If you watch B movies from Hollywood, there will be in the group beach movies and ski movies. People go to resorts both for sun and skiing. Once you have many people particularly around the same age together, there are multiple movie scripts possible and generally the supporting pictures of the landscape can be spectacular and a wonderful break for the movie goers. One of the aspects that is not shown is the cost of living for those who work at the resort, the focus tends to be on the guests to the resort.

In an article by Mead Gruyer of the Associated Press, one aspect of the ski resorts is ski patrollers. These are experienced skiers who wear crosses on their arm and are there when someone falls and potential injury. If you have skied, you are aware that you can easily fall. Once you learn the basics and slowly work your way to more advanced runs, the likelihood of falling decreases and skiing is fun.

The biggest ski resort operator is Vail Resorts which owns 43 properties on 3 continents and specializes in the winter season. Ensuring there are enough ski patrollers which allows them to operate all their lifts to the top is an important element of their operational efficiencies. At one of Vail’s properties – Park City Mountain Resort which is about an hour’s drive east of Salt Lake City, the ski patrollers went on a mini strike for higher wages. Similar to many resort towns, the employees find it hard to find places to rent given their wages, work is easy to find, reasonable rent much harder.

Vail Resorts increased the hourly rate from $13 to $21 an hour in 2022. In 2024, they were offering a 4% raise plus $1,600 credit for new equipment. (after a 2 week, the strike was settled with increased wages).

For Vail Resorts, the good news was snow had fallen and ski conditions were wonderful. In Park City, Vail operates 41 lifts and 350 trails, according to its website.

Linking to dividend paying stocks, in every industry some quarters are better than others. If you have gone to a ski resort in summer, there are still terrific places to go because of the many trails you can walk or possible ride a mountain bike in the mountains. However, the bulk of the revenues are made when there is snow on the hills and people using the lifts and eating at the food areas. There is a reason why strikes are set against the main driver of revenues for a company. When you do your homework on your company, when is the best quarter expected? what the pinch point and how did the company resolve them?

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions.