VAIL RESORTS INC (MTN)
SIC breadcrumb: Services > Amusement And Recreation Services > SIC 7990 Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation
SEC company page: https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=812011. Latest filing source: 0000812011-25-000104.
Informational only - descriptive public-record data, not investment advice.
Business
Read MTN's verbatim Item 1 Business section from its latest 10-K: Business.
Risk Factors
Read MTN's verbatim Item 1A Risk Factors from its latest 10-K: Risk Factors.
Selected Fundamentals
| Metric | Value | Unit | FY | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 2,964,347,000 | USD | 2025 | 2025-09-29 |
| Net income | 280,004,000 | USD | 2025 | 2025-09-29 |
| Assets | 5,777,885,000 | USD | 2025 | 2025-09-29 |
Financials
Annual standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2025-09-29. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0000812011.json. Derived margins, ratios, and free cash flow are computed from the extracted annual SEC facts.
| Metric | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 1,601,286,000 | 1,907,218,000 | 2,011,553,000 | 2,271,575,000 | 1,963,704,000 | 1,909,710,000 | 2,525,912,000 | 2,889,364,000 | 2,885,191,000 | 2,964,347,000 |
| Net income | 149,754,000 | 210,553,000 | 379,898,000 | 301,163,000 | 98,833,000 | 127,850,000 | 347,923,000 | 265,825,000 | 231,105,000 | 280,004,000 |
| Operating income | 282,979,000 | 379,256,000 | 408,817,000 | 476,269,000 | 223,389,000 | 261,016,000 | 601,728,000 | 504,420,000 | 488,849,000 | 559,960,000 |
| Diluted EPS | 4.01 | 5.22 | 9.13 | 7.32 | 2.42 | 3.13 | 8.55 | 6.69 | 6.09 | 7.53 |
| Operating cash flow | 436,977,000 | 470,983,000 | 548,486,000 | 634,231,000 | 394,950,000 | 525,250,000 | 710,499,000 | 637,855,000 | 589,022,000 | 554,870,000 |
| Capital expenditures | 109,237,000 | 144,432,000 | 140,611,000 | 192,035,000 | 172,334,000 | 115,097,000 | 192,817,000 | 314,912,000 | 211,197,000 | 235,191,000 |
| Dividends paid | 103,835,000 | 146,235,000 | 204,161,000 | 260,567,000 | 212,732,000 | 0.00 | 225,786,000 | 314,350,000 | 323,684,000 | 328,168,000 |
| Share buybacks | 53,787,000 | 210,000 | 25,800,000 | 85,000,000 | 46,422,000 | 0.00 | 75,006,000 | 500,000,000 | 150,000,000 | 270,000,000 |
| Assets | 2,482,018,000 | 4,110,718,000 | 4,064,984,000 | 4,426,077,000 | 5,244,232,000 | 6,251,056,000 | 6,318,028,000 | 5,947,754,000 | 5,686,573,000 | 5,777,885,000 |
| Liabilities | 1,593,552,000 | 2,311,759,000 | 2,253,321,000 | 2,699,237,000 | 3,712,565,000 | 4,421,988,000 | 4,470,544,000 | 4,612,094,000 | 4,661,695,000 | 5,023,981,000 |
| Stockholders' equity | 874,540,000 | 1,571,156,000 | 1,589,434,000 | 1,500,627,000 | 1,316,742,000 | 1,594,599,000 | 1,612,439,000 | 1,003,947,000 | 709,932,000 | 424,499,000 |
| Cash and cash equivalents | 67,897,000 | 117,389,000 | 178,145,000 | 108,850,000 | 390,980,000 | 1,243,962,000 | 1,107,427,000 | 562,975,000 | 322,827,000 | 440,290,000 |
| Free cash flow | 327,740,000 | 326,551,000 | 407,875,000 | 442,196,000 | 222,616,000 | 410,153,000 | 517,682,000 | 322,943,000 | 377,825,000 | 319,679,000 |
Ratios
| Metric | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net margin | 9.35% | 11.04% | 18.89% | 13.26% | 5.03% | 6.69% | 13.77% | 9.20% | 8.01% | 9.45% |
| Operating margin | 17.67% | 19.89% | 20.32% | 20.97% | 11.38% | 13.67% | 23.82% | 17.46% | 16.94% | 18.89% |
| Return on equity | 17.12% | 13.40% | 23.90% | 20.07% | 7.51% | 8.02% | 21.58% | 26.48% | 32.55% | 65.96% |
| Return on assets | 6.03% | 5.12% | 9.35% | 6.80% | 1.88% | 2.05% | 5.51% | 4.47% | 4.06% | 4.85% |
| Liabilities / equity | 1.82 | 1.47 | 1.42 | 1.80 | 2.82 | 2.77 | 2.77 | 4.59 | 6.57 | 11.84 |
| Current ratio | 0.64 | 0.72 | 0.91 | 0.73 | 1.10 | 1.78 | 1.61 | 1.07 | 0.82 | 0.63 |
Industry Peer Context
Net margin peer context
Operating margin peer context
ROE peer context
ROA peer context
Financial Bridges
Free cash flow = operating cash flow - capital expenditures
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts FY 2025. Operating cash flow: accession 0000812011-25-000104; concept NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; source concepts us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities | Capital expenditures: accession 0000812011-25-000104; concept PaymentsToAcquireProductiveAssets; source concepts us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquireProductiveAssets | Free cash flow: accession 0000812011-25-000104; concept NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities - PaymentsToAcquireProductiveAssets; source concepts us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquireProductiveAssets
Financial Charts
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-07-31; accession 0000812011-25-000104; filed 2025-09-29. Concept: Revenues. Source concepts: us-gaap:Revenues.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-07-31; accession 0000812011-25-000104; filed 2025-09-29. Concept: NetIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-07-31; accession 0000812011-25-000104; filed 2025-09-29. Concept: OperatingIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:OperatingIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-07-31; accession 0000812011-25-000104; filed 2025-09-29. Concept: EarningsPerShareDiluted. Source concepts: us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-07-31; accession 0000812011-25-000104; filed 2025-09-29. Concept: NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-07-31; accession 0000812011-25-000104; filed 2025-09-29. Concept: PaymentsToAcquireProductiveAssets. Source concepts: us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquireProductiveAssets.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-07-31; accession 0000812011-25-000104; filed 2025-09-29. Concept: PaymentsOfDividends. Source concepts: us-gaap:PaymentsOfDividends.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-07-31; accession 0000812011-25-000104; filed 2025-09-29. Concept: PaymentsForRepurchaseOfCommonStock. Source concepts: us-gaap:PaymentsForRepurchaseOfCommonStock.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-07-31; accession 0000812011-25-000104; filed 2025-09-29. Concept: Assets. Source concepts: us-gaap:Assets.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-07-31; accession 0000812011-25-000104; filed 2025-09-29. Concept: Liabilities. Source concepts: us-gaap:Liabilities.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-07-31; accession 0000812011-25-000104; filed 2025-09-29. Concept: StockholdersEquity. Source concepts: us-gaap:StockholdersEquity.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-07-31; accession 0000812011-25-000104; filed 2025-09-29. Concept: CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue. Source concepts: us-gaap:CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-07-31; accession 0000812011-25-000104; filed 2025-09-29. Concept: NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities - PaymentsToAcquireProductiveAssets. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquireProductiveAssets.
Quarterly
Quarterly standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-06-08. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0000812011.json.
| Quarter | End Date | Revenue | Net Income | Diluted EPS | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-Q1 | 2022-10-31 | -3.40 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q2 | 2023-01-31 | 5.16 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q3 | 2023-04-30 | 8.18 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q4 | 2023-07-31 | 269,768,000 | -128,566,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2024-Q1 | 2023-10-31 | 258,565,000 | -175,512,000 | -4.60 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q2 | 2024-01-31 | 1,077,958,000 | 219,299,000 | 5.76 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q3 | 2024-04-30 | 1,283,282,000 | 361,995,000 | 9.54 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q4 | 2024-07-31 | 265,386,000 | -175,377,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2025-Q1 | 2024-10-31 | 260,275,000 | -172,836,000 | -4.61 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q2 | 2025-01-31 | 1,137,225,000 | 245,548,000 | 6.56 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q3 | 2025-04-30 | 1,295,558,000 | 392,752,000 | 10.54 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q4 | 2025-07-31 | 271,289,000 | -185,460,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2026-Q1 | 2025-10-31 | 271,029,000 | -186,752,000 | -5.20 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2026-Q2 | 2026-01-31 | 1,083,932,000 | 210,007,000 | 5.87 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2026-Q3 | 2026-04-30 | 1,205,175,000 | 314,435,000 | 8.81 | reported discrete quarter |
Quarterly Charts
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-04-30; accession 0000812011-26-000026; filed 2026-06-08. Concept: Revenues. Source concepts: us-gaap:Revenues.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-04-30; accession 0000812011-26-000026; filed 2026-06-08. Concept: NetIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-04-30; accession 0000812011-26-000026; filed 2026-06-08. Concept: EarningsPerShareDiluted. Source concepts: us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted.
Macro Cross-References
- CPIAUCSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items in U.S. City Average
- UNRATE - Unemployment Rate
- FEDFUNDS - Federal Funds Effective Rate
- CES0500000003 - Average Hourly Earnings of All Employees, Total Private
- DFEDTARU - Federal Funds Target Range - Upper Limit
- DFEDTARL - Federal Funds Target Range - Lower Limit
- DGS3MO - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 3-Month Constant Maturity
- DGS2 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 2-Year Constant Maturity
- DGS10 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 10-Year Constant Maturity
- DGS30 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 30-Year Constant Maturity
- T10Y2Y - 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Minus 2-Year Treasury Constant Maturity
- CPILFESL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items Less Food and Energy
- CPIUFDSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Food
- CPIENGSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Energy
- CUSR0000SAH1 - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Shelter
- PCEPI - Personal Consumption Expenditures: Chain-type Price Index
- PCEPILFE - Personal Consumption Expenditures Excluding Food and Energy: Chain-type Price Index
- PPIACO - Producer Price Index by Commodity: All Commodities
- T10YIE - 10-Year Breakeven Inflation Rate
- U6RATE - Total Unemployed, Plus All Marginally Attached Workers Plus Total Employed Part Time for Economic Reasons
- PAYEMS - All Employees, Total Nonfarm
- CIVPART - Labor Force Participation Rate
- EMRATIO - Employment-Population Ratio
- UNEMPLOY - Unemployed
- CE16OV - Employment Level
- ICSA - Initial Claims
- JTSJOL - Job Openings: Total Nonfarm
- JTSQUR - Quits: Total Nonfarm
- GDPC1 - Real Gross Domestic Product
- A191RL1Q225SBEA - Real Gross Domestic Product: Percent Change from Preceding Period
- INDPRO - Industrial Production: Total Index
- TCU - Capacity Utilization: Total Index
- HOUST - New Privately-Owned Housing Units Started: Total Units
- PERMIT - New Privately-Owned Housing Units Authorized in Permit-Issuing Places: Total Units
- RSAFS - Advance Retail Sales: Retail Trade
- PCE - Personal Consumption Expenditures
- DSPIC96 - Real Disposable Personal Income
- PSAVERT - Personal Saving Rate
- M2SL - M2
- BOPGSTB - U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services: Balance
- MSPUS - Median Sales Price of Houses Sold for the United States
- HSN1F - New One Family Houses Sold: United States
- RHORUSQ156N - Homeownership Rate in the United States
- TTLCONS - Total Construction Spending: Total Construction in the United States
- RRVRUSQ156N - Rental Vacancy Rate in the United States
- TOTALSL - Total Consumer Credit Owned and Securitized
- REVOLSL - Revolving Consumer Credit Owned and Securitized
- DRCCLACBS - Delinquency Rate on Credit Card Loans, All Commercial Banks
- GDP - Gross Domestic Product
- GPDI - Gross Private Domestic Investment
- GCE - Government Consumption Expenditures and Gross Investment
- PCEC - Personal Consumption Expenditures
- NETEXP - Net Exports of Goods and Services
- GFDEBTN - Federal Debt: Total Public Debt
- GFDEGDQ188S - Federal Debt: Total Public Debt as Percent of Gross Domestic Product
- FYFSD - Federal Surplus or Deficit
- FGRECPT - Federal Government Current Receipts
- FGEXPND - Federal Government: Current Expenditures
- MANEMP - All Employees, Manufacturing
- USCONS - All Employees, Construction
- USTRADE - All Employees, Retail Trade
- USFIRE - All Employees, Financial Activities
- USGOVT - All Employees, Government
- AWHAETP - Average Weekly Hours of All Employees, Total Private
- DGORDER - Manufacturers' New Orders: Durable Goods
- NEWORDER - Manufacturers' New Orders: Nondefense Capital Goods Excluding Aircraft
- BUSINV - Total Business Inventories
- EXPGS - Exports of Goods and Services
- IMPGS - Imports of Goods and Services
- IR - Import Price Index (End Use): All Commodities
- PPIFIS - Producer Price Index by Commodity: Final Demand
Latest quarter (10-Q)
Latest 10-Q source: 0000812011-26-000026.
ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Vail Resorts, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, is referred to throughout this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended April 30, 2026 (“Form 10-Q”) as “we,” “us,” “our” or the “Company.”
The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) should be read in conjunction with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2025 (“Form 10-K”) and the Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements as of April 30, 2026 and 2025 and for the three and nine months then ended, included in Part I, Item 1 of this Form 10-Q, which provide additional information regarding our financial position, results of operations and cash flows. To the extent that the following MD&A contains statements which are not of a historical nature, such statements are forward-looking statements, which involve risks and uncertainties. See “Forward-Looking Statements” below. These risks include, but are not limited to, those discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including the risks described in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of Part I of our Form 10-K, which was filed on September 29, 2025.
The MD&A includes discussion of financial performance within each of our three segments. We have chosen to specifically include segment Reported EBITDA (defined as segment net revenue less segment operating expense, plus segment equity investment income or loss, and for the Real Estate segment, plus gain or loss on sale of real property) in the following discussion because we consider this measurement to be a significant indication of our financial performance. We utilize segment Reported EBITDA in evaluating our performance and in allocating resources to our segments. Net Debt (defined as long-term debt, net plus long-term debt due within one year less cash and cash equivalents) is included in the following discussion because we consider this measure to be a significant indication of our available capital resources. We also believe that Net Debt is an important measurement as it is an indicator of our ability to obtain additional capital resources for our future cash needs. Resort Reported EBITDA (defined as the combination of segment Reported EBITDA of our Mountain and Lodging segments), Total Reported EBITDA (which is Resort Reported EBITDA plus segment Reported EBITDA from our Real Estate segment) and Net Debt are not measures of financial performance or liquidity defined under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). Refer to the end of the Results of Operations section for a reconciliation of net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. to Total Reported EBITDA and Resort Reported EBITDA, and long-term debt, net to Net Debt.
Items excluded from Resort Reported EBITDA, Total Reported EBITDA and Net Debt are significant components in understanding and assessing financial performance or liquidity. Resort Reported EBITDA, Total Reported EBITDA and Net Debt should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to, or substitute for, net income, net change in cash and cash equivalents or other financial statement data presented in the Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements as indicators of financial performance or liquidity. Because Resort Reported EBITDA, Total Reported EBITDA and Net Debt are not measurements determined in accordance with GAAP and are thus susceptible to varying calculations, Resort Reported EBITDA, Total Reported EBITDA and Net Debt, as presented herein, may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. In addition, our segment Reported EBITDA (i.e., Mountain, Lodging and Real Estate), the measure of
23
segment profit or loss required to be disclosed in accordance with GAAP, may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies.
The following discussion has been adjusted to reflect our revision of previously issued Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements to correct for prior period misstatements, which we concluded did not, either individually or in the aggregate, result in a material misstatement of our previously issued Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements. Further information regarding the revision is included in Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Note 11, Revision of Previously Issued Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements of the Notes to the Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
Overview
Our operations are grouped into three integrated and interdependent segments: Mountain, Lodging and Real Estate. We refer to “Resort” as the combination of the Mountain and Lodging segments.
Mountain Segment
In the Mountain segment, the Company operates the following 42 destination mountain resorts and regional ski areas (collectively, “Resorts”).
*Denotes a destination mountain resort, which generally receives a meaningful portion of skier visits from long-distance travelers, as opposed to our regional ski areas, which tend to generate skier visits predominantly from their respective local markets.
Additionally, the Mountain segment includes ancillary services, primarily including ski school, dining and retail/rental operations, and for our Australian ski areas, including lodging and transportation operations. Mountain segment revenue is seasonal, with the majority of revenue earned from our North American and European ski operations occurring in our second and third fiscal quarters and the majority of revenue earned from our Australian ski operations occurring in our first and fourth fiscal quarters. Our North American and European Resorts typically experience their peak operating season for the Mountain segment from mid-December through mid-April, and our Australian ski areas typically experience their peak operating season from June to early October. Consequently, our first and fourth fiscal quarters are seasonally low periods as most of our North American and European ski operations are generally not open for business, and the activity of our Australian ski areas’ peak season and our North American and European summer operating results are not sufficient to offset the losses incurred during these seasonally low periods. Revenue of the Mountain segment during the first and fourth fiscal quarters is primarily generated from summer and group related visitation at our North American and European destination mountain resorts, retail/rental operations and peak season Australian ski operations. Our largest source of Mountain segment revenue is the sale of lift tickets and pass products, which represented approximately 65% and 64% of Mountain segment revenue for the three months ended April 30, 2026 and 2025, respectively, and approximately 60% and 59% of Mountain segment revenue for the nine months ended April 30, 2026 and 2025, respectively.
24
Lift revenue is driven by volume and pricing. Pricing is impacted by absolute pricing, as well as both the demographic and geographic mix of guests, which impacts the price points at which various products are purchased. The demographic mix of guests that visit our North American Resorts is divided into two primary categories: (i) out-of-state and international (“Destination”) guests; and (ii) in-state and local (“Local”) guests. The geographic mix depends on levels of visitation to our destination mountain resorts versus our regional ski areas. For the 2025/2026 North American ski season, Destination guests comprised approximately 58% of our North American destination mountain resort skier visits (excluding complimentary access), while Local guests comprised approximately 42% of our North American destination mountain resort skier visits (excluding complimentary access), which compares to 56% and 44%, respectively, for the 2024/2025 North American ski season. Skier visitation at our regional ski areas is largely comprised of Local guests. Destination guests generally purchase our higher-priced lift tickets (including pass products) and utilize more ancillary services such as ski school, dining and retail/rental, as well as lodging proximate to our mountain resorts. Additionally, Destination guest visitation is less likely to be impacted by changes in the weather during the current season, but may be more impacted by adverse economic conditions, the global geopolitical climate, travel disruptions or weather conditions in the immediately preceding ski season. Local guests tend to be more value-oriented and weather-sensitive.
We offer a variety of pass products for all of our Resorts, marketed toward both Destination and Local guests. Our pass product offerings range from providing access to one or a combination of our Resorts for a certain number of days to our Epic Pass, which allows pass holders unlimited and unrestricted access to all of our Resorts. The Epic Day Pass is a customizable one to seven day pass product purchased in advance of the season, for those skiers and riders who expect to ski a certain number of days during the season, and which is available in three tiers of resort access offerings. Our pass products provide a compelling value proposition to our guests, which in turn assists us in developing a loyal base of customers who commit to ski at our Resorts generally in advance of the ski season and typically ski more days each season at our Resorts than those guests who do not buy pass products. Additionally, we enter into strategic long-term pass alliance agreements with third-party mountain resorts, which further increase the value proposition of our pass products. For the 2025/2026 ski season, our pass alliances include Telluride Ski Resort in Colorado, Hakuba Valley and Rusutsu Resort in Japan, Resorts of the Canadian Rockies in Canada, Les 3 Vallées in France, Disentis Ski Area and Verbier 4 Vallées in Switzerland, Skirama Dolomiti in Italy and Ski Arlberg, Sölden, Saalbach and Zell am See-Kaprun, Mayrhofen and Hintertux and Silvretta Montafon in Austria. Our pass program drives strong customer loyalty; mitigates exposure to more weather sensitive guests; generates additional ancillary spending; and provides cash flow in advance of winter season operations. In addition, our pass program attracts new guests to our Resorts. Our pass products, including the Epic Pass and Epic Day Pass, are predominately sold prior to the start of the ski season. Pass product revenue, although primarily collected prior to the ski season, is recognized in the Consolidated Condensed Statements of Operations throughout the ski season on a straight-line basis using the number of skiable days of the season-to-date period relative to the total estimated number of skiable days of the season.
Lift revenue consists of pass product lift revenue (“pass revenue”) and non-pass product lift revenue (“non-pass revenue”). For the nine months ended April 30, 2026 and 2025, approximately 70% and 66%, respectively, of our total lift revenue recognized was derived from pass revenue.
The cost structure of our mountain resort operations has a significant fixed component with variable expenses including, but not limited to, land use permit or lease fees, credit card fees, retail/rental cost of sales and labor, ski school labor and dining operations; as such, profit margins can fluctuate greatly based on the level of revenues.
Lodging Segment
Operations within the Lodging segment include: (i) ownership/management of a group of luxury hotels through the RockResorts brand proximate to our Colorado and Utah mountain resorts; (ii) ownership/management of non-RockResorts branded hotels and condominiums proximate to our North American Resorts; (iii) National Park Service (“NPS”) concessioner properties, including the Grand Teton Lodge Company (“GTLC”); (iv) a Colorado resort ground transportatio
[Excerpt truncated for page length; source filing is linked above.]
Latest 10-K MD&A
ITEM 7.MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.
The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and notes related thereto included in this Form 10-K. To the extent that the following MD&A contains statements which are not of a historical nature, such statements are forward-looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties. These risks include, but are not limited to, those discussed in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in this Form 10-K. The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the Forward-Looking Statements section and Item 1A. “Risk Factors,” each included in this Form 10-K.
The MD&A includes discussion of financial performance within each of our three segments. We have chosen to specifically include segment Reported EBITDA (defined as segment net revenue less segment operating expense, plus segment equity investment income or loss, and for the Real Estate segment, plus gain or loss on sale of real property) in the following discussion because we consider this measurement to be a significant indication of our financial performance. We utilize segment Reported EBITDA in evaluating our performance and in allocating resources to our segments. Net Debt (defined as long-term debt, net plus long-term debt due within one year less cash and cash equivalents) is included in the following discussion because we consider this measurement to be a significant indication of our available capital resources. We also believe that Net Debt is an important measurement as it is an indicator of our ability to obtain additional capital resources for our future cash needs. Resort Reported EBITDA (defined as the combination of segment Reported EBITDA of our Mountain and Lodging segments), Total Reported EBITDA (which is Resort Reported EBITDA plus segment Reported EBITDA from our Real Estate segment) and Net Debt are not measures of financial performance or liquidity defined under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). Refer to the end of the Results of Operations section for a
43
reconciliation of net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. to Total Reported EBITDA and Resort Reported EBITDA, and long-term debt, net to Net Debt.
Items excluded from Resort Reported EBITDA, Total Reported EBITDA and Net Debt are significant components in understanding and assessing financial performance or liquidity. Resort Reported EBITDA, Total Reported EBITDA and Net Debt should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to, or substitute for, net income, net change in cash and cash equivalents or other financial statement data presented in the Consolidated Financial Statements. Because Resort Reported EBITDA, Total Reported EBITDA and Net Debt are not measurements determined in accordance with GAAP and are thus susceptible to varying calculations, Resort Reported EBITDA, Total Reported EBITDA and Net Debt, as presented herein, may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. In addition, our segment Reported EBITDA (i.e. Mountain, Lodging and Real Estate), the measure of segment profit or loss required to be disclosed in accordance with GAAP, may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies.
Overview
Our operations are grouped into three integrated and interdependent segments: Mountain, Lodging and Real Estate. We refer to “Resort” as the combination of the Mountain and Lodging segments. The Mountain, Lodging and Real Estate segments represented approximately 89%, 11% and 0%, respectively, of our net revenue for Fiscal 2025.
Mountain Segment
In the Mountain segment, the Company operates the following 42 destination mountain resorts and regional ski areas (collectively, “Resorts”):
*Denotes a destination mountain resort, which generally receives a meaningful portion of skier visits from long-distance travelers, as opposed to our regional ski areas, which tend to generate skier visits predominantly from their respective local markets.
Additionally, we operate ancillary services, primarily including ski school, dining and retail/rental operations, and for our Australian ski areas, including lodging and transportation operations. Mountain segment revenue is seasonal, with the majority of revenue earned from our North American and European ski operations occurring in our second and third fiscal quarters and the majority of revenue earned from our Australian ski operations occurring in our first and fourth fiscal quarters. Our North American and European Resorts typically experience their peak operating season for the Mountain segment from mid-December through mid-April, and our Australian ski areas typically experience their peak operating season from June to early October. Our largest source of Mountain segment revenue comes from the sale of lift tickets (including pass products), which represented approximately 57%, 57% and 56% of Mountain segment net revenue for Fiscal 2025, the fiscal year ended July 31, 2024 (“Fiscal 2024”) and the fiscal year ended July 31, 2023 (“Fiscal 2023”), respectively.
44
Lift revenue is driven by volume and pricing. Pricing is impacted by absolute pricing, as well as both the demographic and geographic mix of guests, which impacts the price points at which various products are purchased. The demographic mix of guests that visit our North American Resorts is divided into two primary categories: (i) out-of-state and international (“Destination”) guests and (ii) in-state and local (“Local”) guests. The geographic mix depends on levels of visitation to our destination mountain resorts versus our regional ski areas. For the 2024/2025 North American ski seasons, Destination guests comprised approximately 56% of our North American destination mountain resort skier visits (excluding complimentary access), while Local guests comprised approximately 44%. For both the 2023/2024 and 2022/2023 North American ski seasons, Destination guests comprised approximately 57% of our North American destination mountain resort skier visits (excluding complimentary access), while Local guests comprised approximately 43%. Skier visitation at our regional ski areas is largely comprised of Local guests. Destination guests generally utilize more ancillary services such as ski school, dining and retail/rental, as well as lodging at or around our mountain resorts. Additionally, Destination guest visitation is less likely to be impacted by changes in the weather during the current season, but may be more impacted by adverse economic conditions, the global geopolitical climate, travel disruptions or weather conditions in the immediately preceding ski season. Local guests tend to be more value-oriented and weather-sensitive.
We offer a variety of pass products for all of our Resorts, marketed toward both Destination and Local guests. Our pass product offerings range from providing access to one or a combination of our Resorts for a certain number of days to our Epic Pass, which allows pass holders unlimited and unrestricted access to all of our Resorts. The Epic Day Pass is a customizable one to seven day pass product purchased in advance of the season, for those skiers and riders who want to purchase access for a certain number of days during the season, and which is available in three tiers of resort access offerings. Our pass products provide a compelling value proposition to our guests, which in turn assists us in developing a loyal base of customers who commit to ski at our Resorts generally in advance of the ski season and typically ski more days each season at our Resorts than those guests who do not buy pass products. Additionally, we enter into strategic long-term pass alliance agreements with third-party mountain resorts, which further increase the value proposition of our pass products. For the 2025/2026 ski season, our pass alliances include Telluride Ski Resort in Colorado, Hakuba Valley and Rusutsu Resort in Japan, Resorts of the Canadian Rockies in Canada, Les 3 Vallées in France, Disentis Ski Area and Verbier 4 Vallées in Switzerland, Skirama Dolomiti in Italy and Ski Arlberg, Sölden, Saalbach and Zell am See-Kaprum, Mayrhofen and Hintertux and Silvretta Montafon in Austria. Our pass program drives strong customer loyalty; mitigates exposure to more weather sensitive guests; generates additional ancillary spending; and provides cash flow in advance of winter season operations. In addition, our pass program attracts new guests to our Resorts. All of our pass products, including the Epic Pass and Epic Day Pass, are predominately sold prior to the start of the ski season. Pass product revenue, although primarily collected prior to the ski season, is recognized in our Consolidated Statements of Operations throughout the ski season on a straight-line basis using the number of skiable days of the season-to-date period relative to the total estimated number of skiable days of the season.
Lift revenue consists of pass product lift revenue (“pass revenue”) and non-pass product lift revenue (“non-pass revenue”). Approximately 65%, 65% and 61% of total lift revenue was derived from pass revenue for Fiscal 2025, Fiscal 2024 and Fiscal 2023, respectively.
The cost structure of our mountain resort operations has a significant fixed component with variable expenses including, but not limited to, land use permit or lease fees, credit card fees, retail/rental cost of sales and labor, ski school labor and expenses associated with our dining operations; as such, profit margins can fluctuate greatly based on the level of revenues.
Lodging Segment
Operations within the Lodging segment include: (i) ownership/management of a group of luxury hotels through the RockResorts brand proximate to our Colorado and Utah mountain resorts; (ii) ownership/management of non-RockResorts branded hotels and condominiums proximate to our North American Resorts; (iii) National Park Service (“NPS”) concessioner properties, including the Grand Teton Lodge Company (“GTLC”); (iv) a Colorado resort ground transportation company; and (v) mountain resort golf courses.
45
The performance of our lodging properties (including managed condominium rooms) proximate to our Resorts, and our Colorado resort ground transportation company, are closely aligned with the performance of the Mountain segment and generally experience similar seasonal trends, particularly with respect to visitation by Destination guests. Revenues from such properties represented approximately 66%, 68% and 71% of Lodging segment net revenue (excluding Lodging segment revenue associated with the reimbursement of payroll costs) for Fiscal 2025, Fiscal 2024 and Fiscal 2023, respectively. Management primarily focuses on Lodging net revenue excluding payroll cost reimbursements and Lodging operating expense excluding reimbursed payroll costs (which are not measures of financial performance under GAAP) as the reimbursements are made based upon the costs incurred with no added margin and as such, the revenue and corresponding expense do not affect our Lodging Reported EBITDA, which we use to evaluate Lodging segment performance. Revenue of the Lodging segment during our first and fourth fiscal quarters is generated primarily by the operations of our NPS concessioner properties (as their peak operating season generally occurs during the months of June to October), as well as golf operations and seasonally low operations from our other owned and managed properties and businesses.
Real Estate Segment
The principal activities of our Real Estate segment include the sale of land parcels to third-party developers and planning for future real estate development projects, including zoning and acquisition of applicable permits. We continue undertaking preliminary planning and design work on future projects and are pursuing opportunities with third-party developers rather than undertaking our own significant vertical development projects. Real estate development projects by third-party developers most often result in the creation of certain resort assets that provide additional benefit to the Mountain segment. We believe that, due to our low carrying cost of real estate land investments, we are well situated to promote future projects by third-party developers while limiting our financial risk. Our revenue from the Real Estate segment and associated expense can fluctuate significantly based upon the timing of closings and the type of real estate being sold, causing volatility in the Real Estate segment’s operating results from period to period.
Recent Trends, Risks and Uncertainties
We have identified the following important factors (as well as risks and uncertainties associated with such factors) that could impact our future financial performance or condition:
•The Company achieved 2% growth in Resort Reported EBITDA despite total skier visits declining 3% across our North American destination mountain resorts and regional ski areas versus the prior year. Visitation reflects the benefit of improved conditions in the second quarter relative to the prior year, offset by the expected decline in visitation from selling fewer pass units for the 2024/2025 North American ski season. For the full year, Resort net revenue increased 3% driven by a 4% increase in season pass revenue and increased ancillary spend per guest across our ski school and dining businesses. Resort Reported EBITDA for fiscal 2025 also reflects strong cost discipline, including $37 million of savings from the resource efficiency transformation plan before one-time costs. The Company’s full year Resort Reported EBITDA growth is partially offset by $14 million of increased costs from company-wide performance-based management incentive plan expense that was not earned in the prior year, $15 million of one-time costs related to the two-year resource efficiency transformation plan, $8 million of one-time costs related to the Company’s previously announced CEO transition, and $5 million unfavorable EBITDA impact from changes in foreign exchange rates.
•Overall weather conditions, including the timing and amount of snowfall, can have an impact on Mountain and Lodging revenue, particularly with regard to skier visits and the duration and frequency of guest visitation. To help mitigate this impact, we sell a variety of pass products prior to the beginning of the ski season, which results in a more stabilized stream of lift revenue. Additionally, our pass products provide a compelling value proposition to our guests, which in turn create a guest commitment predominately prior to the start of the ski season. In March 2025, we began our season pass sales program for the 2025/2026 North American ski season. Pass product sales through September 19, 2025 for the upcoming 2025/2026 North American ski season decreased approximately 3% in units and increased approximately 1% in sales dollars as compared to the period in the prior year through September 20, 2024. Pass sales dollars are benefiting from 7% price increase relative to the 2024/2025 season, partially offset by the mix impact from the relative performance of Epic Day Pass products compared to Core Epic Pass products. Pass product sales are adjusted to eliminate the impact of foreign currency by applying an exchange rate of $0.72 between the Canadian dollar and U.S. dollar in both periods for Whistler Blackcomb pass sales. We cannot predict if these trends will continue through the 2025 North American pass sales campaign or the overall impact that pass sales will have on lift revenue for the 2025/2026 North American ski season.
•The economies in the countries in which we operate and from which we attract our guests may be impacted by economic challenges associated with elevated inflation, prolonged elevated interest rates, geopolitical conflicts, political uncertainty and financial institution disruptions and/or fluctuating commodity prices that could adversely impact our
46
business, including decreased guest spending or visitation or increased costs of operations. Skiing, travel and tourism are discretionary recreational activities that can entail a relatively high cost of participation. As a result, economic downturns and other negative impacts to consumer discretionary spending may have a pronounced impact on visitation to our Resorts. We cannot predict the extent to which we may be impacted by such potential economic challenges, whether in North America or globally.
•As of July 31, 2025, we had $440.3 million of cash and cash equivalents, as well as $507.9 million available under the revolver component of the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement, which represents the total commitment of $600.0 million less certain letters of credit outstanding of $92.1 million. We also have $275.0 million available under a delayed draw term loan of the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement, which will remain available to draw on at any time until January 27, 2026. Additionally, we have a credit facility which supports the liquidity needs of Whistler Blackcomb (the “Whistler Credit Agreement”). As of July 31, 2025, we had C$296.6 million ($214.1 million) available under the revolver component of the Whistler Credit Agreement which represents the total commitment of C$300.0 million ($216.5 million) less letters of credit outstanding of C$3.4 million ($2.4 million). On September 24, 2025, we amended the Whistler Credit Agreement primarily to extend the maturity date to September 24, 2030, and to reduce the total commitment from C$300.0 million to C$250.0 million. We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents, availability under our credit agreements and the continued positive cash flow from operating activities of our Mountain and Lodging segments less resort capital expenditures will continue to provide us with sufficient liquidity to fund our operations.
Results of Operations
Summary
Shown below is a summary of operating results for Fiscal 2025, Fiscal 2024 and Fiscal 2023 (in thousands):
| Year ended July 31, | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||
| Net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. | $ | 280,004 | $ | 231,105 | $ | 265,825 | |||||
| Income before provision for income taxes | $ | 402,397 | $ | 339,755 | $ | 370,416 | |||||
| Mountain Reported EBITDA | $ | 821,341 | $ | 802,072 | $ | 822,570 | |||||
| Lodging Reported EBITDA | 22,795 | 23,018 | 12,267 | ||||||||
| Resort Reported EBITDA | $ | 844,136 | $ | 825,090 | $ | 834,837 | |||||
| Real Estate Reported EBITDA | 18,626 | 1,475 | (1,728) | ||||||||
| Total Reported EBITDA | $ | 862,762 | $ | 826,565 | $ | 833,109 |
A discussion of segment results, including reconciliations of net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. to Total Reported EBITDA, and other items can be found below. The consolidated results of operations, including any consolidated financial metrics pertaining thereto, include the operations of Crans-Montana (acquired May 2, 2024), prospectively from the date of acquisition. In addition, the following discussion has been adjusted to reflect our revision of previously issued consolidated financial statements to correct for prior period misstatements, which we concluded did not, either individually or in the aggregate, result in a material misstatement of our previously issued consolidated financial statements. Further information regarding the revision is included in Note 2 “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” and Note 16 “Revision of Previously Issued Consolidated Financial Statements” of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained in this Form 10-K.
The sections titled “Fiscal 2025 compared to Fiscal 2024” in each of the Mountain and Lodging segment discussions below provide comparisons of financial and operating performance for Fiscal 2025 to Fiscal 2024, unless otherwise noted. Discussion of our financial results for Fiscal 2024 compared to Fiscal 2023 can be found in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for Fiscal 2024, which was filed on September 26, 2024.
47
Mountain Segment
Mountain segment operating results for Fiscal 2025, Fiscal 2024 and Fiscal 2023 are presented by category as follows (in thousands, except effective ticket price (“ETP)):
| Percentage | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year ended July 31, | Increase/(Decrease) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2025/2024 | 2024/2023 | ||||||||||||||
| Mountain net revenue: | ||||||||||||||||||
| Lift | $ | 1,503,187 | $ | 1,442,784 | $ | 1,420,900 | 4.2 | % | 1.5 | % | ||||||||
| Ski school | 309,863 | 304,548 | 287,275 | 1.7 | % | 6.0 | % | |||||||||||
| Dining | 240,900 | 227,572 | 224,642 | 5.9 | % | 1.3 | % | |||||||||||
| Retail/rental | 302,450 | 317,196 | 361,484 | (4.6) | % | (12.3) | % | |||||||||||
| Other | 273,473 | 252,270 | 246,605 | 8.4 | % | 2.3 | % | |||||||||||
| Total Mountain net revenue | 2,629,873 | 2,544,370 | 2,540,906 | 3.4 | % | 0.1 | % | |||||||||||
| Mountain operating expense: | ||||||||||||||||||
| Labor and labor-related benefits | 760,955 | 731,153 | 744,613 | 4.1 | % | (1.8) | % | |||||||||||
| Retail cost of sales | 97,289 | 107,093 | 118,717 | (9.2) | % | (9.8) | % | |||||||||||
| Resort related fees | 111,830 | 110,113 | 104,797 | 1.6 | % | 5.1 | % | |||||||||||
| General and administrative | 373,404 | 350,788 | 325,903 | 6.4 | % | 7.6 | % | |||||||||||
| Other | 468,973 | 444,204 | 424,911 | 5.6 | % | 4.5 | % | |||||||||||
| Total Mountain operating expense | 1,812,451 | 1,743,351 | 1,718,941 | 4.0 | % | 1.4 | % | |||||||||||
| Mountain equity investment income, net | 3,919 | 1,053 | 605 | 272.2 | % | 74.0 | % | |||||||||||
| Mountain Reported EBITDA | $ | 821,341 | $ | 802,072 | $ | 822,570 | 2.4 | % | (2.5) | % | ||||||||
| Total skier visits | 17,665 | 17,564 | 19,410 | 0.6 | % | (9.5) | % | |||||||||||
| ETP | $ | 85.09 | $ | 82.14 | $ | 73.20 | 3.6 | % | 12.2 | % |
Mountain Reported EBITDA includes $29.6 million, $23.2 million and $21.2 million of stock-based compensation expense for Fiscal 2025, Fiscal 2024 and Fiscal 2023, respectively.
Fiscal 2025 compared to Fiscal 2024
Mountain Reported EBITDA increased $19.3 million, or 2.4%, primarily driven by an increase in pass product pricing for the 2024/2025 North American ski season compared to the prior year. Additionally, Mountain Reported EBITDA increased from improved conditions at our Eastern U.S. Resorts (comprising the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast) and improved early season conditions at our western North American Resorts, many of which experienced delayed openings and reduced terrain offerings in the prior year. These improved conditions drove an increase in skier visitation throughout the early season and up through the holiday period, including non-pass visitation, which also benefited other ancillary lines of business during the first half of the 2024/2025 North American ski season. Additionally, Mountain Reported EBITDA increased as a result of an increase in results from summer operations at our North American resorts. These increases were partially offset by a decline from our Australian operations compared to the prior year, which experienced weather-related challenges that impacted terrain and resulted in early closures, as well as increased variable expenses associated with increased revenue and increased general and administrative expense, including increased costs from one-time expenses associated with the previously announced CEO transition ($6.8 million) and company-wide performance-based variable compensation expense that was not earned in the prior year ($6.3 million). Mountain segment results for the year ended July 31, 2025 also includes the impact of one-time operating expenses attributable to our resource efficiency transformation plan of $14.9 million and one-time operating expenses attributable to our previously announced CEO transition of $6.8 million. Additionally, Mountain segment results include the impact of acquisition and integration related expenses of $1.2 million and $8.0 million for the year ended July 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
Lift revenue increased $60.4 million, or 4.2%, due to increases in both pass revenue and non-pass revenue. Pass product revenue increased 4.2%, which was primarily driven by an increase in pass product pricing for the 2024/2025 North American ski season compared to the prior year. Additionally, non-pass revenue increased 4.2% primarily as a result of an increase in non-pass ETP (excluding Crans-Montana) of 5.1%, and incremental non-pass revenue from Crans-Montana of $15.4 million,
48
partially offset by a reduction in non-pass visitation (excluding Crans-Montana). Total non-pass ETP, including the impact of Crans-Montana, increased 1.5%.
Ski school revenue increased $5.3 million, or 1.7%, driven by increased lesson pricing, partially offset by decreased North American and Australian skier visitation. Dining revenue increased $13.3 million, or 5.9%, driven by incremental revenue from Crans-Montana of $7.8 million and increased guest spend per visit, partially offset by decreased North American and Australian skier visitation. Retail/rental revenue decreased $14.7 million, or 4.6%, driven by a decrease in retail revenue of $11.7 million, or 6.4%, due to lower sales at our on-mountain retail locations driven by decreased skier visitation. Additionally, rental revenue decreased $3.0 million, or 2.2%, primarily driven by decreased Destination skier visitation, as these guests typically utilize more ancillary services.
Other revenue mainly consists of revenue stemming from summer visitation, other mountain activities revenue, employee housing revenue, guest services revenue, commercial leasing revenue, marketing and internet advertising revenue, private club revenue (which includes both club dues and amortization of initiation fees), municipal services revenue and other recreation activity revenue. Other revenue also includes Australian resort lodging and transportation revenue. Other revenue increased $21.2 million or 8.4%, primarily driven by an increase in on-mountain summer activities and sightseeing revenue from the impact of increased summer visitation at our North American resorts, as well as increased early season skier visitation at our North American resorts, which drove additional demand for ancillary services.
Operating expense increased $69.1 million or 4.0%, which was primarily attributable to increased variable expenses associated with increased revenue and incremental operating expenses from Crans-Montana ($29.3 million). Operating expense for the year ended July 31, 2025 also includes the impact of one-time expenses attributable to our resource efficiency transformation plan of $14.9 million and one-time expenses attributable to our previously announced CEO transition of $6.8 million. Additionally, operating expense includes the impact of acquisition and integration related expenses of $1.2 million and $8.0 million for the year ended July 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
Labor and labor-related benefits increased 4.1%, primarily due to the incremental expenses from Crans-Montana of $13.6 million, normal wage adjustments and an increase in labor expense to support increased North American operations, as well as increased variable compensation accruals of $6.1 million. Retail cost of sales decreased 9.2%, compared to a decrease in retail sales of 6.4%, reflecting increased margins driven by the mix of retail merchandise purchased by customers, including lower sales of discounted retail products compared to the prior year. Resort related fees increased 1.6% primarily as a result of an increase in revenues on which those fees are based. General and administrative expense increased 6.4%, primarily due to an increase in corporate overhead costs, including information technology, legal and marketing, as well as increased costs from one-time expenses associated with the previously announced CEO transition ($6.8 million) and company-wide performance-based variable compensation expense that was not earned in the prior year ($6.3 million). Other expense increased 5.6%, primarily due to one-time expenses attributable to our resource efficiency transformation plan ($14.9 million), as well as incremental expenses from Crans-Montana.
Mountain equity investment income, net primarily includes our share of income from the operations of a real estate brokerage company.
