Revenue and Mountain Adjusted EBITDA
The Mountain segment earns revenue from a variety of business activities conducted at our mountain resorts.
Lift revenue. Lift revenue is derived from a variety of lift pass products, including multi-resort and single-resort passes, season pass products, frequency card products of varying durations and single and multi-day lift tickets. Our season pass products, including our multi-resort products, are predominately sold prior to the start of the ski season. Season pass revenue, although primarily collected prior to the ski season during a fiscal year, is recognized in our consolidated financial statements during such fiscal year based on historical usage patterns. Frequency pass revenue is recognized as used, and unused portions are recognized based on historical average usage for each frequency product.
Lodging revenue. Lodging revenue is derived through our management of rental programs for condominium properties located at or in close proximity to our mountain resorts. We typically receive 25% to 50% of the daily room revenue, with the condominium owners receiving the remaining share of the room revenue. We also earn lodging revenue from hotel properties we own at Winter Park, Stratton and Snowshoe.
Ski School revenue. Ski school revenue is derived through our operation of ski and ride schools at each of our mountain resorts. We are the exclusive provider of these services at each of our resorts.
Retail and rental revenue. Retail and rental revenue is derived from the rental of ski, snowboard and bike equipment and the sale of ski accessories, equipment, apparel, logo wear, gifts and sundries at our on-mountain and base area outlets.
Food and beverage revenue. Food and beverage revenue is derived through our operation of restaurants, bars and other food and beverage outlets at our resorts.
Other revenue. Other revenue is derived from fees earned through a wide variety of activities and ancillary operations, including private clubs, municipal services, call centers, parking operations, golf, summer base area activities, strategic alliances, entertainment events and other resort activities.
Mountain Adjusted EBITDA. Mountain Adjusted EBITDA is Mountain revenue less Mountain operating expenses, adjusted for our pro rata share of EBITDA for our equity method investment in Blue Mountain Resorts Limited. Mountain operating expenses include: wages, incentives and benefits for resort personnel; direct costs of food, beverage and retail inventory; general and administrative expenses; and resort operating expenses, such as contract services, utilities, fuel, permit and lease payments, credit card fees, property taxes, and maintenance and operating supplies.
Key Business Metrics Evaluated by Management
The Mountain segment operating metrics in this section below do not include Blue Mountain, which we account for using the equity method.
“Skier Visits” We measure visitation volume during the ski season, which is when most of our lift revenue is earned, by the number of “Skier Visits” at our resorts, each of which represents an individual’s use of a paid or complimentary ticket, frequency card or season pass to ski or snowboard at our mountain resorts for any part of one day. The number of Skier Visits, viewed in conjunction with ETP, is the most important indicator of our lift revenue. Changes in the number of Skier Visits have a significant impact on Mountain revenue. The number of Skier Visits is affected by numerous factors, including the quality of the guest experience, the effectiveness of our marketing efforts, pricing policies, snow and weather conditions, overall industry trends, macroeconomic factors and the relative attractiveness of our resort offerings compared to competitive offerings.
“Revenue per Visit” is total Mountain revenue for a given period divided by total Skier Visits during such period. Revenue per Visit is influenced by our mix of guests. Destination guests are more likely to purchase ancillary products and services than regional guests and a higher percentage of destination guests in our skier mix typically increases Revenue per Visit.
“ETP” We measure average ticket price during a given period by calculating our “effective ticket price,” or “ETP,” which is determined by dividing lift revenue by Skier Visits. ETP is influenced by lift product mix and other factors. Season pass products offer unlimited access, subject to certain exceptions and restrictions, for a fixed upfront payment. As a result, season passholders ski frequently and therefore a greater proportion of visits from these passholders will put downward pressure on ETP. This downward pressure on ETP is more pronounced in ski seasons