Vail seems
to be getting ready to make changes most of the community will not be satisfied until results are seen.
Andrews, S. (n.d.). Too Big to Vail: The Downfall of the North American Mega Resort. The Inertia.
Retrieved February 14, 2023, from https://www.theinertia.com/opinion/too-big-to-vail-the-
downfall-of-the-north-american-mega-resort/
The article, “Too Big to Vail: The Downfall of the North American Mega Resort,” by Steve
Andrews illustrates the building negative uproar towards the massive company Vail. Who have been
claiming ski resorts all over North America including Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia and Stevens
Pass, Washington. Profits are up an astounding %155.4 in which each major area of profits related to the
resort are up massively. This increase in short term profits does not reflect the feeling of the ski and
snowboard community. A lack of parking management, lifelines, and staff leave the resort extremely
overworked though the number of skiers is relatively the same. Vail has made profits from over 2.1
million people due to the Epic Pass though canceled classes and chairs have only made the disgruntled
voices louder. The outrage is so prevalent that @epicliftlines is a Instagram handle created to show all of
Vails blunders each weekend. Vail may take notice of its clients concerns and make changes to the
current system though it is unknown.
This article fits the approach towards Vail in my project extremely well. This relates to a very
outspoken stakeholder being the guest, “clients” that drive profits and sustain the mountain. This is
being written through a journalist standpoint who may not be involved in the ski and snowboard
community. It clearly outlines the common skier and snowboarders’ issues with Vail and their takeover.
This drives attention through the contrast of how well Vail seems to be doing when only looking at
profits but terrible when getting a real-life opinion. This will be a source that supports a narrative driven
view of how Vail has been treating its members. This article leaves the reader with a sense that Vails
profits will take a downward spiral if the trends don’t change. The only critique with this source is that it
is neutral, not being super critical of the company but instead stating the success and issues it has had
with the public. This article is published on a fitness/travel website which fits the authors narrative
about skiing and snowboarding and shows there is personal interest rather then just profit.
Hirschfeld, C. (2022, January 26). For Skiers, a Winter of Discontent. The New York Times.
Retrieved February 2, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/26/travel/ski-resort-
labor-shortage.html
The above article “For Skiers, a Winter of Discontent.” by Cindy Hirschfeld gives real
skier opinions around the country whilst providing outside evidence of Vail again prioritizing