49
Lodging Segment
Lodging segment operating results for Fiscal 2025, Fiscal 2024 and Fiscal 2023 are presented by category as follows (in thousands, except average daily rate (“ADR”) and revenue per available room (“RevPAR”)):
| Percentage | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year ended July 31, | Increase/(Decrease) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2025/2024 | 2024/2023 | ||||||||||||||
| Lodging net revenue: | ||||||||||||||||||
| Owned hotel rooms | $ | 88,184 | $ | 83,977 | $ | 80,117 | 5.0 | % | 4.8 | % | ||||||||
| Managed condominium rooms | 81,525 | 86,199 | 96,785 | (5.4) | % | (10.9) | % | |||||||||||
| Dining | 66,374 | 63,255 | 62,445 | 4.9 | % | 1.3 | % | |||||||||||
| Transportation | 14,853 | 16,309 | 15,242 | (8.9) | % | 7.0 | % | |||||||||||
| Golf | 16,008 | 13,722 | 12,737 | 16.7 | % | 7.7 | % | |||||||||||
| Other | 52,805 | 56,368 | 55,816 | (6.3) | % | 1.0 | % | |||||||||||
| Lodging net revenue (excluding payroll cost reimbursements) | 319,749 | 319,830 | 323,142 | — | % | (1.0) | % | |||||||||||
| Payroll cost reimbursements | 14,290 | 16,287 | 17,251 | (12.3) | % | (5.6) | % | |||||||||||
| Total Lodging net revenue | 334,039 | 336,117 | 340,393 | (0.6) | % | (1.3) | % | |||||||||||
| Lodging operating expense: | ||||||||||||||||||
| Labor and labor-related benefits | 138,041 | 139,840 | 148,915 | (1.3) | % | (6.1) | % | |||||||||||
| General and administrative | 60,310 | 59,239 | 63,562 | 1.8 | % | (6.8) | % | |||||||||||
| Other | 98,603 | 97,733 | 98,398 | 0.9 | % | (0.7) | % | |||||||||||
| Lodging operating expense (excluding reimbursed payroll costs) | 296,954 | 296,812 | 310,875 | — | % | (4.5) | % | |||||||||||
| Reimbursed payroll costs | 14,290 | 16,287 | 17,251 | (12.3) | % | (5.6) | % | |||||||||||
| Total Lodging operating expense | 311,244 | 313,099 | 328,126 | (0.6) | % | (4.6) | % | |||||||||||
| Lodging Reported EBITDA | $ | 22,795 | $ | 23,018 | $ | 12,267 | (1.0) | % | 87.6 | % |
| Owned hotel statistics: | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADR | $ | 325.65 | $ | 317.65 | $ | 312.15 | 2.5 | % | 1.8 | % | ||||||||
| RevPar | $ | 170.70 | $ | 161.82 | $ | 160.75 | 5.5 | % | 0.7 | % | ||||||||
| Managed condominium statistics: | ||||||||||||||||||
| ADR | $ | 413.47 | $ | 424.13 | $ | 416.77 | (2.5) | % | 1.8 | % | ||||||||
| RevPar | $ | 116.70 | $ | 118.91 | $ | 124.41 | (1.9) | % | (4.4) | % | ||||||||
| Owned hotel and managed condominium statistics (combined): | ||||||||||||||||||
| ADR | $ | 376.95 | $ | 381.60 | $ | 378.62 | (1.2) | % | 0.8 | % | ||||||||
| RevPar | $ | 131.55 | $ | 130.41 | $ | 133.48 | 0.9 | % | (2.3) | % |
Lodging Reported EBITDA includes $4.0 million, $3.3 million and $4.0 million of stock-based compensation expense for Fiscal 2025, Fiscal 2024 and Fiscal 2023, respectively.
Fiscal 2025 compared to Fiscal 2024
Lodging Reported EBITDA decreased $0.2 million, or 1.0%, primarily driven by a net reduction in our inventory of available managed condominium rooms, as well as a decrease in Destination skier visitation during the 2024/2025 North American ski season, which decreased demand for lodging and other ancillary services proximate to our mountain resorts, partially offset by increased summer visitation at GTLC and our mountain resort properties as a result of favorable weather conditions.
50
Revenue from owned hotel rooms increased $4.2 million, or 5.0%, primarily due to increased visitation at GTLC driven by favorable weather conditions, which also drove an increase in ADR, as well as stronger demand for summer lodging at our North American resort properties. Revenue from managed condominium rooms decreased $4.7 million, or 5.4%, primarily due to lower ADR driven by lower peak-season holiday pricing compared to the prior year, as well as a net reduction in our inventory of available managed condominium rooms proximate to our mountain resorts. Dining revenue increased $3.1 million, or 4.9%, and golf revenue increased $2.3 million, or 16.7%, each primarily as a result of increased summer visitation at our North American mountain resort properties while transportation revenue decreased $1.5 million, or 8.9%, primarily as a result of decreased Destination visitation at our North American resorts during the 2024/2025 ski season. Other revenue decreased $3.6 million, or 6.3%, primarily as a result of a decrease in other ancillary revenues from the decrease in inventory and occupancy.
Labor and labor-related benefits decreased 1.3%, primarily due to strong cost control and workforce management, as well as lower use of contract labor. General and administrative expense increased $1.1 million, or 1.8%, primarily due to an increase in corporate overhead costs, including information technology, legal and marketing.
Revenue from payroll cost reimbursement and the corresponding reimbursed payroll costs relate to payroll costs at managed hotel properties where we are the employer and all payroll costs are reimbursed by the owners of the properties under contractual arrangements. Since the reimbursements are made based upon the costs incurred with no added margin, the revenue and corresponding expense have no effect on our Lodging Reported EBITDA.
Real Estate Segment
Our Real Estate net revenue is primarily determined by the timing of closings and the mix of real estate sold in any given period. Different types of projects have different revenue and profit margins; therefore, as the real estate inventory mix changes, it can greatly impact Real Estate segment net revenue, operating expense, gain or loss on sale of real property and Real Estate Reported EBITDA.
Real Estate segment operating results for Fiscal 2025, Fiscal 2024 and Fiscal 2023 are presented by category as follows (in thousands):
| Percentage | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year ended July 31, | Increase/(Decrease) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2025/2024 | 2024/2023 | ||||||||||||||
| Total Real Estate net revenue | $ | 435 | $ | 4,704 | $ | 8,065 | (90.8) | % | (41.7) | % | ||||||||
| Real Estate operating expense: | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of sales | — | 3,607 | 5,146 | (100.0) | % | (29.9) | % | |||||||||||
| Other | 6,213 | 5,907 | 5,489 | 5.2 | % | 7.6 | % | |||||||||||
| Total Real Estate operating expense | 6,213 | 9,514 | 10,635 | (34.7) | % | (10.5) | % | |||||||||||
| Gain on sale of real property | 24,404 | 6,285 | 842 | 288.3 | % | 646.4 | % | |||||||||||
| Real Estate Reported EBITDA | $ | 18,626 | $ | 1,475 | $ | (1,728) | 1,162.8 | % | 185.4 | % |
Fiscal 2025
During Fiscal 2025, we recorded a gain on sale of real property for $16.5 million related to the resolution of the October 2023 Eagle County District Court final ruling and valuation regarding the Town of Vail’s condemnation of our East Vail property, for which we received proceeds of $17.6 million. We also recorded a gain on sale of real property for $8.5 million related to the sale of three real estate parcels in Breckenridge, Colorado for total consideration of $11.9 million, including $1.0 million net cash proceeds received at closing, for which one of these parcels was originally sold during the year ended July 31, 2022 but the terms of the agreement prevented transfer of control to the buyer at the time, and therefore a portion of the proceeds were deferred for recognition until control was transferred which occurred during the third fiscal quarter of Fiscal 2025.
Other operating expense of $6.2 million was primarily comprised of general and administrative costs, such as labor and labor-related benefits, professional services and allocated corporate overhead costs.
51
Fiscal 2024
During Fiscal 2024, we closed on the sale of a land parcel in Keystone, CO for $4.2 million, which was recorded within Real Estate net revenue, with a corresponding cost of sale of $3.6 million. Additionally, we recorded a gain on sale of real property for $6.3 million related to a land parcel sale in Beaver Creek, CO, which closed for proceeds of $6.5 million.
Other operating expense of $5.9 million was primarily comprised of general and administrative costs, such as labor and labor-related benefits, professional services and allocated corporate overhead costs.
Other Items
In addition to segment operating results, the following items contributed to our overall financial position and results of operations (in thousands).
| Year ended July 31, | Percentage Increase/(Decrease) | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2025/2024 | 2024/2023 | |||||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | $ | (296,437) | $ | (279,073) | $ | (269,178) | 6.2 | % | 3.7 | % | |||||||
| Change in estimated fair value of contingent consideration | $ | (9,379) | $ | (47,957) | $ | (49,836) | (80.4) | % | (3.8) | % | |||||||
| Gain (loss) on disposal of fixed assets and other, net | $ | 6,933 | $ | (9,633) | $ | (9,070) | (172.0) | % | 6.2 | % | |||||||
| Interest expense, net | $ | (171,628) | $ | (164,599) | $ | (155,446) | 4.3 | % | (5.9) | % | |||||||
| Investment income and other, net | $ | 10,126 | $ | 18,592 | $ | 23,744 | (45.5) | % | (21.7) | % | |||||||
| Provision for income taxes | $ | (104,421) | $ | (92,776) | $ | (87,636) | 12.6 | % | 5.9 | % | |||||||
| Effective tax rate | (25.9) | % | (27.3) | % | (23.7) | % | (1.4 pts) | 3.6 pts |
Depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization expense for Fiscal 2025 increased $17.4 million, compared to the prior year, primarily due to assets acquired in the acquisition of Crans-Montana and additional capital projects completed at our Resorts during the prior capital year.
Change in estimated fair value of contingent consideration. Change in estimated fair value of contingent consideration for Fiscal 2025 decreased $38.6 million, compared to prior year, primarily related to an increase in the expected long-term Reported EBITDA performance for Park City in the prior year that resulted in an increase in the liability.
Gain (loss) on disposal of fixed assets and other, net. Gain (loss) on disposal of fixed assets and other, net for Fiscal 2025 included a gain on sale of real property for $6.8 million related to a land parcel in Vail in exchange for releasing a use restriction, as well as a net gain on sale of real property for $3.6 million related to the Hotham Airport sale. These gains were partially offset by losses on other annual disposals of fixed assets. Gain (loss) on disposal of fixed assets and other, net for Fiscal 2024 included losses on annual disposals of fixed assets.
Interest expense, net. Interest expense, net for Fiscal 2025 increased $7.0 million compared to the prior year, primarily due to the expiration of various interest rate swap agreements on September 23, 2024, which hedged the SOFR-based variable interest rate component of the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement in prior year.
Investment income and other, net. Investment income and other, net for Fiscal 2025 decreased $8.5 million compared to Fiscal 2024, primarily as a result of decreased average balances of interest-earning investments, as excess cash balances were utilized during Fiscal 2025 for share repurchases, as well as a decrease in interest rates.
Provision for income taxes. The effective tax rate for Fiscal 2025 was 25.9%, compared to 27.3% for Fiscal 2024. The decrease in the effective tax rate was primarily due to an increase in favorable discrete items impacting the tax provision in the current period, including US return-to-provision adjustments during the year ended July 31, 2025.
52
Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures
The following table reconciles net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. to Total Reported EBITDA for Fiscal 2025, Fiscal 2024 and Fiscal 2023 (in thousands):
| Year ended July 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | ||||||||
| Net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. | $ | 280,004 | $ | 231,105 | $ | 265,825 | ||||
| Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests | 17,972 | 15,874 | 16,955 | |||||||
| Net income | 297,976 | 246,979 | 282,780 | |||||||
| Provision for income taxes | 104,421 | 92,776 | 87,636 | |||||||
| Income before provision for income taxes | 402,397 | 339,755 | 370,416 | |||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 296,437 | 279,073 | 269,178 | |||||||
| (Gain) loss on disposal of fixed assets and other, net | (6,933) | 9,633 | 9,070 | |||||||
| Change in estimated fair value of contingent consideration | 9,379 | 47,957 | 49,836 | |||||||
| Investment income and other, net | (10,126) | (18,592) | (23,744) | |||||||
| Foreign currency (gain) loss on intercompany loans | (20) | 4,140 | 2,907 | |||||||
| Interest expense, net | 171,628 | 164,599 | 155,446 | |||||||
| Total Reported EBITDA | $ | 862,762 | $ | 826,565 | $ | 833,109 | ||||
| Mountain Reported EBITDA | $ | 821,341 | $ | 802,072 | $ | 822,570 | ||||
| Lodging Reported EBITDA | 22,795 | 23,018 | 12,267 | |||||||
| Resort Reported EBITDA | 844,136 | 825,090 | 834,837 | |||||||
| Real Estate Reported EBITDA | 18,626 | 1,475 | (1,728) | |||||||
| Total Reported EBITDA | $ | 862,762 | $ | 826,565 | $ | 833,109 |
The following table reconciles long-term debt, net to Net Debt (defined as long-term debt, net plus long-term debt due within one year less cash and cash equivalents) (in thousands):
| Year ended July 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |||||
| Long-term debt, net | $ | 2,594,765 | $ | 2,731,492 | ||
| Long-term debt due within one year | 599,509 | 59,314 | ||||
| Total debt | 3,194,274 | 2,790,806 | ||||
| Less: cash and cash equivalents | 440,290 | 322,827 | ||||
| Net Debt | $ | 2,753,984 | $ | 2,467,979 |
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Changes in significant sources and uses of cash for Fiscal 2025, Fiscal 2024 and Fiscal 2023 are presented by categories as follows (in thousands):
| Year ended July 31, | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | ||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 554,870 | $ | 589,022 | $ | 637,855 | ||
| Net cash used in investing activities | $ | (204,497) | $ | (241,069) | $ | (273,167) | ||
| Net cash used in financing activities | $ | (242,647) | $ | (577,036) | $ | (914,000) |
Historically, we have lower cash available at the end of each first and fourth fiscal quarter-ends as compared to our second and third fiscal quarter-ends, primarily due to the seasonality of our Mountain segment operations.
53
Fiscal 2025 compared to Fiscal 2024
We generated $554.9 million of cash from operating activities during Fiscal 2025, a decrease of $34.2 million compared to $589.0 million generated during Fiscal 2024. The decrease in operating cash flows was primarily a result of (i) an increase in income tax payments of approximately $32.3 million, driven by net operating loss carryforwards and other deductions in the prior year which offset our estimated payments during Fiscal 2024, and higher taxable income for the current fiscal year; (ii) an increase in cash interest payments ($10.1 million) due to increases in variable interest rates and an increase in seasonal borrowing on our revolving credit facilities; and (iii) a decrease in investment income collected ($8.5 million).
The decrease in cash used in investing activities for Fiscal 2025 of $36.6 million was primarily due to (i) $94.4 million in payments made related to the acquisition of Crans-Montana partially offset by $57.6 million received from the maturity of short-term bank deposits in Fiscal 2024 and (ii) $17.6 million of cash received during Fiscal 2025 related to the resolution of the October 2023 Eagle County District Court final ruling and valuation regarding the Town of Vail’s condemnation of our East Vail property, partially offset by an increase in capital expenditures of approximately $24.0 million as compared to the prior year.
Cash used in financing activities decreased by $334.4 million during Fiscal 2025 compared to Fiscal 2024, primarily due to proceeds received from the 5.625% Notes offering of $500.0 million, partially offset by a $120.0 million increase in repurchases of our common stock and $48.0 million of cash paid for repurchases of 0.0% Convertible Notes during the year ended July 31, 2025.
Significant Sources of Cash
We had $440.3 million of cash and cash equivalents as of July 31, 2025, compared to $322.8 million as of July 31, 2024. The increase was primarily attributable to proceeds received from the 5.625% Notes offering, partially offset by an increase in repurchases of our common stock during Fiscal 2025.
In addition to our $440.3 million of cash and cash equivalents at July 31, 2025, we had $507.9 million available under the revolver component of our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement as of July 31, 2025 (which represents the total commitment of $600.0 million less outstanding letters of credit of $92.1 million). Additionally, we had C$296.6 million ($214.1 million) available under the revolver component of our Whistler Credit Agreement (which represents the total commitment of C$300.0 million ($216.5 million) less certain outstanding letters of credit of C$3.4 million ($2.4 million)). On September 24, 2025, we amended the Whistler Credit Agreement primarily to extend the maturity date to September 24, 2030, and to reduce the total commitment from C$300.0 million to C$250.0 million. We also had $275.0 million available under a delayed draw term loan of the Vail Holdings Agreement which will remain available to draw on at any time until January 27, 2026. Proceeds from any borrowings on the revolver component of our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement and the delayed draw term loans are available to be used to refinance our 0.0% Convertible Notes. We expect that our liquidity needs in the near term will be met by continued use of our existing cash and cash equivalents, operating cash flows and borrowings under both the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement and Whistler Credit Agreement, if needed. Under the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement and the Whistler Credit Agreement, any new borrowings would be priced at the Secured Overnight Financing Rate plus 2.10% and Canadian Overnight Repo Rate Average plus 1.75%, respectively.
Significant Uses of Cash
Capital Expenditures
We have historically invested significant amounts of cash in capital expenditures for our resort operations, and we expect to continue to do so, subject to operating performance particularly as it relates to discretionary projects. Currently planned capital expenditures primarily include investments that will allow us to maintain our high-quality standards for the guest experience, as well as certain incremental discretionary improvements at our Resorts, throughout our owned hotels and in technology that can impact the full network. We evaluate additional discretionary capital improvements based on an expected level of return on investment.
We expect our capital plan for calendar year 2025 will be approximately $198 million to $203 million, excluding $46 million of growth capital investments at our European resorts, comprised of $43 million at Andermatt-Sedrun and $3 million at Crans-Montana, and $5 million of real estate related capital projects to complete multi-year transformational investments at the key base area portals of Breckenridge Peak 8 and Keystone River Run, and planning investments to support the development of the West Lionshead area into a fourth base village at Vail Mountain. Including European growth capital investments and real estate related capital, our total capital plan for calendar year 2025 is expected to be approximately $249 million to $254 million. Included in these estimated capital expenditures are approximately $124 million to $128 million of maintenance capital expenditures, which are necessary to maintain appearance and level of service appropriate to our resorts. We currently plan to
54
utilize cash on hand, borrowings available under our credit agreements and/or cash flow generated from future operations to provide the cash necessary to complete our capital plans.
Approximately $88 million was spent for calendar year 2025 capital expenditures as of July 31, 2025 and approximately $110 million to $115 million is expected to be spent in the remainder of calendar year 2025, before $46 million of growth capital investments at our European resorts and $5 million of real estate related capital projects.
Acquisition of Crans-Montana
On May 2, 2024, we acquired Crans-Montana for a purchase price of CHF 97.2 million ($106.8 million), after adjustments for certain agreed-upon items, which was funded with cash on hand.
Debt
As of July 31, 2025, principal payments on the majority of our long-term debt outstanding ($2.5 billion of our $3.2 billion as of July 31, 2025) are not due until fiscal year 2029 and beyond. As of July 31, 2025 and 2024, total long-term debt, net (including long-term debt due within one year) was $3.2 billion and 2.8 billion, respectively. Net Debt (defined as long-term debt, net plus long-term debt due within one year less cash and cash equivalents) was $2.8 billion and $2.5 billion as of July 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
On January 27, 2025, VHI entered into the First Amendment to the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement (the “First Amendment”). The First Amendment, among other things, increased the revolving credit facility by $100.0 million to an aggregate principal amount of $600.0 million, and provides for an incremental term loan facility in aggregate principal amount of $450.0 million in the form of delayed draw term loans. On July 2, 2025 the Company reduced the delayed draw term loan commitment by $175.0 million pursuant to the Ninth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement and in conjunction with the 5.625% Notes offering. The remaining $275.0 million incremental term loan facility is available to be drawn upon at any time at the Company’s option, and any undrawn capacity within the $275.0 million facility will expire on January 27, 2026. No other material terms of the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement were amended. As of July 31, 2025, the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement provides for (i) a revolving loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of $600.0 million, (ii) a term loan facility of $910.5 million and (iii) an incremental term loan facility of $275.0 million in the form of a delayed draw term loan, and the Whistler Credit Agreement provides for a revolving loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of C$300.0 million. On September 24, 2025, we amended the Whistler Credit Agreement primarily to extend the maturity date to September 24, 2030, and to reduce the total commitment from C$300.0 million to C$250.0 million. We expect that our liquidity needs in the near term will be met by continued use of our existing cash and cash equivalents, operating cash flows and borrowings under the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement and the Whistler Credit Agreement, if needed.
Our 0.0% Convertible Notes due 2026 (the “0.0% Convertible Notes”) mature on January 1, 2026, and are therefore reflected within long-term debt due within one year on the Company’s Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheet as of July 31, 2025. On January 30, 2025, the Company completed separate, privately negotiated repurchases for an aggregate principal amount of $50.0 million of its 0.0% Convertible Notes with a limited number of holders for an aggregate cash repurchase price of approximately $48.0 million, representing a gain on extinguishment of debt of approximately $2.0 million, which the Company recorded within gain (loss) on disposal of fixed assets and other, net on its Consolidated Statements of Operations during the year ended July 31, 2025. Following the repurchases, approximately $525.0 million aggregate principal amount of the 0.0% Convertible Notes remain outstanding. Proceeds from any borrowings on the incremental term loan facility and the increase in the revolving credit facility with regard to the First Amendment of the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement, as discussed further above, are undrawn as of July 31, 2025, and are available to be used to refinance the Company’s 0.0% Convertible Notes. Additionally, the Company intends to use the remaining proceeds from the 5.625% Notes, as discussed further below, for the repurchase or repayment of a portion of its outstanding 0.00% Convertible Notes at or prior to their maturity on January 1, 2026.
55
On July 2, 2025, the Company completed an offering of $500.0 million aggregate principal amount of 5.625% Notes due 2030 at par, in a private placement conducted pursuant to Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The 5.625% Notes are senior unsecured obligation of the Company and will be guaranteed by certain of the Company’s domestic subsidiaries (other than certain excluded subsidiaries). We will pay interest on the 5.625% Notes on January 15 and July 15 of each year commencing on January 15, 2026. The 5.625% Notes mature on July 15, 2030. The 5.625% Notes are redeemable, in whole or in part, at any time on or after July 15, 2027 at the redemption prices specified in a 2025 Indenture dated as of July 2, 2025 (the “2025 Indenture”) plus accrued and unpaid interest. Prior to July 15, 2027, the Company may redeem some or all of the 5.625% Notes at a redemption price of 100% of the principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest, plus a “make-whole” premium as specified in the 2025 Indenture. In addition, prior to July 15, 2027, the Company may redeem up to 40% of the aggregate principal amount of the 5.625% Notes with an amount not to exceed the net cash proceeds from certain equity offerings at the redemption price of 105.625% of the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the redemption date. The 5.625% Notes are senior unsecured obligations of the Company and rank equally in right of payment with existing and future senior indebtedness of the Company and the guarantors (as defined in the 2025 Indenture). The Company used the proceeds from the offering to repay borrowings under its revolving credit facility incurred to fund the repurchase of $200 million of its outstanding shares of common stock completed in June 2025 and to fund off-season liquidity. Additionally, it intends to use the remaining proceeds for the repurchase or repayment of a portion of its outstanding 0.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2026 at or prior to their maturity on January 1, 2026.
The 2025 Indenture contains covenants that, among other things, restrict the ability of the Company and the guarantors to incur liens on assets; merge or consolidate with another company or sell, assign, transfer, lease, convey or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets or engage in Sale and Leaseback Transactions (as defined in the 2025 Indenture). The 2025 Indenture does not contain any financial maintenance covenants. Certain of the covenants will not apply to the 5.625% Notes so long as the 5.625% Notes have investment grade ratings from two specified rating agencies and no event of default has occurred and is continuing under the 2025 Indenture. The 2025 Indenture includes customary events of default, including failure to make payment, failure to comply with the obligations set forth in the 2025 Indenture, certain defaults on certain other indebtedness, certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, and invalidity of the guarantees of the 5.625% Notes issued pursuant to the 2025 Indenture.
Our debt service requirements can be impacted by changing interest rates as we had approximately $1.0 billion of net variable-rate debt outstanding as of July 31, 2025. A 100-basis point change in our borrowing rates would cause our annual interest payments on our net variable-rate debt to change by approximately $9.6 million based on the rates in effect as of July 31, 2025. Additionally, the annual payments associated with the financing of the Canyons Resort transaction increase by the greater of CPI less 1%, or 2%. The fluctuation in our debt service requirements, in addition to interest rate and inflation changes, may be impacted by future borrowings under our credit agreements or other alternative financing arrangements we may enter into. Our long term liquidity needs depend upon operating results that impact the borrowing capacity under our credit agreements. We can respond to liquidity impacts of changes in the business and economic environment by managing our capital expenditures, variable operating expenses, the timing of new real estate development activity and the payment of cash dividends on our common stock.
Material Cash Requirements
As part of our ongoing operations, we enter into arrangements that obligate us to make future payments under contracts such as debt agreements and construction agreements in conjunction with our resort capital expenditures. Debt obligations, which totaled $3.2 billion as of July 31, 2025, are recognized as liabilities in our Consolidated Balance Sheet. Obligations under construction contracts and other purchase commitments are not recognized as liabilities in our Consolidated Balance Sheet until services and/or goods are received. A summary of our material cash obligations as of July 31, 2025 (excluding obligations presented elsewhere, including Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements) is presented below (in thousands):
| Payments Due by Period | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiscal | 2-3 | 4-5 | More than | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 2026 | years | years | 5 years | ||||||||||||||
| Long-term debt (1) | $ | 3,968,006 | 740,622 | 397,649 | 1,481,862 | 1,347,873 | ||||||||||||
| Service contracts | $ | 58,470 | 39,548 | 17,460 | 1,462 | — | ||||||||||||
| Purchase obligations and other (2) | $ | 631,114 | 466,065 | 83,480 | 2,290 | 79,279 | ||||||||||||
| Total contractual cash obligations | $ | 4,657,590 | $ | 1,246,235 | $ | 498,589 | $ | 1,485,614 | $ | 1,427,152 |
56
(1) Long-term debt includes principal payments, fixed-rate interest payments and estimated variable interest payments utilizing interest rates in effect at July 31, 2025, and assumes all debt outstanding as of July 31, 2025 will be held to maturity. The future annual interest obligations noted herein are estimated only in relation to debt outstanding as of July 31, 2025, and do not reflect interest obligations on potential future debt or refinancing.
Long-term debt also includes $17.3 million of proceeds resulting from real estate transactions accounted for as financing arrangements, which are expected to be recognized on the Company’s Statements of Operations in future years as a result of the anticipated resolution of continuing involvement, with no associated cash outflow.
(2) Purchase obligations and other primarily includes amounts which are classified as trade payables ($131.4 million), accrued payroll and benefits ($123.5 million), accrued fees and assessments ($46.5 million), contingent consideration liability ($93.3 million) and accrued taxes (including taxes for uncertain tax positions) ($68.2 million) on our Consolidated Balance Sheet as of July 31, 2025. These amounts also include other commitments for goods and services not yet received, including construction contracts and minimum commitments under season pass alliance agreements, which are not included on our Consolidated Balance Sheet as of July 31, 2025 in accordance with GAAP.
Share Repurchase Program
Our share repurchase program is conducted under authorizations made from time to time by our Board. On March 9, 2006, our Board initially authorized the repurchase of up to 3,000,000 shares of Vail Shares and later authorized additional repurchases of up to 3,000,000 additional Vail Shares (July 16, 2008), 1,500,000 Vail Shares (December 4, 2015), 2,500,000 Vail Shares (March 7, 2023), 1,100,000 Vail Shares (September 25, 2024) and 1,500,000 Vail Shares (June 4, 2025), for a total authorization to repurchase shares of up to 12,600,000 Vail Shares. During Fiscal 2025, we repurchased 1,690,503 shares (at an average price of $162.61) for a total cost of approximately $270.0 million, excluding accrued excise tax. Since the inception of this stock repurchase program through July 31, 2025, we have repurchased 11,060,183 Vail Shares at a cost of approximately $1,399.4 million. As of July 31, 2025, 1,539,817 Vail Shares remained available to repurchase under the existing repurchase authorization. Vail Shares purchased pursuant to the repurchase program will be held as treasury shares and may be used for the issuance of shares under our share award plan. Repurchases under the program may be made from time to time at prevailing prices as permitted by applicable laws, and subject to market conditions and other factors. The timing, as well as the number of Vail Shares that may be repurchased under the program, will depend on several factors, including our future financial performance, our available cash resources and competing uses for cash that may arise in the future, the restrictions in our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement, prevailing prices of Vail Shares and the number of Vail Shares that become available for sale at prices that we believe are attractive. The share repurchase program has no expiration date.
Dividend Payments
During Fiscal 2025, we paid cash dividends of $8.88 per share ($328.2 million). During Fiscal 2024, we paid cash dividends of $8.56 per share ($323.7 million). On September 26, 2025, our Board approved a cash dividend of $2.22 per share payable on October 27, 2025 to stockholders of record as of October 9, 2025. We expect to fund the dividend with available cash on hand. The amount, if any, of dividends to be paid in the future will depend on our available cash on hand, anticipated cash needs, overall financial condition, restrictions contained in our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement, future prospects for earnings and cash flows, as well as other factors considered relevant by our Board.
Covenants and Limitations
We must abide by certain restrictive financial covenants under our credit agreements. The most restrictive of those covenants include the following: for the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement, Net Funded Debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio, Secured Net Funded Debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio and the Interest Coverage ratio (each as defined in the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement); for the Whistler Credit Agreement, Consolidated Total Leverage Ratio and Consolidated Interest Coverage Ratio (each as defined in the Whistler Credit Agreement); and for the EPR Secured Notes, Maximum Leverage Ratio and Consolidated Fixed Charge Ratio (each as defined in the EPR Agreements). Additionally, the New Regional Policy loan between Andermatt-Sedrun and the Canton of Uri and Canton of Graubünden dated June 24, 2016 includes restrictive covenants requiring certain minimum financial results (as defined in the agreement). In addition, our financing arrangements limit our ability to make certain restricted payments, pay dividends on or redeem or repurchase stock, make certain investments, make certain affiliate transfers and may limit our ability to enter into certain mergers, consolidations or sales of assets and incur certain indebtedness. Our borrowing availability under the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement is primarily determined by the Net Funded Debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio, which is based on our operating performance, as defined in the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement. Our borrowing availability under the Whistler Credit Agreement is primarily determined by the Consolidated Total Leverage Ratio, which is based on the operating performance of the loan parties, as defined in the Whistler Credit Agreement.
57
We were in compliance with all restrictive financial covenants in our debt instruments as of July 31, 2025. We expect that we will continue to meet all applicable financial maintenance covenants in effect in our credit agreements throughout the year ending July 31, 2026; however, there can be no assurance that we will continue to meet such financial covenants. If such covenants are not met, we would be required to seek a waiver or amendment from the banks participating in our credit agreements. There can be no assurance that such waiver or amendment would be granted, which could have a material adverse impact on our liquidity.
Off Balance Sheet Arrangements
We do not have off balance sheet transactions that are expected to have a material effect on our financial condition, revenue, expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.
Critical Accounting Policies
The preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to select accounting policies and to make judgments and estimates affecting the application of those accounting policies. In applying our accounting policies, different business conditions or the use of different assumptions may result in materially different amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements.
We have identified the most critical accounting policies which were determined by considering accounting policies that involve the most complex or subjective decisions or assessments. We also have other policies considered key accounting policies; however, these policies do not meet the definition of critical accounting policies because they do not generally require us to make estimates or judgments that are complex or subjective. We have reviewed these critical accounting policies and related disclosures with our Audit Committee of the Board.
Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Description
The carrying value of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are evaluated for possible impairment on an annual basis or between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the estimated fair value of a reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset below its carrying value. Definite-lived intangible assets are evaluated for impairment only when there is evidence that events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of these assets may not be recoverable.
Judgments and Uncertainties
Application of the goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment test requires judgment, including the identification of reporting units, determination of the type of impairment test that should be performed, assignment of assets and liabilities to reporting units, assignment of goodwill to reporting units and determination of the estimated fair value of reporting units and indefinite-lived intangible assets. We have the option to first perform a qualitative analysis to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset exceeds the carrying amount. If it is determined, based on qualitative factors, that the fair value of the reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset is more likely than not less than its carrying amount, or if significant changes to macro-economic factors related to the reporting unit or intangible asset have occurred that could materially impact the estimated fair value since the previous quantitative analysis was performed, a quantitative impairment test may be required. The quantitative test includes determination of the estimated fair value of our reporting units using a discounted cash flow analysis and determination of the estimated fair value of indefinite-lived intangible assets primarily using the income approach based upon estimated future revenue streams. These analyses require significant judgments, including estimation of future cash flows, which is dependent on internal forecasts, available industry/market data (to the extent available), estimation of the long-term rate of growth for our business including expectations and assumptions regarding the impact of general economic conditions on our business, estimation of terminal value, determination of the respective weighted average cost of capital and market participant assumptions. Changes in these estimates and assumptions could materially affect the determination of estimated fair value and the amount of any potential impairment for each reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions
Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are tested for impairment at least annually as of May 1. If the net carrying value of the reporting units or assets exceed their estimated fair value, an impairment will be recognized in an amount equal to that excess; otherwise, no impairment loss is recognized. For our annual impairment tests of our reporting units and indefinite-lived
58
intangible assets during Fiscal 2025, we performed either a qualitative analysis and concluded it was more likely than not that fair value exceeded carrying value or a quantitative analysis and concluded the fair value exceeded carrying value.
Fair value determinations require considerable judgment and are sensitive to changes in underlying assumptions and factors. As a result, there can be no assurance that the estimates and assumptions made for purposes of the annual goodwill or indefinite-lived asset impairment tests are accurate. Examples of events or circumstances that could reasonably be expected to negatively affect the underlying key assumptions and ultimately impact the estimated fair value of our reporting units may include such items as: (1) prolonged adverse weather conditions resulting in a sustained decline in guest visitation; (2) a prolonged weakness in the general economic conditions in which guest visitation and spending is adversely impacted; and (3) volatility in the equity and debt markets which could result in a higher discount rate.
While we believe that our estimates and judgments are reasonable and while historical quantitative tests concluded that the estimated fair values of our reporting units and indefinite-lived assets that are in excess of carrying values, if our assumptions are not realized, it is possible that an impairment charge may need to be recorded in the future. However, it is not possible at this time to determine if an impairment charge would result or if such a charge would be material. As of July 31, 2025, we had $1,675.2 million of goodwill and $252.4 million of indefinite-lived intangible assets recorded on our Consolidated Balance Sheet. There can be no assurance that the estimates and assumptions made for purposes of the annual goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment tests will prove to be an accurate prediction of the future.
Tax Contingencies
Description
We must make certain estimates and judgments in determining income tax expense for financial statement purposes. These estimates and judgments occur in the calculation of tax credits and deductions and in the calculation of certain tax assets and liabilities, which arise from differences in the timing of recognition of revenue and expense for tax and financial statement purposes, as well as the interest and penalties relating to uncertain tax positions. The calculation of our tax liabilities involves dealing with uncertainties in the application of complex tax regulations. We recognize liabilities for uncertain tax positions based on a two-step process. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained on audit, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes, if any. The second step requires us to estimate and measure the largest tax benefit that is cumulatively greater than 50% likely of being reversed upon ultimate settlement. It is inherently difficult and subjective to estimate such amounts, as this requires us to determine the probability of various possible outcomes. This evaluation is based on factors including, but not limited to, changes in facts or circumstances, changes in tax law, interpretation of tax law, effectively settled issues under audit and new audit activity. A significant amount of time may pass before a particular matter, for which we may have established a reserve, is audited and fully resolved.
Judgments and Uncertainties
The estimates of our tax contingencies reserve contain uncertainty because management must use judgment to estimate the potential exposure associated with our various filing positions.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions
We believe the estimates and judgments we have made related to tax contingencies are reasonable and we have adequate reserves for uncertain tax positions. Our reserves for uncertain tax positions, including any income tax related interest and penalties, are $56.8 million as of July 31, 2025. This reserve solely relates to the treatment of the Canyons lease payments obligation as payments of debt obligations and that the tax basis in Canyons goodwill is deductible. Actual results could differ and we may be exposed to increases or decreases in those reserves and tax provisions that could be material.
An unfavorable tax settlement could require the use of cash and could possibly result in increased tax expense and effective tax rate and/or adjustments to our deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities in the year of resolution. A favorable tax settlement could possibly result in a reduction in our tax expense, effective tax rate, income taxes payable, other long-term liabilities and/or adjustments to our deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities in the year of settlement or in future years.
Depreciable Lives of Assets
Description
Mountain and lodging operational assets, furniture and fixtures, computer equipment, software, vehicles and leasehold improvements are primarily depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the asset. Assets may
59
become obsolete or require replacement before the end of their useful life in which the remaining book value would be written-off or we could incur costs to remove or dispose of assets no longer in use.
Judgments and Uncertainties
The estimates of our useful lives of the assets contain uncertainty because management must use judgment to estimate the useful life of the asset.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions
Although we believe the estimates and judgments discussed herein are reasonable, actual results could differ, and we may be exposed to increased expense related to depreciable assets disposed of, removed or taken out of service prior to its originally estimated useful life, which may be material. A 10% decrease in the estimated useful lives of depreciable assets would have increased depreciation expense by approximately $31.3 million for Fiscal 2025.
Business Combinations
Description
A component of our growth strategy has been to acquire and integrate businesses that complement our existing operations. We account for business combinations in accordance with the guidance for business combinations and related literature. Accordingly, we allocate the purchase price of acquired businesses to the identifiable tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based upon their estimated fair values at the date of acquisition. The difference between the purchase price and the estimated fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed is recorded as goodwill. In determining the estimated fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination, we use various recognized valuation methods including present value modeling and referenced market values (where available). Valuations are performed by management or independent valuation specialists under management’s supervision, where appropriate.
Judgments and Uncertainties
Accounting for business combinations requires our management to make significant estimates and assumptions, especially at the acquisition date, including our estimates for intangible assets, contractual obligations assumed and contingent consideration, where applicable. Although we believe the assumptions and estimates we have made in the past have been reasonable and appropriate, they are based in part on historical experience and information obtained from the management of the acquired companies and are inherently uncertain. Examples of critical estimates in valuing certain of the intangible assets we have acquired include, but are not limited to: determination of weighted average cost of capital, market participant assumptions, royalty rates, terminal multiples and estimates of future cash flows to be generated by the acquired assets. In addition to the estimates and assumptions applied to valuing intangible assets acquired, the determination of the estimated fair value of contingent consideration, including estimating the likelihood and timing of achieving the relevant thresholds for contingent consideration payments, requires the use of subjective judgments. We estimate the fair value of the Park City contingent consideration payments using an option pricing valuation model which incorporates, among other factors, projected achievement of specified financial performance measures, discount rates and volatility for the respective business.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions
We believe that the estimated fair values assigned to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed are based on reasonable assumptions that a marketplace participant would use. While we use our best estimates and assumptions to accurately value assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date, our estimates are inherently uncertain and subject to refinement. As a result, during the measurement period, which may be up to one year from the acquisition date, we may record adjustments, which could be significant, to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed with the corresponding offset to goodwill. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period or final determination of the estimated fair values of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments would be recorded on our Consolidated Statements of Operations.
We recognize the fair value of contingent consideration, if any, at the date of acquisition as part of the consideration transferred to acquire a business. The liability associated with contingent consideration is remeasured to fair value at each reporting period subsequent to the date of acquisition taking into consideration changes in financial projections and long-term growth rates, among other factors, that may impact the timing and amount of contingent consideration payments until the term of the agreement has expired or the contingency is resolved. Increases in the fair value of contingent consideration are recorded as losses on our Consolidated Statements of Operations, while decreases in fair value are recorded as gains.
60
New Accounting Standards
Refer to the Summary of Significant Accounting Policies within the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of new accounting standards.
Seasonality and Quarterly Results
Our mountain and lodging operations are seasonal in nature, with a typical peak operating season in North America and Europe generally beginning in mid-December and running through mid-April. In particular, revenue and profits for our North American and European mountain and most of our lodging operations are substantially lower and historically result in losses from late spring to late fall. Conversely, peak operating seasons for our NPS concessioner properties, our mountain resort golf courses and our Australian resorts’ ski season generally occur during the North American summer months, and these operations typically incur operating losses during the North American and European winter months. Revenue and profits generated by NPS concessioner properties’ summer operations, golf operations and Australian resorts’ ski operations are not sufficient to fully offset our off-season losses from our North American and European mountain and other lodging operations. During Fiscal 2025, approximately 82% of total combined Mountain and Lodging segment net revenue (excluding Lodging segment revenue associated with reimbursement of payroll costs) was earned during the second and third fiscal quarters. Therefore, the operating results for any three-month period are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved for any subsequent quarter or for a full year (see Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements).
MD&A history
Prior-year 10-K MD&A spans are extracted from SEC filings with the same bounded parser used for the latest filing. The latest 10-K appears above; prior years are below.
FY 2024 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0000812011-24-000091.
ITEM 7.MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.
The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and notes related thereto included in this Form 10-K. To the extent that the following MD&A contains statements which are not of a historical nature, such statements are forward-looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties. These risks include, but are not limited to, those discussed in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in this Form 10-K. The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the Forward-Looking Statements section and Item 1A. “Risk Factors,” each included in this Form 10-K.
The MD&A includes discussion of financial performance within each of our three segments. We have chosen to specifically include segment Reported EBITDA (defined as segment net revenue less segment operating expense, plus segment equity investment income or loss, and for the Real Estate segment, plus gain or loss on sale of real property) in the following discussion because we consider this measurement to be a significant indication of our financial performance. We utilize segment Reported EBITDA in evaluating our performance and in allocating resources to our segments. Net Debt (defined as long-term debt, net plus long-term debt due within one year less cash and cash equivalents) is included in the following discussion because we consider this measurement to be a significant indication of our available capital resources. We also
44
believe that Net Debt is an important measurement as it is an indicator of our ability to obtain additional capital resources for our future cash needs. Resort Reported EBITDA (defined as the combination of segment Reported EBITDA of our Mountain and Lodging segments), Total Reported EBITDA (which is Resort Reported EBITDA plus segment Reported EBITDA from our Real Estate segment) and Net Debt are not measures of financial performance or liquidity defined under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). Refer to the end of the Results of Operations section for a reconciliation of net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. to Total Reported EBITDA and Resort Reported EBITDA, and long-term debt, net to Net Debt.
Items excluded from Resort Reported EBITDA, Total Reported EBITDA and Net Debt are significant components in understanding and assessing financial performance or liquidity. Resort Reported EBITDA, Total Reported EBITDA and Net Debt should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to, or substitute for, net income, net change in cash and cash equivalents or other financial statement data presented in the Consolidated Financial Statements. Because Resort Reported EBITDA, Total Reported EBITDA and Net Debt are not measurements determined in accordance with GAAP and are thus susceptible to varying calculations, Resort Reported EBITDA, Total Reported EBITDA and Net Debt, as presented herein, may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. In addition, our segment Reported EBITDA (i.e. Mountain, Lodging and Real Estate), the measure of segment profit or loss required to be disclosed in accordance with GAAP, may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies.
Overview
Our operations are grouped into three integrated and interdependent segments: Mountain, Lodging and Real Estate. We refer to “Resort” as the combination of the Mountain and Lodging segments. The Mountain, Lodging and Real Estate segments represented approximately 88%, 12% and 0%, respectively, of our net revenue for Fiscal 2024.
Mountain Segment
In the Mountain segment, the Company operates the following 42 destination mountain resorts and regional ski areas (collectively, “Resorts”):
*Denotes a destination mountain resort, which generally receives a meaningful portion of skier visits from long-distance travelers, as opposed to our regional ski areas, which tend to generate skier visits predominantly from their respective local markets.
45
Additionally, we operate ancillary services, primarily including ski school, dining and retail/rental operations, and for our Australian ski areas, including lodging and transportation operations. Mountain segment revenue is seasonal, with the majority of revenue earned from our North American and European ski operations occurring in our second and third fiscal quarters and the majority of revenue earned from our Australian ski operations occurring in our first and fourth fiscal quarters. Our North American and European Resorts typically experience their peak operating season for the Mountain segment from mid-December through mid-April, and our Australian ski areas typically experience their peak operating season from June to early October. Our largest source of Mountain segment revenue comes from the sale of lift tickets (including pass products), which represented approximately 57%, 56%, and 59% of Mountain segment net revenue for Fiscal 2024, the fiscal year ended July 31, 2023 (“Fiscal 2023”) and the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022 (“Fiscal 2022”), respectively.
Lift revenue is driven by volume and pricing. Pricing is impacted by absolute pricing, as well as both the demographic and geographic mix of guests, which impacts the price points at which various products are purchased. The demographic mix of guests that visit our North American Resorts is divided into two primary categories: (i) out-of-state and international (“Destination”) guests and (ii) in-state and local (“Local”) guests. The geographic mix depends on levels of visitation to our destination mountain resorts versus our regional ski areas. For both the 2023/2024 and 2022/2023 North American ski seasons, Destination guests comprised approximately 57% of our North American destination mountain resort skier visits (excluding complimentary access), while Local guests comprised approximately 43%, which compares to approximately 58% and 42%, respectively, for the 2021/2022 North American ski season. Skier visitation at our regional ski areas is largely comprised of Local guests. Destination guests generally purchase our higher-priced lift tickets (including pass products) and utilize more ancillary services such as ski school, dining and retail/rental, as well as lodging at or around our mountain resorts. Additionally, Destination guest visitation is less likely to be impacted by changes in the weather during the current season, but may be more impacted by adverse economic conditions, the global geopolitical climate, travel disruptions or weather conditions in the immediately preceding ski season. Local guests tend to be more value-oriented and weather-sensitive.
We offer a variety of pass products for all of our Resorts, marketed toward both Destination and Local guests. Our pass product offerings range from providing access to one or a combination of our Resorts for a certain number of days to our Epic Pass, which allows pass holders unlimited and unrestricted access to all of our Resorts. The Epic Day Pass is a customizable one to seven day pass product purchased in advance of the season, for those skiers and riders who want to purchase access for a certain number of days during the season, and which is available in three tiers of resort access offerings. Our pass products provide a compelling value proposition to our guests, which in turn assists us in developing a loyal base of customers who commit to ski at our Resorts generally in advance of the ski season and typically ski more days each season at our Resorts than those guests who do not buy pass products. Additionally, we enter into strategic long-term pass alliance agreements with third-party mountain resorts, which further increase the value proposition of our pass products. For the 2024/2025 ski season, our pass alliances include Telluride Ski Resort in Colorado, Hakuba Valley and Rusutsu Resort in Japan, Resorts of the Canadian Rockies in Canada, Les 3 Vallées in France, Disentis Ski Area and Verbier 4 Vallées in Switzerland, Skirama Dolomiti in Italy and Ski Arlberg in Austria. Our pass program drives strong customer loyalty; mitigates exposure to more weather sensitive guests; generates additional ancillary spending; and provides cash flow in advance of winter season operations. In addition, our pass program attracts new guests to our Resorts. All of our pass products, including the Epic Pass and Epic Day Pass, are predominately sold prior to the start of the ski season. Pass product revenue, although primarily collected prior to the ski season, is recognized in our Consolidated Statements of Operations throughout the ski season on a straight-line basis using the number of skiable days of the season-to-date period relative to the total estimated number of skiable days of the season.
