Vail Resorts has acquired yet another internationally-renowned ski resort: Whistler-Blackcomb. In a $1.1 billion (US) deal, expected to close this fall, Whistler-Blackcomb Ski Resort (and yes, the mountain biking mecca Whistler Bike Park) will join the megalithic Vail Resorts conglomerate.
According to USA Today, “As part of the deal. . .Vail Resorts would acquire 100 percent of the stock of Whistler Blackcomb. In return, Whistler Blackcomb shareholders would receive C$17.50 per share in cash and 0.0975 shares of Vail Resorts common stock, for a total value of $27.38 per share or C$36.00.”
“Dave Brownlie, Whistler Blackcomb’s chief executive officer, said that Vail has ‘a track record and ultimately a commitment to reinvest more in the resort,'” according to Teton Gravity Research.
While hopefully we’ll see only good things from the Whistler Bike Park in the coming years, it’s difficult to be optimistic if you’ve ever ridden some of spectacularly-mediocre trails in the Vail bike park. However, Brownlie, Whistler’s CEO, “will continue on as the resort’s chief operating officer,” according to USA Today. Hopefully he can continue to maintain the incredible mountain biking reputation that Whistler has rightfully earned.
