Vail Resorts Buys Crans Montana

Via The Daily:

Vail Resorts, Inc. today closed on its purchase of Crans-Montana Mountain Resort, a renowned destination ski resort with a steep history as an outdoor sports haven in Switzerland and around the world. The acquisition represents Vail Resorts’ second strategic investment to own and operate ski resorts in Europe.

Crans-Montana hosts Wildstrubel by UTMB making this resort the second destination (after Whistler Blackcomb) that Vail owns that hosts a UTMB event. Back in the spring of last year news came out that Vail’s team in Whistler totally screwed up the relationship with Coast Mountain Trail Running by needlessly delaying and complicating the permitting process of their now defunct Whistler Alpine Meadows race. An American corporation buying international ski resorts seems to be a recipe for disaster. Local ownership groups in Europe should be weary of Mc-Vail-bucks knocking at their door.