Lift revenue consists of pass product lift revenue (“pass revenue”) and non-pass product lift revenue (“non-pass revenue”). Approximately 65%, 61% and 61% of total lift revenue was derived from pass revenue for Fiscal 2024, Fiscal 2023 and Fiscal 2022, respectively.
The cost structure of our mountain resort operations has a significant fixed component with variable expenses including, but not limited to, land use permit or lease fees, credit card fees, retail/rental cost of sales and labor, ski school labor and expenses associated with our dining operations; as such, profit margins can fluctuate greatly based on the level of revenues.
Lodging Segment
Operations within the Lodging segment include: (i) ownership/management of a group of luxury hotels through the RockResorts brand proximate to our Colorado and Utah mountain resorts; (ii) ownership/management of non-RockResorts branded hotels and condominiums proximate to our North American Resorts; (iii) National Park Service (“NPS”) concessioner properties, including the Grand Teton Lodge Company (“GTLC”); (iv) a Colorado resort ground transportation company; and (v) mountain resort golf courses.
46
The performance of our lodging properties (including managed condominium rooms) proximate to our Resorts, and our Colorado resort ground transportation company, are closely aligned with the performance of the Mountain segment and generally experience similar seasonal trends, particularly with respect to visitation by Destination guests. Revenues from such properties represented approximately 68%, 71% and 73% of Lodging segment net revenue (excluding Lodging segment revenue associated with the reimbursement of payroll costs) for Fiscal 2024, Fiscal 2023 and Fiscal 2022, respectively. Management primarily focuses on Lodging net revenue excluding payroll cost reimbursements and Lodging operating expense excluding reimbursed payroll costs (which are not measures of financial performance under GAAP) as the reimbursements are made based upon the costs incurred with no added margin and as such, the revenue and corresponding expense do not affect our Lodging Reported EBITDA, which we use to evaluate Lodging segment performance. Revenue of the Lodging segment during our first and fourth fiscal quarters is generated primarily by the operations of our NPS concessioner properties (as their peak operating season generally occurs during the months of June to October), as well as golf operations and seasonally low operations from our other owned and managed properties and businesses.
Real Estate Segment
The principal activities of our Real Estate segment include the sale of land parcels to third-party developers and planning for future real estate development projects, including zoning and acquisition of applicable permits. We continue undertaking preliminary planning and design work on future projects and are pursuing opportunities with third-party developers rather than undertaking our own significant vertical development projects. Real estate development projects by third-party developers most often result in the creation of certain resort assets that provide additional benefit to the Mountain segment. We believe that, due to our low carrying cost of real estate land investments, we are well situated to promote future projects by third-party developers while limiting our financial risk. Our revenue from the Real Estate segment and associated expense can fluctuate significantly based upon the timing of closings and the type of real estate being sold, causing volatility in the Real Estate segment’s operating results from period to period.
Recent Trends, Risks and Uncertainties
We have identified the following important factors (as well as risks and uncertainties associated with such factors) that could impact our future financial performance or condition:
•Our overall results for the year highlight the stability and resilience of our advance commitment strategy. Skier visitation declined 9.5% compared to the prior year, driven by unfavorable conditions across our resorts in North America and Australia, combined with the impact of broader industry normalization post-COVID following record visitation in North America during the 2022/2023 ski season. In North America, snowfall across our western resorts was down 28% from the prior year and our Eastern U.S. resorts (comprising the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast) experienced limited natural snow and variable temperatures. Despite industry normalization and challenging conditions, Resort Reported EBITDA, excluding the impact of the Crans-Montana acquisition, remained consistent with prior year results. Performance was supported by strong growth in ancillary spending per visit across ski school, dining, and rental businesses at our resorts, and by strong delivery of the guest experience and cost discipline across our operations.
•Overall weather conditions, including the timing and amount of snowfall, can have an impact on Mountain and Lodging revenue, particularly with regard to skier visits and the duration and frequency of guest visitation. To help mitigate this impact, we sell a variety of pass products prior to the beginning of the ski season, which results in a more stabilized stream of lift revenue. Additionally, our pass products provide a compelling value proposition to our guests, which in turn create a guest commitment predominately prior to the start of the ski season. In March 2024, we began our season pass sales program for the 2024/2025 North American ski season. Pass product sales through September 20, 2024 for the upcoming 2024/2025 North American ski season decreased approximately 3% in units and increased approximately 3% in sales dollars as compared to the prior year period through September 22, 2023. Pass product sales are adjusted to eliminate the impact of foreign currency by applying an exchange rate of $0.74 between the Canadian dollar and U.S. dollar in both periods for Whistler Blackcomb pass sales. We cannot predict if these trends will continue through the 2024 North American pass sales campaign or the overall impact that pass sales will have on lift revenue for the 2024/2025 North American ski season.
•The economies in the countries in which we operate and from which we attract our guests may be impacted by economic challenges associated with elevated inflation, prolonged elevated interest rates, geopolitical conflicts, political uncertainty and financial institution disruptions and/or fluctuating commodity prices that could adversely impact our business, including decreased guest spending or visitation or increased costs of operations. Skiing, travel and tourism are discretionary recreational activities that can entail a relatively high cost of participation. As a result, economic downturns and other negative impacts to consumer discretionary spending may have a pronounced impact on visitation to our
47
Resorts. We cannot predict the extent to which we may be impacted by such potential economic challenges, whether in North America or globally.
•As of July 31, 2024, we had $322.8 million of cash and cash equivalents, as well as $407.9 million available under the revolver component of the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement, which represents the total commitment of $500.0 million less certain letters of credit outstanding of $92.1 million. Additionally, we have a credit facility which supports the liquidity needs of Whistler Blackcomb (the “Whistler Credit Agreement”). As of July 31, 2024, we had C$296.6 million ($214.8 million) available under the revolver component of the Whistler Credit Agreement which represents the total commitment of C$300.0 million ($217.3 million) less letters of credit outstanding of C$3.4 million ($2.5 million). We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents, availability under our credit agreements and the continued positive cash flow from operating activities of our Mountain and Lodging segments less resort capital expenditures will continue to provide us with sufficient liquidity to fund our operations.
•On May 2, 2024, we acquired Crans-Montana Mountain Resort (“Crans-Montana”) in Switzerland from CPI Property Group for a cash purchase price of CHF 97.2 million ($106.8 million), after adjustments for certain agreed-upon items. We acquired (i) an 84% ownership stake in Remontées Mécaniques Crans Montana Aminona SA, which controls and operates all of the lifts and supporting mountain operations, including four retail and rental locations; (ii) 100% ownership of SportLife AG, which operates one of the ski schools located at the resort; and (iii) 100% ownership of 11 restaurants located on and around the mountain. The acquisition was funded with cash on hand. We plan to include unlimited and unrestricted access to Crans-Montana on the Epic Pass for the 2024/2025 ski season, as well as provide access on other pass products. We cannot predict the ultimate impact the acquisition of Crans-Montana will have on our future results of operations.
Results of Operations
Summary
Shown below is a summary of operating results for Fiscal 2024, Fiscal 2023 and Fiscal 2022 (in thousands):
| Year ended July 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||
| Net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. | $ | 230,405 | $ | 268,148 | $ | 347,923 | ||||
| Income before provision for income taxes | $ | 345,095 | $ | 373,517 | $ | 457,161 | ||||
| Mountain Reported EBITDA | $ | 802,072 | $ | 822,570 | $ | 811,167 | ||||
| Lodging Reported EBITDA | 23,018 | 12,267 | 25,747 | |||||||
| Resort Reported EBITDA | $ | 825,090 | $ | 834,837 | $ | 836,914 | ||||
| Real Estate Reported EBITDA | $ | 1,475 | $ | (1,728) | $ | (3,927) |
A discussion of segment results, including reconciliations of net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. to Total Reported EBITDA, and other items can be found below. The consolidated results of operations, including any consolidated financial metrics pertaining thereto, include the operations of Crans-Montana (acquired May 2, 2024), Andermatt-Sedrun (acquired August 3, 2022) and Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Hidden Valley Resort and Laurel Mountain Ski Area in Pennsylvania (collectively, the “Seven Springs Resorts,” acquired December 31, 2021) prospectively from their respective dates of acquisition.
The sections titled “Fiscal 2024 compared to Fiscal 2023” in each of the Mountain and Lodging segment discussions below provide comparisons of financial and operating performance for Fiscal 2024 to Fiscal 2023, unless otherwise noted. Discussion of our financial results for Fiscal 2023 compared to Fiscal 2022 can be found in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for Fiscal 2023, which was filed on September 28, 2023.
48
Mountain Segment
Mountain segment operating results for Fiscal 2024, Fiscal 2023 and Fiscal 2022 are presented by category as follows (in thousands, except effective ticket price (“ETP)):
| Percentage | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year ended July 31, | Increase/(Decrease) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2024/2023 | 2023/2022 | |||||||||||||
| Mountain net revenue: | |||||||||||||||||
| Lift | $ | 1,442,784 | $ | 1,420,900 | $ | 1,310,213 | 1.5 | % | 8.4 | % | |||||||
| Ski school | 304,548 | 287,275 | 223,645 | 6.0 | % | 28.5 | % | ||||||||||
| Dining | 227,572 | 224,642 | 163,705 | 1.3 | % | 37.2 | % | ||||||||||
| Retail/rental | 317,196 | 361,484 | 311,768 | (12.3) | % | 15.9 | % | ||||||||||
| Other | 252,270 | 246,605 | 203,783 | 2.3 | % | 21.0 | % | ||||||||||
| Total Mountain net revenue | 2,544,370 | 2,540,906 | 2,213,114 | 0.1 | % | 14.8 | % | ||||||||||
| Mountain operating expense: | |||||||||||||||||
| Labor and labor-related benefits | 731,153 | 744,613 | 561,266 | (1.8) | % | 32.7 | % | ||||||||||
| Retail cost of sales | 107,093 | 118,717 | 99,024 | (9.8) | % | 19.9 | % | ||||||||||
| Resort related fees | 110,113 | 104,797 | 93,177 | 5.1 | % | 12.5 | % | ||||||||||
| General and administrative | 350,788 | 325,903 | 292,412 | 7.6 | % | 11.5 | % | ||||||||||
| Other | 444,204 | 424,911 | 358,648 | 4.5 | % | 18.5 | % | ||||||||||
| Total Mountain operating expense | 1,743,351 | 1,718,941 | 1,404,527 | 1.4 | % | 22.4 | % | ||||||||||
| Mountain equity investment income, net | 1,053 | 605 | 2,580 | 74.0 | % | (76.6) | % | ||||||||||
| Mountain Reported EBITDA | $ | 802,072 | $ | 822,570 | $ | 811,167 | (2.5) | % | 1.4 | % | |||||||
| Total skier visits | 17,564 | 19,410 | 17,298 | (9.5) | % | 12.2 | % | ||||||||||
| ETP | $ | 82.14 | $ | 73.20 | $ | 75.74 | 12.2 | % | (3.4) | % |
Mountain Reported EBITDA includes $23.2 million, $21.2 million and $20.9 million of stock-based compensation expense for Fiscal 2024, Fiscal 2023 and Fiscal 2022, respectively.
Fiscal 2024 compared to Fiscal 2023
Mountain Reported EBITDA decreased $20.5 million, or 2.5%. The decrease was primarily driven by (i) challenging conditions at our North American resorts for a large portion of the 2023/2024 ski season compared to the prior year, as well as broader industry normalization post-COVID following record visitation in North America during the 2022/2023 ski season, which led to a decline in both Local and Destination skier visitation and decreases in non-pass revenue and retail/rental revenue; (ii) our Australian operations, which experienced weather-related challenges that impacted terrain during the 2023 and 2024 Australian ski seasons, compared to record visitation and favorable snow conditions during the 2022 ski season; and (iii) increases in general and administrative expenses, property tax expense and repairs and maintenance expense, each including the impact of inflation. These decreases were partially offset by (i) an increase in pass revenue, driven by an increase in pass product sales for the 2023/2024 North American ski season compared to the prior year; (ii) strong growth in spending per visit in our ski school and dining businesses compared to the prior year; (iii) decreased labor and labor-related benefits due to disciplined cost management in response to decreased skier visits; and (iv) other decreases in variable expenses. Mountain segment results also include $8.0 million and $3.1 million of acquisition and integration related expenses for Fiscal 2024 and Fiscal 2023, respectively.
Lift revenue increased $21.9 million, or 1.5%, primarily due to an increase in pass revenue of 9.4%, which was primarily driven by an increase in pass product sales for the 2023/2024 North American ski season compared to the prior year, partially offset by a decrease in non-pass revenue of 10.7%, primarily driven by challenging conditions at our North American resorts for a large portion of the season compared to the prior year, as well as broader industry normalization post-COVID following record visitation in North America during the 2022/2023 ski season, and a decrease in non-pass revenue at our Australian resorts as a result of decreased visitation from weather-related challenges that impacted terrain during the 2023 and 2024 Australian ski seasons, compared to record visitation and favorable snow conditions in the 2022 Australian ski season. The decrease in non-pass revenue was partially offset by an increase in non-pass ETP of 11.2%.
49
Ski school revenue increased $17.3 million, or 6.0%, and dining revenue increased $2.9 million, or 1.3%, both primarily as a result of an increase in guest spending per visit at our North American resorts. Retail/rental revenue decreased $44.3 million, or 12.3%, for which retail sales decreased $29.2 million, or 13.8%, and rental sales decreased $15.2 million, or 10.1%. The decrease in both retail and rental revenue was primarily driven by a decrease in skier visitation of 9.5%, which impacted sales at our on-mountain retail outlets in North America, as well as broader industry-wide customer spending trends and our exit of certain leased store operations which we operated in the prior year, which resulted in a revenue reduction of approximately $18.2 million.
Other revenue mainly consists of summer revenues, other mountain activities revenue, employee housing revenue, guest services revenue, commercial leasing revenue, marketing and internet advertising revenue, private club revenue (which includes both club dues and amortization of initiation fees), municipal services revenue and other recreation activity revenue. Other revenue also includes Australian resort lodging and transportation revenue. Other revenue increased $5.7 million, or 2.3%, primarily driven by an increase in guest spending per visit at our North American resorts.
Operating expense increased $24.4 million, or 1.4%, which was primarily attributable to an increase in general and administrative expenses, property tax expense, and repairs and maintenance expense, partially offset by reduced labor hours at our North American Resorts in the current year as a result of challenging weather conditions that existed for a large portion of the season, which impacted our ability to operate at full capacity, as well as disciplined cost management. Operating expense includes $8.0 million and $3.1 million of acquisition and integration related expenses for Fiscal 2024 and Fiscal 2023, respectively.
Labor and labor-related benefits decreased 1.8%, primarily attributable to reduced labor hours at our North American Resorts in the current year as a result of challenging weather conditions that existed for a large portion of the season, which impacted our ability to operate at full capacity, as well as disciplined cost management. Retail cost of sales decreased 9.8%, compared to a decrease in retail sales of 13.8%, reflecting decreased margins on retail products driven by higher sales of discounted inventory. Resort related fees increased 5.1% primarily as a result of an increase in revenues on which those fees are based. General and administrative expense increased 7.6%, primarily due to an increase in allocated corporate overhead costs across nearly all corporate functions (which includes the incremental impact of our prior year investments in employee wages, which went into effect in October 2022, and the impact of updated allocations of general and administrative expenses between segments which offsets primarily with decreases in the Lodging segment). Other expense increased 4.5%, primarily due to increased property taxes ($5.0 million), acquisition and integration related expenses ($4.9 million), repairs and maintenance expense ($4.6 million), professional services expense ($3.3 million) and utilities expense ($2.5 million), including the impact of inflation, partially offset by decreased dining cost of sales ($3.8 million) and fuel expenses ($3.4 million).
Mountain equity investment income, net primarily includes our share of income from the operations of a real estate brokerage company.
50
Lodging Segment
Lodging segment operating results for Fiscal 2024, Fiscal 2023 and Fiscal 2022 are presented by category as follows (in thousands, except average daily rate (“ADR”) and revenue per available room (“RevPAR”)):
| Percentage | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year ended July 31, | Increase/(Decrease) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2024/2023 | 2023/2022 | |||||||||||||
| Lodging net revenue: | |||||||||||||||||
| Owned hotel rooms | $ | 83,977 | $ | 80,117 | $ | 80,579 | 4.8 | % | (0.6) | % | |||||||
| Managed condominium rooms | 86,199 | 96,785 | 97,704 | (10.9) | % | (0.9) | % | ||||||||||
| Dining | 63,255 | 62,445 | 48,569 | 1.3 | % | 28.6 | % | ||||||||||
| Transportation | 16,309 | 15,242 | 16,021 | 7.0 | % | (4.9) | % | ||||||||||
| Golf | 13,722 | 12,737 | 10,975 | 7.7 | % | 16.1 | % | ||||||||||
| Other | 56,368 | 55,816 | 46,500 | 1.0 | % | 20.0 | % | ||||||||||
| Lodging net revenue (excluding payroll cost reimbursements) | 319,830 | 323,142 | 300,348 | (1.0) | % | 7.6 | % | ||||||||||
| Payroll cost reimbursements | 16,287 | 17,251 | 11,742 | (5.6) | % | 46.9 | % | ||||||||||
| Total Lodging net revenue | 336,117 | 340,393 | 312,090 | (1.3) | % | 9.1 | % | ||||||||||
| Lodging operating expense: | |||||||||||||||||
| Labor and labor-related benefits | 139,840 | 148,915 | 128,884 | (6.1) | % | 15.5 | % | ||||||||||
| General and administrative | 59,239 | 63,562 | 55,081 | (6.8) | % | 15.4 | % | ||||||||||
| Other | 97,733 | 98,398 | 90,636 | (0.7) | % | 8.6 | % | ||||||||||
| Lodging operating expense (excluding reimbursed payroll costs) | 296,812 | 310,875 | 274,601 | (4.5) | % | 13.2 | % | ||||||||||
| Reimbursed payroll costs | 16,287 | 17,251 | 11,742 | (5.6) | % | 46.9 | % | ||||||||||
| Total Lodging operating expense | 313,099 | 328,126 | 286,343 | (4.6) | % | 14.6 | % | ||||||||||
| Lodging Reported EBITDA | $ | 23,018 | $ | 12,267 | $ | 25,747 | 87.6 | % | (52.4) | % |
| Owned hotel statistics(1): | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADR | $ | 317.65 | $ | 312.15 | $ | 309.78 | 1.8 | % | 0.8 | % | |||||||
| RevPar | $ | 161.82 | $ | 160.75 | $ | 170.84 | 0.7 | % | (5.9) | % | |||||||
| Managed condominium statistics: | |||||||||||||||||
| ADR | $ | 424.13 | $ | 416.77 | $ | 410.13 | 1.8 | % | 1.6 | % | |||||||
| RevPar | $ | 118.91 | $ | 124.41 | $ | 122.15 | (4.4) | % | 1.9 | % | |||||||
| Owned hotel and managed condominium statistics (combined): | |||||||||||||||||
| ADR | $ | 381.60 | $ | 378.62 | $ | 373.89 | 0.8 | % | 1.3 | % | |||||||
| RevPar | $ | 130.41 | $ | 133.48 | $ | 133.53 | (2.3) | % | — | % |
Lodging Reported EBITDA includes $3.3 million, $4.0 million and $3.7 million of stock-based compensation expense for Fiscal 2024, Fiscal 2023 and Fiscal 2022, respectively.
Fiscal 2024 compared to Fiscal 2023
Lodging Reported EBITDA increased $10.8 million, or 87.6%, driven by a decrease in labor and labor-related benefits primarily associated with strong cost management and lower staffing required to support a reduced inventory of managed condominium rooms, as well as a decrease in general and administrative expense, partially offset by a decrease in revenues primarily due to a reduction in our inventory of available managed condominium rooms proximate to our mountain resorts.
51
Revenue from owned hotel rooms increased $3.9 million, or 4.8%, primarily due to an increase in revenue at GTLC as a result of improved visitation which was assisted by favorable weather conditions, and which enabled increased room pricing for owned hotel rooms and resulted in higher ADR. Revenue from managed condominium rooms decreased $10.6 million, or 10.9% primarily due to a reduction in our inventory of available managed condominium rooms proximate to our mountain resorts, as well as decreased demand, including the impact of decreased skier visitation driven by challenging weather conditions at our North American resorts for a large portion of the season compared to the prior year.
Operating expense (excluding reimbursed payroll costs) decreased 4.5%. Labor and labor-related benefits decreased 6.1%, primarily associated with strong cost management and lower staffing required to support a reduced inventory of managed condominium rooms. General and administrative expense decreased 6.8% compared to the prior year, primarily due to a decrease in allocated corporate overhead costs, including the impact of updated allocations of general and administrative expenses between segments which offsets primarily with increases in the Mountain segment.
Revenue from payroll cost reimbursement and the corresponding reimbursed payroll costs relate to payroll costs at managed hotel properties where we are the employer and all payroll costs are reimbursed by the owners of the properties under contractual arrangements. Since the reimbursements are made based upon the costs incurred with no added margin, the revenue and corresponding expense have no effect on our Lodging Reported EBITDA.
Real Estate Segment
Our Real Estate net revenue is primarily determined by the timing of closings and the mix of real estate sold in any given period. Different types of projects have different revenue and profit margins; therefore, as the real estate inventory mix changes, it can greatly impact Real Estate segment net revenue, operating expense, gain or loss on sale of real property and Real Estate Reported EBITDA.
Real Estate segment operating results for Fiscal 2024, Fiscal 2023 and Fiscal 2022 are presented by category as follows (in thousands):
| Percentage | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year ended July 31, | Increase/(Decrease) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2024/2023 | 2023/2022 | |||||||||||||
| Total Real Estate net revenue | $ | 4,704 | $ | 8,065 | $ | 708 | (41.7) | % | 1,039.1 | % | |||||||
| Real Estate operating expense: | |||||||||||||||||
| Cost of sales (including sales commissions) | 3,607 | 5,146 | 251 | (29.9) | % | 1,950.2 | % | ||||||||||
| Other | 5,907 | 5,489 | 5,660 | 7.6 | % | (3.0) | % | ||||||||||
| Total Real Estate operating expense | 9,514 | 10,635 | 5,911 | (10.5) | % | 79.9 | % | ||||||||||
| Gain on sale of real property | 6,285 | 842 | 1,276 | 646.4 | % | (34.0) | % | ||||||||||
| Real Estate Reported EBITDA | $ | 1,475 | $ | (1,728) | $ | (3,927) | 185.4 | % | 56.0 | % |
Fiscal 2024
During Fiscal 2024, we closed on the sale of a land parcel in Keystone, CO for $4.2 million, which was recorded within Real Estate net revenue, with a corresponding cost of sale of $3.6 million. Additionally, we recorded a gain on sale of real property for $6.3 million related to a land parcel sale in Beaver Creek, CO, which closed for proceeds of $6.5 million.
Other operating expense of $5.9 million was primarily comprised of general and administrative costs, such as labor and labor-related benefits, professional services and allocated corporate overhead costs.
Fiscal 2023
During Fiscal 2023, we closed on the sale of a land parcel in Keystone for $7.5 million, which was recorded within Real Estate net revenue, with a corresponding cost of sale (including sales commission) of $5.1 million.
Other operating expense of $5.5 million was primarily comprised of general and administrative costs, such as labor and labor-related benefits, professional services and allocated corporate overhead costs.
52
Other Items
In addition to segment operating results, the following items contributed to our overall financial position and results of operations (in thousands).
| Year ended July 31, | Percentage Increase/(Decrease) | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2024/2023 | 2023/2022 | |||||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | $ | (276,493) | $ | (268,501) | $ | (252,391) | 3.0 | % | 6.4 | % | |||||||
| Interest expense, net | $ | (161,839) | $ | (153,022) | $ | (148,183) | 5.8 | % | (3.3) | % | |||||||
| Investment income and other, net | $ | 18,592 | $ | 23,744 | $ | 3,718 | (21.7) | % | 538.6 | % | |||||||
| Provision for income taxes | $ | (98,816) | $ | (88,414) | $ | (88,824) | 11.8 | % | (0.5) | % | |||||||
| Effective tax rate | (28.6) | % | (23.7) | % | (19.4) | % | 4.9 pts | 4.3 pts |
Depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization expense for Fiscal 2024 increased $8.0 million compared to the prior year, primarily due to depreciation expense recorded for capital projects recently completed at our Resorts and assets acquired in the acquisition of Crans-Montana ($3.4 million).
Interest expense, net. Interest expense, net for Fiscal 2024 increased $8.8 million compared to the prior year, primarily due to an increase in variable interest rates associated with the unhedged portion of our term loan borrowings under the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement.
Investment income and other, net. Investment income and other, net for Fiscal 2024 decreased $5.2 million compared to Fiscal 2023, primarily as a result of decreased average balances of interest-earning investments, as excess cash balances were utilized during Fiscal 2024 for share repurchases and the cash purchase price for the acquisition of Crans-Montana.
Provision for income taxes. The effective tax rate for Fiscal 2024 was 28.6%, compared to 23.7% for Fiscal 2023. The increase in the effective tax rate was primarily due to an increase in net unfavorable discrete items impacting the tax provision in the current period, including a decrease in the impact of the lapse of the statute of limitations for an uncertain tax position ($5.9 million) and a nonrecurring foreign partnership basis adjustment ($4.7 million).
53
Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures
The following table reconciles net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. to Total Reported EBITDA for Fiscal 2024, Fiscal 2023 and Fiscal 2022 (in thousands):
| Year ended July 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||
| Net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. | $ | 230,405 | $ | 268,148 | $ | 347,923 | ||||
| Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests | 15,874 | 16,955 | 20,414 | |||||||
| Net income | 246,279 | 285,103 | 368,337 | |||||||
| Provision for income taxes | 98,816 | 88,414 | 88,824 | |||||||
| Income before provision for income taxes | 345,095 | 373,517 | 457,161 | |||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 276,493 | 268,501 | 252,391 | |||||||
| Loss (gain) on disposal of fixed assets and other, net | 9,633 | 9,070 | (43,992) | |||||||
| Change in estimated fair value of contingent consideration | 47,957 | 49,836 | 20,280 | |||||||
| Investment income and other, net | (18,592) | (23,744) | (3,718) | |||||||
| Foreign currency loss on intercompany loans | 4,140 | 2,907 | 2,682 | |||||||
| Interest expense, net | 161,839 | 153,022 | 148,183 | |||||||
| Total Reported EBITDA | $ | 826,565 | $ | 833,109 | $ | 832,987 | ||||
| Mountain Reported EBITDA | $ | 802,072 | $ | 822,570 | $ | 811,167 | ||||
| Lodging Reported EBITDA | 23,018 | 12,267 | 25,747 | |||||||
| Resort Reported EBITDA | 825,090 | 834,837 | 836,914 | |||||||
| Real Estate Reported EBITDA | 1,475 | (1,728) | (3,927) | |||||||
| Total Reported EBITDA | $ | 826,565 | $ | 833,109 | $ | 832,987 |
The following table reconciles long-term debt, net to Net Debt (defined as long-term debt, net plus long-term debt due within one year less cash and cash equivalents) (in thousands):
| Year ended July 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||
| Long-term debt, net | $ | 2,721,597 | $ | 2,750,675 | ||
| Long-term debt due within one year | 57,153 | 69,160 | ||||
| Total debt | 2,778,750 | 2,819,835 | ||||
| Less: cash and cash equivalents | 322,827 | 562,975 | ||||
| Net Debt | $ | 2,455,923 | $ | 2,256,860 |
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Changes in significant sources and uses of cash for Fiscal 2024, Fiscal 2023 and Fiscal 2022 are presented by categories as follows (in thousands):
| Year ended July 31, | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 586,774 | $ | 639,563 | $ | 710,499 | ||
| Net cash used in investing activities | $ | (241,069) | $ | (273,167) | $ | (347,917) | ||
| Net cash used in financing activities | $ | (574,788) | $ | (915,708) | $ | (493,136) |
Historically, we have lower cash available at the end of each first and fourth fiscal quarter-ends as compared to our second and third fiscal quarter-ends, primarily due to the seasonality of our Mountain segment operations.
54
Fiscal 2024 compared to Fiscal 2023
We generated $586.8 million of cash from operating activities during Fiscal 2024, a decrease of $52.8 million compared to $639.6 million generated during Fiscal 2023. The decrease in operating cash flows was primarily a result of (i) an increase in income tax payments of approximately $35.0 million, driven by overpayments, net operating loss carryforwards and other deductions in the prior year which offset our estimated payments during Fiscal 2023; (ii) an increase in cash interest payments ($6.1 million); and (iii) a decrease in investment income collected ($5.2 million).
Cash used in investing activities for Fiscal 2024 decreased by $32.1 million, primarily due to (i) a decrease in capital expenditures of approximately $103.7 million as compared to the prior year, driven by our significant investments in lift upgrades impacting Fiscal 2023; (ii) prior year short-term bank deposit investments of $86.8 million, which were invested in deposits with maturity dates of more than three months at the date of purchase and were therefore not reflected as cash equivalents as of July 31, 2023, of which $57.6 million and $38.0 million matured during the Fiscal 2024 and Fiscal 2023, respectively; and (iii) $38.6 million of cash paid to Andermatt Swiss Alps AG upon closing the acquisition of Andermatt-Sedrun, net of cash acquired, on August 3, 2022. These decreases in cash used in investing activities were partially offset by the prior year return of a cash deposit of approximately $114.5 million (CHF 110.0 million) originally made in July 2022 in conjunction with the acquisition of Andermatt-Sedrun, which closed on August 3, 2022. The cash deposit was invested into Andermatt-Sedrun, which is included in our consolidated financial statements subsequent to the acquisition being completed. Additionally, the decreases were also partially offset by the cash purchase price of $94.4 million, net of cash acquired of $12.4 million, related to the acquisition of Crans-Montana on May 2, 2024.
Cash used in financing activities decreased by $340.9 million during Fiscal 2024 compared to Fiscal 2023, primarily due to a decrease in repurchases of common stock of $350.0 million.
Significant Sources of Cash
We had $322.8 million of cash and cash equivalents as of July 31, 2024, compared to $563.0 million as of July 31, 2023, and the decrease was primarily attributable to the cash purchase price associated with the acquisition of Crans-Montana, net of cash acquired, and share repurchases completed during Fiscal 2024. We currently anticipate that our Mountain and Lodging segment operating results will continue to provide a significant source of future operating cash flows (primarily generated in our second and third fiscal quarters).
In addition to our $322.8 million of cash and cash equivalents at July 31, 2024, we had $407.9 million available under the revolver component of our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement as of July 31, 2024 (which represents the total commitment of $500.0 million less outstanding letters of credit of $92.1 million). Additionally, we had C$296.6 million ($214.8 million) available under the revolver component of our Whistler Credit Agreement (which represents the total commitment of C$300.0 million ($217.3 million) less certain outstanding letters of credit of C$3.4 million ($2.5 million)). We expect that our liquidity needs in the near term will be met by continued use of our existing cash and cash equivalents, operating cash flows and borrowings under both the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement and Whistler Credit Agreement, if needed. Under the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement and the Whistler Credit Agreement, any new borrowings would be priced at the Secured Overnight Financing Rate plus 1.60% and Canadian Overnight Repo Rate Average plus 1.75%, respectively.
Significant Uses of Cash
Capital Expenditures
We have historically invested significant amounts of cash in capital expenditures for our resort operations, and we expect to continue to do so, subject to operating performance particularly as it relates to discretionary projects. Currently planned capital expenditures primarily include investments that will allow us to maintain our high-quality standards for the guest experience, as well as certain incremental discretionary improvements at our Resorts, throughout our owned hotels and in technology that can impact the full network. We evaluate discretionary capital improvements based on an expected level of return on investment.
55
We currently anticipate that we will spend approximately $189 million to $194 million on resort capital expenditures during calendar year 2024, excluding $13 million of incremental capital investments in premium fleet and fulfillment infrastructure to support the official launch of My Epic Gear for the 2024/2025 winter season at 12 destination mountain resorts and regional ski areas across North America, $8 million of growth capital investments at Andermatt-Sedrun, $1 million of reimbursable capital, and investments at Crans-Montana, which we expect will include $3 million of maintenance capital expenditures and $2 million associated with integration activities at Crans-Montana. Including My Epic Gear premium fleet, fulfillment infrastructure capital, one-time investments, and investments at Crans-Montana, our total capital plan for calendar year 2024 is expected to be approximately $216 million to $221 million. Included in these estimated capital expenditures are approximately $117 million to $122 million of maintenance capital expenditures (excluding Crans-Montana), which are necessary to maintain appearance and level of service appropriate to our resorts. We currently plan to utilize cash on hand, borrowings available under our credit agreements and/or cash flow generated from future operations to provide the cash necessary to complete our capital plans.
Approximately $81 million was spent for capital expenditures in calendar year 2024 as of July 31, 2024, leaving approximately $135 million to $140 million to spend in the remainder of calendar year 2024.
Acquisition of Crans-Montana
On May 2, 2024, we acquired Crans-Montana for a purchase price of CHF 97.2 million ($106.8 million), after adjustments for certain agreed-upon items, which was funded with cash on hand.
Debt
As of July 31, 2024, principal payments on $2.0 billion of our $2.8 billion in long-term debt outstanding as of July 31, 2024 are not due until fiscal year 2029 and beyond. As of both July 31, 2024 and 2023, total long-term debt, net (including long-term debt due within one year) was $2.8 billion. Net Debt (defined as long-term debt, net plus long-term debt due within one year less cash and cash equivalents) was $2.5 billion and $2.3 billion as of July 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
As of July 31, 2024, the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement provides for (i) a revolving loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of $500.0 million and (ii) a term loan facility of $959.8 million, and the Whistler Credit Agreement provides for a revolving loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of C$300.0 million. We expect that our liquidity needs in the near term will be met by continued use of our existing cash and cash equivalents, operating cash flows and borrowings under the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement and the Whistler Credit Agreement, if needed.
Our debt service requirements can be impacted by changing interest rates as we had approximately $0.6 billion of net variable-rate debt outstanding as of July 31, 2024 (net of $400.0 million of interest rate swap agreements which hedged the variable interest rate component of the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement, and which expired on September 23, 2024). A 100-basis point change in our borrowing rates would cause our annual interest payments on our net variable-rate debt to change by approximately $6.1 million based on the rates in effect as of July 31, 2024, which does not include the impact of the expiration of the interest rate swaps. Additionally, the annual payments associated with the financing of the Canyons Resort transaction increase by the greater of CPI less 1%, or 2%. The fluctuation in our debt service requirements, in addition to interest rate and inflation changes, may be impacted by future borrowings under our credit agreements or other alternative financing arrangements we may enter into. Our long term liquidity needs depend upon operating results that impact the borrowing capacity under our credit agreements. We can respond to liquidity impacts of changes in the business and economic environment by managing our capital expenditures, variable operating expenses, the timing of new real estate development activity and the payment of cash dividends on our common stock.
On May 8, 2024, we completed our offering of $600 million aggregate principal amount of 6.50% senior notes due 2032 at par (the “Notes”). The Notes are unsecured senior obligations of the Company and will be guaranteed by certain of our domestic subsidiaries (other than certain excluded subsidiaries). The net proceeds, together with cash on hand, funded the redemption of all $600 million of our outstanding 6.25% Senior Notes due 2025 at a redemption price equal to 100% of their principal amount and all related fees and expenses. We will pay interest on the Notes on May 15 and November 15 of each year commencing on November 15, 2024. The Notes will mature on May 15, 2032. The Notes are redeemable, in whole or in part, at any time on or after May 15, 2027 at the redemption prices specified in a 2024 Indenture dated as of May 8, 2024 (the “2024 Indenture”) plus accrued and unpaid interest. Prior to May 15, 2027, we may redeem some or all of the Notes at a redemption price of 100% of the principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest, plus a “make-whole” premium as specified in the 2024 Indenture. In addition, prior to May 15, 2027, we may redeem up to 40% of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes with an amount not to exceed the net cash proceeds from certain equity offerings at the redemption price of 106.50% of the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest. The Notes are senior unsecured obligations of the Company and rank equally in right of payment with existing and future senior indebtedness of the Company and the guarantors (as defined in the 2024 Indenture).
56
The 2024 Indenture contains covenants that, among other things, restrict the ability of the Company and the guarantors to incur liens on assets; merge or consolidate with another company or sell, assign, transfer, lease, convey or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets or engage in Sale and Leaseback Transactions (as defined in the 2024 Indenture). The 2024 Indenture does not contain any financial maintenance covenants. Certain of the covenants will not apply to the Notes so long as the Notes have investment grade ratings from two specified rating agencies and no event of default has occurred and is continuing under the 2024 Indenture. The 2024 Indenture includes customary events of default, including failure to make payment, failure to comply with the obligations set forth in the 2024 Indenture, certain defaults on certain other indebtedness, certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, and invalidity of the guarantees of the Notes issued pursuant to the 2024 Indenture.
Material Cash Requirements
As part of our ongoing operations, we enter into arrangements that obligate us to make future payments under contracts such as debt agreements and construction agreements in conjunction with our resort capital expenditures. Debt obligations, which totaled $2.8 billion as of July 31, 2024, are recognized as liabilities in our Consolidated Balance Sheet. Obligations under construction contracts and other purchase commitments are not recognized as liabilities in our Consolidated Balance Sheet until services and/or goods are received. A summary of our material cash obligations as of July 31, 2024 (excluding obligations presented elsewhere, including Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements) is presented below (in thousands):
| Payments Due by Period | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiscal | 2-3 | 4-5 | More than | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 2025 | years | years | 5 years | ||||||||||||||
| Long-term debt (1) | $ | 3,481,028 | 171,107 | 912,578 | 1,007,745 | 1,389,598 | ||||||||||||
| Service contracts | $ | 45,577 | 33,480 | 11,317 | 780 | — | ||||||||||||
| Purchase obligations and other (2) | $ | 591,423 | 409,398 | 93,811 | 3,119 | 85,095 | ||||||||||||
| Total contractual cash obligations | $ | 4,118,028 | $ | 613,985 | $ | 1,017,706 | $ | 1,011,644 | $ | 1,474,693 |
(1) Long-term debt includes principal payments, fixed-rate interest payments (including payments that are required under interest rate swaps) and estimated variable interest payments utilizing interest rates in effect at July 31, 2024, and assumes all debt outstanding as of July 31, 2024 will be held to maturity. The future annual interest obligations noted herein are estimated only in relation to debt outstanding as of July 31, 2024, and do not reflect interest obligations on potential future debt or refinancing.
Long-term debt also includes $12.8 million of proceeds resulting from real estate transactions accounted for as financing arrangements, which are expected to be recognized on the Company’s Statements of Operations in future years as a result of the anticipated resolution of continuing involvement, with no associated cash outflow.
(2) Purchase obligations and other primarily includes amounts which are classified as trade payables ($141.2 million), accrued payroll and benefits ($104.2 million), accrued fees and assessments ($33.9 million), contingent consideration liability ($104.2 million) and accrued taxes (including taxes for uncertain tax positions) ($112.5 million) on our Consolidated Balance Sheet as of July 31, 2024. These amounts also include other commitments for goods and services not yet received, including construction contracts and minimum commitments under season pass alliance agreements, which are not included on our Consolidated Balance Sheet as of July 31, 2024 in accordance with GAAP.
57
Share Repurchase Program
Our share repurchase program is conducted under authorizations made from time to time by our Board of Directors. On March 9, 2006, our Board of Directors initially authorized the repurchase of up to 3,000,000 shares of Vail Shares and later authorized additional repurchases of up to 3,000,000 additional Vail Shares (July 16, 2008), 1,500,000 Vail Shares (December 4, 2015), and 2,500,000 Vail Shares (March 7, 2023), for a total authorization to repurchase shares of up to 10,000,000 Vail Shares. During Fiscal 2024, we repurchased 721,378 shares (at an average price of $207.93) for a total cost of approximately $150.0 million, excluding accrued excise tax. Since the inception of this stock repurchase program through July 31, 2024, we have repurchased 9,369,680 Vail Shares at a cost of approximately $1,129.4 million. As of July 31, 2024, 630,320 Vail Shares remained available to repurchase under the existing repurchase authorization. On September 25, 2024, the Company’s Board of Directors approved an increase in the number of shares authorized to be repurchased under the share repurchase program by an additional 1,100,000 Vail Shares. As a result, 1,730,320 Vail Shares are available to repurchase under the share repurchase program. Vail Shares purchased pursuant to the repurchase program will be held as treasury shares and may be used for the issuance of shares under our share award plan. Repurchases under the program may be made from time to time at prevailing prices as permitted by applicable laws, and subject to market conditions and other factors. The timing, as well as the number of Vail Shares that may be repurchased under the program, will depend on several factors, including our future financial performance, our available cash resources and competing uses for cash that may arise in the future, the restrictions in our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement, prevailing prices of Vail Shares and the number of Vail Shares that become available for sale at prices that we believe are attractive. The share repurchase program has no expiration date.
Dividend Payments
During Fiscal 2024, we paid cash dividends of $8.56 per share ($323.7 million). During Fiscal 2023, we paid cash dividends of $7.94 per share ($314.4 million, including cash dividends paid to Exchangeco shareholders). On September 25, 2024, our Board of Directors approved a cash dividend of $2.22 per share payable on October 24, 2024 to stockholders of record as of October 8, 2024. We expect to fund the dividend with available cash on hand. The amount, if any, of dividends to be paid in the future will depend on our available cash on hand, anticipated cash needs, overall financial condition, restrictions contained in our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement, future prospects for earnings and cash flows, as well as other factors considered relevant by our Board of Directors.
Covenants and Limitations
We must abide by certain restrictive financial covenants under our credit agreements. The most restrictive of those covenants include the following: for the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement, Net Funded Debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio, Secured Net Funded Debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio and the Interest Coverage ratio (each as defined in the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement); for the Whistler Credit Agreement, Consolidated Total Leverage Ratio and Consolidated Interest Coverage Ratio (each as defined in the Whistler Credit Agreement); and for the EPR Secured Notes, Maximum Leverage Ratio and Consolidated Fixed Charge Ratio (each as defined in the EPR Agreements). Additionally, the New Regional Policy loan between Andermatt-Sedrun and the Canton of Uri and Canton of Graubünden dated June 24, 2016 includes restrictive covenants requiring certain minimum financial results (as defined in the agreement). In addition, our financing arrangements limit our ability to make certain restricted payments, pay dividends on or redeem or repurchase stock, make certain investments, make certain affiliate transfers and may limit our ability to enter into certain mergers, consolidations or sales of assets and incur certain indebtedness. Our borrowing availability under the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement is primarily determined by the Net Funded Debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio, which is based on our operating performance, as defined in the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement. Our borrowing availability under the Whistler Credit Agreement is primarily determined by the Consolidated Total Leverage Ratio, which is based on the operating performance of the loan parties, as defined in the Whistler Credit Agreement.
We were in compliance with all restrictive financial covenants in our debt instruments as of July 31, 2024. We expect that we will continue to meet all applicable financial maintenance covenants in effect in our credit agreements throughout the year ending July 31, 2025; however, there can be no assurance that we will continue to meet such financial covenants. If such covenants are not met, we would be required to seek a waiver or amendment from the banks participating in our credit agreements. There can be no assurance that such waiver or amendment would be granted, which could have a material adverse impact on our liquidity.
Off Balance Sheet Arrangements
We do not have off balance sheet transactions that are expected to have a material effect on our financial condition, revenue, expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.
58
Critical Accounting Policies
The preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to select accounting policies and to make judgments and estimates affecting the application of those accounting policies. In applying our accounting policies, different business conditions or the use of different assumptions may result in materially different amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements.
We have identified the most critical accounting policies which were determined by considering accounting policies that involve the most complex or subjective decisions or assessments. We also have other policies considered key accounting policies; however, these policies do not meet the definition of critical accounting policies because they do not generally require us to make estimates or judgments that are complex or subjective. We have reviewed these critical accounting policies and related disclosures with our Audit Committee of the Board of Directors.
Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Description
The carrying value of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are evaluated for possible impairment on an annual basis or between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the estimated fair value of a reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset below its carrying value. Definite-lived intangible assets are evaluated for impairment only when there is evidence that events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of these assets may not be recoverable.
Judgments and Uncertainties
Application of the goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment test requires judgment, including the identification of reporting units, determination of the type of impairment test that should be performed, assignment of assets and liabilities to reporting units, assignment of goodwill to reporting units and determination of the estimated fair value of reporting units and indefinite-lived intangible assets. We have the option to first perform a qualitative analysis to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset exceeds the carrying amount. If it is determined, based on qualitative factors, that the fair value of the reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset is more likely than not less than its carrying amount, or if significant changes to macro-economic factors related to the reporting unit or intangible asset have occurred that could materially impact the estimated fair value since the previous quantitative analysis was performed, a quantitative impairment test may be required. The quantitative test includes determination of the estimated fair value of our reporting units using a discounted cash flow analysis and determination of the estimated fair value of indefinite-lived intangible assets primarily using the income approach based upon estimated future revenue streams. These analyses require significant judgments, including estimation of future cash flows, which is dependent on internal forecasts, available industry/market data (to the extent available), estimation of the long-term rate of growth for our business including expectations and assumptions regarding the impact of general economic conditions on our business, estimation of terminal value, determination of the respective weighted average cost of capital and market participant assumptions. Changes in these estimates and assumptions could materially affect the determination of estimated fair value and the amount of any potential impairment for each reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions
Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are tested for impairment at least annually as of May 1. If the net carrying value of the reporting units or assets exceed their estimated fair value, an impairment will be recognized in an amount equal to that excess; otherwise, no impairment loss is recognized. During Fiscal 2024, we performed qualitative analyses of our reporting units and indefinite-lived intangible assets and determined that the estimated fair value of all material reporting units and indefinite-lived intangible assets exceeded their respective carrying values.
