In what may be a game-changing event for skiing in Utah, it was announced that Vail Resorts has purchased the operations of Canyons in Park City. They will enter into a 50-year lease agreement with Talisker to take over all resort operations. Talisker, meanwhile, will continue to own and operate all real estate around the resort. The impact of this deal will be huge for skiers in Utah, and many questions about the future of Ski Link and Talisker’s lawsuit with PCMR will need to be answered.
As a result of this deal, Canyons will now become a part of Vail’s Epic Pass for the 2013-2014 winter season. This means you can get unlimited and unrestricted access to Canyons, as well as to Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Northstar, Heavenly and Kirkwood. Yea, and it only costs $689. There will surely be a lot more information in the coming months, as well as wonderment about the consequences of a behemoth ski company like Vail entering the Utah market. But for now, here’s the official press release:
BROOMFIELD, Colo.—May 29, 2013—Vail Resorts today announced that the Company has entered into a long-term lease with affiliate companies of Talisker Corporation for Canyons Resort in Park City, Utah. Under the lease, Vail Resorts has assumed all of the resort operations of Canyons while Talisker has retained its development rights for four million square feet of real estate at the resort.
“With 4,000 skiable acres, easy access to the town of Park City and $75 million in recent resort improvements, Canyons is a perfect complement to our collection of world-class mountain resorts,” said Rob Katz, chairman and chief executive officer of Vail Resorts. “I commend the Talisker and Canyons team for the outstanding work they have done to redevelop the resort, which is reflected in a top 10 ranking by SKI Magazine and #4 ranking by Outside Magazine. We look forward to building on that momentum and including Canyons in our industry-leading season pass products, which next season will offer guests access to Colorado, Tahoe and Utah on one season pass, a first in ski industry history. We will also leverage our guest database and domestic and international sales and marketing efforts to continue to drive Canyons’ growth. Talisker has an outstanding track record of high-end resort development and we look forward to working together to create something truly extraordinary with Talisker’s four million square feet of remaining approved residential and commercial density at Canyons.”
The transaction also incorporates the potential for the lease, without additional consideration, to include the land under the ski terrain of Park City Mountain Resort that is adjacent to Canyons and is currently owned by Talisker and is subject to pending litigation. “We look forward to the litigation being resolved and hope that Vail Resorts can play a constructive role in helping to arrive at a solution that offers the best outcome for guests of both resorts,” Katz added.
“We are thrilled to be able to bring in Vail Resorts to partner with us on our vision for Canyons,” said Jack Bistricer, chief executive officer of Talisker. “Vail Resorts is the clear leader in the mountain resort industry and I am confident that they can replicate at Canyons the success they have delivered at resorts such as Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Northstar. I am incredibly proud of all that our team has accomplished at Canyons over the past five years and am confident that together with Vail Resorts, we can create one of the greatest mountain resorts in the world.”
The Company also announced that purchasers of the Epic Pass for the 2013-2014 winter season will receive unlimited and unrestricted access to Canyons, as well as to Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Northstar, Heavenly and Kirkwood. The 2013-2014 Epic Pass is on sale now at $689 for adults, compared to the season pass price of $849 at Canyons this past year.
The lease has an initial term of 50 years with six 50-year renewal options. The lease provides for $25 million in annual fixed payments, which increase each year by an inflation linked index of CPI less one percent, with a floor of two percent per annum. In addition, the lease includes participating contingent payments to Talisker of 42 percent of the amount by which EBITDA for the resort operations, as calculated under the lease, exceeds approximately $35 million, with such threshold amount increased by an inflation linked index and a 10-percent adjustment for any capital improvements or investments made under the lease by Vail Resorts. The Company will be finalizing the accounting for the lease in the coming months but expects to record an obligation on the balance sheet of approximately $305 million in long-term debt (including capital lease obligations). The Company expects incremental annual Resort EBITDA from Canyons of approximately $15 million in fiscal year 2014 (excluding transition and integration costs) increasing to approximately $25 million in fiscal year 2017, not including any potential benefit the Company may receive from the Park City Mountain Resort land which is subject to ongoing litigation.
Conference Call
Vail Resorts will host a conference call at 2 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, May 29, 2013, in which Vail Resorts executives will discuss the Canyons transaction.
The call will be broadcast over the Internet at www.vailresorts.com. To listen to the call, go to the website and select the Investor Relations section. Those wishing to participate via telephone should dial (877) 941-0844 to be connected. Participants outside of North America should dial (480) 629-9835.
In addition, a replay of the call will be available two hours following the conclusion of the conference call through June 12, 2013, at midnight. To access the replay, dial (800) 406-7325 (domestic) or (303) 590-3030 (international), pass code 4618918. The call also will be archived at www.vailresorts.com.
Stop the SkiLink!