BROOMFIELD, Colo. — Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN) today reported certain ski season metrics for the comparative periods from the beginning of the ski season through January 2, 2012, and for the prior year period through January 3, 2011, with both periods including the holiday period through the Monday after New Year’s Day. The data mentioned in this release is interim period data and subject to fiscal quarter end review and adjustments.

Highlights

Season-to-date total lift ticket revenue at the Company’s six mountain resort properties, and including an allocated portion of season pass revenue for each applicable period, was up approximately 0.6% through January 2, 2012, compared to the prior year season–to- date period ended January 3, 2011.
Season-to-date revenue for ski school was up 0.9% while dining was down 5.6% due to limited access to certain on-mountain dining facilities, through January 2, 2012, compared to the prior year season-to-date period ended January 3, 2011.
Fiscal year-to-date retail/rental revenue, which includes preseason ski sale events, was down 0.7% through January 2, 2012 compared to the same period in the prior year.
Season-to-date total skier visits for the Company’s six mountain resort properties were down approximately 15.3% through January 2, 2012, compared to the prior year season-to-date period ended January 3, 2011, including lower utilization by season pass holders.

Commenting on the ski season to date, Rob Katz, Chief Executive Officer said, “We have had some very unusual weather so far this season. For the first time in 30 years, a lack of snow has not allowed us to open the back bowls in Vail as of January 6, 2012 and, for the first time since the late 1800s, it did not snow at all in Tahoe in December. Despite these conditions, we were very pleased that season to date our total lift ticket revenue was up 0.6% and ski school revenue increased 0.9% compared to the prior year when record snowfall was reported across our resorts. Our performance in these conditions highlights our strong season pass program, the full experience and comprehensive set of activities and amenities that we provide at our resorts, and the investments we have made across our resorts in constantly improving and broadening the guest experience. This is most apparent in Tahoe, where our investment in snowmaking has allowed us to open up more terrain than all the other resorts in the area combined. At this point, with three quarters of the ski season still remaining, we are not revising the earnings guidance we issued in September 2011. However, we would acknowledge that those targets will be more difficult to achieve given the results over the holidays.”

About Vail Resorts
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. The Company’s subsidiaries operate the mountain resorts of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado, and Heavenly and Northstar in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada, and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The Company’s subsidiary, RockResorts, a luxury resort hotel company, manages casually elegant properties. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning, development and construction subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com