Fair value determinations require considerable judgment and are sensitive to changes in underlying assumptions and factors. As a result, there can be no assurance that the estimates and assumptions made for purposes of the annual goodwill or indefinite-lived asset impairment tests are accurate. Examples of events or circumstances that could reasonably be expected to negatively affect the underlying key assumptions and ultimately impact the estimated fair value of our reporting units may include such items as: (1) prolonged adverse weather conditions resulting in a sustained decline in guest visitation; (2) a prolonged weakness in the general economic conditions in which guest visitation and spending is adversely impacted; and (3) volatility in the equity and debt markets which could result in a higher discount rate.
59
While we believe that our estimates and judgments are reasonable and while historical quantitative tests concluded that the estimated fair values of our reporting units and indefinite-lived assets that are in excess of carrying values, if our assumptions are not realized, it is possible that an impairment charge may need to be recorded in the future. However, it is not possible at this time to determine if an impairment charge would result or if such a charge would be material. As of July 31, 2024, we had $1,678.0 million of goodwill and $252.2 million of indefinite-lived intangible assets recorded on our Consolidated Balance Sheet. There can be no assurance that the estimates and assumptions made for purposes of the annual goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment tests will prove to be an accurate prediction of the future.
Tax Contingencies
Description
We must make certain estimates and judgments in determining income tax expense for financial statement purposes. These estimates and judgments occur in the calculation of tax credits and deductions and in the calculation of certain tax assets and liabilities, which arise from differences in the timing of recognition of revenue and expense for tax and financial statement purposes, as well as the interest and penalties relating to uncertain tax positions. The calculation of our tax liabilities involves dealing with uncertainties in the application of complex tax regulations. We recognize liabilities for uncertain tax positions based on a two-step process. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained on audit, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes, if any. The second step requires us to estimate and measure the largest tax benefit that is cumulatively greater than 50% likely of being reversed upon ultimate settlement. It is inherently difficult and subjective to estimate such amounts, as this requires us to determine the probability of various possible outcomes. This evaluation is based on factors including, but not limited to, changes in facts or circumstances, changes in tax law, interpretation of tax law, effectively settled issues under audit and new audit activity. A significant amount of time may pass before a particular matter, for which we may have established a reserve, is audited and fully resolved.
Judgments and Uncertainties
The estimates of our tax contingencies reserve contain uncertainty because management must use judgment to estimate the potential exposure associated with our various filing positions.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions
We believe the estimates and judgments we have made related to tax contingencies are reasonable and we have adequate reserves for uncertain tax positions. Our reserves for uncertain tax positions, including any income tax related interest and penalties, are $57.1 million as of July 31, 2024. This reserve solely relates to the treatment of the Canyons lease payments obligation as payments of debt obligations and that the tax basis in Canyons goodwill is deductible. Actual results could differ and we may be exposed to increases or decreases in those reserves and tax provisions that could be material.
An unfavorable tax settlement could require the use of cash and could possibly result in increased tax expense and effective tax rate and/or adjustments to our deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities in the year of resolution. A favorable tax settlement could possibly result in a reduction in our tax expense, effective tax rate, income taxes payable, other long-term liabilities and/or adjustments to our deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities in the year of settlement or in future years.
Depreciable Lives of Assets
Description
Mountain and lodging operational assets, furniture and fixtures, computer equipment, software, vehicles and leasehold improvements are primarily depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the asset. Assets may become obsolete or require replacement before the end of their useful life in which the remaining book value would be written-off or we could incur costs to remove or dispose of assets no longer in use.
Judgments and Uncertainties
The estimates of our useful lives of the assets contain uncertainty because management must use judgment to estimate the useful life of the asset.
60
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions
Although we believe the estimates and judgments discussed herein are reasonable, actual results could differ, and we may be exposed to increased expense related to depreciable assets disposed of, removed or taken out of service prior to its originally estimated useful life, which may be material. A 10% decrease in the estimated useful lives of depreciable assets would have increased depreciation expense by approximately $30.3 million for Fiscal 2024.
Business Combinations
Description
A component of our growth strategy has been to acquire and integrate businesses that complement our existing operations. We account for business combinations in accordance with the guidance for business combinations and related literature. Accordingly, we allocate the purchase price of acquired businesses to the identifiable tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based upon their estimated fair values at the date of acquisition. The difference between the purchase price and the estimated fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed is recorded as goodwill. In determining the estimated fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination, we use various recognized valuation methods including present value modeling and referenced market values (where available). Valuations are performed by management or independent valuation specialists under management’s supervision, where appropriate.
Judgments and Uncertainties
Accounting for business combinations requires our management to make significant estimates and assumptions, especially at the acquisition date, including our estimates for intangible assets, contractual obligations assumed and contingent consideration, where applicable. Although we believe the assumptions and estimates we have made in the past have been reasonable and appropriate, they are based in part on historical experience and information obtained from the management of the acquired companies and are inherently uncertain. Examples of critical estimates in valuing certain of the intangible assets we have acquired include, but are not limited to: determination of weighted average cost of capital, market participant assumptions, royalty rates, terminal multiples and estimates of future cash flows to be generated by the acquired assets. In addition to the estimates and assumptions applied to valuing intangible assets acquired, the determination of the estimated fair value of contingent consideration, including estimating the likelihood and timing of achieving the relevant thresholds for contingent consideration payments, requires the use of subjective judgments. We estimate the fair value of the Park City contingent consideration payments using an option pricing valuation model which incorporates, among other factors, projected achievement of specified financial performance measures, discount rates and volatility for the respective business.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions
We believe that the estimated fair values assigned to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed are based on reasonable assumptions that a marketplace participant would use. While we use our best estimates and assumptions to accurately value assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date, our estimates are inherently uncertain and subject to refinement. As a result, during the measurement period, which may be up to one year from the acquisition date, we may record adjustments, which could be significant, to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed with the corresponding offset to goodwill. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period or final determination of the estimated fair values of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments would be recorded on our Consolidated Statements of Operations.
We recognize the fair value of contingent consideration, if any, at the date of acquisition as part of the consideration transferred to acquire a business. The liability associated with contingent consideration is remeasured to fair value at each reporting period subsequent to the date of acquisition taking into consideration changes in financial projections and long-term growth rates, among other factors, that may impact the timing and amount of contingent consideration payments until the term of the agreement has expired or the contingency is resolved. Increases in the fair value of contingent consideration are recorded as losses on our Consolidated Statements of Operations, while decreases in fair value are recorded as gains.
New Accounting Standards
Refer to the Summary of Significant Accounting Policies within the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of new accounting standards.
Seasonality and Quarterly Results
Our mountain and lodging operations are seasonal in nature, with a typical peak operating season in North America and Europe generally beginning in mid-December and running through mid-April. In particular, revenue and profits for our North American and European mountain and most of our lodging operations are substantially lower and historically result in losses from late
61
spring to late fall. Conversely, peak operating seasons for our NPS concessioner properties, our mountain resort golf courses and our Australian resorts’ ski season generally occur during the North American summer months, and these operations typically incur operating losses during the North American and European winter months. Revenue and profits generated by NPS concessioner properties’ summer operations, golf operations and Australian resorts’ ski operations are not sufficient to fully offset our off-season losses from our North American and European mountain and other lodging operations. During Fiscal 2024, approximately 82% of total combined Mountain and Lodging segment net revenue (excluding Lodging segment revenue associated with reimbursement of payroll costs) was earned during the second and third fiscal quarters. Therefore, the operating results for any three-month period are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved for any subsequent quarter or for a full year (see Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements).
FY 2023 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0000812011-23-000047.
ITEM 7.MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.
The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and notes related thereto included in this Form 10-K. To the extent that the following MD&A contains statements which are not of a historical nature, such statements are forward-looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties. These risks include, but are not limited to, those discussed in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in this Form 10-K. The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the Forward-Looking Statements section and Item 1A. “Risk Factors,” each included in this Form 10-K.
The MD&A includes discussion of financial performance within each of our three segments. We have chosen to specifically include segment Reported EBITDA (defined as segment net revenue less segment operating expense, plus segment equity investment income or loss, and for the Real Estate segment, plus gain or loss on sale of real property) in the following discussion because we consider this measurement to be a significant indication of our financial performance. We utilize segment Reported EBITDA in evaluating our performance and in allocating resources to our segments. Net Debt (defined as long-term debt, net plus long-term debt due within one year less cash and cash equivalents) is included in the following discussion because we consider this measurement to be a significant indication of our available capital resources. We also believe that Net Debt is an important measurement as it is an indicator of our ability to obtain additional capital resources for our future cash needs. Resort Reported EBITDA (defined as the combination of segment Reported EBITDA of our Mountain and Lodging segments), Total Reported EBITDA (which is Resort Reported EBITDA plus segment Reported EBITDA from
39
our Real Estate segment) and Net Debt are not measures of financial performance or liquidity defined under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). Refer to the end of the Results of Operations section for a reconciliation of net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. to Total Reported EBITDA and Resort Reported EBITDA, and long-term debt, net to Net Debt.
Items excluded from Resort Reported EBITDA, Total Reported EBITDA and Net Debt are significant components in understanding and assessing financial performance or liquidity. Resort Reported EBITDA, Total Reported EBITDA and Net Debt should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to, or substitute for, net income, net change in cash and cash equivalents or other financial statement data presented in the Consolidated Financial Statements as indicators of financial performance or liquidity. Because Resort Reported EBITDA, Total Reported EBITDA and Net Debt are not measurements determined in accordance with GAAP and are thus susceptible to varying calculations, Resort Reported EBITDA, Total Reported EBITDA and Net Debt, as presented herein, may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. In addition, our segment Reported EBITDA (i.e. Mountain, Lodging and Real Estate), the measure of segment profit or loss required to be disclosed in accordance with GAAP, may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies.
Overview
Our operations are grouped into three integrated and interdependent segments: Mountain, Lodging and Real Estate. We refer to “Resort” as the combination of the Mountain and Lodging segments. The Mountain, Lodging and Real Estate segments represented approximately 88%, 12% and 0%, respectively, of our net revenue for Fiscal 2023.
Mountain Segment
In the Mountain segment, the Company operates the following 41 destination mountain resorts and regional ski areas (collectively, “Resorts”):
*Denotes a destination mountain resort, which generally receives a meaningful portion of skier visits from long-distance travelers, as opposed to our regional ski areas, which tend to generate skier visits predominantly from their respective local markets.
40
Additionally, we operate ancillary services, primarily including ski school, dining and retail/rental operations, and for our Australian ski areas, including lodging and transportation operations. Mountain segment revenue is seasonal, with the majority of revenue earned from our North American and European ski operations occurring in our second and third fiscal quarters and the majority of revenue earned from our Australian ski operations occurring in our first and fourth fiscal quarters. Our North American and European Resorts typically experience their peak operating season for the Mountain segment from mid-December through mid-April, and our Australian ski areas typically experience their peak operating season from June to early October. Our largest source of Mountain segment revenue comes from the sale of lift tickets (including pass products), which represented approximately 56%, 59% and 63% of Mountain segment net revenue for Fiscal 2023, the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022 (“Fiscal 2022”) and the fiscal year ended July 31, 2021 (“Fiscal 2021”), respectively.
Lift revenue is driven by volume and pricing. Pricing is impacted by absolute pricing, as well as both the demographic and geographic mix of guests, which impacts the price points at which various products are purchased. The demographic mix of guests that visit our North American Resorts is divided into two primary categories: (i) out-of-state and international (“Destination”) guests and (ii) in-state and local (“Local”) guests. The geographic mix depends on levels of visitation to our destination mountain resorts versus our regional ski areas. For the 2022/2023 North American ski season, Destination guests comprised approximately 57% of our North American destination mountain resort skier visits (excluding complimentary access), while Local guests comprised approximately 43% of our North American destination mountain resort skier visits (excluding complimentary access), which compares to 58% and 42%, respectively, for the 2021/2022 North American ski season and approximately 52% and 48%, respectively, for the 2020/2021 North American ski season. Skier visitation at our regional ski areas is largely comprised of Local guests. Destination guests generally purchase our higher-priced lift tickets (including pass products) and utilize more ancillary services such as ski school, dining and retail/rental, as well as lodging at or around our mountain resorts. Additionally, Destination guest visitation is less likely to be impacted by changes in the weather during the current season, but may be more impacted by adverse economic conditions, the global geopolitical climate, travel disruptions or weather conditions in the immediately preceding ski season. Local guests tend to be more value-oriented and weather-sensitive.
We offer a variety of pass products for all of our Resorts, marketed toward both Destination and Local guests. Our pass product offerings range from providing access to one or a combination of our Resorts for a certain number of days to our Epic Pass, which allows pass holders unlimited and unrestricted access to all of our Resorts. The Epic Day Pass is a customizable one to seven day pass product purchased in advance of the season, for those skiers and riders who expect to ski a certain number of days during the season, and which is available in three tiers of resort access offerings. Our pass products provide a compelling value proposition to our guests, which in turn assists us in developing a loyal base of customers who commit to ski at our Resorts generally in advance of the ski season and typically ski more days each season at our Resorts than those guests who do not buy pass products. Additionally, we enter into strategic long-term pass alliance agreements with third-party mountain resorts, which further increase the value proposition of our pass products. For the 2023/2024 ski season, our pass alliances include Telluride Ski Resort in Colorado, Hakuba Valley and Rusutsu Resort in Japan, Resorts of the Canadian Rockies in Canada, Les 3 Vallées in France, Disentis Ski Area and Verbier 4 Vallées in Switzerland, Skirama Dolomiti in Italy and Ski Arlberg in Austria. Our pass program drives strong customer loyalty, mitigates exposure to more weather sensitive guests, generates additional ancillary spending and provides cash flow in advance of winter season operations. In addition, our pass program attracts new guests to our Resorts. All of our pass products, including the Epic Pass and Epic Day Pass, are predominately sold prior to the start of the ski season. Pass product revenue, although primarily collected prior to the ski season, is recognized on the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations throughout the ski season on a straight-line basis using the skiable days of the season to date relative to the total estimated skiable days of the season.
Lift revenue consists of pass product lift revenue (“pass revenue”) and non-pass product lift revenue (“non-pass revenue”). Approximately 61% of total lift revenue was derived from pass revenue for each of Fiscal 2023, Fiscal 2022, and Fiscal 2021 (including the impact of the deferral of pass product revenue from Fiscal 2020 to Fiscal 2021 as a result of credits offered to 2019/2020 North American pass product holders who purchased 2020/2021 pass products).
The cost structure of our mountain resort operations has a significant fixed component with variable expenses including, but not limited to, land use permit or lease fees, credit card fees, retail/rental cost of sales and labor, ski school labor and expenses associated with dining operations; as such, profit margins can fluctuate greatly based on the level of revenues.
41
Lodging Segment
Operations within the Lodging segment include: (i) ownership/management of a group of luxury hotels through the RockResorts brand proximate to our Colorado and Utah mountain resorts; (ii) ownership/management of non-RockResorts branded hotels and condominiums proximate to our North American Resorts; (iii) National Park Service (“NPS”) concessioner properties, including the Grand Teton Lodge Company (“GTLC”); (iv) a Colorado resort ground transportation company; and (v) mountain resort golf courses.
The performance of our lodging properties (including managed condominium units) proximate to our Resorts, and our Colorado resort ground transportation company, are closely aligned with the performance of the Mountain segment and generally experience similar seasonal trends, particularly with respect to visitation by Destination guests. Revenues from such properties represented approximately 71%, 73% and 67% of Lodging segment net revenue (excluding Lodging segment revenue associated with the reimbursement of payroll costs) for Fiscal 2023, Fiscal 2022 and Fiscal 2021, respectively. Management primarily focuses on Lodging net revenue excluding payroll cost reimbursements and Lodging operating expense excluding reimbursed payroll costs (which are not measures of financial performance under GAAP) as the reimbursements are made based upon the costs incurred with no added margin and as such, the revenue and corresponding expense do not affect our Lodging Reported EBITDA, which we use to evaluate Lodging segment performance. Revenue of the Lodging segment during our first and fourth fiscal quarters is generated primarily by the operations of our NPS concessioner properties (as their peak operating season generally occurs from mid-May through the end of September); mountain resort golf operations and seasonally lower volume from our other owned and managed properties and businesses.
Real Estate Segment
The principal activities of our Real Estate segment include the sale of land parcels to third-party developers and planning for future real estate development projects, including zoning and acquisition of applicable permits. We continue undertaking preliminary planning and design work on future projects and are pursuing opportunities with third-party developers rather than undertaking our own significant vertical development projects. Additionally, real estate development projects by third-party developers most often result in the creation of certain resort assets that provide additional benefit to the Mountain segment. We believe that, due to our low carrying cost of real estate land investments, we are well situated to promote future projects by third-party developers while limiting our financial risk. Our revenue from the Real Estate segment and associated expense can fluctuate significantly based upon the timing of closings and the type of real estate being sold, causing volatility in the Real Estate segment’s operating results from period to period.
Recent Trends, Risks and Uncertainties
We have identified the following important factors (as well as risks and uncertainties associated with such factors) that could impact our future financial performance or condition:
•The economies in the countries in which we operate and from which we attract our guests may be impacted by economic challenges associated with rising inflation, increasing interest rates, financial institution disruptions and/or fluctuating commodity prices that could adversely impact our business, including decreased guest spending or visitation or increased costs of operations. Skiing, travel and tourism are discretionary recreational activities that can entail a relatively high cost of participation. As a result, economic downturns and other negative impacts to consumer discretionary spending may have a pronounced impact on visitation to our Resorts. We cannot predict the extent to which we may be impacted by such potential economic challenges, whether in North America or globally.
•The timing and amount of snowfall can have an impact on Mountain and Lodging revenue, particularly with regard to skier visits and the duration and frequency of guest visitation. To help mitigate the impact of weather variability, we sell a variety of pass products prior to the beginning of the ski season, which results in a more stabilized stream of lift revenue. Additionally, our pass products provide a compelling value proposition to our guests, which in turn creates a guest commitment predominately prior to the start of the ski season. In March 2023, we began selling pass products for the 2023/2024 North American and European ski seasons. Pass product sales through September 22, 2023 for the upcoming 2023/2024 North American ski season increased approximately 7% in units and approximately 11% in sales dollars as compared to the prior year through September 23, 2022. Pass product sales are adjusted to eliminate the impact of foreign currency by applying an exchange rate of $0.74 between the Canadian dollar and U.S. dollar in both periods for Whistler Blackcomb pass product sales. We cannot predict if this favorable trend will continue through the remainder of the 2023 North American pass product sales campaign or the overall impact that pass product sales will have on lift revenue for the 2023/2024 North American and European ski seasons.
42
•Our overall results throughout the 2022/2023 North American ski season highlight the stability of the advance commitment from season pass products in a season with challenging conditions, including travel disruptions during the peak holiday period, abnormal weather conditions which significantly reduced operating days, terrain availability, and activity offerings across our 26 Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast resorts (collectively, “Eastern” U.S. resorts), and severe weather disruptions at our Tahoe resorts. Our ancillary businesses, including ski school, dining, and retail/rental, experienced strong growth compared to the prior year period, when those businesses were impacted by capacity constraints driven by staffing, and in the case of dining, by operational restrictions associated with COVID-19. Our dining business rebounded strongly from the prior year, though underperformed expectations for the year as guest dining behavior did not fully return to pre-COVID levels following two years of significant operational restrictions associated with COVID-19. The return to normal staffing levels enabled our mountain resorts to deliver a strong guest experience resulting in a significant improvement in guest satisfaction scores, which exceeded pre-COVID-19 levels at our destination mountain resorts.
•Given that we operate in the travel and leisure industry, we are subject to risks related to public health emergencies, including the potential outbreak and spread of contagious disease. Public health emergencies may lead to adverse economic impacts in global and local economies, including the economies in which we operate, which may in turn impact consumer demand, the willingness or ability of guests to travel, guest visitation, staffing levels or financial results. We cannot predict the ultimate impact that any potential public health emergency may have on our guest visitation, guest spending, staffing capabilities, other related trends or overall results of operations.
•As of July 31, 2023, we had $563.0 million of cash and cash equivalents as well as $421.0 million available under the revolver component of the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement, which represents the total commitment of $500.0 million less certain letters of credit outstanding of $79.0 million. Additionally, we have a credit facility which supports the liquidity needs of Whistler Blackcomb (the “Whistler Credit Agreement”). As of July 31, 2023, we had C$296.6 million ($224.9 million) available under the revolver component of the Whistler Credit Agreement which represents the total commitment of C$300.0 million ($227.5 million) less letters of credit outstanding of C$3.4 million ($2.6 million). We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents, availability under our credit agreements and the expected positive cash flow from operating activities of our Mountain and Lodging segments less resort capital expenditures will continue to provide us with sufficient liquidity to fund our operations.
•On August 3, 2022, through a wholly-owned subsidiary, we acquired a 55% controlling interest in Andermatt-Sedrun Sport AG (“Andermatt-Sedrun”) from Andermatt Swiss Alps AG (“ASA”). Andermatt-Sedrun controls and operates all of Andermatt-Sedrun's mountain and ski-related assets, including lifts, most of the restaurants and a ski school operation at the ski area. The total consideration we paid was comprised of a $114.4 million (CHF 110.0 million) investment into Andermatt-Sedrun for use in capital investments to enhance the guest experience on the mountain and $41.3 million (CHF 39.3 million) paid to ASA. As of August 3, 2022 the total fair value of the consideration paid was $155.4 million (CHF 149.3 million). The proceeds paid to ASA will be fully reinvested into real estate developments in the base area. ASA retains a 40% ownership stake in Andermatt-Sedrun, with a group of existing shareholders comprising the remaining 5% ownership. We cannot predict the ultimate impact the acquisition of Andermatt-Sedrun will have on our future results from operations.
Results of Operations
Summary
Shown below is a summary of operating results for Fiscal 2023, Fiscal 2022 and Fiscal 2021 (in thousands):
| Year ended July 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||
| Net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. | $ | 268,148 | $ | 347,923 | $ | 127,850 | ||||
| Income before provision for income taxes | $ | 373,517 | $ | 457,161 | $ | 125,183 | ||||
| Mountain Reported EBITDA | $ | 822,570 | $ | 811,167 | $ | 552,753 | ||||
| Lodging Reported EBITDA | 12,267 | 25,747 | (8,097) | |||||||
| Resort Reported EBITDA | $ | 834,837 | $ | 836,914 | $ | 544,656 | ||||
| Real Estate Reported EBITDA | $ | (1,728) | $ | (3,927) | $ | (4,582) |
43
A discussion of segment results, including reconciliations of net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. to Total Reported EBITDA, and other items can be found below. The consolidated results of operations, including any consolidated financial metrics pertaining thereto, include the operations of Andermatt-Sedrun (acquired August 3, 2022) and Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Hidden Valley Resort and Laurel Mountain Ski Area in Pennsylvania (collectively, the “Seven Springs Resorts,” acquired December 31, 2021) prospectively from their respective dates of acquisition.
COVID-19 in general had an adverse impact on our results of operations for Fiscal 2022 and Fiscal 2021.
The sections titled “Fiscal 2023 compared to Fiscal 2022” in each of the Mountain and Lodging segment discussions below provide comparisons of financial and operating performance for Fiscal 2023 to Fiscal 2022, unless otherwise noted. Discussion of our financial results for Fiscal 2022 compared to Fiscal 2021 can be found in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for Fiscal 2022, which was filed on September 28, 2022.
Mountain Segment
Mountain segment operating results for Fiscal 2023, Fiscal 2022 and Fiscal 2021 are presented by category as follows (in thousands, except ETP):
| Percentage | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year ended July 31, | Increase/(Decrease) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2023/2022 | 2022/2021 | |||||||||||||
| Mountain net revenue: | |||||||||||||||||
| Lift | $ | 1,420,900 | $ | 1,310,213 | $ | 1,076,578 | 8.4 | % | 21.7 | % | |||||||
| Ski school | 287,275 | 223,645 | 144,227 | 28.5 | % | 55.1 | % | ||||||||||
| Dining | 224,642 | 163,705 | 92,186 | 37.2 | % | 77.6 | % | ||||||||||
| Retail/rental | 361,484 | 311,768 | 227,993 | 15.9 | % | 36.7 | % | ||||||||||
| Other | 246,605 | 203,783 | 161,814 | 21.0 | % | 25.9 | % | ||||||||||
| Total Mountain net revenue | 2,540,906 | 2,213,114 | 1,702,798 | 14.8 | % | 30.0 | % | ||||||||||
| Mountain operating expense: | |||||||||||||||||
| Labor and labor-related benefits | 744,613 | 561,266 | 458,029 | 32.7 | % | 22.5 | % | ||||||||||
| Retail cost of sales | 118,717 | 99,024 | 77,217 | 19.9 | % | 28.2 | % | ||||||||||
| Resort related fees | 104,797 | 93,177 | 69,983 | 12.5 | % | 33.1 | % | ||||||||||
| General and administrative | 325,903 | 292,412 | 253,279 | 11.5 | % | 15.5 | % | ||||||||||
| Other | 424,911 | 358,648 | 298,235 | 18.5 | % | 20.3 | % | ||||||||||
| Total Mountain operating expense | 1,718,941 | 1,404,527 | 1,156,743 | 22.4 | % | 21.4 | % | ||||||||||
| Mountain equity investment income, net | 605 | 2,580 | 6,698 | (76.6) | % | (61.5) | % | ||||||||||
| Mountain Reported EBITDA | $ | 822,570 | $ | 811,167 | $ | 552,753 | 1.4 | % | 46.8 | % | |||||||
| Total skier visits | 19,410 | 17,298 | 14,852 | 12.2 | % | 16.5 | % | ||||||||||
| ETP | $ | 73.20 | $ | 75.74 | $ | 72.49 | (3.4) | % | 4.5 | % |
Mountain Reported EBITDA includes $21.2 million, $20.9 million and $20.3 million of stock-based compensation expense for Fiscal 2023, Fiscal 2022 and Fiscal 2021, respectively.
44
Fiscal 2023 compared to Fiscal 2022
Mountain Reported EBITDA increased $11.4 million, or 1.4%. The increase was driven by: (i) an overall increase in skier visitation that benefited our ancillary lines of business, which remained disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 restrictions and limitations in the prior year; (ii) an increase in North American pass revenue, which benefited from an increase in pass product sales for the 2022/2023 North American ski season compared to the prior year; and (iii) our Australian operations, which experienced record visitation and favorable snow conditions in the 2022 ski season following periodic COVID-19 related closures in the prior year at Perisher, Falls Creek and Hotham. These increases were partially offset by: (i) increased labor and labor-related benefits and general and administrative expense, primarily as a result of investments in North American employee wages and increased headcount to support more normalized staffing and operations at our Resorts; (ii) increased variable expenses associated with increased revenues; (iii) increased expenses related to variable weather conditions; and (iv) the impact of inflation. Mountain segment results also include $3.1 million and $7.7 million of acquisition and integration related expenses for Fiscal 2023 and Fiscal 2022, respectively.
Lift revenue increased $110.7 million, or 8.4%, due to increases in both pass revenue and non-pass revenue. Pass revenue increased 8.5% primarily as a result of an increase in pass product sales for the 2022/2023 North American ski season compared to the prior year, as well as an increase in pass product sales for the 2022 Australian ski season compared to the prior year. Non-pass revenue increased 8.3% primarily due to an increase non-pass ETP (excluding Andermatt-Sedrun) of 7.8%, as well as incremental non-pass revenue from Andermatt-Sedrun of $13.2 million. Total non-pass ETP, including the impact of Andermatt-Sedrun, increased 4.3%. The increase in non-pass revenue also benefited from an increase in visitation at our Australian ski areas in the first quarter of Fiscal 2023, which experienced record visitation and favorable snow conditions during the 2022 ski season following periodic COVID-related closures and restrictions in the prior year. Total ETP decreased 3.4% primarily as a result of an increase in the proportion of pass product visitation (which generally results in lower ETP per visit) to total skier visits, driven by a continued migration to advance commitment products, partially offset by the increase in non-pass ETP discussed above.
Ski school revenue increased $63.6 million, or 28.5%, dining revenue increased $60.9 million, or 37.2%, and retail/rental revenue increased $49.7 million, or 15.9%, each primarily driven by the greater impact of COVID-19 and related limitations and restrictions in the prior year, including staffing challenges which limited our ability to operate at full capacity, as well as increased skier visitation.
Other revenue mainly consists of revenues from summer visitation and other mountain activities, employee housing, guest services, commercial leasing, marketing, private clubs (which includes both club dues and amortization of initiation fees), municipal services, other recreation activities and Australian ski area lodging and transportation. Other revenue increased $42.8 million, or 21.0%, primarily as a result of increased visitation at our Resorts compared to the prior year. Additionally, the increase was driven by the greater impact of COVID-19 and related limitations and restrictions in the prior year, which impacted the Company’s ability to operate ancillary services and other on-mountain activities at full capacity, as well as our Australian ski areas, which were disproportionately impacted by restrictions on international travel in the prior year.
Operating expense increased $314.4 million, or 22.4%, which was primarily attributable to investments in employee wages and salaries and increased headcount to support more normalized staffing and operations at our Resorts, as well as increased variable expenses associated with increased revenue, the impact of inflation and incremental expenses associated with Andermatt-Sedrun and the Seven Springs Resorts. Additionally, operating expense includes $3.1 million and $7.7 million of acquisition and integration related expenses for Fiscal 2023 and Fiscal 2022, respectively.
Labor and labor-related benefits increased 32.7%, primarily due to investments in wages and salaries for North American employees and increased headcount to support more normalized staffing and operations at our Resorts, as well as an increase in Australian operations as a result of periodic closures during the 2021 ski season, additional labor costs incurred as a result of variable weather conditions, and incremental expenses from Andermatt-Sedrun and the Seven Springs Resorts of $21.0 million for the comparable period they were not owned in the prior year. Retail cost of sales increased 19.9%, compared to an increase in retail sales of 16.1%, reflecting decreased margins on retail products driven by higher sales of discounted inventory. Resort related fees increased 12.5% primarily as a result of an increase in revenues on which those fees are based. General and administrative expense increased 11.5% due to an increase in costs across all corporate functions, which were primarily driven by investments in employee wages and salaries. Other expense increased 18.5%, primarily due to increases in variable operating expenses associated with increased revenues, in addition to incremental expenses from Andermatt-Sedrun and the Seven Springs Resorts of $17.3 million for the comparable period they were not owned in the prior year, increased utility costs of $10.0 million primarily associated with higher variable rates and increased snowmaking operations at our Eastern U.S. ski areas, and an increase in repairs and maintenance expense of $4.0 million.
45
Mountain equity investment income, net primarily includes our share of income from the operations of a real estate brokerage company.
Lodging Segment
Lodging segment operating results for Fiscal 2023, Fiscal 2022 and Fiscal 2021 are presented by category as follows (in thousands, except average daily rate (“ADR”) and revenue per available room (“RevPAR”)):
| Percentage | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year ended July 31, | Increase/(Decrease) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2023/2022 | 2022/2021 | |||||||||||||
| Lodging net revenue: | |||||||||||||||||
| Owned hotel rooms | $ | 80,117 | $ | 80,579 | $ | 47,509 | (0.6) | % | 69.6 | % | |||||||
| Managed condominium rooms | 96,785 | 97,704 | 72,217 | (0.9) | % | 35.3 | % | ||||||||||
| Dining | 62,445 | 48,569 | 17,211 | 28.6 | % | 182.2 | % | ||||||||||
| Transportation | 15,242 | 16,021 | 9,271 | (4.9) | % | 72.8 | % | ||||||||||
| Golf | 12,737 | 10,975 | 9,373 | 16.1 | % | 17.1 | % | ||||||||||
| Other | 55,816 | 46,500 | 43,008 | 20.0 | % | 8.1 | % | ||||||||||
| Lodging net revenue (excluding payroll cost reimbursements) | 323,142 | 300,348 | 198,589 | 7.6 | % | 51.2 | % | ||||||||||
| Payroll cost reimbursements | 17,251 | 11,742 | 6,553 | 46.9 | % | 79.2 | % | ||||||||||
| Total Lodging net revenue | 340,393 | 312,090 | 205,142 | 9.1 | % | 52.1 | % | ||||||||||
| Lodging operating expense: | |||||||||||||||||
| Labor and labor-related benefits | 148,915 | 128,884 | 95,899 | 15.5 | % | 34.4 | % | ||||||||||
| General and administrative | 63,562 | 55,081 | 43,714 | 15.4 | % | 26.0 | % | ||||||||||
| Other | 98,398 | 90,636 | 67,073 | 8.6 | % | 35.1 | % | ||||||||||
| Lodging operating expense (excluding reimbursed payroll costs) | 310,875 | 274,601 | 206,686 | 13.2 | % | 32.9 | % | ||||||||||
| Reimbursed payroll costs | 17,251 | 11,742 | 6,553 | 46.9 | % | 79.2 | % | ||||||||||
| Total Lodging operating expense | 328,126 | 286,343 | 213,239 | 14.6 | % | 34.3 | % | ||||||||||
| Lodging Reported EBITDA | $ | 12,267 | $ | 25,747 | $ | (8,097) | (52.4) | % | 418.0 | % |
| Owned hotel statistics(1): | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADR | $ | 312.15 | $ | 309.78 | $ | 264.83 | 0.8 | % | 17.0 | % | |||||||
| RevPar | $ | 160.75 | $ | 170.84 | $ | 122.45 | (5.9) | % | 39.5 | % | |||||||
| Managed condominium statistics: | |||||||||||||||||
| ADR | $ | 416.77 | $ | 410.13 | $ | 349.08 | 1.6 | % | 17.5 | % | |||||||
| RevPar | $ | 124.41 | $ | 122.15 | $ | 77.74 | 1.9 | % | 57.1 | % | |||||||
| Owned hotel and managed condominium statistics (combined): | |||||||||||||||||
| ADR | $ | 378.62 | $ | 373.89 | $ | 322.15 | 1.3 | % | 16.1 | % | |||||||
| RevPar | $ | 133.48 | $ | 133.53 | $ | 85.99 | — | % | 55.3 | % |
(1) Owned hotel RevPAR for Fiscal 2023 declined from the prior comparative period primarily due to the inclusion of properties acquired through the Seven Springs Resorts for the full year-to-date period, compared to only being included for seven months in the prior year period, as well as the sale of the DoubleTree at Breckenridge hotel, which was sold after the 2021/2022 ski season, partially offset by price increases at our other lodging properties. For Fiscal 2022, the DoubleTree at Breckenridge contributed $8.6 million of owned hotel revenue.
Lodging Reported EBITDA includes $4.0 million, $3.7 million and $3.8 million of stock-based compensation expense for Fiscal 2023, Fiscal 2022 and Fiscal 2021, respectively.
46
Fiscal 2023 compared to Fiscal 2022
Lodging Reported EBITDA decreased $13.5 million, or 52.4%, primarily driven by an increase in labor and labor-related benefits and general and administrative expense, including the impacts of investments in employee wages and salaries and increased headcount to support more normalized staffing and operations at our lodging properties.
Dining revenue increased $13.9 million, or 28.6%, primarily due to incremental revenue from the Seven Springs Resorts of $7.2 million for the comparable period they were not owned in the prior year, as well as increases in revenue at our other lodging properties as a result of fewer COVID-19 related limitations and restrictions as compared to the prior year. Golf revenue increased $1.8 million, or 16.1%, primarily associated with an increase in revenue at our golf course in Wyoming. Other revenue increased $9.3 million, or 20.0%, primarily due to increases in ancillary revenue associated with the return to more normalized operations, which include lodging property support fees, lodging retail sales, conference services, and spa services.
Operating expense (excluding reimbursed payroll costs) increased 13.2%. Labor and labor-related benefits increased 15.5%, primarily due to investments in employee wages and salaries, and increased headcount to support more normalized staffing and operations at our lodging properties as compared to prior year, as well as incremental costs from the Seven Springs Resorts of $6.8 million for the comparable period they were not owned in the prior year. General and administrative expense increased 15.4% compared to the prior year, due to an increase in costs across all corporate functions, and particularly for our central reservations booking services, which were primarily driven by employee wage and salary investments. Other expense increased 8.6%, primarily related to increases in variable expenses associated with increased revenues, as well as incremental costs from the Seven Springs Resorts of $4.2 million for the comparable period they were not owned in the prior year.
Revenue from payroll cost reimbursement and the corresponding reimbursed payroll costs relate to payroll costs at managed hotel properties where we are the employer and all payroll costs are reimbursed by the owners of the properties under contractual arrangements. Since the reimbursements are made based upon the costs incurred with no added margin, the revenue and corresponding expense have no effect on our Lodging Reported EBITDA.
Real Estate Segment
Our Real Estate net revenue is primarily determined by the timing of closings and the mix of real estate sold in any given period. Different types of projects have different revenue and profit margins; therefore, as the real estate inventory mix changes, it can greatly impact Real Estate segment net revenue, operating expense, gain or loss on sale of real property and Real Estate Reported EBITDA.
Real Estate segment operating results for Fiscal 2023, Fiscal 2022 and Fiscal 2021 are presented by category as follows (in thousands):
| Percentage | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year ended July 31, | Increase/(Decrease) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2023/2022 | 2022/2021 | |||||||||||||
| Total Real Estate net revenue | $ | 8,065 | $ | 708 | $ | 1,770 | 1,039.1 | % | (60.0) | % | |||||||
| Real Estate operating expense: | |||||||||||||||||
| Cost of sales (including sales commissions) | 5,146 | 251 | 1,294 | 1,950.2 | % | (80.6) | % | ||||||||||
| Other | 5,489 | 5,660 | 5,382 | (3.0) | % | 5.2 | % | ||||||||||
| Total Real Estate operating expense | 10,635 | 5,911 | 6,676 | 79.9 | % | (11.5) | % | ||||||||||
| Gain on sale of real property | 842 | 1,276 | 324 | (34.0) | % | 293.8 | % | ||||||||||
| Real Estate Reported EBITDA | $ | (1,728) | $ | (3,927) | $ | (4,582) | 56.0 | % | 14.3 | % |
47
Fiscal 2023
During Fiscal 2023, we closed on the sale of a land parcel in Keystone for $7.5 million, which was recorded within Real Estate net revenue, with a corresponding cost of sale (including sales commission) of $5.1 million.
Other operating expense of $5.5 million was primarily comprised of general and administrative costs, such as labor and labor-related benefits, professional services and allocated corporate overhead costs.
Fiscal 2022
We did not close on any significant real estate transactions during Fiscal 2022. Other operating expense of $5.7 million was primarily comprised of general and administrative costs, such as labor and labor-related benefits, professional services and allocated corporate overhead costs.
Other Items
In addition to segment operating results, the following items contributed to our overall financial position and results of operations (in thousands).
| Year ended July 31, | Percentage Increase/(Decrease) | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2023/2022 | 2022/2021 | |||||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | $ | (268,501) | $ | (252,391) | $ | (252,585) | 6.4 | % | (0.1) | % | |||||||
| Change in estimated fair value of contingent consideration | $ | (49,836) | $ | (20,280) | $ | (14,402) | 145.7 | % | 40.8 | % | |||||||
| (Loss) gain on disposal of fixed assets and other, net | $ | (9,070) | $ | 43,992 | $ | (5,373) | (120.6) | % | 918.8 | % | |||||||
| Investment income and other, net | $ | 23,744 | $ | 3,718 | $ | 586 | 538.6 | % | 534.5 | % | |||||||
| Foreign currency (loss) gain on intercompany loans | $ | (2,907) | $ | (2,682) | $ | 8,282 | (8.4) | % | (132.4) | % | |||||||
| Provision for income taxes | $ | (88,414) | $ | (88,824) | $ | (726) | 0.5 | % | (12,134.7) | % | |||||||
| Effective tax rate | (23.7) | % | (19.4) | % | (0.6) | % | 4.3 pts | 18.8 pts | |||||||||
| Net (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interest | $ | (16,955) | $ | (20,414) | $ | 3,393 | 16.9 | % | (701.7) | % |
Depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization expense for Fiscal 2023 increased $16.1 million compared to the prior year, primarily due to assets acquired in the acquisition of Andermatt-Sedrun.
Change in estimated fair value of contingent consideration. We recorded expense of $49.8 million for Fiscal 2023, primarily related to an increase in the expected long-term EBITDA performance for Park City, as well as an increase in the expected contingent rent payment to be made for Fiscal 2023. We recorded expense of $20.3 million for Fiscal 2022 primarily related to an increase in the estimated contingent consideration payment for Fiscal 2022.
(Loss) gain on disposal of fixed assets and other, net. Loss on disposal of fixed assets and other, net for Fiscal 2023 included a loss of $5.9 million related to the sale of five retail and rental stores in Telluride, Colorado, as well as other annual disposals of fixed assets. Gain on disposal of fixed assets and other, net for Fiscal 2022 included (i) $32.2 million from the sale of the DoubleTree at Breckenridge hotel; (ii) $10.3 million in proceeds from the NPS related to partial payments for a leasehold surrender interest at GTLC associated with assets that have been fully depreciated by the Company (payments were made at the request of the NPS); and (iii) $7.9 million from the sale of an administrative building in Avon, CO. These gains were partially offset by losses on other annual disposals of fixed assets.
Investment income and other, net. Investment income and other, net for Fiscal 2023 increased $20.0 million compared to Fiscal 2022, primarily as a result of an increase in earned interest rates.
Foreign currency (loss) gain on intercompany loans. Foreign currency (loss) gain on intercompany loans is associated with an intercompany loan from Vail Holdings, Inc. to Whistler Blackcomb in the original amount of $210.0 million that was funded, effective as of November 1, 2016, in connection with the acquisition of Whistler Blackcomb. This intercompany loan requires foreign currency remeasurement to Canadian dollars, the functional currency for Whistler Blackcomb. As a result, foreign currency fluctuations between the Canadian dollar and U.S. dollar associated with the loan are recorded within our results of operations.
48
Provision for income taxes. The effective tax rate for Fiscal 2023 was 23.7%, compared to 19.4% for Fiscal 2022. The increase in the effective tax rate was primarily due to a shift in income to higher tax rate jurisdictions, as well as a reduction in favorable discrete items, including excess tax benefits from employee share awards.
Net (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interest. Net (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interest is primarily associated with the income or loss attributable to the minority shareholder of Whistler Blackcomb, and accordingly, fluctuations are primarily associated with changes in income or loss from Whistler Blackcomb operations. Beginning in Fiscal 2023, net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interest also includes income or loss attributable to the minority shareholder of Andermatt-Sedrun, for which fluctuations are primarily associated with changes in income or loss from Andermatt-Sedrun operations.
Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures
The following table reconciles net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. to Total Reported EBITDA for Fiscal 2023, Fiscal 2022 and Fiscal 2021 (in thousands):
| Year ended July 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||
| Net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. | $ | 268,148 | $ | 347,923 | $ | 127,850 | ||||
| Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests | 16,955 | 20,414 | (3,393) | |||||||
| Net income | 285,103 | 368,337 | 124,457 | |||||||
| Provision for income taxes | 88,414 | 88,824 | 726 | |||||||
| Income before provision for income taxes | 373,517 | 457,161 | 125,183 | |||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 268,501 | 252,391 | 252,585 | |||||||
| Loss (gain) on disposal of fixed assets and other, net | 9,070 | (43,992) | 5,373 | |||||||
| Change in estimated fair value of contingent consideration | 49,836 | 20,280 | 14,402 | |||||||
| Investment income and other, net | (23,744) | (3,718) | (586) | |||||||
| Foreign currency loss (gain) on intercompany loans | 2,907 | 2,682 | (8,282) | |||||||
| Interest expense, net | 153,022 | 148,183 | 151,399 | |||||||
| Total Reported EBITDA | $ | 833,109 | $ | 832,987 | $ | 540,074 | ||||
| Mountain Reported EBITDA | $ | 822,570 | $ | 811,167 | $ | 552,753 | ||||
| Lodging Reported EBITDA | 12,267 | 25,747 | (8,097) | |||||||
| Resort Reported EBITDA | 834,837 | 836,914 | 544,656 | |||||||
| Real Estate Reported EBITDA | (1,728) | (3,927) | (4,582) | |||||||
| Total Reported EBITDA | $ | 833,109 | $ | 832,987 | $ | 540,074 |
The following table reconciles long-term debt, net to Net Debt (defined as long-term debt, net plus long-term debt due within one year less cash and cash equivalents) (in thousands):
| Year ended July 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||
| Long-term debt, net | $ | 2,750,675 | $ | 2,670,300 | ||
| Long-term debt due within one year | 69,160 | 63,749 | ||||
| Total debt | 2,819,835 | 2,734,049 | ||||
| Less: cash and cash equivalents | 562,975 | 1,107,427 | ||||
| Net Debt | $ | 2,256,860 | $ | 1,626,622 |
49
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Changes in significant sources and uses of cash for Fiscal 2023, Fiscal 2022 and Fiscal 2021 are presented by categories as follows (in thousands):
| Year ended July 31, | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | ||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 639,563 | $ | 710,499 | $ | 525,250 | ||
| Net cash used in investing activities | $ | (273,167) | $ | (347,917) | $ | (103,329) | ||
| Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities | $ | (915,708) | $ | (493,136) | $ | 434,662 |
Historically, we have lower cash available at the end of each first and fourth fiscal quarter-end as compared to our second and third fiscal quarter-ends, primarily due to the seasonality of our Mountain segment operations, although our available cash balances as of July 31, 2022 and 2021 were higher than our historical July 31 balance primarily as a result of the debt offerings we completed in Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020.
