Stevens Pass is a small ski hill in western Washington state bought several years ago by Vail Resorts. Only one of three lodges is currently open and most lifts have remained closed all year. The parking lots are unplowed and unsupervised, resulting in traffic jams and accidents getting into the lot. Most expert terrain is closed with no apparent plans to open. While Vail Resorts continues to claim that the cause is a labour shortage and COVID-related, almost all other Washington ski resorts are fully staffed and operating at or near capacity.
Vail Resorts’ HR policies, wage scale, and hiring practices are more likely to blame. Vail has taken money from passholders and delivered nothing. Vail has refused to refund any money and instead issued dividends to corporate shareholders. We are looking at great ski conditions for the first time this year, yet many passholders like myself have yet to get a run in.
Is this a trial run for what will happen at their other resorts? I spent a few seasons in Whistler back in the ‘90s and would hate to see it destroyed by a greedy corporation like Vail Resorts.
