Consolidation Is Reshaping the North American Ski Market
Photo Credit: The Limelight hotel in Ketchum. The property’s owner is looking to build "eight to ten hotels in the next five years." Aspen Skiing Company / Ray J. Gadd
Skift Take
Through a new venture with KSL Capital Partners, Aspen Skiing Company (Skico) is broadening its scope far beyond Colorado. But it's not only about amassing mountains. Skico is concentrating on building a new boutique hotel brand, which is raising eyebrows in its newest destination.
Ski season is going to be a bit different in North America this year. Two ski industry giants, Vail Resorts and Aspen Skiing Company, have been picking off notable ski areas like pawns on a snow-covered chessboard. Vail acquired Whistler/Blackcomb in British Columbia toward the end of 2016 and then grabbed Vermont’s Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont this summer. This year, Aspen Skiing Company, in a venture with KSL Capital Partners, also made moves, acquiring Mammoth Mountain in California and the assets of Intrawest, which include Mount Tremblant in Quebec and Steamboat in Colorado. Aspen Skiing Company independently operates four ski areas around Aspen/Snowmass.
On another front, Aspen Skiing Company, or Skico as it is familiarly called, is growing