Fiscal 2023 compared to Fiscal 2022
We generated $639.6 million of cash from operating activities during Fiscal 2023, a decrease of $70.9 million compared to $710.5 million generated during Fiscal 2022. The decrease in operating cash flows was primarily a result of (i) an increase in income tax payments of approximately $74.7 million and (ii) an increase in payments for accounts payable and accrued liabilities primarily associated with the lower level of operations as of the beginning of the prior fiscal year. These decreases were partially offset by an increase in earned interest on short-term investments of approximately $20.0 million. Additionally, we generated $7.5 million of proceeds from real estate land parcel sales during Fiscal 2023.
Cash used in investing activities for Fiscal 2023 decreased by $74.8 million primarily due to the prior year acquisition of the Seven Springs Resorts for $116.3 million, net of cash acquired. Additionally, we made a cash deposit of $114.4 million (CHF 110.0 million) in July 2022 related to the acquisition of Andermatt-Sedrun, which was returned in the current year upon closing of the acquisition on August 3, 2022. The cash deposit was invested into Andermatt-Sedrun, which is consolidated in our consolidated financial statements subsequent to the acquisition being completed. Accordingly, the deposit is shown as a cash outflow in Fiscal 2022 and a cash inflow in Fiscal 2023. These decreases in cash used in investing activities were partially offset by (i) an increase in capital expenditures of approximately $122.1 million as compared to the prior year, driven by our significant investment in lift upgrades in calendar year 2022; (ii) $48.8 million of short-term investments in bank deposits in the current year, net of maturities, which were invested in deposits with maturity dates of more than three months at the date of purchase and are therefore not reflected as cash equivalents; (iii) $38.6 million of cash paid to ASA upon closing the acquisition of Andermatt-Sedrun, net of cash acquired, on August 3, 2022 and (iv) proceeds in the prior year due to the sale of the DoubleTree at Breckenridge, payment from the NPS related to a leasehold surrender interest at GTLC associated with assets that had been fully depreciated by the Company and the sale of an administrative building in Avon, CO, which did not recur in the current year.
Cash used in financing activities increased by $422.6 million during Fiscal 2023 compared to Fiscal 2022, primarily due to an increase in repurchases of common stock of $425.0 million and an increase in dividends paid of $88.6 million. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in debt repayments, including (i) the prior year repayment associated with the maturity of the EB-5 Development Notes, which were assumed in our acquisition of Peak Resorts, Inc. ($51.5 million) and (ii) a reduction in net repayments under the revolver component of our Whistler Credit Agreement ($21.2 million), as well as a decrease in employee taxes paid for share award exercises ($31.8 million).
Significant Sources of Cash
We had $563.0 million of cash and cash equivalents as of July 31, 2023, compared to $1,107.4 million as of July 31, 2022. The decrease was primarily due to a $425.0 million increase in share repurchases during Fiscal 2023. We currently anticipate that our Mountain and Lodging segment operating results will continue to provide a significant source of future operating cash flows.
In addition to our $563.0 million of cash and cash equivalents at July 31, 2023, we had $421.0 million available under the revolver component of our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement as of July 31, 2023 (which represents the total commitment of $500.0 million less certain letters of credit outstanding of $79.0 million). Also, to further support the liquidity needs of Whistler Blackcomb, we had C$296.6 million ($224.9 million) available under the revolver component of our Whistler Credit Agreement (which represents the total commitment of C$300.0 million ($227.5 million) less letters of credit outstanding of
50
C$3.4 million ($2.6 million)). We expect that our liquidity needs in the near term will be met by continued use of our existing cash and cash equivalents, operating cash flows and borrowings under both the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement and Whistler Credit Agreement, if needed. The Vail Holdings Credit Agreement and the Whistler Credit Agreement provide adequate flexibility and are priced favorably with any new borrowings currently priced at SOFR, plus 1.60% for the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement, and Bankers Acceptance Rate plus 1.75% for the Whistler Credit Agreement.
Significant Uses of Cash
Capital Expenditures
We have historically invested significant amounts of cash in capital expenditures for our resort operations, and we expect to continue to do so, subject to operating performance particularly as it relates to discretionary projects. In addition, we may incur capital expenditures for retained ownership interests associated with third-party real estate development projects. Currently planned capital expenditures primarily include investments that will allow us to maintain our high-quality standards for the guest experience throughout our owned hotels and in technology that can impact the full network. Additionally, planned capital expenditures include discretionary improvements at our Resorts which we evaluate based on an expected level of return on investment.
We currently anticipate we will spend approximately $180 million to $185 million on resort capital expenditures during calendar year 2023, excluding one-time investments related to integration activities, deferred capital associated with the Keystone and Park City projects, $4 million of reimbursable investments associated with insurance recoveries, and $9 million of growth capital investments at Andermatt-Sedrun. Including these one-time items, our total capital plan for calendar year 2023 is expected to be approximately $204 million to $209 million. Included in these estimated capital expenditures are approximately $112 million to $117 million of maintenance capital expenditures (excluding Andermatt-Sedrun), which are necessary to maintain appearance and level of service appropriate to our resort operations. We currently plan to utilize cash on hand, borrowings available under our credit agreements and/or cash flow generated from future operations to provide the cash necessary to complete our capital plans.
Approximately $108 million was spent for capital expenditures in calendar year 2023 as of July 31, 2023, leaving approximately $96 million to $101 million to spend in the remainder of calendar year 2023.
Acquisitions
On August 3, 2022, we acquired a majority stake in Andermatt-Sedrun, which was funded with cash on hand. The purchase price was comprised of a $114.4 million (CHF 110.0 million) investment into Andermatt-Sedrun for use in capital investments to enhance the guest experience on the mountain and $41.3 million (CHF 39.3 million) paid to the seller. As of August 3, 2022, the value of the total consideration paid was $155.4 million (CHF 149.3 million).
Debt
As of July 31, 2023, principal payments on the majority of our long-term debt ($2.1 billion of the total $2.8 billion debt outstanding as of July 31, 2023) are not due until fiscal year 2026 and beyond. As of July 31, 2023 and 2022, total long-term debt, net (including long-term debt due within one year) was $2.8 billion and $2.7 billion, respectively. Net Debt (defined as long-term debt, net plus long-term debt due within one year less cash and cash equivalents) was $2.3 billion and $1.6 billion as of July 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and the increase was primarily associated with the use of cash to fund increased share repurchases under our share repurchase program during Fiscal 2023.
As of July 31, 2023, the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement provides for (i) a revolving loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of $500.0 million and (ii) a term loan facility of $1.0 billion. We expect that our liquidity needs in the near term will be met by continued use of our existing cash and cash equivalents, operating cash flows and borrowings under the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement and the Whistler Credit Agreement, if needed.
Our debt service requirements can be impacted by changing interest rates as we had approximately $0.7 billion of net variable-rate debt outstanding as of July 31, 2023, after consideration of $400.0 million in interest rate swaps which effectively convert variable-rate debt to fixed-rate debt. A 100-basis point change in our borrowing rates would cause our annual interest payments on our net variable-rate debt to change by approximately $6.7 million. Additionally, the annual payments associated with the financing of the Canyons transaction increase by the greater of CPI less 1%, or 2%. The fluctuation in our debt service requirements, in addition to interest rate and inflation changes, may be impacted by future borrowings under our credit agreements or other alternative financing arrangements we may enter into. Our long term liquidity needs depend upon operating results that impact the borrowing capacity under our credit agreements. We can respond to liquidity impacts of changes in the
51
business and economic environment by managing our capital expenditures, variable operating expenses, the timing of new real estate development activity and the payment of cash dividends on our common stock.
Material Cash Requirements
As part of our ongoing operations, we enter into arrangements that obligate us to make future payments under contracts such as debt agreements and construction agreements in conjunction with our resort capital expenditures. Debt obligations, which totaled $2.8 billion as of July 31, 2023, are recognized as liabilities in our Consolidated Balance Sheet. Obligations under construction contracts and other purchase commitments are not recognized as liabilities in our Consolidated Balance Sheet until services and/or goods are received which is in accordance with GAAP. A summary of our material cash requirements as of July 31, 2023 (excluding obligations presented elsewhere, including Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements) is presented below (in thousands):
| Payments Due by Period | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiscal | 2-3 | 4-5 | More than | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 2024 | years | years | 5 years | ||||||||||||||
| Long-term debt (1) | $ | 3,198,106 | 170,345 | 1,456,545 | 891,889 | 679,327 | ||||||||||||
| Service contracts | $ | 45,198 | 30,024 | 11,541 | 3,633 | — | ||||||||||||
| Purchase obligations and other (2) | $ | 696,772 | 546,636 | 91,127 | 1,390 | 57,619 | ||||||||||||
| Total contractual cash obligations | $ | 3,940,076 | $ | 747,005 | $ | 1,559,213 | $ | 896,912 | $ | 736,946 |
(1) Long-term debt includes principal payments, fixed-rate interest payments (including payments that are required under interest rate swaps) and estimated variable interest payments utilizing interest rates in effect at July 31, 2023, and assumes all debt outstanding as of July 31, 2023 will be held to maturity. The future annual interest obligations noted herein are estimated only in relation to debt outstanding as of July 31, 2023, and do not reflect interest obligations on potential future debt or refinancing.
Long-term debt also includes $12.8 million of proceeds resulting from real estate transactions accounted for as financing arrangements, which are expected to be recognized on the Company’s Statements of Operations in future years as a result of the anticipated resolution of continuing involvement, with no associated cash outflow.
(2) Purchase obligations and other primarily includes amounts which are classified as trade payables ($148.5 million), accrued payroll and benefits ($99.4 million), accrued fees and assessments ($27.6 million), contingent consideration liability ($73.3 million) and accrued taxes (including taxes for uncertain tax positions) ($140.3 million) on our Consolidated Balance Sheet as of July 31, 2023. These amounts also include other commitments for goods and services not yet received, including construction contracts and minimum commitments under season pass alliance agreements, which are not included on our Consolidated Balance Sheet as of July 31, 2023 in accordance with GAAP.
Share Repurchase Program
Our share repurchase program is conducted under authorizations made from time to time by our Board of Directors. On March 9, 2006, our Board of Directors initially authorized the repurchase of up to 3,000,000 shares of Vail Shares and later authorized additional repurchases of up to 3,000,000 additional Vail Shares (July 16, 2008), 1,500,000 Vail Shares (December 4, 2015), and 2,500,000 Vail Shares (March 7, 2023), for a total authorization to repurchase shares of up to 10,000,000 Vail Shares. During Fiscal 2023, we repurchased 2,182,594 shares (at an average price of $229.09) for a total cost of approximately $500.0 million, excluding accrued excise tax. Since the inception of this stock repurchase program through July 31, 2023, we have repurchased 8,648,302 Vail Shares at a cost of approximately $979.4 million. As of July 31, 2023, 1,351,698 Vail Shares remained available to repurchase under the existing repurchase authorization. Vail Shares purchased pursuant to the repurchase program will be held as treasury shares and may be used for the issuance of shares under our share award plan. Repurchases under the program may be made from time to time at prevailing prices as permitted by applicable laws, and subject to market conditions and other factors. The timing, as well as the number of Vail Shares that may be repurchased under the program, will depend on several factors, including our future financial performance, our available cash resources and competing uses for cash that may arise in the future, the restrictions in our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement, prevailing prices of Vail Shares and the number of Vail Shares that become available for sale at prices that we believe are attractive. The share repurchase program has no expiration date.
52
Dividend Payments
During Fiscal 2023, we paid cash dividends of $7.94 per share ($314.4 million). During Fiscal 2022, we paid cash dividends of $5.58 per share ($225.8 million, including cash dividends paid to Exchangeco shareholders). On September 27, 2023, our Board of Directors approved a cash dividend of $2.06 per share payable on October 26, 2023 to stockholders of record as of October 10, 2023. We expect to fund the dividend with available cash on hand. The amount, if any, of dividends to be paid in the future will depend on our available cash on hand, anticipated cash needs, overall financial condition, restrictions contained in our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement, future prospects for earnings and cash flows, as well as other factors considered relevant by our Board of Directors.
Covenants and Limitations
We must abide by certain restrictive financial covenants under our credit agreements. The most restrictive of those covenants include the following: for the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement, Net Funded Debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio, Secured Net Funded Debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio and the Interest Coverage ratio (each as defined in the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement); for the Whistler Credit Agreement, Consolidated Total Leverage Ratio and Consolidated Interest Coverage Ratio (each as defined in the Whistler Credit Agreement); and for the EPR Secured Notes, Maximum Leverage Ratio and Consolidated Fixed Charge Ratio (each as defined in the EPR Agreements). Additionally, the New Regional Policy loan between Andermatt-Sedrun and the Canton of Uri and Canton of Graubünden dated June 24, 2016 includes restrictive covenants requiring certain minimum financial results (as defined in the agreement). In addition, our financing arrangements limit our ability to make certain restricted payments, pay dividends on or redeem or repurchase stock, make certain investments, make certain affiliate transfers and may limit our ability to enter into certain mergers, consolidations or sales of assets and incur certain indebtedness. Our borrowing availability under the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement is primarily determined by the Net Funded Debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio, which is based on our segment operating performance, as defined in the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement. Our borrowing availability under the Whistler Credit Agreement is primarily determined based on the commitment size of the credit facility and our compliance with the terms of the Whistler Credit Agreement.
We were in compliance with all restrictive financial covenants in our debt instruments as of July 31, 2023. We expect that we will continue to meet all applicable financial maintenance covenants in effect in our credit agreements throughout the year ending July 31, 2024; however, there can be no assurance that we will continue to meet such financial covenants. If such covenants are not met, we would be required to seek a waiver or amendment from the banks participating in our credit agreements. There can be no assurance that such waiver or amendment would be granted, which could have a material adverse impact on our liquidity.
Off Balance Sheet Arrangements
We do not have off balance sheet transactions that are expected to have a material effect on our financial condition, revenue, expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.
Critical Accounting Policies
The preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to select appropriate accounting policies and to make judgments and estimates affecting the application of those accounting policies. In applying our accounting policies, different business conditions or the use of different assumptions may result in materially different amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements.
We have identified the most critical accounting policies which were determined by considering accounting policies that involve the most complex or subjective decisions or assessments. We also have other policies considered key accounting policies; however, these policies do not meet the definition of critical accounting policies because they do not generally require us to make estimates or judgments that are complex or subjective. We have reviewed these critical accounting policies and related disclosures with our Audit Committee of the Board of Directors.
Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Description
The carrying value of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are evaluated for possible impairment on an annual basis or between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the estimated fair value of a reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset below its carrying value. Definite-lived intangible assets are evaluated for impairment only when there is evidence that events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of these assets may not be recoverable.
53
Judgments and Uncertainties
Application of the goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment test requires judgment, including the identification of reporting units, assignment of assets and liabilities to reporting units, assignment of goodwill to reporting units and determination of the estimated fair value of reporting units and indefinite-lived intangible assets. We perform a qualitative analysis to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset exceeds the carrying amount. If it is determined, based on qualitative factors, that the fair value of the reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset is more likely than not less than its carrying amount, or if significant changes to macro-economic factors related to the reporting unit or intangible asset have occurred that could materially impact the estimated fair value since the previous quantitative analysis was performed, a quantitative impairment test would be required. The quantitative test includes determination of the estimated fair value of our reporting units using a discounted cash flow analysis and determination of the estimated fair value of indefinite-lived intangible assets primarily using the income approach based upon estimated future revenue streams. These analyses require significant judgments, including estimation of future cash flows, which is dependent on internal forecasts, available industry/market data (to the extent available), estimation of the long-term rate of growth for our business including expectations and assumptions regarding the impact of general economic conditions on our business, estimation of terminal value, determination of the respective weighted average cost of capital and market participant assumptions. Changes in these estimates and assumptions could materially affect the determination of estimated fair value and the amount of any potential impairment for each reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions
Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are tested for impairment at least annually as of May 1. If the net carrying value of the reporting units or assets exceed their estimated fair value, an impairment will be recognized in an amount equal to that excess; otherwise, no impairment loss is recognized. During Fiscal 2023, we performed qualitative analyses of our reporting units and indefinite-lived intangible assets and determined that the estimated fair value of all material reporting units and indefinite-lived intangible assets significantly exceeded their respective carrying values.
Fair value determinations require considerable judgment and are sensitive to changes in underlying assumptions and factors. As a result, there can be no assurance that the estimates and assumptions made for purposes of the annual goodwill or indefinite-lived asset impairment tests are accurate. Examples of events or circumstances that could reasonably be expected to negatively affect the underlying key assumptions and ultimately impact the estimated fair value of our reporting units may include such items as: (1) prolonged adverse weather conditions resulting in a sustained decline in guest visitation; (2) a prolonged weakness in the general economic conditions in which guest visitation and spending is adversely impacted; and (3) volatility in the equity and debt markets which could result in a higher discount rate.
While we believe that our estimates and judgments are reasonable and while historical performance and current expectations have generally resulted in estimated fair values of our reporting units and indefinite-lived assets that are in excess of carrying values, if our assumptions are not realized, it is possible that an impairment charge may need to be recorded in the future. However, it is not possible at this time to determine if an impairment charge would result or if such a charge would be material. As of July 31, 2023, we had $1,720.3 million of goodwill and $254.4 million of indefinite-lived intangible assets recorded on our Consolidated Balance Sheet. There can be no assurance that the estimates and assumptions made for purposes of the annual goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment tests will prove to be an accurate prediction of the future.
Tax Contingencies
Description
We must make certain estimates and judgments in determining income tax expense for financial statement purposes. These estimates and judgments occur in the calculation of tax credits and deductions and in the calculation of certain tax assets and liabilities, which arise from differences in the timing of recognition of revenue and expense for tax and financial statement purposes, as well as the interest and penalties relating to uncertain tax positions. The calculation of our tax liabilities involves dealing with uncertainties in the application of complex tax regulations. We recognize liabilities for uncertain tax positions based on a two-step process. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained on audit, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes, if any. The second step requires us to estimate and measure the largest tax benefit that is cumulatively greater than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. It is inherently difficult and subjective to estimate such amounts, as this requires us to determine the probability of various possible outcomes. This evaluation is based on factors including, but not limited to, changes in facts or circumstances, changes in tax law, interpretation of tax law, effectively settled issues under audit and new audit activity. A significant amount of time may pass before a particular matter, for which we may have established a reserve, is audited and fully resolved.
54
Judgments and Uncertainties
The estimates of our tax contingencies reserve contain uncertainty because management must use judgment to estimate the potential exposure associated with our various filing positions.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions
We believe the estimates and judgments we have made related to tax contingencies are reasonable and we have adequate reserves for uncertain tax positions. Our reserves for uncertain tax positions, including any income tax related interest and penalties, are $56.8 million as of July 31, 2023. This reserve solely relates to the treatment of the Canyons lease payments obligation as payments of debt obligations and that the tax basis in Canyons goodwill is deductible. Actual results could differ and we may be exposed to increases or decreases in those reserves and tax provisions that could be material.
An unfavorable tax settlement could require the use of cash and could possibly result in increased tax expense and effective tax rate and/or adjustments to our deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities in the year of resolution. A favorable tax settlement could possibly result in a reduction in our tax expense, effective tax rate, income taxes payable, other long-term liabilities and/or adjustments to our deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities in the year of settlement or in future years.
Depreciable Lives of Assets
Description
Mountain and lodging operational assets, furniture and fixtures, computer equipment, software, vehicles and leasehold improvements are primarily depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the asset. Assets may become obsolete or require replacement before the end of their useful life in which the remaining book value would be written-off or we could incur costs to remove or dispose of assets no longer in use.
Judgments and Uncertainties
The estimates of our useful lives of the assets contain uncertainty because management must use judgment to estimate the useful life of the asset.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions
Although we believe the estimates and judgments discussed herein are reasonable, actual results could differ, and we may be exposed to increased expense related to depreciable assets disposed of, removed or taken out of service prior to its originally estimated useful life, which may be material. A 10% decrease in the estimated useful lives of depreciable assets would have increased depreciation expense by approximately $28.3 million for Fiscal 2023.
Business Combinations
Description
A component of our growth strategy has been to acquire and integrate businesses that complement our existing operations. We account for business combinations in accordance with the guidance for business combinations and related literature. Accordingly, we allocate the purchase price of acquired businesses to the identifiable tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based upon their estimated fair values at the date of acquisition. The difference between the purchase price and the estimated fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed is recorded as goodwill. In determining the estimated fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination, we use various recognized valuation methods including present value modeling and referenced market values (where available). Valuations are performed by management or independent valuation specialists under management’s supervision, where appropriate.
Judgments and Uncertainties
Accounting for business combinations requires our management to make significant estimates and assumptions, especially at the acquisition date, including our estimates for intangible assets, contractual obligations assumed and contingent consideration, where applicable. Although we believe the assumptions and estimates we have made in the past have been reasonable and appropriate, they are based in part on historical experience and information obtained from the management of the acquired companies and are inherently uncertain. Examples of critical estimates in valuing certain of the intangible assets we have acquired include, but are not limited to: determination of weighted average cost of capital, market participant assumptions, royalty rates, terminal multiples and estimates of future cash flows to be generated by the acquired assets. In addition to the estimates and assumptions applied to valuing intangible assets acquired, the determination of the estimated fair value of
55
contingent consideration, including estimating the likelihood and timing of achieving the relevant thresholds for contingent consideration payments, requires the use of subjective judgments. We estimate the fair value of the Park City contingent consideration payments using an option pricing valuation model which incorporates, among other factors, projected achievement of specified financial performance measures, discount rates and volatility for the respective business.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions
We believe that the estimated fair values assigned to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed are based on reasonable assumptions that a marketplace participant would use. While we use our best estimates and assumptions to accurately value assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date, our estimates are inherently uncertain and subject to refinement. As a result, during the measurement period, which may be up to one year from the acquisition date, we may record adjustments, which could be significant, to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed with the corresponding offset to goodwill. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period or final determination of the estimated fair values of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments would be recorded on our Consolidated Statements of Operations.
We recognize the fair value of contingent consideration, if any, at the date of acquisition as part of the consideration transferred to acquire a business. The liability associated with contingent consideration is remeasured to fair value at each reporting period subsequent to the date of acquisition taking into consideration changes in financial projections and long-term growth rates, among other factors, that may impact the timing and amount of contingent consideration payments until the term of the agreement has expired or the contingency is resolved. Increases in the fair value of contingent consideration are recorded as losses on our Consolidated Statements of Operations, while decreases in fair value are recorded as gains.
New Accounting Standards
Refer to the Summary of Significant Accounting Policies within the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of new accounting standards.
Seasonality and Quarterly Results
Our mountain and lodging operations are seasonal in nature, with a typical peak operating season in North America and Europe generally beginning in mid-December and running through mid-April. In particular, revenue and profits for our North American and European mountain and most of our lodging operations are substantially lower and historically result in losses from late spring to late fall. Conversely, peak operating seasons for our NPS concessioner properties, our mountain resort golf courses and our Australian resorts’ ski season generally occur during the North American summer months, and these operations typically incur operating losses during the North American and European winter months. Revenue and profits generated by NPS concessioner properties’ summer operations, golf operations and Australian resorts’ ski operations are not sufficient to fully offset our off-season losses from our North American and European mountain and other lodging operations. During Fiscal 2023, approximately 81% of total combined Mountain and Lodging segment net revenue (excluding Lodging segment revenue associated with reimbursement of payroll costs) was earned during the second and third fiscal quarters. Therefore, the operating results for any three-month period are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved for any subsequent quarter or for a full year (see Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements).
FY 2022 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0000812011-22-000040.
ITEM 7.MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.
The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and notes related thereto included in this Form 10-K. To the extent that the following MD&A contains statements which are not of a historical nature, such statements are forward-looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties. These risks include, but are not limited to, those discussed in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in this Form 10-K. The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the Forward-Looking Statements section and Item 1A. “Risk Factors” each included in this Form 10-K.
The MD&A includes discussion of financial performance within each of our three segments. We have chosen to specifically include segment Reported EBITDA (defined as segment net revenue less segment operating expense, plus or minus segment equity investment income or loss and for the Real Estate segment, plus gain or loss on sale of real property) in the following discussion because we consider this measurement to be a significant indication of our financial performance. We utilize segment Reported EBITDA in evaluating our performance and in allocating resources to our segments. Net Debt (defined as long-term debt, net plus long-term debt due within one year less cash and cash equivalents) is included in the following discussion because we consider this measurement to be a significant indication of our available capital resources. We also believe that Net Debt is an important measurement as it is an indicator of our ability to obtain additional capital resources for our future cash needs. Resort Reported EBITDA (defined as the combination of segment Reported EBITDA of our Mountain and Lodging segments), Total Reported EBITDA (which is Resort Reported EBITDA plus segment Reported EBITDA from our Real Estate segment) and Net Debt are not measures of financial performance or liquidity defined under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). Refer to the end of the Results of Operations section for a reconciliation of net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. to Total Reported EBITDA and Resort Reported EBITDA, and long-term debt, net to Net Debt.
Items excluded from Resort Reported EBITDA, Total Reported EBITDA and Net Debt are significant components in understanding and assessing financial performance or liquidity. Resort Reported EBITDA, Total Reported EBITDA and Net Debt should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to, or substitute for, net income, net change in cash and cash equivalents or other financial statement data presented in the Consolidated Financial Statements as indicators of financial performance or liquidity. Because Resort Reported EBITDA, Total Reported EBITDA and Net Debt are not measurements determined in accordance with GAAP and are thus susceptible to varying calculations, Resort Reported EBITDA, Total Reported EBITDA and Net Debt, as presented herein, may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. In addition, our segment Reported EBITDA (i.e. Mountain, Lodging and Real Estate), the measure of segment profit or loss required to be disclosed in accordance with GAAP, may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies.
Overview
Our operations are grouped into three integrated and interdependent segments: Mountain, Lodging and Real Estate. We refer to “Resort” as the combination of the Mountain and Lodging segments. The Mountain, Lodging and Real Estate segments represented approximately 88%, 12% and 0%, respectively, of our net revenue for Fiscal 2022.
41
Mountain Segment
In the Mountain segment, the Company operates the following 41 destination mountain resorts and regional ski areas:
*Denotes a destination mountain resort, which generally receives a meaningful portion of skier visits from long-distance travelers, as opposed to our regional ski areas, which tend to generate skier visits predominantly from their respective local markets.
Additionally, we operate ancillary services, primarily including ski school, dining and retail/rental operations, and for our Australian ski areas, including lodging and transportation operations. Mountain segment revenue is seasonal, with the majority of revenue earned from our North American ski operations occurring in our second and third fiscal quarters and the majority of revenue earned from our Australian ski operations occurring in our first and fourth fiscal quarters. Our North American destination mountain resorts and regional ski areas (collectively, “Resorts”) typically experience their peak operating season for the Mountain segment from mid-December through mid-April, and our Australian ski areas typically experience their peak operating season from June to early October. Our largest source of Mountain segment revenue comes from the sale of lift tickets (including pass products), which represented approximately 59%, 63% and 53% of Mountain segment net revenue for Fiscal 2022, the fiscal year ended July 31, 2021 (“Fiscal 2021”) and the fiscal year ended July 31, 2020 (“Fiscal 2020”), respectively.
42
Lift revenue is driven by volume and pricing. Pricing is impacted by both absolute pricing, as well as the demographic mix of guests, which impacts the price points at which various products are purchased. The demographic mix of guests that visit our North American Resorts is divided into two primary categories: (i) out-of-state and international (“Destination”) guests and (ii) in-state and local (“Local”) guests. For the 2021/2022 North American ski season, Destination guests comprised approximately 58% of our North American destination mountain resort skier visits (excluding complimentary access), while Local guests comprised approximately 42% of our North American destination mountain resort skier visits (excluding complimentary access), which compares to 52% and 48%, respectively, for the 2020/2021 North American ski season and approximately 58% and 42%, respectively, for the 2019/2020 North American ski season. Skier visitation at our regional ski areas is largely comprised of Local guests. Destination guests generally purchase our higher-priced lift tickets (including pass products) and utilize more ancillary services such as ski school, dining and retail/rental, as well as lodging at or around our mountain resorts. Additionally, Destination guest visitation is less likely to be impacted by changes in the weather during the current season, but may be more impacted by adverse economic conditions, the global geopolitical climate or weather conditions in the immediately preceding ski season. Local guests tend to be more value-oriented and weather sensitive.
We offer a variety of pass products for all of our Resorts, marketed toward both Destination and Local guests. Our pass product offerings range from providing access to one or a combination of our Resorts for a certain number of days to our Epic Pass, which allows pass holders unlimited and unrestricted access to all of our Resorts. The Epic Day Pass is a customizable one to seven day pass product purchased in advance of the season, for those skiers and riders who expect to ski a certain number of days during the season, and which is available in three tiers of resort access offerings. Our pass products provide a compelling value proposition to our guests, which in turn assists us in developing a loyal base of customers who commit to ski at our Resorts in advance of the ski season and typically ski more days each season at our Resorts than those guests who do not buy pass products. Additionally, we enter into strategic long-term pass alliance agreements with third-party mountain resorts, which further increase the value proposition of our pass products. For the 2022/2023 ski season, our pass alliances include Telluride Ski Resort in Colorado, Hakuba Valley and Rusutsu Resort in Japan, Resorts of the Canadian Rockies in Canada, Les 3 Vallées in France, Verbier 4 Vallées in Switzerland, Skirama Dolomiti in Italy and Ski Arlberg in Austria. Our pass program drives strong customer loyalty; mitigates exposure to more weather sensitive guests; generates additional ancillary spending; and provides cash flow in advance of winter season operations. In addition, our pass program attracts new guests to our Resorts. All of our pass products, including the Epic Pass and Epic Day Pass, are predominately sold prior to the start of the ski season. Pass product revenue, although primarily collected prior to the ski season, is recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Operations throughout the ski season on a straight-line basis using skiable days (see Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).
Lift revenue consists of pass product lift revenue (“pass revenue”) and non-pass lift product revenue (“non-pass revenue”). Approximately 61%, 61% and 51% of total lift revenue was derived from pass revenue for Fiscal 2022, Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020, respectively (including the impact of the deferral of pass product revenue from Fiscal 2020 to Fiscal 2021 as a result of credits offered to 2019/2020 North American pass product holders who purchased 2020/2021 pass products). Additionally, lift revenue for Fiscal 2021 was impacted by restrictions which only allowed pass product holders to access our Resorts during the early portion of the 2020/2021 North American ski season, as well as our use of a reservation system, which limited capacity for both pass product holders and non-pass lift tickets.
The cost structure of our mountain resort operations has a significant fixed component with variable expenses including, but not limited to, land use permit or lease fees, credit card fees, retail/rental cost of sales and labor, ski school labor and expenses associated with dining operations; as such, profit margins can fluctuate greatly based on the level of revenues.
Lodging Segment
Operations within the Lodging segment include: (i) ownership/management of a group of luxury hotels through the RockResorts brand proximate to our Colorado and Utah mountain resorts; (ii) ownership/management of non-RockResorts branded hotels and condominiums proximate to our North American Resorts; (iii) National Park Service (“NPS”) concessioner properties, including the Grand Teton Lodge Company (“GTLC”); (iv) a Colorado resort ground transportation company; and (v) mountain resort golf courses.
43
The performance of our lodging properties (including managed condominium units) proximate to our Resorts, and our Colorado resort ground transportation company, are closely aligned with the performance of the Mountain segment and generally experience similar seasonal trends, particularly with respect to visitation by Destination guests. Revenues from such properties represented approximately 73%, 67% and 75% of Lodging segment net revenue (excluding Lodging segment revenue associated with the reimbursement of payroll costs) for Fiscal 2022, Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020, respectively. Management primarily focuses on Lodging net revenue excluding payroll cost reimbursements and Lodging operating expense excluding reimbursed payroll costs (which are not measures of financial performance under GAAP) as the reimbursements are made based upon the costs incurred with no added margin and as such, the revenue and corresponding expense do not affect our Lodging Reported EBITDA, which we use to evaluate Lodging segment performance. Revenue of the Lodging segment during our first and fourth fiscal quarters is generated primarily by the operations of our NPS concessioner properties (as their peak operating season generally occurs from mid-May through the end of September); mountain resort golf operations and seasonally lower volume from our other owned and managed properties and businesses.
Real Estate Segment
The principal activities of our Real Estate segment include the sale of land parcels to third-party developers and planning for future real estate development projects, including zoning and acquisition of applicable permits. We continue undertaking preliminary planning and design work on future projects and are pursuing opportunities with third-party developers rather than undertaking our own significant vertical development projects. Additionally, real estate development projects by third-party developers most often result in the creation of certain resort assets that provide additional benefit to the Mountain segment. We believe that, due to our low carrying cost of real estate land investments, we are well situated to promote future projects by third-party developers while limiting our financial risk. Our revenue from the Real Estate segment and associated expense can fluctuate significantly based upon the timing of closings and the type of real estate being sold, causing volatility in the Real Estate segment’s operating results from period to period.
Recent Trends, Risks and Uncertainties
We have identified the following important factors (as well as risks and uncertainties associated with such factors) that could impact our future financial performance or condition:
•COVID-19 has led to travel restrictions and other adverse economic impacts in global and local economies. Our operations for Fiscal 2022 continued to be negatively impacted by COVID-19 and associated government-mandated restrictions, including capacity limitations, vaccination requirements and mask and social distancing requirements. Additionally, we may impose our own COVID-19 related restrictions in addition to what is required by state and local governments in the interest of the safety of our guests, employees and resort communities. The ongoing impacts of COVID-19 and associated regional shutdowns resulted in periodic closures of our Australian ski areas during their 2021 ski seasons. Although conditions have improved relative to the prior year, we are uncertain as to the ultimate severity and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the related global or other travel restrictions and other adverse impacts. We have experienced a negative change in performance and our future performance could also be negatively impacted. In addition, the North American economy may be impacted by economic challenges in North America or declining or slowing growth in economies outside of North America, accompanied by devaluation of currencies, rising inflation, trade tariffs and fluctuating commodity prices. While we anticipate improvements as compared to Fiscal 2022 and Fiscal 2021, we cannot predict the ultimate impact that the global economic uncertainty as a result of COVID-19 will have on overall travel and leisure spending or more specifically, on our guest visitation, guest spending or other related trends for the upcoming 2022/2023 North American ski season.
•The timing and amount of snowfall can have an impact on Mountain and Lodging revenue, particularly with regard to skier visits and the duration and frequency of guest visitation. To help mitigate this impact, we sell a variety of pass products prior to the beginning of the ski season, which results in a more stabilized stream of lift revenue. Additionally, our pass products provide a compelling value proposition to our guests, which in turn create a guest commitment predominately prior to the start of the ski season. In March 2022, we began our pass product sales program for the 2022/2023 North American ski season. Pass product sales through September 23, 2022 for the upcoming 2022/2023 North American ski season increased approximately 6% in units and approximately 7% in sales dollars as compared to the prior year through September 24, 2021. Pass product sales are adjusted to include pass product sales for the Seven Springs Resorts in both periods and to eliminate the impact of foreign currency by applying an exchange rate of $0.76 between the Canadian dollar and U.S. dollar to both periods for Whistler Blackcomb pass product sales. We cannot predict if this favorable trend will continue through the remainder of the 2022 North American pass product sales campaign or the overall impact that pass product sales will have on lift revenue for the 2022/2023 North American ski season.
44
•The 2021/2022 North American ski season got off to a slow start with challenging early season conditions which persisted through the holiday period, but results were strong from January through the remainder of the season. We had particularly strong Destination visitation this year, which was further supported by lift ticket sales at our Colorado and Utah resorts that exceeded our expectations through the spring. Our results at Whistler Blackcomb were also stronger than expected after the holiday period due to the easing of travel restrictions in Canada in late February. Additionally, after the holiday period, performance at our eastern U.S. ski areas was in-line with our expectations while our Tahoe resorts were impacted by challenging spring conditions, resulting in performance below our expectations. Throughout the season, our ancillary businesses continued to be capacity constrained by staffing and, in the case of dining, by operational restrictions associated with COVID-19. During the fourth quarter of Fiscal 2022, our Australian resorts experienced record visitation, driven by strong demand following two years of COVID-19 related disruptions, continued momentum in advance commitment pass product sales following the addition of Hotham and Falls Creek in April 2019, and favorable early season conditions that continued throughout the quarter. We cannot predict the impact that COVID-19 limitations and restrictions, future weather conditions or continued staffing challenges may have on our skier visitation and results of operations for the year ending July 31, 2023 (“Fiscal 2023”) and beyond.
•As of July 31, 2022, we had $1,107.4 million of cash and cash equivalents as well as $417.4 million available under the revolver component of our Eighth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of August 15, 2018 and as amended most recently on December 18, 2020 (the “Vail Holdings Credit Agreement”), which represents the total commitment of $500.0 million less certain letters of credit outstanding of $82.6 million. Additionally, we have a credit facility which supports the liquidity needs of Whistler Blackcomb (the “Whistler Credit Agreement”). As of July 31, 2022, we had C$281.6 million ($220.0 million) available under the revolver component of the Whistler Credit Agreement which represents the total commitment of C$300.0 million ($234.3 million) less outstanding borrowings of C$15.0 million ($11.7 million) and letters of credit outstanding of C$3.4 million ($2.6 million). We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents, availability under our credit agreements and the expected positive cash flow from operating activities of our Mountain and Lodging segments less resort capital expenditures will continue to provide us with sufficient liquidity to fund our operations.
•On December 31, 2021, through a wholly-owned subsidiary, we acquired Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Hidden Valley Resort and Laurel Mountain Ski Area in Pennsylvania (collectively, the “Seven Springs Resorts”) from Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Inc. and its affiliates for a purchase price of approximately $116.5 million, after adjustments for certain agreed-upon terms, which we funded with cash on hand. The acquisition included the mountain operations of the Seven Springs Resorts, including base area skier services (food and beverage, retail and rental, lift ticket offices and ski and snowboard school facilities), as well as hotel, conference center and other related operations. We cannot predict the ultimate impact the acquisition of the Seven Springs Resorts will have on our future results from operations.
•On August 3, 2022, through a wholly-owned subsidiary, we acquired a 55% controlling interest in Andermatt-Sedrun Sport AG (“Andermatt-Sedrun”) from Andermatt Swiss Alps AG (“ASA”). Andermatt-Sedrun controls and operates all of Andermatt-Sedrun's mountain and ski-related assets, including lifts, most of the restaurants and a ski school operation at the ski area. We invested CHF 149.3 million ($155.7 million), comprised of a CHF 110.0 million ($114.4 million) investment into Andermatt-Sedrun for use in capital investments to enhance the guest experience on the mountain and CHF 39.3 million ($41.3 million) paid to ASA. The proceeds paid to ASA will be fully reinvested into the real estate developments in the base area. ASA retains a 40% ownership stake, with a group of existing shareholders comprising the remaining 5% ownership. We will provide unlimited and unrestricted access to Andermatt-Sedrun on the Epic Pass for the 2022/2023 ski season, as well as provide access on other pass products. We cannot predict the ultimate impact the acquisition of Andermatt-Sedrun will have on our future results from operations.
45
Results of Operations
Summary
Shown below is a summary of operating results for Fiscal 2022, Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020 (in thousands):
| Year ended July 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 (1) | 2020 (1) | ||||||||
| Net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. | $ | 347,923 | $ | 127,850 | $ | 98,833 | ||||
| Income before provision for income taxes | $ | 457,161 | $ | 125,183 | $ | 116,433 | ||||
| Mountain Reported EBITDA | $ | 811,167 | $ | 552,753 | $ | 503,440 | ||||
| Lodging Reported EBITDA | 25,747 | (8,097) | (91) | |||||||
| Resort Reported EBITDA | $ | 836,914 | $ | 544,656 | $ | 503,349 | ||||
| Real Estate Reported EBITDA | $ | (3,927) | $ | (4,582) | $ | (4,128) |
(1) Segment results for Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020 have been retrospectively adjusted to reflect current period presentation. See Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
A discussion of segment results, including reconciliations of net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. to Total Reported EBITDA, and other items can be found below. The consolidated results of operations, including any consolidated financial metrics pertaining thereto, include the operations of the Seven Springs Resorts (acquired December 31, 2021) prospectively from the date of acquisition.
COVID-19 in general had an adverse impact on our results of operations for Fiscal 2022, Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020 as further described below in our segment results of operations.
The sections titled “Fiscal 2022 compared to Fiscal 2021” and “Fiscal 2021 compared to Fiscal 2020” in each of the Mountain and Lodging segment discussions below provide comparisons of financial and operating performance for Fiscal 2022 to Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2021 to Fiscal 2020, respectively, unless otherwise noted.
46
Mountain Segment
Mountain segment operating results for Fiscal 2022, Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020 are presented by category as follows (in thousands, except ETP):
| Percentage | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year ended July 31, | Increase/(Decrease) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 (1) | 2020 (1) | 2022/2021 | 2021/2020 | |||||||||||||
| Mountain net revenue: | |||||||||||||||||
| Lift | $ | 1,310,213 | $ | 1,076,578 | $ | 913,091 | 21.7 | % | 17.9 | % | |||||||
| Ski school | 223,645 | 144,227 | 189,131 | 55.1 | % | (23.7) | % | ||||||||||
| Dining | 163,705 | 92,186 | 167,551 | 77.6 | % | (45.0) | % | ||||||||||
| Retail/rental | 311,768 | 227,993 | 270,299 | 36.7 | % | (15.7) | % | ||||||||||
| Other | 203,783 | 161,814 | 186,548 | 25.9 | % | (13.3) | % | ||||||||||
| Total Mountain net revenue | 2,213,114 | 1,702,798 | 1,726,620 | 30.0 | % | (1.4) | % | ||||||||||
| Mountain operating expense: | |||||||||||||||||
| Labor and labor-related benefits | 561,266 | 458,029 | 479,993 | 22.5 | % | (4.6) | % | ||||||||||
| Retail cost of sales | 99,024 | 77,217 | 97,052 | 28.2 | % | (20.4) | % | ||||||||||
| Resort related fees | 93,177 | 69,983 | 75,246 | 33.1 | % | (7.0) | % | ||||||||||
| General and administrative | 292,412 | 253,279 | 239,412 | 15.5 | % | 5.8 | % | ||||||||||
| Other | 358,648 | 298,235 | 333,167 | 20.3 | % | (10.5) | % | ||||||||||
| Total Mountain operating expense | 1,404,527 | 1,156,743 | 1,224,870 | 21.4 | % | (5.6) | % | ||||||||||
| Mountain equity investment income, net | 2,580 | 6,698 | 1,690 | (61.5) | % | 296.3 | % | ||||||||||
| Mountain Reported EBITDA | $ | 811,167 | $ | 552,753 | $ | 503,440 | 46.8 | % | 9.8 | % | |||||||
| Total skier visits | 17,298 | 14,852 | 13,483 | 16.5 | % | 10.2 | % | ||||||||||
| ETP | $ | 75.74 | $ | 72.49 | $ | 67.72 | 4.5 | % | 7.0 | % |
(1) Segment results for Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020 have been retrospectively adjusted to reflect current period presentation. See Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
Mountain Reported EBITDA includes $20.9 million, $20.3 million and $17.4 million of stock-based compensation expense for Fiscal 2022, Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020, respectively.
Fiscal 2022 compared to Fiscal 2021
Mountain Reported EBITDA increased $258.4 million, or 46.8%, primarily due to strong North American pass product sales growth for the 2021/2022 North American ski season and fewer COVID-19 related limitations and restrictions on our North American operations compared to the prior year. Visitation across our North American Resorts increased relative to prior year levels, but was partially offset by the negative impact of delayed Resort openings due to challenging early season conditions. Additionally, our Australian resorts had strong visitation during the fourth quarter of Fiscal 2022, compared to being negatively impacted by limitations and restrictions during the 2021 Australian ski season. These increases were partially offset by an increase in variable expenses associated with the increase in revenue and visitation, and an increase in general and administrative expenses primarily due to cost discipline efforts in the prior year associated with lower levels of operations. Mountain segment results for Fiscal 2022 also include acquisition and integration related expenses, including expenses associated with the acquisitions of the Seven Springs Resorts and Andermatt-Sedrun, of $7.7 million, compared to $1.0 million of acquisition and integration related expenses for Fiscal 2021.
Lift revenue increased $233.6 million, or 21.7%, primarily due to an increase in pass revenue and an increase in non-pass lift ticket purchases. Pass revenue increased 21.5%, which was primarily driven by increased pass product sales for the 2021/2022 North American ski season compared to the 2020/2021 North American ski season, which were favorably impacted by increased pass product sales to new pass holders and Destination guests. Non-pass revenue increased 22.0% primarily due to an increase in visitation, which was significantly impacted by COVID-19 related capacity limitations in the prior year, as well as an increase in non-pass ETP of 8.2%. The increase in non-pass lift revenue was partially offset by delayed North American Resort openings as a result of challenging early season conditions, which negatively impacted visitation.
