Vail scours the globe for more ski resorts

Vail Resorts’ chief executive Rob Katz says the listed company is continuing to comb the globe for more sites.

Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz says the company has ploughed $4 million into Perisher since buying the ski resort from James Packer two years ago.

Fresh from his $US1.1 billion ($1.47bn) acquisition of Canada’s Whistler Blackcomb resort, Vail Resorts chief executive Rob Katz says the listed company is continuing to comb the globe for more sites and may even win ­approval to develop parts of its Australian operations bought from gaming billionaire James Packer two years ago.

“We are looking at more ­resorts at the moment,’’ Mr Katz told The Australian yesterday. “We have been pretty open about our interest in Japan, Asia and central ­Europe, in areas such as France, Austria, Italy and Germany.

“If we did something with Japan it would be because of the connection between Australia and Japan.

“We want to be a global company with properties around the world.”

The listed Vail operates 14 ski resorts in North America and the Australian ski resort of Perisher which it bought for $176.6 million.

The company has since ploughed $US4m a year into ­Perisher in new grooming equipment as well as a $2m ski tube and it is awaiting the outcome of a NSW government report into the head lease arrangements over the resort.

“We have committed to a very consistent level of investment and upgrading the grooming fleet at Perisher,” Mr Katz said.

The NSW government is due to deliver a report into the status of Perisher’s lease by October.

The government is looking at the best leasing and governance model for the resort, according to Perisher’s boss Peter Brulisauer. “We are quite anxious and quite excited about the review,” Mr Katz added.

NSW could sell the rights to develop the village and is running an expressions-of-interest campaign at present.

Vail could win the rights or the government could choose an ­alternative private-sector developer for the project which could see the development of 800 extra beds as well as the redevelopment of some of the existing lodge sites.

Mr Katz said the company sold about 550,000 Epic passes around the world last ski season, allowing Australians to ski Perisher and Vail’s other resorts in the US and Canada.

The Epic pass costs $849 and offers 12 months of skiing except for certain restrictions on some days.

Mr Katz said the sales of the Epic passes had risen 70 per cent in Australia since Vail took over Perisher.

“I come every year to share news about our resorts — Perisher is an incredibly iconic resort for our company,” Mr Katz said.