47
Ski school revenue increased $79.4 million, or 55.1%; dining revenue increased $71.5 million, or 77.6%; and retail/rental revenue increased $83.8 million, or 36.7%. Each increased primarily due to fewer COVID-19 related limitations and restrictions on our North American winter operations as compared to the prior year, as well as an increase in demand over the prior year.
Other revenue mainly consists of summer visitation and other mountain activities revenue, employee housing revenue, guest services revenue, commercial leasing revenue, marketing revenue, private club revenue (which includes both club dues and amortization of initiation fees), municipal services revenue and other recreation activity revenue. Other revenue also includes Australian ski area lodging and transportation revenue. Other revenue increased $42.0 million, or 25.9%, primarily as a result of increased visitation and fewer COVID-19 related limitations and restrictions on our North American operations as compared to the prior year.
Operating expense increased $247.8 million, or 21.4%, which was primarily attributable to increased variable expenses associated with increases in revenue, and the impact of cost discipline efforts in the prior year associated with lower levels of operations, including limitations, restrictions and closures resulting from COVID-19. Additionally, operating expense for Fiscal 2022 includes acquisition and integration related expenses, including expenses associated with the acquisitions of the Seven Springs Resorts and Andermatt-Sedrun, of $7.7 million, compared to $1.0 million of acquisition and integration related expense for Fiscal 2021.
Labor and labor-related benefits increased 22.5%, primarily due to increased staffing associated with an increase in visitation and the impact of COVID-19 related cost actions in the prior year, including salary reductions, as well as a decrease of $16.5 million in tax credits from COVID-19 related legislation in Canada. Retail cost of sales increased 28.2%, compared to an increase in retail sales of 36.3%, reflecting increased margins on a higher mix of newer, higher-margin retail products. Resort related fees increased 33.1%, primarily due to increases in revenue on which those fees are based. General and administrative expense increased 15.5%, primarily due to an increase in corporate overhead costs due to cost reduction measures in the prior year to offset the impacts of COVID-19, as well as a decrease of $5.2 million in tax credits associated with COVID-19 related legislation in Canada and Australia. Other expense increased 20.3%, primarily due to increases in variable operating expenses associated with increased revenues and visitation, as well as an increase in acquisition and integration related expenses of $6.7 million.
Mountain equity investment income, net primarily includes our share of income from the operations of a real estate brokerage company. Mountain equity investment income from the real estate brokerage company decreased $4.1 million, or 61.5%, for Fiscal 2022 compared to Fiscal 2021 primarily due to a lower number of real estate sales.
Fiscal 2021 compared to Fiscal 2020
Mountain Reported EBITDA increased $49.3 million, or 9.8%, primarily due to the impact of the Fiscal 2020 Resort Closures, including the deferral of $120.9 million of pass product revenue from Fiscal 2020 to Fiscal 2021 as a result of the Credit Offer to 2019/2020 North American pass product holders, as well as cost discipline efforts in Fiscal 2021 associated with lower levels of operations. These increases were partially offset by limitations and restrictions on our North American winter operations and closures, limitations and restrictions at Perisher, Falls Creek and Hotham during both the 2020 and 2021 Australian ski seasons. Additionally, Whistler Blackcomb’s performance was negatively impacted in Fiscal 2021 due to the continued closure of the Canadian border to international guests and was further impacted by the resort closing earlier than expected on March 30, 2021 following a provincial health order issued by the government of British Columbia. Mountain segment results also include $1.0 million and $13.6 million of acquisition and integration related expenses for Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020, respectively, which are recorded within Mountain other operating expense. Additionally, operating results from Whistler Blackcomb, which are translated from Canadian dollars to U.S. dollars, were favorably affected by increases in the Canadian dollar exchange rate relative to the U.S. dollar for Fiscal 2021 as compared to Fiscal 2020, resulting in a decrease in Mountain Reported EBITDA of approximately $2.0 million, which the Company calculated by applying current period foreign exchange rates to the prior period results.
Lift revenue increased $163.5 million, or 17.9%, primarily due to the Company operating for the full U.S. ski season in Fiscal 2021 as compared to the shortened operating season in Fiscal 2020 as a result of the Resort Closures, including the deferral impact of the Credit Offer from Fiscal 2020 to Fiscal 2021, partially offset by limitations and restrictions on our North American winter operations in Fiscal 2021 due to the ongoing impacts of COVID-19, which resulted in a decrease in non-pass visitation. Pass product revenue increased 40.6%, primarily as a result of strong North American pass sales growth for the 2020/2021 ski season, including the deferral impact of the Credit Offer which was recognized primarily during Fiscal 2021. Non-pass revenue decreased 5.7% due to reduced non-pass visitation to our Resorts, which were adversely impacted by COVID-19 related capacity limitations and snowfall levels that were well below average at our Colorado, Utah and Tahoe
48
resorts through the holiday season, partially offset by an increase in non-pass ETP of 10.1%. Visitation was particularly impacted in regions where heightened COVID-19 related restrictions were in place, including Whistler Blackcomb, Tahoe and Vermont. Additionally, Whistler Blackcomb’s results were disproportionately impacted as compared to our broader Mountain segment performance in Fiscal 2021 due to the continued closure of the Canadian border to international guests, and was further impacted by the resort closing earlier than expected on March 30, 2021 following a provincial health order issued by the government of British Columbia.
Ski school revenue, dining revenue and retail/rental revenue each decreased in Fiscal 2021 compared to Fiscal 2020 primarily due to the limitations and restrictions on our North American operations during Fiscal 2021 as a result of the impacts of COVID-19 on our business.
Other revenue mainly consists of summer visitation and mountain activities revenue, employee housing revenue, guest services revenue, commercial leasing revenue, marketing and internet advertising revenue, private club revenue (which includes both club dues and amortization of initiation fees), municipal services revenue and other recreation activity revenue. Other revenue is also comprised of Australian ski area lodging and transportation revenue. For Fiscal 2021, other revenue decreased $24.7 million, or 13.3%, primarily due to decreased mountain activities and mountain services revenue as a result of limitations and restrictions on our business in Fiscal 2021 due to COVID-19, as well as a reduction in ski pass insurance revenue as a result of the replacement of our previous ski pass insurance program with Epic Coverage for the 2020/2021 North American ski season, which is free to all pass product holders.
Operating expense decreased $68.1 million, or 5.6%, which was primarily attributable to cost discipline efforts in Fiscal 2021 associated with lower levels of operations and limitations, restrictions and closures of Resort operations resulting from COVID-19. Additionally, operating expense includes $1.0 million and $13.6 million of acquisition and integration related expenses for Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020, respectively.
Labor and labor-related benefits decreased 4.6%%, primarily due to cost discipline efforts in Fiscal 2021 associated with limitations, restrictions and closures of our Resort operations as a result of COVID-19, as well as incremental tax credits of approximately $10.3 million primarily associated with COVID-19 related legislation passed in Canada, partially offset by an increase in variable compensation. Retail cost of sales decreased 20.4% compared to a decrease in retail sales of 23.5%, reflecting a higher mix of aged retail products sold at reduced margins. Resort related fees decreased 7.0% primarily due to decreases in revenue on which those fees are based. General and administrative expense increased 5.8%, primarily due to a $13.2 million charge recorded during the fourth quarter of Fiscal 2021 for a contingent obligation with respect to employment-related litigation, as well as an increase in variable compensation accruals, partially offset by incremental tax credits of approximately $2.7 million primarily associated with COVID-19 related legislation passed in Canada and Australia. Other expense decreased 10.5% primarily due to decreases in variable operating expenses associated with reduced revenues, as well as a decrease in acquisition and integration related expenses of $12.6 million.
Mountain equity investment income, net primarily includes our share of income from the operations of a real estate brokerage joint venture. Mountain equity investment income from the real estate brokerage company increased $5.0 million (296.3%) for Fiscal 2021 compared to Fiscal 2020 due to a significant increase in both the number of real estate sales and the average price of those sales.
49
Lodging Segment
Lodging segment operating results for Fiscal 2022, Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020 are presented by category as follows (in thousands, except average daily rate (“ADR”) and revenue per available room (“RevPAR”)):
| Percentage | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year ended July 31, | Increase/(Decrease) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 (1) | 2020 (1) | 2022/2021 | 2021/2020 | |||||||||||||
| Lodging net revenue: | |||||||||||||||||
| Owned hotel rooms | $ | 80,579 | $ | 47,509 | $ | 44,992 | 69.6 | % | 5.6 | % | |||||||
| Managed condominium rooms | 97,704 | 72,217 | 76,480 | 35.3 | % | (5.6) | % | ||||||||||
| Dining | 48,569 | 17,211 | 31,464 | 182.2 | % | (45.3) | % | ||||||||||
| Transportation | 16,021 | 9,271 | 15,796 | 72.8 | % | (41.3) | % | ||||||||||
| Golf | 10,975 | 9,373 | 8,023 | 17.1 | % | 16.8 | % | ||||||||||
| Other | 46,500 | 43,008 | 44,933 | 8.1 | % | (4.3) | % | ||||||||||
| Lodging net revenue (excluding payroll cost reimbursements) | 300,348 | 198,589 | 221,688 | 51.2 | % | (10.4) | % | ||||||||||
| Payroll cost reimbursements | 11,742 | 6,553 | 10,549 | 79.2 | % | (37.9) | % | ||||||||||
| Total Lodging net revenue | 312,090 | 205,142 | 232,237 | 52.1 | % | (11.7) | % | ||||||||||
| Lodging operating expense: | |||||||||||||||||
| Labor and labor-related benefits | 128,884 | 95,899 | 107,651 | 34.4 | % | (10.9) | % | ||||||||||
| General and administrative | 55,081 | 43,714 | 39,283 | 26.0 | % | 11.3 | % | ||||||||||
| Other | 90,636 | 67,073 | 74,845 | 35.1 | % | (10.4) | % | ||||||||||
| Lodging operating expense (excluding reimbursed payroll costs) | 274,601 | 206,686 | 221,779 | 32.9 | % | (6.8) | % | ||||||||||
| Reimbursed payroll costs | 11,742 | 6,553 | 10,549 | 79.2 | % | (37.9) | % | ||||||||||
| Total Lodging operating expense | 286,343 | 213,239 | 232,328 | 34.3 | % | (8.2) | % | ||||||||||
| Lodging Reported EBITDA | $ | 25,747 | $ | (8,097) | $ | (91) | 418.0 | % | (8,797.8) | % |
| Owned hotel statistics | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADR | $ | 309.78 | $ | 264.83 | $ | 266.43 | 17.0 | % | (0.6) | % | |||||||
| RevPar | $ | 170.84 | $ | 122.45 | $ | 122.34 | 39.5 | % | 0.1 | % | |||||||
| Managed condominium statistics | |||||||||||||||||
| ADR | $ | 410.13 | $ | 349.08 | $ | 328.98 | 17.5 | % | 6.1 | % | |||||||
| RevPar | $ | 122.15 | $ | 77.74 | $ | 83.10 | 57.1 | % | (6.5) | % | |||||||
| Owned hotel and managed condominium statistics (combined) | |||||||||||||||||
| ADR | $ | 373.89 | $ | 322.15 | $ | 310.76 | 16.1 | % | 3.7 | % | |||||||
| RevPar | $ | 133.53 | $ | 85.99 | $ | 90.37 | 55.3 | % | (4.8) | % |
(1) Segment results for Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020 have been retrospectively adjusted to reflect current period presentation. See Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
Lodging Reported EBITDA includes $3.7 million, $3.8 million and $3.4 million of stock-based compensation expense for Fiscal 2022, Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020, respectively.
Fiscal 2022 compared to Fiscal 2021
Lodging Reported EBITDA increased $33.8 million, or 418.0%, primarily as a result of fewer COVID-19 capacity-related restrictions and limitations on our North American operations compared to the prior year, which resulted in increased occupancy at our lodging properties as compared to the prior year, as well as an increase in ADR of 16.1% driven by increased pricing at our owned hotels and managed condominiums due to an increase in demand particularly for group visitation. Additionally we benefited from the incremental operations of the Seven Springs Resorts (acquired in December 2021) which generated $5.8 million of EBITDA in the current year. These increases were partially offset by increased general and administrative expenses primarily due to COVID-19 related cost management in the prior year.
50
Revenue from owned hotel rooms, managed condominium rooms, dining, transportation, golf and other revenue each increased primarily as a result of fewer COVID-19 related limitations and restrictions as compared to the prior year, as well as an increase in demand over the prior year and incremental revenue from the Seven Springs Resorts of $18.7 million.
Operating expense (excluding reimbursed payroll costs) increased 32.9%, including incremental operating expenses from the Seven Springs Resorts of $12.9 million. Labor and labor related benefits increased 34.4%, primarily due to increased staffing associated with improved North American operations in the current year as a result of fewer COVID-19 related limitations and restrictions and increased demand, as well as the impact of salary reductions in the prior year. General and administrative expense increased 26.0% primarily due to an increase in allocated corporate overhead costs for nearly all functions, which were impacted in the prior year by COVID-19 related cost management. Other expense increased 35.1%, primarily related to higher variable expenses associated with increased revenue.
Revenue from payroll cost reimbursement and the corresponding reimbursed payroll costs relate to payroll costs at managed hotel properties where we are the employer and all payroll costs are reimbursed by the owners of the properties under contractual arrangements. Since the reimbursements are made based upon the costs incurred with no added margin, the revenue and corresponding expense have no effect on our Lodging Reported EBITDA.
Fiscal 2021 compared to Fiscal 2020
Lodging Reported EBITDA for Fiscal 2021 decreased $8.0 million or 8797.8%, primarily as a result of limitations and restrictions on our North American operations in Fiscal 2021 as a result of the impacts of COVID-19, which resulted in reduced occupancy and capacity-related restrictions at our lodging properties compared to Fiscal 2020.
Revenue from managed condominium rooms, dining, transportation and other revenue each decreased primarily as a result of the impacts of COVID-19. These decreases were partially offset by increases in revenue from golf, primarily due to strong summer demand in Fiscal 2021, and owned hotel rooms, primarily as a result of increased revenue from GTLC and partially offset by decreases at our other lodging properties as a result of the impacts of COVID-19.
Operating expense (excluding reimbursed payroll costs) decreased 6.8%. Labor and labor related benefits decreased 10.9% primarily due to decreased staffing associated with COVID-19. General and administrative expense increased 11.3% due to an increase in allocated corporate overhead costs across all functions, including variable compensation accruals, primarily as a result of lower costs in the prior year associated with the Resort Closures. Other expense decreased 10.4% related to lower variable expenses associated with reduced revenue as a result of COVID-19.
Revenue from payroll cost reimbursement and the corresponding reimbursed payroll costs relate to payroll costs at managed hotel properties where we are the employer and all payroll costs are reimbursed by the owners of the properties under contractual arrangements. Since the reimbursements are made based upon the costs incurred with no added margin, the revenue and corresponding expense have no effect on our Lodging Reported EBITDA.
Real Estate Segment
Our Real Estate net revenue is primarily determined by the timing of closings and the mix of real estate sold in any given period. Different types of projects have different revenue and profit margins; therefore, as the real estate inventory mix changes, it can greatly impact Real Estate segment net revenue, operating expense, gain on sale of real property and Real Estate Reported EBITDA.
51
Real Estate segment operating results for Fiscal 2022, Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020 are presented by category as follows (in thousands):
| Percentage | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year ended July 31, | Increase/(Decrease) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2022/2021 | 2021/2020 | |||||||||||||
| Total Real Estate net revenue | $ | 708 | $ | 1,770 | $ | 4,847 | (60.0) | % | (63.5) | % | |||||||
| Real Estate operating expense: | |||||||||||||||||
| Cost of sales (including sales commissions) | 251 | 1,294 | 3,932 | (80.6) | % | (67.1) | % | ||||||||||
| Other | 5,660 | 5,382 | 5,250 | 5.2 | % | 2.5 | % | ||||||||||
| Total Real Estate operating expense | 5,911 | 6,676 | 9,182 | (11.5) | % | (27.3) | % | ||||||||||
| Gain on sale of real property | 1,276 | 324 | 207 | 293.8 | % | 56.5 | % | ||||||||||
| Real Estate Reported EBITDA | $ | (3,927) | $ | (4,582) | $ | (4,128) | 14.3 | % | (11.0) | % |
Fiscal 2022
We did not close on any significant real estate transactions during Fiscal 2022. Other operating expense of $5.7 million was primarily comprised of general and administrative costs, such as labor and labor-related benefits, professional services and allocated corporate overhead costs.
Fiscal 2021
We did not close on any significant real estate transactions during Fiscal 2021. Other operating expense of $5.4 million was primarily comprised of general and administrative costs, such as labor and labor-related benefits, professional services and allocated corporate overhead costs.
Fiscal 2020
During Fiscal 2020, we closed on the sale of a development land parcel for $4.1 million which was recorded within Real Estate net revenue, with a corresponding cost of sale (including sales commission) of $3.9 million.
Other operating expense of $5.3 million was primarily comprised of general and administrative costs, such as labor and labor-related benefits, professional services and allocated corporate overhead costs.
52
Other Items
In addition to segment operating results, the following items contributed to our overall financial position and results of operations (in thousands).
| Year ended July 31, | Percentage Increase/(Decrease) | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2022/2021 | 2021/2020 | |||||||||||||
| Asset impairments | $ | — | $ | — | $ | (28,372) | nm | (100.0) | % | ||||||||
| Change in estimated fair value of contingent consideration | $ | (20,280) | $ | (14,402) | $ | 2,964 | (40.8) | % | (585.9) | % | |||||||
| Gain (loss) on disposal of fixed assets and other, net | $ | 43,992 | $ | (5,373) | $ | 838 | 918.8 | % | (741.2) | % | |||||||
| Interest expense, net | $ | (148,183) | $ | (151,399) | $ | (106,721) | 2.1 | % | (41.9) | % | |||||||
| Foreign currency (loss) gain on intercompany loans | $ | (2,682) | $ | 8,282 | $ | (3,230) | (132.4) | % | 356.4 | % | |||||||
| Provision for income taxes | $ | (88,824) | $ | (726) | $ | (7,378) | (12,134.7) | % | 90.2 | % | |||||||
| Effective tax rate | (19.4) | % | (0.6) | % | (6.3) | % | 18.8 pts | (5.7 pts) | |||||||||
| Net (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interest | $ | (20,414) | $ | 3,393 | $ | (10,222) | (701.7) | % | 133.2 | % |
Asset impairments. We recorded an asset impairment of approximately $28.4 million during Fiscal 2020 as a result of the effects of COVID-19 on our Colorado resort ground transportation company, with corresponding reductions to goodwill, net of $25.7 million and intangible assets, net and property, plant and equipment, net of $2.7 million. See Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
Change in estimated fair value of contingent consideration. We recorded losses of $20.3 million and $14.4 million during Fiscal 2022 and Fiscal 2021, respectively, primarily related to an increase in the estimated contingent consideration payment for each respective year, as well as accretion resulting from the passage of time. We recorded a gain of $3.0 million during Fiscal 2020 primarily related to a decrease in the estimated Contingent Consideration payments for Fiscal 2020 and Fiscal 2021 as a result of a decrease in expected results due to the anticipated impacts of COVID-19 at that time. The estimated fair value of contingent consideration is based on assumptions for EBITDA of Park City in future periods, as calculated under the lease on which participating payments are determined, and was $42.4 million and $29.6 million as of July 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Gain (loss) on disposal of fixed assets and other, net. Gain on disposal of fixed assets and other, net for Fiscal 2022 included (i) $32.2 million from the sale of the DoubleTree at Breckenridge hotel; (ii) $10.3 million in proceeds from the NPS related to partial payments for a leasehold surrender interest at GTLC associated with assets that have been fully depreciated by the Company (payments were made at the request of the NPS); and (iii) $7.9 million from the sale of an administrative building in Avon, CO. These gains were partially offset by losses on other annual disposals of fixed assets.
Interest expense, net. Interest expense, net for Fiscal 2021 increased compared to Fiscal 2020 primarily due to borrowings under our 6.25% unsecured bond offering, which was completed on May 4, 2020 (the “6.25% Notes”) and generated approximately $28.3 million of incremental interest expense in Fiscal 2021, and $12.5 million of non-cash interest expense associated with amortization of the debt discount for the 0.0% Convertible Notes, which were issued in December 2020.
Foreign currency (loss) gain on intercompany loans. Foreign currency (loss) gain on intercompany loans for Fiscal 2022 decreased as compared to Fiscal 2021 and increased for Fiscal 2021 as compared to Fiscal 2020, both as a result of the Canadian dollar fluctuating relative to the U.S. dollar, and was associated with an intercompany loan from Vail Holdings, Inc. to Whistler Blackcomb in the original amount of $210.0 million that was funded, effective as of November 1, 2016, in connection with the acquisition of Whistler Blackcomb. This intercompany loan, which had an outstanding balance of approximately $97.2 million as of July 31, 2022, requires foreign currency remeasurement to Canadian dollars, the functional currency for Whistler Blackcomb. As a result, foreign currency fluctuations associated with the loan are recorded within our results of operations.
53
Provision for income taxes. The effective tax rate was 19.4%, 0.6% and 6.3% in Fiscal 2022, Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020, respectively. The increase in the effective tax rate during Fiscal 2022 compared to Fiscal 2021 was primarily due to an increase in full fiscal year pre-tax book income, which lessens the tax rate impact from favorable permanent items and favorable discrete items, as well as a shift in income to higher tax rate jurisdictions. The decrease in the effective tax rate provision during Fiscal 2021 compared to Fiscal 2020 was primarily driven by an increase in excess tax benefits from employee share awards that were exercised (stock appreciation rights) and that vested (restricted stock awards).
Net (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interest. Net (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interest is primarily associated with the income or loss attributable to the minority shareholder of Whistler Blackcomb, and accordingly, fluctuations are primarily associated with changes in income or loss from Whistler Blackcomb operations.
Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures
The following table reconciles net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. to Total Reported EBITDA for Fiscal 2022, Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020 (in thousands):
| Year ended July 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 (1) | 2020 (1) | ||||||||
| Net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. | $ | 347,923 | $ | 127,850 | $ | 98,833 | ||||
| Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests | 20,414 | (3,393) | 10,222 | |||||||
| Net income | 368,337 | 124,457 | 109,055 | |||||||
| Provision for income taxes | 88,824 | 726 | 7,378 | |||||||
| Income before provision for income taxes | 457,161 | 125,183 | 116,433 | |||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 252,391 | 252,585 | 249,572 | |||||||
| Asset impairments | — | — | 28,372 | |||||||
| (Gain) loss on disposal of fixed assets and other, net | (43,992) | 5,373 | (838) | |||||||
| Change in estimated fair value of contingent consideration | 20,280 | 14,402 | (2,964) | |||||||
| Investment income and other, net | (3,718) | (586) | (1,305) | |||||||
| Foreign currency loss (gain) on intercompany loans | 2,682 | (8,282) | 3,230 | |||||||
| Interest expense, net | 148,183 | 151,399 | 106,721 | |||||||
| Total Reported EBITDA | $ | 832,987 | $ | 540,074 | $ | 499,221 | ||||
| Mountain Reported EBITDA | $ | 811,167 | $ | 552,753 | $ | 503,440 | ||||
| Lodging Reported EBITDA | 25,747 | (8,097) | (91) | |||||||
| Resort Reported EBITDA | 836,914 | 544,656 | 503,349 | |||||||
| Real Estate Reported EBITDA | (3,927) | (4,582) | (4,128) | |||||||
| Total Reported EBITDA | $ | 832,987 | $ | 540,074 | $ | 499,221 |
(1) Segment results for Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020 have been retrospectively adjusted to reflect current period presentation. See Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
The following table reconciles long-term debt, net to Net Debt (defined as long-term debt, net plus long-term debt due within one year less cash and cash equivalents) (in thousands):
| Year ended July 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | |||||
| Long-term debt, net | $ | 2,670,300 | $ | 2,736,175 | ||
| Long-term debt due within one year | 63,749 | 114,117 | ||||
| Total debt | 2,734,049 | 2,850,292 | ||||
| Less: cash and cash equivalents | 1,107,427 | 1,243,962 | ||||
| Net Debt | $ | 1,626,622 | $ | 1,606,330 |
54
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Changes in significant sources and uses of cash for Fiscal 2022, Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020 are presented by categories as follows (in thousands):
| Year ended July 31, | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | ||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 710,499 | $ | 525,250 | $ | 394,950 | ||
| Net cash used in investing activities | $ | (347,917) | $ | (103,329) | $ | (492,739) | ||
| Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities | $ | (493,136) | $ | 434,662 | $ | 376,233 |
Historically, we have lower cash available at the end of each first and fourth fiscal quarter-end as compared to our second and third fiscal quarter-ends, primarily due to the seasonality of our Mountain segment operations, although our available cash balances as of July 31, 2022 and 2021 were higher than our historical July 31 balance primarily as a result of the debt offerings we completed in Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020.
Fiscal 2022 compared to Fiscal 2021
We generated $710.5 million of cash from operating activities during Fiscal 2022, an increase of $185.2 million when compared to $525.3 million of cash generated during Fiscal 2021. The increase in operating cash flows was primarily a result of increased Mountain and Lodging segment operating results during Fiscal 2022 compared to the prior year, including an increase in pass product sales and associated accounts receivable collections, net of refunds, during Fiscal 2022 compared to the prior year, which was impacted by the credits offered to 2019/2020 North American pass product holders who purchased 2020/2021 pass products. These increases were partially offset by (i) a decrease in cash flows from accounts payable and accrued liabilities, primarily associated with the lower level of operations as of the beginning of Fiscal 2021 resulting from COVID-19 and (ii) an increase in inventory purchases during Fiscal 2022 compared to the prior year.
Cash used in investing activities for Fiscal 2022 increased by $244.6 million primarily due to (i) cash payments of $116.3 million, net of cash acquired of $0.2 million, related to the acquisition of the Seven Springs Resorts during Fiscal 2022; (ii) a cash deposit of $114.4 million made in July 2022 related to the acquisition of Andermatt-Sedrun, which closed on August 3, 2022; and (iii) an increase in capital expenditures of $77.7 million as a result of the deferral of discretionary capital projects in the prior year related to our decision to prioritize near-term liquidity due to the effects of COVID-19. These increases were partially offset by proceeds of $40.5 million from the sale of the DoubleTree at Breckenridge during Fiscal 2022, as well as proceeds of $10.3 million from the NPS related to partial payments for leasehold surrender interest at GTLC associated with assets that have been fully depreciated and the sale of an administrative building in Avon, CO for $11.3 million.
Cash (used in) provided by financing activities decreased by $927.8 million during Fiscal 2022 compared to Fiscal 2021, primarily due to (i) prior year proceeds of $575.0 million from the issuance of our 0.0% Convertible Notes during Fiscal 2021; (ii) an increase in dividends paid of $225.8 million; (iii) an increase in repurchases of common stock of $75.0 million; (iv) a $51.5 million repayment of debt associated with the maturity of the EB-5 Development Notes (as defined in Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements); and (v) an increase in net payments under the revolver component of our Whistler Credit Agreement of $14.8 million. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in financing costs primarily associated with the issuance of the 0.0% Convertible Notes in the prior year.
55
Fiscal 2021 compared to Fiscal 2020
We generated $525.3 million of cash from operating activities during Fiscal 2021, an increase of $130.3 million when compared to $395.0 million of cash generated during Fiscal 2020. The increase in operating cash flows was primarily a result of (i) an increase in accounts payable and accrued liabilities (excluding accounts payable and accrued liabilities assumed through acquisitions) primarily due to an increase in accrued trade payables, salaries and wages in Fiscal 2021 due to a return to more normal operations, as compared to significantly lower accruals in the prior year due to the early closure of the 2019/2020 North American ski season for our Resorts, lodging properties and retail stores beginning on March 15, 2020; (ii) an increase in pass product sales and collections as compared to Fiscal 2020, primarily as a result of the impacts of COVID-19, including the extended pass product sales deadline in the prior year and the impact of credits offered to 2019/2020 North American pass product holders who purchased 2020/2021 pass products; and (iii) a decrease in inventories (excluding inventories assumed through acquisitions) as of July 31, 2021 as compared to the beginning of the fiscal year relative to an increase in the prior year period. These increases were partially offset by an increase in cash interest payments of $37.3 million in Fiscal 2021 as compared to the prior year, primarily due to incremental cash interest payments on the 6.25% Notes issued in May 2020, for which the first interest payments were made during Fiscal 2021.
Cash used in investing activities for Fiscal 2021 decreased by $389.4 million, primarily due to cash payments of $327.6 million, net of cash acquired, related to the acquisition of Peak Resorts during Fiscal 2020. Additionally, capital expenditures decreased by $57.2 million primarily as a result of the deferral of a significant amount of discretionary capital projects related to our decision during the outbreak of COVID-19 to prioritize near-term liquidity.
Cash provided by financing activities increased by $58.4 million during Fiscal 2021 compared to Fiscal 2020, primarily due to (i) proceeds of $575.0 million from the issuance of our 0.0% Convertible Notes during Fiscal 2021; (ii) a decrease in dividends paid of $212.7 million; (iii) a decrease in net payments of $208.0 million under the revolver component of our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement; and (iv) a decrease in repurchases of common stock of $46.4 million. These increases in cash provided by financing activities were partially offset by (i) proceeds of $600.0 million related to the issuance of our 6.25% Notes during Fiscal 2020; (ii) proceeds of $335.6 million from incremental borrowings under the term loan portion of our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement during Fiscal 2020, which were used to fund the Peak Resorts acquisition; (iii) an increase in net payments under the revolver component of our Whistler Credit Agreement of $23.5 million; and (iv) an increase in employee taxes paid for equity award exercises of $19.6 million.
Significant Sources of Cash
We had $1,107.4 million of cash and cash equivalents as of July 31, 2022, compared to $1,244.0 million as of July 31, 2021. Although we cannot predict the future impact associated with the COVID-19 pandemic or other economic factors on our business, we currently anticipate that our Mountain and Lodging segment operating results will continue to provide a significant source of future operating cash flows.
In addition to our $1,107.4 million of cash and cash equivalents at July 31, 2022, we had $417.4 million available under the revolver component of our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement as of July 31, 2022 (which represents the total commitment of $500.0 million less certain letters of credit outstanding of $82.6 million). Also, to further support the liquidity needs of Whistler Blackcomb, we had C$281.6 million ($220.0 million) available under the revolver component of our Whistler Credit Agreement (which represents the total commitment of C$300.0 million ($234.3 million) less outstanding borrowings of C$15.0 million ($11.6 million) and letters of credit outstanding of C$3.4 million ($2.6 million)). We expect that our liquidity needs in the near term will be met by continued use of our existing cash and cash equivalents, operating cash flows and borrowings under both the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement and Whistler Credit Agreement, if needed. On August 31, 2022, we entered into an amendment of the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement, to extend the maturity date by two years to September 2026. Additionally, in connection with the amendment the reference rate changed from LIBOR to the secured overnight financing rate (“SOFR”) given the anticipated sunset of LIBOR in June of 2023. SOFR is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash in the overnight U.S. Treasury repo market and is administered by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. There were no other material changes in terms. The Vail Holdings Credit Agreement and the Whistler Credit Agreement provide adequate flexibility and are priced favorably with any new borrowings currently priced at SOFR, plus a spread of 0.1%, plus 1.25% for the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement, and Bankers Acceptance Rate plus 1.75% for the Whistler Credit Agreement.
56
Significant Uses of Cash
Capital Expenditures
We have historically invested significant amounts of cash in capital expenditures for our resort operations, and we expect to continue to do so, subject to operating performance particularly as it relates to discretionary projects. In addition, we may incur capital expenditures for retained ownership interests associated with third-party real estate development projects. Currently planned capital expenditures primarily include investments that will allow us to maintain our high-quality standards, as well as certain incremental discretionary improvements at our Resorts, throughout our owned hotels and in technology that can impact the full network. We evaluate additional discretionary capital improvements based on an expected level of return on investment.
We currently anticipate we will spend approximately $323 million to $333 million on resort capital expenditures during calendar year 2022. This plan includes the installation of 18 new or replacement lifts across 12 of our resorts, which will meaningfully increase lift capacity at those lift locations. The capital plan includes approximately $9 million for the addition of annual capital expenditures associated with the recently acquired Seven Springs Resorts, approximately $4 million related to the addition of Andermatt-Sedrun and approximately $20 million of incremental spending to complete the one-time capital plans associated with the Peak Resorts and Triple Peaks acquisitions. Also included in these estimated capital expenditures are approximately $105 million to $115 million of maintenance capital expenditures, which are necessary to maintain appearance and level of service appropriate to our resort operations. We currently plan to utilize cash on hand, borrowings available under our credit agreements and/or cash flow generated from future operations to provide the cash necessary to complete our capital plans.
Approximately $87 million was spent for capital expenditures in calendar year 2022 as of July 31, 2022, leaving approximately $236 million to $246 million to spend in the remainder of calendar year 2022.
Acquisitions
On December 31, 2021, we acquired the assets of the Seven Springs Resorts for a purchase price of approximately $116.5 million, after adjustments for certain agreed-upon terms, which was funded with cash on hand.
On August 3, 2022, we acquired a majority stake in Andermatt-Sedrun Sport AG, for a purchase price of CHF 149.3 million ($155.7 million), which was funded with cash on hand. During Fiscal 2022, we made a cash deposit of CHF 110.0 million ($114.4 million) to escrow as a required prepayment in connection with the acquisition, and the remaining CHF 39.3 million ($41.3 million) was paid subsequent to July 31, 2022. As of August 3, 2022, the value of the total consideration paid to the seller was $155.4 million.
Debt
As of July 31, 2022, principal payments on the majority of our long-term debt ($2.7 billion of the total $2.8 billion debt outstanding as of July 31, 2022) are not due until fiscal year 2025 and beyond. As of July 31, 2022 and 2021, total long-term debt, net (including long-term debt due within one year) was $2.7 billion and $2.9 billion, respectively. Net Debt (defined as long-term debt, net plus long-term debt due within one year less cash and cash equivalents) was $1.6 billion as of both July 31, 2022 and 2021.
As of July 31, 2022, the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement provides for (i) a revolving loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of $500.0 million and (ii) a term loan facility of $1.1 billion. We expect that our liquidity needs in the near term will be met by continued use of our existing cash and cash equivalents, operating cash flows and borrowings under the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement and the Whistler Credit Agreement, if needed.
Our debt service requirements can be impacted by changing interest rates as we had approximately $0.7 billion of net variable-rate debt outstanding as of July 31, 2022, after consideration of $400.0 million in interest rate swaps which convert variable-rate debt to fixed-rate debt. A 100-basis point change in LIBOR (or its successor, SOFR) would cause our annual interest payments on our net variable-rate debt to change by approximately $7.4 million. Additionally, the annual payments associated with the financing of the Canyons transaction increase by the greater of CPI less 1%, or 2%. The fluctuation in our debt service requirements, in addition to interest rate and inflation changes, may be impacted by future borrowings under our credit agreements or other alternative financing arrangements we may enter into. Our long term liquidity needs depend upon operating results that impact the borrowing capacity under our credit agreements, which can be mitigated by adjustments to capital expenditures, the flexibility of investment activities and the ability to obtain favorable future financing. We can respond to liquidity impacts of changes in the business and economic environment, by managing our capital expenditures, variable operating expenses, the timing of new real estate development activity and the payment of cash dividends on our common stock.
57
Material Cash Requirements
As part of our ongoing operations, we enter into arrangements that obligate us to make future payments under contracts such as debt agreements and construction agreements in conjunction with our resort capital expenditures. Debt obligations, which totaled $2.8 billion as of July 31, 2022, are recognized as liabilities in our Consolidated Balance Sheet. Obligations under construction contracts and other purchase commitments are not recognized as liabilities in our Consolidated Balance Sheet until services and/or goods are received which is in accordance with GAAP. A summary of our material cash requirements as of July 31, 2022 (excluding obligations presented elsewhere, including Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements) is presented below (in thousands):
| Payments Due by Period | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiscal | 2-3 | 4-5 | More than | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 2023 | years | years | 5 years | ||||||||||||||
| Long-term debt (1) | $ | 3,164,858 | 152,598 | 1,748,777 | 630,925 | 632,558 | ||||||||||||
| Service contracts | $ | 26,507 | 24,800 | 1,288 | 419 | — | ||||||||||||
| Purchase obligations and other (2) | $ | 698,358 | 597,847 | 77,411 | — | 23,100 | ||||||||||||
| Total contractual cash obligations | $ | 3,889,723 | $ | 775,245 | $ | 1,827,476 | $ | 631,344 | $ | 655,658 |
(1) Long-term debt includes principal payments, fixed-rate interest payments (including payments that are required under interest rate swaps) and estimated variable interest payments utilizing interest rates in effect at July 31, 2022, and assumes all debt outstanding as of July 31, 2022 will be held to maturity. The future annual interest obligations noted herein are estimated only in relation to debt outstanding as of July 31, 2022, and do not reflect interest obligations on potential future debt or refinancing (including the impact of the Fifth Amendment, which we entered into in August 2022 and which extended the maturity date of our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement by two years to September 2026 (see Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information)).
Long-term debt also includes $12.8 million of proceeds resulting from real estate transactions accounted for as a financing arrangements. Fiscal 2023 payments shown above include approximately $6.2 million of proceeds, which are expected to be recognized on the Company’s Statement of Operations during Fiscal 2023 as a result of the anticipated resolution of continuing involvement, with no associated cash outflow (see Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).
(2) Purchase obligations and other primarily includes amounts which are classified as trade payables ($149.8 million), accrued payroll and benefits ($109.8 million), accrued fees and assessments ($25.7 million), contingent consideration liability ($42.4 million) and accrued taxes (including taxes for uncertain tax positions) ($87.5 million) on our Consolidated Balance Sheet as of July 31, 2022. These amounts also include other commitments for goods and services not yet received, including construction contracts and minimum commitments under season pass alliance agreements, which are not included on our Consolidated Balance Sheet as of July 31, 2022 in accordance with GAAP. Purchase obligations and other does not include any amounts associated with the acquisition of Andermatt-Sedrun, which was acquired on August 3, 2022.
Share Repurchase Program
Our share repurchase program is conducted under authorizations made from time to time by our Board of Directors. On March 6, 2006, our Board of Directors initially authorized the repurchase of up to 3,000,000 shares of Vail Shares and later authorized additional repurchases of up to 3,000,000 additional Vail Shares (July 16, 2008) and 1,500,000 Vail Shares (December 4, 2015), for a total authorization to repurchase shares of up to 7,500,000 Vail Shares. During Fiscal 2022, we repurchased 304,567 shares of common stock at an average price of $246.27 for a total cost of $75.0 million. Since the inception of this stock repurchase program through July 31, 2022, we have repurchased 6,465,708 Vail Shares at a cost of approximately $479.4 million. As of July 31, 2022, 1,034,292 Vail Shares remained available to repurchase under the existing repurchase authorization. Vail Shares purchased pursuant to the repurchase program will be held as treasury shares and may be used for the issuance of shares under our share award plan. Repurchases under the program may be made from time to time at prevailing prices as permitted by applicable laws, and subject to market conditions and other factors. The timing, as well as the number of Vail Shares that may be repurchased under the program, will depend on several factors, including our future financial performance, our available cash resources and competing uses for cash that may arise in the future, the restrictions in our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement, prevailing prices of Vail Shares and the number of Vail Shares that become available for sale at prices that we believe are attractive. The share repurchase program has no expiration date.
58
Dividend Payments
During Fiscal 2022, we paid cash dividends of $5.58 per share ($225.8 million, including cash dividends paid to Exchangeco shareholders). We did not pay cash dividends during Fiscal 2021. On September 22, 2022, our Board of Directors approved a cash dividend of $1.91 per share payable on October 24, 2022 to stockholders of record as of October 5, 2022. We expect to fund the dividend with available cash on hand. The amount, if any, of dividends to be paid in the future will depend on our available cash on hand, anticipated cash needs, overall financial condition, restrictions contained in our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement, future prospects for earnings and cash flows, as well as other factors considered relevant by our Board of Directors.
Covenants and Limitations
We must abide by certain restrictive financial covenants under our credit agreements. The most restrictive of those covenants include the following: for the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement, Net Funded Debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio, Secured Net Funded Debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio and the Interest Coverage ratio (each as defined in the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement); for the Whistler Credit Agreement, Consolidated Total Leverage Ratio and Consolidated Interest Coverage Ratio (each as defined in the Whistler Credit Agreement); and for the EPR Secured Notes, Maximum Leverage Ratio and Consolidated Fixed Charge Ratio (each as defined in the EPR Agreements). In addition, our financing arrangements limit our ability to make certain restricted payments, pay dividends on or redeem or repurchase stock, make certain investments, make certain affiliate transfers and may limit our ability to enter into certain mergers, consolidations or sales of assets and incur certain indebtedness. Our borrowing availability under the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement is primarily determined by the Net Funded Debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio, which is based on our segment operating performance, as defined in the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement. Our borrowing availability under the Whistler Credit Agreement is primarily determined based on the commitment size of the credit facility and our compliance with the terms of the Whistler Credit Agreement.
We were in compliance with all restrictive financial covenants in our debt instruments as of July 31, 2022. We expect that we will continue to meet all applicable financial maintenance covenants in effect in our credit agreements throughout the year ending July 31, 2023; however, there can be no assurance that we will continue to meet such financial covenants. If such covenants are not met, we would be required to seek a waiver or amendment from the banks participating in our credit agreements. There can be no assurance that such waiver or amendment would be granted, which could have a material adverse impact on our liquidity.
Off Balance Sheet Arrangements
We do not have off balance sheet transactions that are expected to have a material effect on our financial condition, revenue, expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.
Critical Accounting Policies
The preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to select appropriate accounting policies and to make judgments and estimates affecting the application of those accounting policies. In applying our accounting policies, different business conditions or the use of different assumptions may result in materially different amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements.
We have identified the most critical accounting policies which were determined by considering accounting policies that involve the most complex or subjective decisions or assessments. We also have other policies considered key accounting policies; however, these policies do not meet the definition of critical accounting policies because they do not generally require us to make estimates or judgments that are complex or subjective. We have reviewed these critical accounting policies and related disclosures with our Audit Committee of the Board of Directors.
Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Description
The carrying value of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are evaluated for possible impairment on an annual basis or between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the estimated fair value of a reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset below its carrying value. Other intangible assets are evaluated for impairment only when there is evidence that events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of these assets may not be recoverable.
59
Judgments and Uncertainties
Application of the goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment test requires judgment, including the identification of reporting units, assignment of assets and liabilities to reporting units, assignment of goodwill to reporting units and determination of the estimated fair value of reporting units and indefinite-lived intangible assets. We perform a qualitative analysis to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset exceeds the carrying amount. If it is determined, based on qualitative factors, that the fair value of the reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset may be more likely than not less than carrying amount, or if significant changes to macro-economic factors related to the reporting unit or intangible asset have occurred that could materially impact fair value since the previous quantitative analysis was performed, a quantitative impairment test would be required, in which we would determine the estimated fair value of our reporting units using a discounted cash flow analysis and determine the estimated fair value of indefinite-lived intangible assets primarily using the income approach based upon estimated future revenue streams. These analyses require significant judgments, including estimation of future cash flows, which is dependent on internal forecasts, available industry/market data (to the extent available), estimation of the long-term rate of growth for our business including expectations and assumptions regarding the impact of general economic conditions on our business, estimation of the useful life over which cash flows will occur (including terminal multiples), determination of the respective weighted average cost of capital and market participant assumptions. Changes in these estimates and assumptions could materially affect the determination of estimated fair value and impairment for each reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions
Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are tested for impairment at least annually as of May 1. Our testing for goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment consists of a comparison of the estimated fair value of those assets with their net carrying values. If the net carrying value of the assets exceed their estimated fair value, an impairment will be recognized for indefinite-lived intangible assets, including goodwill, in an amount equal to that excess; otherwise, no impairment loss is recognized. During Fiscal 2022, we primarily performed qualitative analyses of our reporting units and indefinite-lived intangible assets and determined that the estimated fair value of all material reporting units and indefinite-lived intangible assets significantly exceeded their respective carrying values.
Fair value determinations require considerable judgment and are sensitive to changes in underlying assumptions and factors. As a result, there can be no assurance that the estimates and assumptions made for purposes of the annual goodwill impairment test will prove to be an accurate prediction of the future. Examples of events or circumstances that could reasonably be expected to negatively affect the underlying key assumptions and ultimately impact the estimated fair value of our reporting units may include such items as: (1) prolonged adverse weather conditions resulting in a sustained decline in guest visitation; (2) a prolonged weakness in the general economic conditions in which guest visitation and spending is adversely impacted (particularly with regard to COVID-19 or other potential future pandemics); and (3) volatility in the equity and debt markets which could result in a higher discount rate.
While historical performance and current expectations have generally resulted in estimated fair values of our reporting units in excess of carrying values, if our assumptions are not realized, it is possible that an impairment charge may need to be recorded in the future. However, it is not possible at this time to determine if an impairment charge would result or if such a charge would be material. As of July 31, 2022, we had $1,754.9 million of goodwill and $254.2 million of indefinite-lived intangible assets recorded on our Consolidated Balance Sheet. There can be no assurance that the estimates and assumptions made for purposes of the annual goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment tests will prove to be an accurate prediction of the future.
60
Tax Contingencies
Description
We must make certain estimates and judgments in determining income tax expense for financial statement purposes. These estimates and judgments occur in the calculation of tax credits and deductions and in the calculation of certain tax assets and liabilities, which arise from differences in the timing of recognition of revenue and expense for tax and financial statement purposes, as well as the interest and penalties relating to uncertain tax positions. The calculation of our tax liabilities involves dealing with uncertainties in the application of complex tax regulations. We recognize liabilities for uncertain tax positions based on a two-step process. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained on audit, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes, if any. The second step requires us to estimate and measure the largest tax benefit that is cumulatively greater than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. It is inherently difficult and subjective to estimate such amounts, as this requires us to determine the probability of various possible outcomes. This evaluation is based on factors including, but not limited to, changes in facts or circumstances, changes in tax law, interpretation of tax law, effectively settled issues under audit and new audit activity. A significant amount of time may pass before a particular matter, for which we may have established a reserve, is audited and fully resolved.
Judgments and Uncertainties
The estimates of our tax contingencies reserve contain uncertainty because management must use judgment to estimate the potential exposure associated with our various filing positions.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions
We believe the estimates and judgments discussed herein are reasonable and we have adequate reserves for our tax contingencies for uncertain tax positions. Our reserves for uncertain tax positions, including any income tax related interest and penalties, are $68.8 million as of July 31, 2022. This reserve relates to the treatment of the Canyons lease payments obligation as payments of debt obligations and that the tax basis in Canyons goodwill is deductible. Actual results could differ and we may be exposed to increases or decreases in those reserves and tax provisions that could be material.
An unfavorable tax settlement could require the use of cash and could possibly result in increased tax expense and effective tax rate and/or adjustments to our deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities in the year of resolution. A favorable tax settlement could possibly result in a reduction in our tax expense, effective tax rate, income taxes payable, other long-term liabilities and/or adjustments to our deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities in the year of settlement or in future years.
Depreciable Lives of Assets
Description
Mountain and lodging operational assets, furniture and fixtures, computer equipment, software, vehicles and leasehold improvements are primarily depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the asset. Assets may become obsolete or require replacement before the end of their useful life in which the remaining book value would be written-off or we could incur costs to remove or dispose of assets no longer in use.
Judgments and Uncertainties
The estimates of our useful lives of the assets contain uncertainty because management must use judgment to estimate the useful life of the asset.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions
Although we believe the estimates and judgments discussed herein are reasonable, actual results could differ, and we may be exposed to increased expense related to depreciable assets disposed of, removed or taken out of service prior to its originally estimated useful life, which may be material. A 10% decrease in the estimated useful lives of depreciable assets would have increased depreciation expense by approximately $24.0 million for Fiscal 2022.
61
Business Combinations
Description
A component of our growth strategy has been to acquire and integrate businesses that complement our existing operations. We account for business combinations in accordance with the guidance for business combinations and related literature. Accordingly, we allocate the purchase price of acquired businesses to the identifiable tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based upon their estimated fair values at the date of acquisition. The difference between the purchase price and the estimated fair value of the net assets acquired or the excess of the aggregate estimated fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed is recorded as goodwill. In determining the estimated fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination, we use various recognized valuation methods including present value modeling and referenced market values (where available). Valuations are performed by management or independent valuation specialists under management’s supervision, where appropriate.
Judgments and Uncertainties
Accounting for business combinations requires our management to make significant estimates and assumptions, especially at the acquisition date, including our estimates for intangible assets, contractual obligations assumed and contingent consideration, where applicable. Although we believe the assumptions and estimates we have made in the past have been reasonable and appropriate, they are based in part on historical experience and information obtained from the management of the acquired companies and are inherently uncertain. Examples of critical estimates in valuing certain of the intangible assets we have acquired include, but are not limited to: determination of weighted average cost of capital, market participant assumptions, royalty rates, terminal multiples and estimates of future cash flows to be generated by the acquired assets. In addition to the estimates and assumptions applied to valuing intangible assets acquired, the determination of the estimated fair value of contingent consideration, including estimating the likelihood and timing of achieving the relevant thresholds for contingent consideration payments, requires the use of subjective judgments. We estimate the fair value of the Park City contingent consideration payments using an option pricing valuation model which incorporates, among other factors, projected achievement of specified financial performance measures, discounts rates and volatility for the respective business.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions
We believe that the estimated fair values assigned to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed are based on reasonable assumptions that a marketplace participant would use. While we use our best estimates and assumptions to accurately value assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date, our estimates are inherently uncertain and subject to refinement. As a result, during the measurement period, which may be up to one year from the acquisition date, we may record adjustments to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed with the corresponding offset to goodwill. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period or final determination of the estimated fair values of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments would be recorded in our Consolidated Statements of Operations.
We recognize the fair value of contingent consideration at the date of acquisition as part of the consideration transferred to acquire a business. The liability associated with contingent consideration is remeasured to fair value at each reporting period subsequent to the date of acquisition taking into consideration changes in financial projections and long-term growth rates, among other factors, that may impact the timing and amount of contingent consideration payments until the term of the agreement has expired or the contingency is resolved. Increases in the fair value of contingent consideration are recorded as losses in our Consolidated Statements of Operations, while decreases in fair value are recorded as gains.
New Accounting Standards
Refer to the Summary of Significant Accounting Policies within the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of new accounting standards.
62
Seasonality and Quarterly Results
Our mountain and lodging operations are seasonal in nature, with a typical peak operating season in North America generally beginning in mid-December and running through mid-April. In particular, revenue and profits for our North America mountain and most of our lodging operations are substantially lower and historically result in losses from late spring to late fall. Conversely, peak operating seasons for our NPS concessioner properties, our mountain resort golf courses and our Australian resorts’ ski season generally occur during the North American summer months while the North American winter months result in operating losses. Revenue and profits generated by NPS concessioner properties’ summer operations, golf operations and Australian resorts’ ski operations are not sufficient to fully offset our off-season losses from our North American mountain and other lodging operations. During Fiscal 2022, approximately 83% of total combined Mountain and Lodging segment net revenue (excluding Lodging segment revenue associated with reimbursement of payroll costs) was earned during the second and third fiscal quarters. Therefore, the operating results for any three-month period are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved for any subsequent quarter or for a full year (see Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements).
FY 2021 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0000812011-21-000069.
ITEM 7.MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.
The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and notes related thereto included in this Form 10-K. To the extent that the following MD&A contains statements which are not of a historical nature, such statements are forward-looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties. These risks include, but are not limited to, those discussed in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in this Form 10-K. The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the Forward-Looking Statements section and Item 1A. “Risk Factors” each included in this Form 10-K.
The MD&A includes discussion of financial performance within each of our three segments. We have chosen to specifically include segment Reported EBITDA (defined as segment net revenue less segment operating expense, plus or minus segment equity investment income or loss and for the Real Estate segment, plus gain or loss on sale of real property) in the following discussion because we consider this measurement to be a significant indication of our financial performance. We utilize segment Reported EBITDA in evaluating our performance and in allocating resources to our segments. Net Debt (defined as long-term debt, net plus long-term debt due within one year less cash and cash equivalents) is included in the following discussion because we consider this measurement to be a significant indication of our available capital resources. We also believe that Net Debt is an important measurement as it is an indicator of our ability to obtain additional capital resources for our future cash needs. Resort Reported EBITDA (defined as the combination of segment Reported EBITDA of our Mountain and Lodging segments), Total Reported EBITDA (which is Resort Reported EBITDA plus segment Reported EBITDA from our Real Estate segment) and Net Debt are not measures of financial performance or liquidity defined under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). Refer to the end of the Results of Operations section for a reconciliation of net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. to Total Reported EBITDA and long-term debt, net to Net Debt.
Items excluded from Reported EBITDA and Net Debt are significant components in understanding and assessing financial performance or liquidity. Reported EBITDA and Net Debt should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to, or substitute for, net income, net change in cash and cash equivalents or other financial statement data presented in the Consolidated Financial Statements as indicators of financial performance or liquidity. Because Resort Reported EBITDA, Total Reported EBITDA and Net Debt are not measurements determined in accordance with GAAP and are thus susceptible to varying calculations, Resort Reported EBITDA, Total Reported EBITDA and Net Debt, as presented herein, may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. In addition, our segment Reported EBITDA (i.e. Mountain, Lodging and Real Estate), the measure of segment profit or loss required to be disclosed in accordance with GAAP, may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies.
Overview
Our operations are grouped into three integrated and interdependent segments: Mountain, Lodging and Real Estate. We refer to “Resort” as the combination of the Mountain and Lodging segments. The Mountain, Lodging and Real Estate segments represented approximately 89%, 11% and 0%, respectively, of our net revenue for Fiscal 2021.
41
Mountain Segment
In the Mountain segment, the Company operates the following 37 destination mountain resorts and regional ski areas:
*Denotes a destination mountain resort, which generally receives a meaningful portion of skier visits from long-distance travelers, as opposed to our regional ski areas, which tend to generate skier visits predominantly from their respective local markets.
Additionally, we operate ancillary services, including ski school, dining and retail/rental operations, and for our Australian ski areas, including lodging and transportation operations. Mountain segment revenue is seasonal, with the majority of revenue earned from our North American destination mountain resorts and regional ski areas (collectively, our “Resorts”) occurring in our second and third fiscal quarters and the majority of revenue earned from our Australian ski areas occurring in our first and fourth fiscal quarters. Our North American Resorts are typically open for business from mid-November through mid-April, which is the peak operating season for the Mountain segment, and our Australian ski areas are typically open for business from June to early October. Our single largest source of Mountain segment revenue is the sale of lift tickets (including pass products), which represented approximately 64%, 53% and 53% of Mountain segment net revenue for Fiscal 2021, the fiscal year ended July 31, 2020 (“Fiscal 2020”) and the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019 (“Fiscal 2019”), respectively.
42
Lift revenue is driven by volume and pricing. Pricing is impacted by both absolute pricing, as well as the demographic mix of guests, which impacts the price points at which various products are purchased. The demographic mix of guests that visit our North American mountain resorts is divided into two primary categories: (1) out-of-state and international (“Destination”) guests and (2) in-state and local (“Local”) guests. For the 2020/2021 North American ski season, Destination guests comprised approximately 52% of our North American destination mountain resort skier visits (excluding complimentary access), while Local guests comprised approximately 48%, which compares to approximately 58% and 42%, respectively, for the 2019/2020 North American ski season and approximately 57% and 43%, respectively, for the 2018/2019 North American ski season. Skier visitation at our regional ski areas is largely comprised of Local guests. Destination guests generally purchase our higher-priced lift tickets (including pass products) and utilize more ancillary services such as ski school, dining and retail/rental, as well as lodging at or around our mountain resorts. The impacts of COVID-19, including travel restrictions, had a disproportionately adverse impact on Destination visitation, particularly international guests, as demand for long-distance travel was lower than normal throughout the 2020/2021 North American ski season. Additionally, Destination guest visitation is less likely to be impacted by changes in the weather during the current ski season, but may be more impacted by adverse economic conditions, the global geopolitical climate or weather conditions in the immediately preceding ski season. Local guests tend to be more value-oriented and weather sensitive.
We offer a variety of pass products for all of our Resorts marketed towards both Destination and Local guests. Our pass product offerings range from providing access to one or a combination of our Resorts for a certain number of days to our Epic Pass, which allows pass holders unlimited and unrestricted access to all of our Resorts. The Epic Day Pass is a customizable one to seven day pass product purchased in advance of the season, for those skiers and riders who expect to ski a certain number of days during the season, and which is available in two tiers of resort access offerings. For the 2021/2022 North American ski season, we reduced prices of our entire portfolio of pass products by 20%. Our pass program provides a compelling value proposition to our guests, which in turn assists us in developing a loyal base of customers who commit to ski at our Resorts generally in advance of the ski season and typically ski more days each season at our Resorts than those guests who do not buy pass products. Additionally, we have entered into strategic long-term season pass alliance agreements with third-party mountain resorts including Telluride Ski Resort in Colorado, Sun Valley Resort in Idaho, Snowbasin Resort in Utah, Hakuba Valley and Rusutsu Resort in Japan, Resorts of the Canadian Rockies in Canada, Les 3 Vallées in France, 4 Vallées in Switzerland, Skirama Dolomiti in Italy and Ski Arlberg in Austria, which further increases the value proposition of our pass products. As such, our pass program drives strong customer loyalty, mitigates exposure to more weather sensitive guests, generates additional ancillary spending and provides cash flow in advance of winter season operations. In addition, our pass program attracts new guests to our Resorts. All of our pass products, including the Epic Pass and Epic Day Pass, are predominately sold prior to the start of the ski season. Pass product revenue, although primarily collected prior to the ski season, is recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Operations throughout the ski season primarily based on historical visitation (excluding visitation data for Fiscal 2020, which we do not believe is indicative of future visitation due to the early resort closures associated with COVID-19 in March 2020).
Lift revenue consists of pass product lift revenue (“pass revenue”) and non-pass product lift revenue (“non-pass revenue”). Approximately 61%, 51% and 47% of total lift revenue was derived from pass revenue for Fiscal 2021, Fiscal 2020 and Fiscal 2019, respectively (including the impact of the deferral of pass product revenue from Fiscal 2020 to Fiscal 2021 as a result of the Credit Offer, as defined below). Additionally, lift revenue for Fiscal 2021 was impacted by the Company only allowing pass product holders to access the Resorts during the early portion of the 2020/2021 North American ski season, as well as the Company utilizing a reservation system, which limited capacity for both pass product holders and non-pass lift tickets.
The cost structure of our mountain resort operations has a significant fixed component with variable expenses including, but not limited to, land use permit or lease fees, credit card fees, retail/rental cost of sales and labor, ski school labor and expenses associated with dining operations. As such, profit margins can fluctuate greatly based on the level of revenues associated with visitation.
Lodging Segment
Operations within the Lodging segment include (i) ownership/management of a group of luxury hotels through the RockResorts brand proximate to our Colorado and Utah mountain resorts; (ii) ownership/management of non-RockResorts branded hotels and condominiums proximate to our North American Resorts; (iii) National Park Service (“NPS”) concessionaire properties including Grand Teton Lodge Company (“GTLC”); (iv) a Colorado resort ground transportation company; and (v) mountain resort golf courses.
The performance of our lodging properties (including managed condominium units and our Colorado resort ground transportation company) proximate to our mountain resorts is closely aligned with the performance of the Mountain segment and generally experiences similar seasonal trends, particularly with respect to visitation by Destination guests. Revenues from
43
such properties represented approximately 64%, 73% and 70% of Lodging segment net revenue (excluding Lodging segment revenue associated with reimbursement of payroll costs) for Fiscal 2021, Fiscal 2020 and Fiscal 2019, respectively. Management primarily focuses on Lodging net revenue excluding payroll cost reimbursements and Lodging operating expense excluding reimbursed payroll costs (which are not measures of financial performance under GAAP) as the reimbursements are made based upon the costs incurred with no added margin; as such, the revenue and corresponding expense have no effect on our Lodging Reported EBITDA, which we use to evaluate Lodging segment performance. Revenue of the Lodging segment during our first and fourth fiscal quarters is generated primarily by the operations of our NPS concessionaire properties (as their operating season generally occurs from June to the end of September); mountain resort golf operations and seasonally lower volume from our other owned and managed properties and businesses.
Real Estate Segment
The principal activities of our Real Estate segment include the sale of land parcels to third-party developers and planning for future real estate development projects, including zoning and acquisition of applicable permits. We continue undertaking preliminary planning and design work on future projects and are pursuing opportunities with third-party developers rather than undertaking our own significant vertical development projects. Additionally, real estate development projects by third-party developers most often result in the creation of certain resort assets that provide additional benefit to the Mountain segment. We believe that, due to our low carrying cost of real estate land investments, we are well situated to promote future projects by third-party developers while limiting our financial risk. Our revenue from the Real Estate segment and associated expense can fluctuate significantly based upon the timing of closings and the type of real estate being sold, causing volatility in the Real Estate segment’s operating results from period to period.
Recent Trends, Risks and Uncertainties
We have identified the following significant factors (as well as uncertainties associated with such factors) that could impact our future financial performance:
•COVID-19 has led to travel restrictions and other adverse economic impacts including reduced consumer confidence, an increase in unemployment rates and volatility in global and local economies. Our operations continue to be negatively impacted by COVID-19 and associated government mandated restrictions, including capacity limitations, travel restrictions, and mask and social distancing requirements. Additionally, we may impose our own COVID-19 related restrictions in addition to what is required by state and local governments in the interest of safety for our guests, employees and resort communities. Although we are uncertain as to the ultimate severity and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the related global or other travel restrictions and other adverse impacts, we have seen a significant negative change in performance and our future performance could also be negatively impacted. In addition, the North American economy may be impacted by economic challenges in North America or declining or slowing growth in economies outside of North America, accompanied by devaluation of currencies, rising inflation, trade tariffs and lower commodity prices. We cannot predict the ultimate impact that the global economic uncertainty as a result of COVID-19 will have on overall travel and leisure spending or more specifically, on our guest visitation, guest spending or other related trends for the upcoming 2021/2022 North American ski season.
•In the prior year, we announced the early closure of the 2019/2020 North American ski season for our Resorts, lodging properties and retail stores beginning on March 15, 2020. These actions (the “Resort Closures”) had a significant adverse impact on our results of operations for the year ended July 31, 2020. Additionally, on April 27, 2020, we announced that we would offer credits to customers who had purchased 2019/2020 North American pass products and who purchased 2020/2021 North American pass products on or before September 17, 2020 (the “Credit Offer”). The Credit Offer discounts ranged from a minimum of 20% to a maximum of 80% for season pass holders, depending on the number of days the pass holder used their pass product during the 2019/2020 season and a credit, with no minimum, but up to 80% for multi-day pass products, such as the Epic Day Pass, based on total unused days. As a result of the Credit Offer to 2019/2020 pass product holders, we delayed the recognition of approximately $120.9 million of season pass deferred revenue, as well as approximately $2.9 million of related deferred costs, that would have been recognized in Fiscal 2020 and which was instead primarily recognized in the second and third quarters of Fiscal 2021.
•The ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in reduced visitation and decreased spending for the 2020/2021 North American ski season compared to the prior year through March 14, 2021, the equivalent date that we closed our Resorts early for the 2019/2020 North American ski season due to the outbreak of COVID-19. These declines were primarily driven by reduced demand for Destination visitation at our western resorts and COVID-19 related capacity limitations, which were further impacted by snowfall levels that were well below average at our Colorado, Utah and Tahoe resorts from the early season throughout the holiday season. Visitation and spending was also particularly
44
impacted in regions where heightened COVID-19 restrictions were in place, including Whistler Blackcomb, Tahoe and Vermont. However, results continued to improve as the season progressed, primarily as a result of stronger Destination visitation at our Colorado and Utah resorts, including improved lift ticket purchases. Whistler Blackcomb’s results were disproportionately impacted as compared to our broader Mountain segment as a result of the Canadian travel restrictions and border closures, and were further impacted by the early closure of Whistler Blackcomb on March 30, 2021 following a provincial health order issued by the government of British Columbia due to an increase in COVID-19 cases in the region. Our Fiscal 2021 first quarter results were negatively impacted by Mount Hotham and Falls Creek, which opened for the 2020 Australian ski season on July 6, 2020, but we decided to close them four days later due to a “stay at home” order put in place by the Victorian government and specifically for the Melbourne metropolitan area, which represents the majority of visitors for Mount Hotham and Falls Creek, as a result of a reemergence of COVID-19 in the region. Additionally, our Australian ski areas were also impacted by “stay at home” orders and periodic resort closures during the 2021 ski season, which had a negative impact on our Fiscal 2021 fourth quarter results. The ongoing impacts of COVID-19 also resulted in reduced occupancy at our lodging properties during the 2019/2020 North American ski season following our early closure in March 2020, as well as during the 2020/2021 North American ski season. We closed our GTLC facilities including Jackson Lake Lodge and Jenny Lake Lodge during the summer of 2020, implemented restrictions on guided activities and in-restaurant dining, and temporarily closed many other facilities, which negatively impacted results for the first quarter of Fiscal 2021. These actions, trends, and the COVID-19 pandemic in general, had a significant adverse impact on our results of operations for the Fiscal 2020 and Fiscal 2021, and may continue to have a material, negative impact on our resorts and lodging properties for the fiscal year ending July 31, 2022 (“Fiscal 2022”).
•The timing and amount of snowfall can have an impact on Mountain and Lodging revenue, particularly with regard to skier visits and the duration and frequency of guest visitation. To help mitigate this impact, we sell a variety of pass products prior to the beginning of the ski season which results in a more stabilized stream of lift revenue. In March 2021, we began our pass product sales program for the 2021/2022 North American ski season, which included a 20% reduction in price for all pass products. Pass product sales through September 17, 2021 for the upcoming 2021/2022 North American ski season increased approximately 42% in units and approximately 17% in sales dollars as compared to the period in the prior year through September 18, 2020, without deducting for the value of any redeemed credits provided to certain North American pass product holders in the prior period. To provide a comparison to the season pass results released on June 7, 2021, pass product sales through September 17, 2021 increased approximately 67% in units and approximately 45% in sales dollars as compared to the period through September 20, 2019, with pass product sales adjusted to include Peak Resorts pass sales in both periods. Pass product sales are adjusted to eliminate the impact of foreign currency by applying an exchange rate of $0.79 between the Canadian dollar and U.S. dollar in all periods for Whistler Blackcomb. We cannot predict if this favorable trend will continue through the fall 2021 North American pass sales campaign or the overall impact that pass sales will have on lift revenue for the 2021/2022 North American ski season.
•Prior to the 2020/2021 North American ski season, we introduced Epic Coverage, which is included with the purchase of all pass products for no additional charge. Epic Coverage provides refunds in the event of certain resort closures and certain qualifying travel restrictions (e.g. for COVID-19), giving pass product holders a refund for any portion of the season that is lost due to qualifying circumstances. Additionally, Epic Coverage provides a refund for qualifying personal circumstances that were historically covered by our pass insurance program, including for eligible injuries, job losses and many other personal events. The estimated amount of refunds reduces the amount of pass product revenue recognized. We believe our estimate of refund amounts are reasonable; however, actual results could vary materially from such estimates, and we could be required to refund significantly higher amounts than estimated.
Additionally, for the 2020/2021 North American ski season, we introduced Epic Mountain Rewards, a program which provides pass product holders a discount of 20% off on-mountain food and beverage, lodging, group ski school lessons, equipment rentals and more at our North American owned and operated Resorts. Epic Mountain Rewards constitutes an option to our guests to purchase additional products and services from us at a discount and as a result, we allocate a portion of the pass product transaction price to these other lines of business.
•As of July 31, 2021, we had $1,244.0 million of cash and cash equivalents as well as $417.7 million available under the revolver component of our Eighth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of August 15, 2018 and as amended most recently on December 18, 2020 (the “Vail Holdings Credit Agreement”), which represents the total commitment of $500.0 million less certain letters of credit outstanding of $82.3 million. Additionally, we have a credit facility which supports the liquidity needs of Whistler Blackcomb (the “Whistler Credit Agreement”). As of July 31, 2021, we had C$243.1 million ($194.9 million) available under the revolver component of the Whistler Credit
45
Agreement (which represents the total commitment of C$300.0 million ($240.5 million) less outstanding borrowings of C$56.0 million ($44.9 million) and a letter of credit outstanding of C$0.9 million ($0.7 million)).
On December 18, 2020, we entered into the Fourth Amendment to our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement (the “Fourth Amendment”). Pursuant to the Fourth Amendment, among other terms, we are exempt from complying with the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement’s leverage ratio, senior secured leverage ratio, and interest coverage ratio financial maintenance covenants for each of the fiscal quarters ending through January 31, 2022 (unless we make a one-time irrevocable election to terminate such exemption prior to such date) (such period, the “Financial Covenants Temporary Waiver Period”), after which we will again be required to comply with such covenants starting with the fiscal quarter ending April 30, 2022 (or such earlier fiscal quarter as elected by us). During the Financial Covenants Temporary Waiver Period, we are subject to other restrictions which will limit our ability to make future acquisitions, investments, distributions to stockholders, share repurchases or incur additional debt. Additionally, on December 18, 2020, we completed an offering of $575.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 0.0% convertible senior notes due 2026 (the “0.0% Convertible Notes”) in a private placement conducted pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The 0.0% Convertible Notes are senior, unsecured obligations that do not bear regular interest, and the principal amount of the 0.00% Convertible Notes does not accrete. The notes will mature on January 1, 2026, unless earlier repurchased, redeemed or converted. See Liquidity and Capital Resources for additional information.
We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents, availability under our credit agreements and the expected positive cash flow from operating activities of our Mountain and Lodging segments less resort capital expenditures will continue to provide us with sufficient liquidity to fund our operations.
Results of Operations
Summary
Shown below is a summary of operating results for Fiscal 2021, Fiscal 2020 and Fiscal 2019 (in thousands):
| Year ended July 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | ||||||||
| Net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. | $ | 127,850 | $ | 98,833 | $ | 301,163 | ||||
| Income before provision for income taxes | $ | 125,183 | $ | 116,433 | $ | 398,965 | ||||
| Mountain Reported EBITDA | $ | 550,389 | $ | 500,080 | $ | 678,594 | ||||
| Lodging Reported EBITDA | (5,733) | 3,269 | 28,100 | |||||||
| Resort Reported EBITDA | $ | 544,656 | $ | 503,349 | $ | 706,694 | ||||
| Real Estate Reported EBITDA | $ | (4,582) | $ | (4,128) | $ | (4,317) |
A discussion of segment results, including reconciliations of net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. to Total Reported EBITDA, and other items can be found below. The consolidated results of operations, including any consolidated financial metrics pertaining thereto, include the operations of Peak Resorts (acquired September 24, 2019), Falls Creek and Hotham (acquired April 4, 2019), Triple Peaks (acquired September 27, 2018) and Stevens Pass (acquired August 15, 2018), prospectively from their respective dates of acquisition.
The Resort Closures had a significant adverse impact on our results of operations for Fiscal 2020. Additionally, COVID-19 continued to have an adverse impact on our results of operations for Fiscal 2021, as further described below in our segment results of operations.
The sections titled “Fiscal 2021 compared to Fiscal 2020” and “Fiscal 2020 compared to Fiscal 2019” in each of the Mountain and Lodging segment discussions below provide comparisons of financial and operating performance for Fiscal 2021 to Fiscal 2020 and Fiscal 2020 to Fiscal 2019, respectively, unless otherwise noted.
46
Mountain Segment
Mountain segment operating results for Fiscal 2021, Fiscal 2020 and Fiscal 2019 are presented by category as follows (in thousands, except ETP):
| Percentage | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year ended July 31, | Increase/(Decrease) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2021/2020 | 2020/2019 | |||||||||||||
| Mountain net revenue: | |||||||||||||||||
| Lift | $ | 1,076,578 | $ | 913,091 | $ | 1,033,234 | 17.9 | % | (11.6) | % | |||||||
| Ski school | 144,227 | 189,131 | 215,060 | (23.7) | % | (12.1) | % | ||||||||||
| Dining | 90,329 | 160,763 | 181,837 | (43.8) | % | (11.6) | % | ||||||||||
| Retail/rental | 227,993 | 270,299 | 320,267 | (15.7) | % | (15.6) | % | ||||||||||
| Other | 150,751 | 177,159 | 205,803 | (14.9) | % | (13.9) | % | ||||||||||
| Total Mountain net revenue | 1,689,878 | 1,710,443 | 1,956,201 | (1.2) | % | (12.6) | % | ||||||||||
| Mountain operating expense: | |||||||||||||||||
| Labor and labor-related benefits | 452,352 | 473,365 | 507,811 | (4.4) | % | (6.8) | % | ||||||||||
| Retail cost of sales | 76,565 | 96,497 | 121,442 | (20.7) | % | (20.5) | % | ||||||||||
| Resort related fees | 69,768 | 75,044 | 96,240 | (7.0) | % | (22.0) | % | ||||||||||
| General and administrative | 253,279 | 239,412 | 233,159 | 5.8 | % | 2.7 | % | ||||||||||
| Other | 294,223 | 327,735 | 320,915 | (10.2) | % | 2.1 | % | ||||||||||
| Total Mountain operating expense | 1,146,187 | 1,212,053 | 1,279,567 | (5.4) | % | (5.3) | % | ||||||||||
| Mountain equity investment income, net | 6,698 | 1,690 | 1,960 | 296.3 | % | (13.8) | % | ||||||||||
| Mountain Reported EBITDA | $ | 550,389 | $ | 500,080 | $ | 678,594 | 10.1 | % | (26.3) | % | |||||||
| Total skier visits | 14,852 | 13,483 | 14,998 | 10.2 | % | (10.1) | % | ||||||||||
| ETP | $ | 72.49 | $ | 67.72 | $ | 68.89 | 7.0 | % | (1.7) | % |
Mountain Reported EBITDA includes $20.3 million, $17.4 million and $16.5 million of stock-based compensation expense for Fiscal 2021, Fiscal 2020 and Fiscal 2019, respectively.
Fiscal 2021 compared to Fiscal 2020
Mountain Reported EBITDA increased $50.3 million, or 10.1%, primarily due to the impact of the prior year Resort Closures, including the deferral of $120.9 million of pass product revenue from Fiscal 2020 to Fiscal 2021 as a result of the Credit Offer to 2019/2020 North American pass product holders, as well as cost discipline efforts in the current year associated with lower levels of operations. These increases were partially offset by limitations and restrictions on our North American winter operations and closures, limitations and restrictions at Perisher, Falls Creek and Hotham during both the 2020 and 2021 Australian ski seasons. Additionally, Whistler Blackcomb’s performance was negatively impacted in the current year due to the continued closure of the Canadian border to international guests and was further impacted by the resort closing earlier than expected on March 30, 2021 following a provincial health order issued by the government of British Columbia. Mountain segment results also include $1.0 million and $13.6 million of acquisition and integration related expenses for Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020, respectively, which are recorded within Mountain other operating expense. Additionally, operating results from Whistler Blackcomb, which are translated from Canadian dollars to U.S. dollars, were favorably affected by increases in the Canadian dollar exchange rate relative to the U.S. dollar as compared to the prior year, resulting in an increase in Mountain Reported EBITDA of approximately $2 million, which the Company calculated by applying current period foreign exchange rates to the prior period results.
Lift revenue increased $163.5 million, or 17.9%, primarily due to the Company operating for the full U.S. ski season in the current year as compared to the shortened operating season in the prior year as a result of the Resort Closures, including the deferral impact of the Credit Offer from Fiscal 2020 to Fiscal 2021, partially offset by limitations and restrictions on our North American winter operations in the current year due to the ongoing impacts of COVID-19, which resulted in a decrease in non-pass visitation. Pass product revenue increased 40.6%, primarily as a result of strong North American pass sales growth for the 2020/2021 ski season, including the deferral impact of the Credit Offer which was recognized primarily during Fiscal 2021. Non-pass revenue decreased 5.7% due to reduced non-pass visitation to our Resorts, which were adversely impacted by COVID-19 related capacity limitations and snowfall levels that were well below average at our Colorado, Utah and Tahoe
47
resorts through the holiday season, partially offset by an increase in non-pass ETP of 10.1% in the current year. Visitation was particularly impacted in regions where heightened COVID-19 related restrictions were in place, including Whistler Blackcomb, Tahoe and Vermont. Additionally, Whistler Blackcomb’s results were disproportionately impacted as compared to our broader Mountain segment performance in the current year due to the continued closure of the Canadian border to international guests, and was further impacted by the resort closing earlier than expected on March 30, 2021 following a provincial health order issued by the government of British Columbia.
Ski school revenue, dining revenue and retail/rental revenue each decreased in Fiscal 2021 compared to Fiscal 2020 primarily due to the limitations and restrictions on our North American operations during Fiscal 2021 as a result of the impacts of COVID-19 on our business.
Other revenue mainly consists of summer visitation and mountain activities revenue, employee housing revenue, guest services revenue, commercial leasing revenue, marketing and internet advertising revenue, private club revenue (which includes both club dues and amortization of initiation fees), municipal services revenue and other recreation activity revenue. Other revenue is also comprised of Australian ski area lodging and transportation revenue. For Fiscal 2021, other revenue decreased $26.4 million, or 14.9%, primarily due to decreased mountain activities and mountain services revenue as a result of limitations and restrictions on our business in Fiscal 2021 due to COVID-19, as well as a reduction in ski pass insurance revenue as a result of the replacement of our previous ski pass insurance program with Epic Coverage for the 2020/2021 North American ski season, which is free to all pass product holders.
Operating expense decreased $65.9 million, or 5.4%, which was primarily attributable to cost discipline efforts in the current year associated with lower levels of operations and limitations, restrictions and closures of Resort operations resulting from COVID-19. Additionally, operating expense includes $1.0 million and $13.6 million of acquisition and integration related expenses for Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020, respectively.
Labor and labor-related benefits decreased 4.4%, primarily due to cost discipline efforts in the current year associated with limitations, restrictions and closures of our Resort operations as a result of COVID-19, as well as incremental tax credits of approximately $10.3 million primarily associated with COVID-19 related legislation passed in Canada, partially offset by an increase in variable compensation. Retail cost of sales decreased 20.7% compared to a decrease in retail sales of 23.5%, reflecting a higher mix of aged retail products sold at reduced margins. Resort related fees decreased 7.0% primarily due to decreases in revenue on which those fees are based. General and administrative expense increased 5.8%, primarily due to a $13.2 million charge recorded during the fourth quarter of Fiscal 2021 for a contingent obligation with respect to employment-related litigation, as well as an increase in variable compensation accruals, partially offset by incremental tax credits of approximately $2.7 million primarily associated with COVID-19 related legislation passed in Canada and Australia. Other expense decreased 10.2% primarily due to decreases in variable operating expenses associated with reduced revenues, as well as a decrease in acquisition and integration related expenses of $12.6 million.
Mountain equity investment income, net primarily includes our share of income from the operations of a real estate brokerage joint venture. Mountain equity investment income from the real estate brokerage company increased $5.0 million (296.3%) for Fiscal 2021 compared to Fiscal 2020 due to a significant increase in both the number of real estate sales and the average price of those sales.
Fiscal 2020 compared to Fiscal 2019
Mountain Reported EBITDA decreased $178.5 million, or 26.3%, primarily due to the impact of the deferral of $120.9 million of pass product revenue during Fiscal 2020 as a result of the Credit Offer to 2019/2020 North American pass product holders from the Resort Closures and the overall impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in significantly reduced visitation and operations at our Resorts and retail stores for the 2019/2020 North American ski season, the 2020 Australian ski season and our 2020 North American summer operations. These decreases were partially offset by the incremental operations of Peak Resorts, Falls Creek and Hotham. Mountain segment results include $13.6 million and $16.4 million of acquisition and integration related expenses for Fiscal 2020 and Fiscal 2019, respectively, which are recorded within Mountain other operating expense.
Lift revenue decreased $120.1 million, or 11.6%, primarily due to a 3.4% decrease in pass product revenue and an 18.8% decrease in non-pass revenue. Pass product revenue decreased primarily as a result of the deferral of approximately $120.9 million of pass product revenue associated with the Credit Offer to 2019/2020 North American pass product holders, which would have been recognized during Fiscal 2020 and which was instead recognized primarily in the second and third quarters of Fiscal 2021, partially offset by a combination of an increase in pricing and units sold and increased pass sales to Destination guests, as well as the introduction of the Epic Day Pass. Non-pass revenue decreased primarily due to significantly
48
reduced skier visitation as a result of the Resort Closures, partially offset by an increase in non-pass ETP (excluding Peak Resorts, Falls Creek and Hotham) of 6.2% and incremental revenue from Peak Resorts, Falls Creek and Hotham of approximately $61.4 million. Total non-pass ETP, including the impact of Peak Resorts, Falls Creek and Hotham decreased 7.3%.
Ski school revenue, dining revenue and retail/rental revenue in Fiscal 2020 all decreased compared to Fiscal 2019 due to the Resort Closures. These decreases were partially offset by incremental revenue from our acquisitions of Peak Resorts, Falls Creek and Hotham of $18.0 million of ski school revenue, $23.8 million of dining revenue and $26.8 million of retail/rental revenue.
Other revenue mainly consists of summer visitation and mountain activities revenue, employee housing revenue, guest services revenue, commercial leasing revenue, marketing and internet advertising revenue, private club revenue (which includes both club dues and amortization of initiation fees), municipal services revenue and other recreation activity revenue. Other revenue is also comprised of Australian ski area lodging and transportation revenue. For Fiscal 2020, other revenue decreased as a result of the Resort Closures, partially offset by incremental revenue from Peak Resorts of approximately $12.6 million.
Resort Closures and the associated actions taken by the Company to reduce costs resulted in a decrease in our operating expense of $67.5 million, or 5.3%, which includes incremental operating expenses from Peak Resorts, Falls Creek and Hotham of approximately $121.4 million, as well as $13.6 million and $16.4 million of acquisition and integration related expenses for Fiscal 2020 and Fiscal 2019, respectively.
Labor and labor-related benefits decreased 6.8%, which primarily resulted from cost actions associated with the Resort Closures, including decreased staffing, employee furloughs, salary reductions and reduced variable compensation accruals, as well as tax credits of approximately $12.0 million associated with COVID-19 related legislation passed in the U.S., Canada and Australia, partially offset by incremental expenses from Peak Resorts, Falls Creek and Hotham of approximately $50.7 million. Retail cost of sales decreased 20.5% compared to a decrease in retail sales of 20.1%. Resort related fees decreased 22.0% primarily due to decreases in revenue on which those fees are based, partially offset by incremental expenses from Peak Resorts of approximately $4.3 million. General and administrative expense increased 2.7% primarily due to incremental expenses from Peak Resorts, Falls Creek and Hotham of approximately $18.9 million, partially offset by a decrease in allocated corporate overhead costs, a decrease in variable compensation accruals primarily as a result of the Resort Closures and tax credits of approximately $3.3 million associated with COVID-19 related legislation passed in the U.S., Canada and Australia. Other expense increased 2.1% primarily due to incremental operating expenses from Peak Resorts, Falls Creek and Hotham of approximately $42.2 million, partially offset by decreases in variable operating expenses associated with the Resort Closures, as well as a decrease in acquisition and integration related expenses.
Mountain equity investment income, net primarily includes our share of income from the operations of a real estate brokerage joint venture.
49
Lodging Segment
Lodging segment operating results for Fiscal 2021, Fiscal 2020 and Fiscal 2019 are presented by category as follows (in thousands, except ADR and RevPAR):
| Percentage | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year ended July 31, | Increase/(Decrease) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2021/2020 | 2020/2019 | |||||||||||||
| Lodging net revenue: | |||||||||||||||||
| Owned hotel rooms | $ | 47,509 | $ | 44,992 | $ | 64,826 | 5.6 | % | (30.6) | % | |||||||
| Managed condominium rooms | 72,217 | 76,480 | 86,236 | (5.6) | % | (11.3) | % | ||||||||||
| Dining | 19,068 | 38,252 | 53,730 | (50.2) | % | (28.8) | % | ||||||||||
| Transportation | 9,271 | 15,796 | 21,275 | (41.3) | % | (25.8) | % | ||||||||||
| Golf | 20,437 | 17,412 | 19,648 | 17.4 | % | (11.4) | % | ||||||||||
| Other | 43,007 | 44,933 | 54,617 | (4.3) | % | (17.7) | % | ||||||||||
| Lodging net revenue (excluding payroll cost reimbursements) | 211,509 | 237,865 | 300,332 | (11.1) | % | (20.8) | % | ||||||||||
| Payroll cost reimbursements | 6,553 | 10,549 | 14,330 | (37.9) | % | (26.4) | % | ||||||||||
| Total Lodging net revenue | 218,062 | 248,414 | 314,662 | (12.2) | % | (21.1) | % | ||||||||||
| Lodging operating expense: | |||||||||||||||||
| Labor and labor-related benefits | 101,582 | 114,279 | 135,940 | (11.1) | % | (15.9) | % | ||||||||||
| General and administrative | 43,714 | 39,283 | 41,256 | 11.3 | % | (4.8) | % | ||||||||||
| Other | 71,946 | 81,034 | 95,036 | (11.2) | % | (14.7) | % | ||||||||||
| Lodging operating expense (excluding reimbursed payroll costs) | 217,242 | 234,596 | 272,232 | (7.4) | % | (13.8) | % | ||||||||||
| Reimbursed payroll costs | 6,553 | 10,549 | 14,330 | (37.9) | % | (26.4) | % | ||||||||||
| Total Lodging operating expense | 223,795 | 245,145 | 286,562 | (8.7) | % | (14.5) | % | ||||||||||
| Lodging Reported EBITDA | $ | (5,733) | $ | 3,269 | $ | 28,100 | (275.4) | % | (88.4) | % |
| Owned hotel statistics (1) | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADR | $ | 264.83 | $ | 266.43 | $ | 256.50 | (0.6) | % | 3.9 | % | |||||||
| RevPar | $ | 122.45 | $ | 122.34 | $ | 175.45 | 0.1 | % | (30.3) | % | |||||||
| Managed condominium statistics (1) | |||||||||||||||||
| ADR | $ | 349.08 | $ | 328.98 | $ | 324.34 | 6.1 | % | 1.4 | % | |||||||
| RevPar | $ | 77.74 | $ | 83.10 | $ | 107.67 | (6.5) | % | (22.8) | % | |||||||
| Owned hotel and managed condominium statistics (combined) (1) | |||||||||||||||||
| ADR | $ | 322.15 | $ | 310.76 | $ | 300.47 | 3.7 | % | 3.4 | % | |||||||
| RevPar | $ | 85.99 | $ | 90.37 | $ | 121.81 | (4.8) | % | (25.8) | % |
(1) RevPAR for Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020 declined from Fiscal 2019 primarily due to limitations and restrictions on our North American operations resulting from COVID-19, as well as the impact of the Resort Closures.
Lodging Reported EBITDA includes $3.8 million, $3.4 million and $3.2 million of stock-based compensation expense for Fiscal 2021, Fiscal 2020 and Fiscal 2019, respectively.
Fiscal 2021 compared to Fiscal 2020
Lodging Reported EBITDA for Fiscal 2021 decreased $9.0 million, or 275.4%, primarily as a result of limitations and restrictions on our North American operations in the current year as a result of the impacts of COVID-19, which resulted in reduced occupancy and capacity-related restrictions at our lodging properties compared to the prior year.
Revenue from managed condominium rooms, dining, transportation, and other revenue each decreased primarily as a result of the impacts of COVID-19. These decreases were partially offset by increases in revenue from golf, primarily due to strong
50
summer demand in Fiscal 2021, and owned hotel rooms, primarily as a result of increased revenue from GTLC and partially offset by decreases at our other lodging properties as a result of the impacts of COVID-19.
Operating expense (excluding reimbursed payroll costs) decreased 7.4%. Labor and labor related benefits decreased 11.1% primarily due to decreased staffing associated with COVID-19. General and administrative expense increased 11.3% due to an increase in allocated corporate overhead costs across all functions, including variable compensation accruals, primarily as a result of lower costs in the prior year associated with the Resort Closures. Other expense decreased 11.2% related to lower variable expenses associated with reduced revenue as a result of COVID-19.
Revenue from payroll cost reimbursement and the corresponding reimbursed payroll costs relate to payroll costs at managed hotel properties where we are the employer and all payroll costs are reimbursed by the owners of the properties under contractual arrangements. Since the reimbursements are made based upon the costs incurred with no added margin, the revenue and corresponding expense have no effect on our Lodging Reported EBITDA.
Fiscal 2020 compared to Fiscal 2019
Lodging Reported EBITDA for Fiscal 2020 decreased $24.8 million, or 88.4%, primarily due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated Resort Closures.
Primarily as a result of the Resort Closures, revenue from owned hotel rooms, managed condominium rooms, dining, transportation, golf and other revenue each decreased. The decreases resulting from the Resort Closures were partially offset by $13.7 million of incremental revenue from Peak Resorts and Triple Peaks.
Operating expense (excluding reimbursed payroll costs) decreased 13.8%. Labor and labor related benefits decreased 15.9% primarily due to cost actions associated with the Resort Closures, including decreased staffing, employee furloughs, salary reductions and reduced variable compensation accruals, as well as tax credits of approximately $2.2 million associated with recent COVID-19 related legislation passed in the U.S., Canada and Australia, partially offset by $6.4 million of incremental expenses from Peak Resorts and Triple Peaks. General and administrative expense decreased 4.8% due to lower allocated corporate overhead costs primarily associated with a reduction in variable compensation accruals, as well as tax credits of approximately $0.5 million associated with recent COVID-19 related legislation passed in the U.S., Canada and Australia. Other expenses decreased 14.7% primarily related to lower variable expenses associated with the impact of the Resort Closures, partially offset by $4.7 million of incremental expenses from Peak Resorts and Triple Peaks.
Revenue from payroll cost reimbursement and the corresponding reimbursed payroll costs relate to payroll costs at managed hotel properties where we are the employer and all payroll costs are reimbursed by the owners of the properties under contractual arrangements. Since the reimbursements are made based upon the costs incurred with no added margin, the revenue and corresponding expense have no effect on our Lodging Reported EBITDA.
Real Estate Segment
Our Real Estate net revenue is primarily determined by the timing of closings and the mix of real estate sold in any given period. Different types of projects have different revenue and profit margins; therefore, as the real estate inventory mix changes, it can greatly impact Real Estate segment net revenue, operating expense, gain on sale of real property and Real Estate Reported EBITDA.
51
Real Estate segment operating results for Fiscal 2021, Fiscal 2020 and Fiscal 2019 are presented by category as follows (in thousands):
| Percentage | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year ended July 31, | Increase/(Decrease) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2021/2020 | 2020/2019 | |||||||||||||
| Total Real Estate net revenue | $ | 1,770 | $ | 4,847 | $ | 712 | (63.5) | % | 580.8 | % | |||||||
| Real Estate operating expense: | |||||||||||||||||
| Cost of sales (including sales commissions) | 1,294 | 3,932 | 13 | (67.1) | % | 30,146.2 | % | ||||||||||
| Other | 5,382 | 5,250 | 5,596 | 2.5 | % | (6.2) | % | ||||||||||
| Total Real Estate operating expense | 6,676 | 9,182 | 5,609 | (27.3) | % | 63.7 | % | ||||||||||
| Gain on sale of real property | 324 | 207 | 580 | 56.5 | % | (64.3) | % | ||||||||||
| Real Estate Reported EBITDA | $ | (4,582) | $ | (4,128) | $ | (4,317) | (11.0) | % | 4.4 | % |
Fiscal 2021
We did not close on any significant real estate transactions during Fiscal 2021. Other operating expense of $5.4 million was primarily comprised of general and administrative costs, such as labor and labor-related benefits, professional services and allocated corporate overhead costs.
Fiscal 2020
During Fiscal 2020, we closed on the sale of a development land parcel for $4.1 million which was recorded within Real Estate net revenue, with a corresponding cost of sale (including sales commission) of $3.9 million.
Other operating expense of $5.3 million was primarily comprised of general and administrative costs, such as labor and labor-related benefits, professional services and allocated corporate overhead costs.
Fiscal 2019
We closed on two land sales during the third quarter of Fiscal 2019 with third party developers at Keystone (One River Run site) and Breckenridge (East Peak 8 site) for proceeds of approximately $16.0 million, including $4.8 million associated with the sale of density for the Breckenridge property. The land parcel sales were accounted for as financing arrangements as a result of the Company’s continuing involvement with the underlying assets that were sold, including but not limited to, the obligation to repurchase finished commercial space from the development projects upon completion. As a result, the estimated gain of $3.6 million associated with the East Peak 8 site and the estimated loss of $3.2 million associated with the One River Run site will be deferred until the Company no longer maintains continuing involvement. Additionally, the Company’s future obligation to repurchase finished commercial space in the two completed projects, as well as other related capital spending, will result in total estimated capital expenditures of up to approximately $9.5 million in future fiscal years.
Other operating expense of $5.6 million was primarily comprised of general and administrative costs, such as labor and labor-related benefits, professional services and allocated corporate overhead costs. Real Estate Reported EBITDA also included a gain on sale of real property of $0.6 million for the sale of land parcels.
52
Other Items
In addition to segment operating results, the following items contributed to our overall financial position and results of operations (in thousands).
| Year ended July 31, | Percentage Increase/(Decrease) | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2021/2020 | 2020/2019 | |||||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | $ | (252,585) | $ | (249,572) | $ | (218,117) | 1.2 | % | 14.4 | % | |||||||
| Asset impairments | $ | — | $ | (28,372) | $ | — | (100.0) | % | nm | ||||||||
| Change in fair value of contingent consideration | $ | (14,402) | $ | 2,964 | $ | (5,367) | (585.9) | % | 155.2 | % | |||||||
| Interest expense, net | $ | (151,399) | $ | (106,721) | $ | (79,496) | 41.9 | % | 34.2 | % | |||||||
| Foreign currency gain (loss) on intercompany loans | $ | 8,282 | $ | (3,230) | $ | (2,854) | 356.4 | % | (13.2) | % | |||||||
| Provision for income taxes | $ | (726) | $ | (7,378) | $ | (75,472) | (90.2) | % | (90.2) | % | |||||||
| Effective tax rate | (0.6) | % | (6.3) | % | (18.9) | % | (5.7 pts) | (12.6 pts) |
Depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization expense for Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020 increased over Fiscal 2019 primarily due to assets acquired in the Peak Resorts acquisition (incremental impact of $24.3 million in Fiscal 2020 relative to Fiscal 2019), as well as discretionary capital projects completed at our resorts in each fiscal year.
Asset impairments. We recorded an asset impairment of approximately $28.4 million during Fiscal 2020 as a result of the effects of COVID-19 on our Colorado resort ground transportation company, with corresponding reductions to goodwill, net of $25.7 million and intangible assets, net and property, plant and equipment, net of $2.7 million. See Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
Change in fair value of contingent consideration. We recorded a loss of $14.4 million during Fiscal 2021 primarily related to improved performance compared to estimated results for Park City in Fiscal 2021, resulting in an increase in the expected payment for the year, as well as accretion resulting from the passage of time. We recorded a gain of $3.0 million during Fiscal 2020 primarily related to a decrease in the estimated Contingent Consideration payments for Fiscal 2020 and Fiscal 2021 as a result of a decrease in expected results due to the anticipated impacts of COVID-19. We recorded a loss of $5.4 million during Fiscal 2019 primarily related to the estimated Contingent Consideration payment for Fiscal 2019. The estimated fair value of contingent consideration is based on assumptions for EBITDA of Park City in future periods, as calculated under the lease on which participating payments are determined, and was $29.6 million and $17.8 million as of July 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Interest expense, net. Interest expense, net for Fiscal 2021 increased compared to Fiscal 2020 primarily due to borrowings under our 6.25% unsecured bond offering, which was completed on May 4, 2020 (the “6.25% Notes”) and generated approximately $28.3 million of incremental interest expense in Fiscal 2021, and $12.5 million of non-cash interest expense associated with amortization of the debt discount for the 0.0% Convertible Notes, which were issued in December 2020. Interest expense, net for Fiscal 2020 increased compared to Fiscal 2019 primarily due to debt obligations assumed in the Peak Resorts acquisition; borrowings under our 6.25% unsecured bond offering which was completed on May 4, 2020; incremental term loan borrowings under the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement of $335.6 million, which were used to fund the Peak Resorts acquisition in September 2019; and incremental borrowings under the revolver components of our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement and Whistler Credit Agreement, which were almost entirely drawn on during Fiscal 2020 as a precautionary measure in order to increase our cash position and financial flexibility in light of the financial market conditions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and were subsequently paid down, partially offset by a decrease in variable interest rates.
Foreign currency gain (loss) on intercompany loans. Foreign currency gain (loss) on intercompany loans for Fiscal 2021 increased as compared to Fiscal 2020 and decreased for Fiscal 2020 as compared to Fiscal 2019 as a result of the Canadian dollar fluctuating relative to the U.S. dollar, and was associated with an intercompany loan from Vail Holdings, Inc. to Whistler Blackcomb in the original amount of $210.0 million that was funded, effective as of November 1, 2016, in connection with the acquisition of Whistler Blackcomb. This intercompany loan, which had an outstanding balance of approximately $97.2 million as of July 31, 2021, requires foreign currency remeasurement to Canadian dollars, the functional currency for Whistler Blackcomb. As a result, foreign currency fluctuations associated with the loan are recorded within our results of operations.
53
Provision for income taxes. The effective tax rate was (0.6)%, (6.3)% and (18.9)% in Fiscal 2021, Fiscal 2020 and Fiscal 2019, respectively. The decrease in the effective tax rate provision during Fiscal 2021 compared to Fiscal 2020 was primarily driven by an increase in excess tax benefits from employee share awards that were exercised (stock appreciation rights) and that vested (restricted stock awards). The decrease in the effective tax rate during Fiscal 2020 compared to Fiscal 2019 was primarily due to lower full year pre-tax net income, as well as a one-time, provisional $3.8 million benefit related to the net operating loss carryback provision of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, partially offset by a decrease in excess tax benefits from employee share awards that were exercised (stock appreciation rights) and that vested (restricted stock awards).
Reconciliation of Segment Earnings
The following table reconciles net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. to Total Reported EBITDA for Fiscal 2021, Fiscal 2020 and Fiscal 2019 (in thousands):
| Year ended July 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | ||||||||
| Net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. | $ | 127,850 | $ | 98,833 | $ | 301,163 | ||||
| Net (loss) income attributable to noncontrolling interests | (3,393) | 10,222 | 22,330 | |||||||
| Net income | 124,457 | 109,055 | 323,493 | |||||||
| Provision for income taxes | 726 | 7,378 | 75,472 | |||||||
| Income before provision for income taxes | 125,183 | 116,433 | 398,965 | |||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 252,585 | 249,572 | 218,117 | |||||||
| Asset impairments | — | 28,372 | — | |||||||
| Loss (gain) on disposal of fixed assets and other, net | 5,373 | (838) | 664 | |||||||
| Change in fair value of contingent consideration | 14,402 | (2,964) | 5,367 | |||||||
| Investment income and other, net | (586) | (1,305) | (3,086) | |||||||
| Foreign currency (gain) loss on intercompany loans | (8,282) | 3,230 | 2,854 | |||||||
| Interest expense, net | 151,399 | 106,721 | 79,496 | |||||||
| Total Reported EBITDA | $ | 540,074 | $ | 499,221 | $ | 702,377 | ||||
| Mountain Reported EBITDA | $ | 550,389 | $ | 500,080 | $ | 678,594 | ||||
| Lodging Reported EBITDA | (5,733) | 3,269 | 28,100 | |||||||
| Resort Reported EBITDA | 544,656 | 503,349 | 706,694 | |||||||
| Real Estate Reported EBITDA | (4,582) | (4,128) | (4,317) | |||||||
| Total Reported EBITDA | $ | 540,074 | $ | 499,221 | $ | 702,377 |
The following table reconciles long-term debt, net to Net Debt (defined as long-term debt, net plus long-term debt due within one year less cash and cash equivalents) (in thousands):
| Year ended July 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||
| Long-term debt, net | $ | 2,736,175 | $ | 2,387,122 | ||
| Long-term debt due within one year | 114,117 | 63,677 | ||||
| Total debt | 2,850,292 | 2,450,799 | ||||
| Less: cash and cash equivalents | 1,243,962 | 390,980 | ||||
| Net Debt | $ | 1,606,330 | $ | 2,059,819 |
54
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Changes in significant sources and uses of cash for Fiscal 2021, Fiscal 2020 and Fiscal 2019 are presented by categories as follows (in thousands):
| Year ended July 31, | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | ||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 525,250 | $ | 394,950 | $ | 634,231 | ||
| Net cash used in investing activities | $ | (103,329) | $ | (492,739) | $ | (596,034) | ||
| Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities | $ | 434,662 | $ | 376,233 | $ | (99,558) |
Historically, we have lower cash available at the end of each first and fourth fiscal quarter-end as compared to our second and third fiscal quarter-ends, primarily due to the seasonality of our Mountain segment operations, although our available cash balances as of July 31, 2021 and 2020 were higher than our historical July 31 balance as a result of the various debt offerings we completed in Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020, and our suspension of dividend payments.
Fiscal 2021 compared to Fiscal 2020
We generated $525.3 million of cash from operating activities during Fiscal 2021, an increase of $130.3 million when compared to $395.0 million of cash generated during Fiscal 2020. The increase in operating cash flows was primarily a result of (i) an increase in accounts payable and accrued liabilities (excluding accounts payable and accrued liabilities assumed through acquisitions) primarily due to an increase in accrued trade payables, salaries and wages in the current year due to a return to more normal operations, as compared to significantly lower accruals in the prior year due to the Resort Closures; (ii) an increase in pass product sales and collections as compared to the prior year, primarily as a result of the impacts of COVID-19, including the extended pass product sales deadline in the prior year and the impact of the Credit Offer; and (iii) a decrease in inventories (excluding inventories assumed through acquisitions) as of July 31, 2021 as compared to the beginning of the fiscal year relative to an increase in the prior year period. These increases were partially offset by an increase in cash interest payments of $37.3 million in Fiscal 2021 as compared to the prior year, primarily due to incremental cash interest payments on the 6.25% Notes issued in May 2020, for which the first interest payments were made during Fiscal 2021.
Cash used in investing activities for Fiscal 2021 decreased by $389.4 million, primarily due to cash payments of $327.6 million, net of cash acquired, related to the acquisition of Peak Resorts during Fiscal 2020. Additionally, capital expenditures decreased by $57.2 million primarily as a result of the deferral of a significant amount of discretionary capital projects related to the Company’s decision during the outbreak of COVID-19 to prioritize near-term liquidity.
Cash provided by financing activities increased by $58.4 million during Fiscal 2021 compared to Fiscal 2020, primarily due to (i) proceeds of $575.0 million from the issuance of our 0.0% Convertible Notes during the Fiscal 2021; (ii) a decrease in dividends paid of $212.7 million; (iii) a decrease in net payments of $208.0 million under the revolver component of our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement; and (iv) a decrease in repurchases of common stock of $46.4 million. These increases were partially offset by (i) proceeds of $600.0 million related to the issuance of our 6.25% Notes during Fiscal 2020; (ii) proceeds of $335.6 million from incremental borrowings under the term loan portion of our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement during Fiscal 2020, which were used to fund the Peak Resorts acquisition; (iii) an increase in net payments under the revolver component of our Whistler Credit Agreement of $23.5 million; and (iv) an increase in employee taxes paid for equity award exercises of $19.6 million.
Fiscal 2020 compared to Fiscal 2019
We generated $395.0 million of cash from operating activities during Fiscal 2020, a decrease of $239.3 million when compared to $634.2 million of cash generated during Fiscal 2019. The decrease in operating cash flows was primarily a result of decreased Mountain and Lodging segment operating results in Fiscal 2020, primarily due to the Resort Closures; a decrease in accounts payable and accrued liabilities due to declines associated with the Resort Closures (excluding accounts payable and accrued liabilities assumed through acquisitions) and an increase in cash interest payments of approximately $17.5 million primarily associated with debt assumed in the Peak Resorts acquisition and incremental term loan and revolver borrowings under our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement. These decreases were partially offset by increased North American pass product sales and receivable collections for the 2019/2020 North American ski season as compared to the prior year and a decrease in estimated tax payments of $23.1 million. Additionally we generated approximately $4.4 million of proceeds from real estate development land parcel sales in Fiscal 2020 compared to $0.1 million in proceeds from real estate development project closings that occurred in the prior year.
55
Cash used in investing activities for Fiscal 2020 decreased by $103.3 million, primarily due to cash payments of $327.6 million, net of cash acquired, related to the acquisition of Peak Resorts during Fiscal 2020, as compared to cash payments of $419.0 million, net of cash acquired, related to the acquisitions of Triple Peaks, Stevens Pass, Falls Creek and Hotham during Fiscal 2019. Additionally, capital expenditures decreased by $19.7 million primarily as a result of actions associated with the deferral of discretionary capital projects related to the Company’s decision to prioritize near-term liquidity.
Cash provided by financing activities increased by $475.8 million during Fiscal 2020 compared to Fiscal 2019, primarily due to (i) the $600.0 million issuance of the 6.25% Notes in Fiscal 2020; (ii) an increase in proceeds from incremental borrowings under the term loan portion of our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement from $265.5 million during Fiscal 2019, which were used to fund the Triple Peaks and Stevens Pass acquisitions, to $335.6 million during Fiscal 2020, which were used to fund the Peak Resorts acquisition; (iii) an increase in net borrowings under the revolver component of our Whistler Credit Agreement of $24.1 million, primarily relating to funds which were drawn as a precautionary measure in order to increase our cash position and financial flexibility in light of the financial market conditions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic; (iv) a decrease in repurchases of common stock of $38.6 million; and (v) a decrease in dividend payments of $47.8 million associated with the Company’s decision to prioritize near-term liquidity. These increases in cash provided by financing activities were partially offset by (i) an increase in net payments on borrowings under the revolver component of our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement of $286.0 million; (ii) an increase in financing cost payments of $8.8 million, primarily associated with the issuance of the 6.25% Notes; and (iii) a payment for contingent consideration with regard to our lease for Park City.
Significant Sources of Cash
We had $1,244.0 million of cash and cash equivalents as of July 31, 2021, compared to $391.0 million as of July 31, 2020. Although we cannot predict the future impact associated with the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, we currently anticipate that our Mountain and Lodging segment operating results will continue to provide a significant source of future operating cash flows (primarily generated in our second and third fiscal quarters).
In addition to our $1,244.0 million of cash and cash equivalents at July 31, 2021, we had $417.7 million available under the revolver component of our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement as of July 31, 2021 (which represents the total commitment of $500.0 million less certain letters of credit outstanding of $82.3 million). Also, to further support the liquidity needs of Whistler Blackcomb, we had C$243.1 million ($194.9 million) available under the revolver component of our Whistler Credit Agreement (which represents the total commitment of C$300.0 million ($240.5 million) less outstanding borrowings of C$56.0 million ($44.9 million) and a letter of credit outstanding of C$0.9 million ($0.7 million)). We expect that our liquidity needs in the near term will be met by continued use of our existing cash and cash equivalents, operating cash flows and borrowings under both the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement and Whistler Credit Agreement, if needed. The Vail Holdings Credit Agreement and the Whistler Credit Agreement provide adequate flexibility and are priced favorably with any new borrowings currently priced at LIBOR plus 2.5% and Bankers Acceptance Rate plus 2.0%, respectively.
Significant Uses of Cash
Capital Expenditures
We have historically invested significant amounts of cash in capital expenditures for our resort operations, and we expect to continue to do so, subject to operating performance particularly as it relates to discretionary projects. In addition, we may incur capital expenditures for retained ownership interests associated with third-party real estate development projects. Currently planned capital expenditures primarily include investments that will allow us to maintain our high-quality standards, as well as certain incremental discretionary improvements at our Resorts, throughout our owned hotels and in technology that can impact the full network. We evaluate additional discretionary capital improvements based on an expected level of return on investment.
We currently anticipate we will spend approximately $115 million to $120 million on resort capital expenditures during calendar year 2021, excluding one-time items associated with integrations of $5 million and $12 million of reimbursable investments, as well as real estate related capital. Including these one-time items, we expect that our total capital plan will be approximately $135 million to $140 million. Included in these estimated capital expenditures are approximately $75 million to $80 million of maintenance capital expenditures, which are necessary to maintain appearance and level of service appropriate to our resort operations. Discretionary expenditures expected for calendar year 2021 include, among other projects, several investments which were previously deferred from calendar year 2020 as a result of COVID-19, including the 250-acre lift-served terrain expansion in the McCoy Park area of Beaver Creek; a new four-person high speed lift to serve Peak 7 at Breckenridge; replacing the Peru lift at Keystone with a six-person high speed chairlift; replacing the Peachtree lift at Crested Butte with a new three-person fixed-grip lift; and an upgrade of the four-person Quantum lift at Okemo with a six-person high speed chairlift, relocating the existing four-person Quantum lift to replace the Green Ridge three-person fixed-grip chairlift. We will also continue to invest in company-wide technology enhancements to support our data driven approach, guest experience
56
and corporate infrastructure which improve our scalability and efficiency as we work to optimize our processes, business analytics and cost discipline across the network, as well as upgrades to the infrastructure of our guest contact centers. We currently plan to utilize cash on hand, borrowings available under our credit agreements and/or cash flow generated from future operations to provide the cash necessary to complete our capital plans.
Approximately $48 million was spent for capital expenditures in calendar year 2021 as of July 31, 2021, leaving approximately $87 million to $92 million to spend in the remainder of calendar year 2021.
Debt
As of July 31, 2021, principal payments on the majority of our long-term debt ($2.7 billion of the total $2.9 billion debt outstanding as of July 31, 2021) are not due until fiscal year 2025 and beyond. As of July 31, 2021 and 2020, total long-term debt, net (including long-term debt due within one year) was $2,850.3 million and $2,450.8 million, respectively. Net Debt (defined as long-term debt, net plus long-term debt due within one year less cash and cash equivalents) decreased from $2,059.8 million as of July 31, 2020 to $1,606.3 million as of July 31, 2021, primarily as a result of cash provided by operating activities, as discussed above. See Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
On December 18, 2020, we entered into the Fourth Amendment to the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement. Pursuant to the Fourth Amendment, among other terms, we are exempt from complying with the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement’s maximum leverage ratio, maximum senior secured leverage ratio and minimum interest coverage ratio financial maintenance covenants for each of the fiscal quarters ending through January 31, 2022 (unless we make a one-time irrevocable election to terminate such exemption period prior to such date), after which we will again be required to comply with such covenants starting with the fiscal quarter ending April 30, 2022 (or such earlier fiscal quarter as elected by us). After the expiration of the Financial Covenants Temporary Waiver Period:
•the maximum ratio permitted under the maximum leverage ratio financial maintenance covenant shall be 6.25 to 1.00;
•the maximum ratio permitted under the senior secured leverage ratio financial maintenance covenant shall be 4.00 to 1.00; and
•the minimum ratio permitted under the minimum interest coverage ratio financial maintenance covenant will be 2.00 to 1.00.
We are also prohibited from the following activities during the Financial Covenants Temporary Waiver Period (unless approval is obtained by a majority of the lenders under the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement):
•paying any dividends or making share repurchases, unless (x) no default or potential default exists under the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement and (y) we have liquidity (as defined below) of at least $300.0 million, and the aggregate amount of dividends paid and share repurchases made by the Company during the Financial Covenants Temporary Waiver Period may not exceed $38.2 million in any fiscal quarter;
•incurring indebtedness secured by the collateral under the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement in an amount in excess of $1.75 billion; and
•making certain non-ordinary course investments in similar businesses, joint ventures and unrestricted subsidiaries unless the Company has liquidity (as defined below) of at least $300.0 million.
The Fourth Amendment also removed certain restrictions under the Financial Covenants Temporary Waiver Period, including (i) removing the restriction on acquisitions so long as we have liquidity (as defined below) of at least $300.0 million and (ii) removing the $200.0 million annual limit on capital expenditures.
We are required to comply with a monthly minimum liquidity test (liquidity is defined as unrestricted cash and temporary cash investments of VRI and its restricted subsidiaries and available commitments under the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement revolver) of not less than $150.0 million, during the period that began July 31, 2020 and ending on the date we deliver a compliance certificate for the Company and its subsidiaries’ first fiscal quarter following the end of the Financial Covenants Temporary Waiver Period.
During the Financial Covenants Temporary Waiver Period, borrowings under the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement, including the term loan facility, bear interest annually at LIBOR plus 2.50% and, for amounts in excess of $400.0 million, LIBOR is subject to a floor of 0.25% (which has decreased from the floor of 0.75% that was in effect prior to the Fourth Amendment).
57
On December 18, 2020, we completed our offering of $575.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 0.0% Convertible Notes due 2026 in a private placement conducted pursuant to Rule 144A of the Securities Act. The 0.0% Convertible Notes were issued under an Indenture dated December 18, 2020 (the “Indenture”) between us and U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee. The 0.0% Convertible Notes do not bear regular interest and the principal amount does not accrete. The 0.0% Convertible Notes mature on January 1, 2026, unless earlier repurchased, redeemed or converted.
The 0.0% Convertible Notes are our general senior unsecured obligations. The 0.0% Convertible Notes rank senior in right of payment to any future debt that is expressly subordinated, equal in right of payment with our existing and future liabilities that are not so subordinated, and are subordinated to all of our existing and future secured debt to the extent of the value of the assets securing such debt. The 0.0% Convertible Notes will also be structurally subordinated to all of the existing and future liabilities and obligations of our subsidiaries, including such subsidiaries’ guarantees of the 6.25% Notes.
The initial conversion rate was 2.4560 shares per $1,000 principal amount of notes (the “Conversion Rate”), which represents an initial conversion price of approximately $407.17 per share (the “Conversion Price”), and is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain specified events as described in the Indenture. The principal amount of the 0.0% Convertible Notes is required to be settled in cash. We will settle conversions by paying cash, delivering shares of our common stock, or a combination of the two, at our option.
Holders may convert their notes, at their option, only under the following circumstances:
•during any calendar quarter commencing after the calendar quarter ending on March 31, 2021 if the last reported sale price per share of our common stock exceeds 130% of the Conversion Price for each of at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) during the 30 consecutive trading days ending on, and including, the last trading day of the immediately preceding calendar quarter;
•during the five consecutive business days immediately after any 10 consecutive trading day period (such 10 consecutive trading day period, the “Measurement Period”) in which the trading price per $1,000 principal amount of notes for each trading day of the Measurement Period was less than 98% of the product of the last reported sale price per share of our common stock on such trading day and the Conversion Rate on such trading day;
•upon the occurrence of certain corporate events or distributions on our common stock, as described in the Indenture;
•if we call the 0.0% Convertible Notes for redemption; or
•at any time from, and including, July 1, 2025 until the close of business on the scheduled trading day immediately before the maturity date.
The 0.0% Convertible Notes will be redeemable, in whole or in part, at our option at any time, and from time to time, on or after January 1, 2024 and on or before the 25th scheduled trading day immediately before the maturity date, at a cash redemption price equal to the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid special and additional interest, if any, to, but excluding, the redemption date, but only if the last reported sale price per share of our common stock exceeds 130% of the Conversion Price for a specified period of time. If we elect to redeem less than all of the 0.0% Convertible Notes, at least $50.0 million aggregate principal amount of notes must be outstanding and not subject to redemption as of the relevant redemption notice date. Calling any 0.0% Convertible Notes for redemption will constitute a make-whole fundamental change with respect to such notes, in which case the Conversion Rate applicable to the conversion of such notes will be increased in certain circumstances if such notes are converted after they are called for redemption.
In addition, upon the occurrence of a fundamental change (as defined in the Indenture), holders of the 0.0% Convertible Notes may require us to repurchase all or a portion of their notes at a cash repurchase price equal to the principal amount of the notes to be repurchased, plus any accrued and unpaid special and additional interest, if any, to, but excluding, the applicable repurchase date. If certain fundamental changes referred to as make-whole fundamental changes (as defined in the Indenture) occur, the Conversion Rate for the 0.0% Convertible Notes may be increased for a specified period of time.
The Indenture includes customary events of default, including failure to make payment, failure to comply with the obligations set forth in the Indenture, certain defaults on certain other indebtedness, and certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization. We may elect, at our option, that the sole remedy for an event of default relating to certain failures by the Company to comply with certain reporting covenants in the Indenture will consist exclusively of the right of the holders of the 0.0% Convertible Notes to receive additional interest on the notes for up to 360 days following such failure.
As of July 31, 2021, the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement provides for (i) a revolving loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of $500.0 million and (ii) a term loan facility of $1.1 billion. We expect that our liquidity needs in the near term will be
58
met by continued use of our existing cash and cash equivalents, operating cash flows and borrowings under the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement and the Whistler Credit Agreement, if needed.
Our debt service requirements can be impacted by changing interest rates as we had approximately $0.8 billion of net variable-rate debt outstanding as of July 31, 2021, after consideration of $400.0 million in interest rate swaps which convert variable-rate debt to fixed-rate debt. A 100-basis point change in LIBOR would cause our annual interest payments on our net variable-rate debt to change by approximately $8.4 million. Additionally, the annual payments associated with the financing of the Canyons transaction increase by the greater of CPI less 1%, or 2%. The fluctuation in our debt service requirements, in addition to interest rate and inflation changes, may be impacted by future borrowings under our credit agreements or other alternative financing arrangements we may enter into. Our long term liquidity needs depend upon operating results that impact the borrowing capacity under our credit agreements, which can be mitigated by adjustments to capital expenditures, the flexibility of investment activities and the ability to obtain favorable future financing. We can respond to liquidity impacts of changes in the business and economic environment, including the COVID-19 pandemic, by managing our capital expenditures, variable operating expenses, the timing of new real estate development activity and the payment of cash dividends on our common stock.
Share Repurchase Program
Our share repurchase program is conducted under authorizations made from time to time by our Board of Directors. On March 6, 2006, our Board of Directors initially authorized the repurchase of up to 3,000,000 shares of Vail Resorts common stock (“Vail Shares”) and later authorized additional repurchases of up to 3,000,000 additional Vail Shares (July 16, 2008) and 1,500,000 Vail Shares (December 4, 2015), for a total authorization to repurchase shares of up to 7,500,000 Vail Shares. During Fiscal 2021, we did not repurchase any Vail Shares. Since the inception of this stock repurchase program through July 31, 2021, we have repurchased 6,161,141 Vail Shares at a cost of approximately $404.4 million. As of July 31, 2021, 1,338,859 Vail Shares remained available to repurchase under the existing repurchase authorization. Pursuant to the Third Amendment and as discussed above, we are prohibited from repurchasing shares of common stock during the Financial Covenants Temporary Waiver Period unless (x) no default or potential default exists under the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement and (y) the Company has liquidity (as defined above) of at least $300.0 million, and the aggregate amount of dividends paid and share repurchases made by the Company during the Financial Covenants Temporary Waiver Period may not exceed $38.2 million in any fiscal quarter. Vail Shares purchased pursuant to the repurchase program will be held as treasury shares and may be used for the issuance of shares under the Company’s share award plan. Repurchases under the program may be made from time to time at prevailing prices as permitted by applicable laws, and subject to market conditions and other factors. The timing, as well as the number of Vail Shares that may be repurchased under the program, will depend on several factors, including our future financial performance, our available cash resources and competing uses for cash that may arise in the future, the restrictions in our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement, prevailing prices of Vail Shares and the number of Vail Shares that become available for sale at prices that we believe are attractive. The share repurchase program has no expiration date.
Dividend Payments
We announced on April 1, 2020 that we would be suspending the declaration of our quarterly dividend in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, pursuant to the Fourth Amendment, we are prohibited from paying any dividends during the Financial Covenants Temporary Waiver Period unless (x) no default or potential default exists under the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement and (y) the Company has liquidity (as defined above) of at least $300.0 million, and the aggregate amount of dividends paid and share repurchases made by the Company during the Financial Covenants Temporary Waiver Period may not exceed $38.2 million in any fiscal quarter. During Fiscal 2021, we did not pay cash dividends. On September 22, 2021, our Board of Directors approved a cash dividend of $0.88 per share payable on October 22, 2021 to stockholders of record as of October 5, 2021. Additionally, a Canadian dollar equivalent dividend on the Exchangeco Shares will be payable on October 22, 2021 to the shareholders of record as of October 5, 2021. We expect to fund the dividend with available cash on hand and will do so pursuant to the restrictions under the Financial Covenants Temporary Waiver Period. The amount, if any, of dividends to be paid in the future will depend on our available cash on hand, anticipated cash needs, overall financial condition, restrictions contained in our Vail Holdings Credit Agreement, future prospects for earnings and cash flows, as well as other factors considered relevant by our Board of Directors.
59
Covenants and Limitations
We must abide by certain restrictive financial covenants under our credit agreements. The most restrictive of those covenants include the following: for the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement, Net Funded Debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio, Secured Net Funded Debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio and the Interest Coverage ratio (each as defined in the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement); for the Whistler Credit Agreement, Consolidated Total Leverage Ratio and Consolidated Interest Coverage Ratio (each as defined in the Whistler Credit Agreement); and for the EPR Secured Notes, Maximum Leverage Ratio and Consolidated Fixed Charge Ratio (each as defined in the EPR Agreements). In addition, our financing arrangements limit our ability to make certain restricted payments, pay dividends on or redeem or repurchase stock, make certain investments, make certain affiliate transfers and may limit our ability to enter into certain mergers, consolidations or sales of assets and incur certain indebtedness. Our borrowing availability under the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement is primarily determined by the Net Funded Debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio, which is based on our segment operating performance, as defined in the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement. Our borrowing availability under the Whistler Credit Agreement is primarily determined based on the commitment size of the credit facility and our compliance with the terms of the Whistler Credit Agreement.
Pursuant to the Fourth Amendment and as discussed above in further detail, we are exempt from complying with the restrictive financial covenants of the Vail Holdings Credit Agreement during the Financial Covenants Temporary Waiver Period, but are required to comply with a monthly minimum liquidity test during such period (as discussed above).
We were in compliance with all restrictive financial covenants in our debt instruments as of July 31, 2021. We expect that we will continue to meet all applicable financial maintenance covenants in effect in our credit agreements throughout the year ending July 31, 2022; however, there can be no assurance that we will continue to meet such financial covenants. If such covenants are not met, we would be required to seek a waiver or amendment from the banks participating in our credit agreements. There can be no assurance that such waiver or amendment would be granted, which could have a material adverse impact on our liquidity.
Contractual Obligations
As part of our ongoing operations, we enter into arrangements that obligate us to make future payments under contracts such as debt agreements, lease agreements and construction agreements in conjunction with our resort capital expenditures. Debt obligations, which totaled $2.9 billion as of July 31, 2021, are recognized as liabilities in our Consolidated Balance Sheet. Obligations under construction contracts and other purchase commitments are not recognized as liabilities in our Consolidated Balance Sheet until services and/or goods are received which is in accordance with GAAP. A summary of our contractual obligations as of July 31, 2021 is presented below (in thousands):
| Payments Due by Period | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiscal | 2-3 | 4-5 | More than | |||||||||||||||
| Contractual Obligations | Total | 2022 | years | years | 5 years | |||||||||||||
| Long-Term Debt (Outstanding Principal) (1) | $ | 2,948,514 | $ | 121,345 | $ | 127,538 | $ | 2,174,189 | $ | 525,442 | ||||||||
| Fixed Rate Interest (1) | 350,352 | 56,388 | 112,873 | 57,790 | 123,301 | |||||||||||||
| Canyons Obligation (2) | 1,543,186 | 30,093 | 62,003 | 64,508 | 1,386,582 | |||||||||||||
| Operating Leases and Service Contracts (3) | 321,653 | 68,273 | 79,521 | 64,796 | 109,063 | |||||||||||||
| Purchase Obligations and Other (4) | 538,284 | 434,269 | 80,903 | 12 | 23,100 | |||||||||||||
| Total Contractual Cash Obligations | $ | 5,701,989 | $ | 710,368 | $ | 462,838 | $ | 2,361,295 | $ | 2,167,488 |
(1) The fixed-rate interest payments (including payments that are required under interest rate swaps that we have entered into) as well as long-term debt payments, included in the table above, assume that all debt outstanding as of July 31, 2020 will be held to maturity. Interest payments associated with variable-rate debt have not been included in the table. Assuming that our approximately $0.8 billion of variable-rate long-term debt as of July 31, 2021 is held to maturity and utilizing interest rates in effect at July 31, 2021, our annual interest payments (including commitment fees and letter of credit fees) on variable rate long-term debt as of July 31, 2021 is anticipated to be approximately $23.6 million for Fiscal 2022, approximately $21.9 million for fiscal year 2023 and approximately $10.4 million for at least each of the next three years subsequent to fiscal year 2023. The future annual interest obligations noted herein are estimated only in relation to debt outstanding as of July 31, 2021 and do not reflect interest obligations on potential future debt.
Included in Long-Term Debt (Outstanding Principal) are $11.7 million of proceeds resulting from real estate transactions accounted for as a financing arrangements. Fiscal 2022 payments shown above include approximately $6.2 million of proceeds, which are expected to be recognized on the Company’s Statement of Operations during Fiscal 2022 as a result of
60
the anticipated resolution of continuing involvement, with no associated cash outflow (see Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).
(2) Reflects interest expense payments associated with the remaining lease term of the Canyons obligation, initially 50 years, assuming a 2% per annum (floor) increase in payments. Any potential increases to the annual fixed payment above the 2% floor due to inflation linked index of CPI less 1% have been excluded.
(3) The payments under noncancelable operating leases included in the table above reflect the applicable minimum lease payments and exclude any potential contingent rent payments.
(4) Purchase obligations and other primarily include amounts which are classified as trade payables ($98.3 million), accrued payroll and benefits ($101.7 million), accrued fees and assessments ($21.2 million), contingent consideration liability ($29.6 million), and accrued taxes (including taxes for uncertain tax positions) ($123.6 million) on our Consolidated Balance Sheet as of July 31, 2021; and, other commitments for goods and services not yet received, including construction contracts and minimum commitments under season pass alliance agreements, not included on our Consolidated Balance Sheet as of July 31, 2021 in accordance with GAAP.
Off Balance Sheet Arrangements
We do not have off balance sheet transactions that are expected to have a material effect on our financial condition, revenue, expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.
Critical Accounting Policies
The preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to select appropriate accounting policies and to make judgments and estimates affecting the application of those accounting policies. In applying our accounting policies, different business conditions or the use of different assumptions may result in materially different amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements.
We have identified the most critical accounting policies which were determined by considering accounting policies that involve the most complex or subjective decisions or assessments. We also have other policies considered key accounting policies; however, these policies do not meet the definition of critical accounting policies because they do not generally require us to make estimates or judgments that are complex or subjective. We have reviewed these critical accounting policies and related disclosures with our Audit Committee of the Board of Directors.
Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Description
The carrying value of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are evaluated for possible impairment on an annual basis or between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the estimated fair value of a reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset below its carrying value. Other intangible assets are evaluated for impairment only when there is evidence that events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of these assets may not be recoverable.
Judgments and Uncertainties
Application of the goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment test requires judgment, including the identification of reporting units, assignment of assets and liabilities to reporting units, assignment of goodwill to reporting units and determination of the estimated fair value of reporting units and indefinite-lived intangible assets. We perform a qualitative analysis to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset exceeds the carrying amount. If it is determined, based on qualitative factors, that the fair value of the reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset may be more likely than not less than carrying amount, or if significant changes to macro-economic factors related to the reporting unit or intangible asset have occurred that could materially impact fair value since the previous quantitative analysis was performed, a quantitative impairment test would be required, in which we would determine the estimated fair value of our reporting units using a discounted cash flow analysis and determine the estimated fair value of indefinite-lived intangible assets primarily using the income approach based upon estimated future revenue streams. These analyses require significant judgments, including estimation of future cash flows, which is dependent on internal forecasts, available industry/market data (to the extent available), estimation of the long-term rate of growth for our business including expectations and assumptions regarding the impact of general economic conditions on our business, estimation of the useful life over which cash flows will occur (including terminal multiples), determination of the respective weighted average cost of
61
capital and market participant assumptions. Changes in these estimates and assumptions could materially affect the determination of estimated fair value and impairment for each reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions
Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are tested for impairment at least annually as of May 1. Our testing for goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment consists of a comparison of the estimated fair value of those assets with their net carrying values. If the net carrying value of the assets exceed their estimated fair value, an impairment will be recognized for indefinite-lived intangible assets, including goodwill, in an amount equal to that excess; otherwise, no impairment loss is recognized. During Fiscal 2021, we performed quantitative analyses of our reporting units and indefinite-lived intangible assets and determined that the estimated fair value of all material reporting units and indefinite-lived intangible assets significantly exceeded their respective carrying values.
Fair value determinations require considerable judgment and are sensitive to changes in underlying assumptions and factors. As a result, there can be no assurance that the estimates and assumptions made for purposes of the annual goodwill impairment test will prove to be an accurate prediction of the future. Examples of events or circumstances that could reasonably be expected to negatively affect the underlying key assumptions and ultimately impact the estimated fair value of our reporting units may include such items as: (1) prolonged adverse weather conditions resulting in a sustained decline in guest visitation; (2) a prolonged weakness in the general economic conditions in which guest visitation and spending is adversely impacted (particularly with regard to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic); and (3) volatility in the equity and debt markets which could result in a higher discount rate.
While historical performance and current expectations have generally resulted in estimated fair values of our reporting units in excess of carrying values, if our assumptions are not realized, it is possible that an impairment charge may need to be recorded in the future. However, it is not possible at this time to determine if an impairment charge would result or if such a charge would be material. As of July 31, 2021, we had $1,781.0 million of goodwill and $256.6 million of indefinite-lived intangible assets recorded on our Consolidated Balance Sheet. There can be no assurance that the estimates and assumptions made for purposes of the annual goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment tests will prove to be an accurate prediction of the future.
Tax Contingencies
Description
We must make certain estimates and judgments in determining income tax expense for financial statement purposes. These estimates and judgments occur in the calculation of tax credits and deductions and in the calculation of certain tax assets and liabilities, which arise from differences in the timing of recognition of revenue and expense for tax and financial statement purposes, as well as the interest and penalties relating to uncertain tax positions. The calculation of our tax liabilities involves dealing with uncertainties in the application of complex tax regulations. We recognize liabilities for uncertain tax positions based on a two-step process. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained on audit, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes, if any. The second step requires us to estimate and measure the largest tax benefit that is cumulatively greater than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. It is inherently difficult and subjective to estimate such amounts, as this requires us to determine the probability of various possible outcomes. This evaluation is based on factors including, but not limited to, changes in facts or circumstances, changes in tax law, interpretation of tax law, effectively settled issues under audit and new audit activity. A significant amount of time may pass before a particular matter, for which we may have established a reserve, is audited and fully resolved.
Judgments and Uncertainties
The estimates of our tax contingencies reserve contain uncertainty because management must use judgment to estimate the potential exposure associated with our various filing positions.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions
We believe the estimates and judgments discussed herein are reasonable and we have adequate reserves for our tax contingencies for uncertain tax positions. Our reserves for uncertain tax positions, including any income tax related interest and penalties ($74.8 million as of July 31, 2021), relate to the treatment of the Canyons lease payments obligation as payments of debt obligations and that the tax basis in Canyons goodwill is deductible. Actual results could differ and we may be exposed to increases or decreases in those reserves and tax provisions that could be material.
62
An unfavorable tax settlement could require the use of cash and could possibly result in increased tax expense and effective tax rate and/or adjustments to our deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities in the year of resolution. A favorable tax settlement could possibly result in a reduction in our tax expense, effective tax rate, income taxes payable, other long-term liabilities and/or adjustments to our deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities in the year of settlement or in future years.
Depreciable Lives of Assets
Description
Mountain and lodging operational assets, furniture and fixtures, computer equipment, software, vehicles and leasehold improvements are primarily depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the asset. Assets may become obsolete or require replacement before the end of their useful life in which the remaining book value would be written-off or we could incur costs to remove or dispose of assets no longer in use.
Judgments and Uncertainties
The estimates of our useful lives of the assets contain uncertainty because management must use judgment to estimate the useful life of the asset.
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions
Although we believe the estimates and judgments discussed herein are reasonable, actual results could differ, and we may be exposed to increased expense related to depreciable assets disposed of, removed or taken out of service prior to its originally estimated useful life, which may be material. A 10% decrease in the estimated useful lives of depreciable assets would have increased depreciation expense by approximately $24.0 million for Fiscal 2021.
Business Combinations
Description
A component of our growth strategy has been to acquire and integrate businesses that complement our existing operations. We account for business combinations in accordance with the guidance for business combinations and related literature. Accordingly, we allocate the purchase price of acquired businesses to the identifiable tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based upon their estimated fair values at the date of acquisition. The difference between the purchase price and the estimated fair value of the net assets acquired or the excess of the aggregate estimated fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed is recorded as goodwill. In determining the estimated fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination, we use various recognized valuation methods including present value modeling and referenced market values (where available). Valuations are performed by management or independent valuation specialists under management’s supervision, where appropriate.
Judgments and Uncertainties
Accounting for business combinations requires our management to make significant estimates and assumptions, especially at the acquisition date, including our estimates for intangible assets, contractual obligations assumed and contingent consideration, where applicable. Although we believe the assumptions and estimates we have made in the past have been reasonable and appropriate, they are based in part on historical experience and information obtained from the management of the acquired companies and are inherently uncertain. Examples of critical estimates in valuing certain of the intangible assets we have acquired include but are not limited to determination of weighted average cost of capital, market participant assumptions, royalty rates, terminal multiples and estimates of future cash flows to be generated by the acquired assets. In addition to the estimates and assumptions applied to valuing intangible assets acquired, the determination of the estimated fair value of contingent consideration, including estimating the likelihood and timing of achieving the relevant thresholds for contingent consideration payments, requires the use of subjective judgments. We estimate the fair value of the Park City contingent consideration payments using an option pricing valuation model which incorporates, among other factors, projected achievement of specified financial performance measures, discounts rates and volatility for the respective business.
63
Effect if Actual Results Differ From Assumptions
We believe that the estimated fair values assigned to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed are based on reasonable assumptions that a marketplace participant would use. While we use our best estimates and assumptions to accurately value assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date, our estimates are inherently uncertain and subject to refinement. As a result, during the measurement period, which may be up to one year from the acquisition date, we may record adjustments to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed with the corresponding offset to goodwill. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period or final determination of the estimated fair values of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments would be recorded in our Consolidated Statements of Operations.
We recognize the fair value of contingent consideration at the date of acquisition as part of the consideration transferred to acquire a business. The liability associated with contingent consideration is remeasured to fair value at each reporting period subsequent to the date of acquisition taking into consideration changes in financial projections and long-term growth rates, among other factors, that may impact the timing and amount of contingent consideration payments until the term of the agreement has expired or the contingency is resolved. Increases in the fair value of contingent consideration are recorded as losses in our Consolidated Statements of Operations, while decreases in fair value are recorded as gains.
New Accounting Standards
Refer to the Summary of Significant Accounting Policies within the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of new accounting standards.
Seasonality and Quarterly Results
Our mountain and lodging operations are seasonal in nature. In particular, revenue and profits for our North America mountain and most of our lodging operations are substantially lower and historically result in losses from late spring to late fall. Conversely, peak operating seasons for our NPS concessionaire properties, our mountain resort golf courses and our Australian resorts’ ski season generally occur during the North American summer months while the North American winter months result in operating losses. Revenue and profits generated by NPS concessionaire properties summer operations, golf operations and Australian resorts’ ski operations are not sufficient to fully offset our off-season losses from our North American mountain and other lodging operations. During Fiscal 2021, approximately 82% of total combined Mountain and Lodging segment net revenue (excluding Lodging segment revenue associated with reimbursement of payroll costs) was earned during the second and third fiscal quarters. Therefore, the operating results for any three-month period are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved for any subsequent quarter or for a full year (see Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements).