Vail is Spending $50 Million This Off-Season and it is …

You probably heard that Vail is investing $50 million in Canyons PCMR Park City Mountain Resort this off-season.

I know, it sounds great. It’s like community service — they are doing this for the people of Park City. It’s like a big funnel being put over Park City’s mouth, and Vail pouring the juice in. MMMM. Tasty.

So, I have family in town and they wanted to ride the Red Pine Gondola at The Canyons Village at Park City (or whatever it’s now called). As we arrived at the top of gondola, there was construction going on at what appears to be a restaurant. I initially thought “oh, that must be part of what Vail is spending their $50 million on” but then thought “THAT IS WHAT VAIL IS SPENDING THEIR $50 MILLION ON”.

When I repeatedly heard that Vail is spending all that money in Park City, it sounded like something really benefiting the community. Almost like it was a $50 million investment in our libraries or schools. Yet when I stepped off that Gondola and looked at the restaurant, it clicked. Vail is making an investment in making more money. They are connecting PCMR and Canyons to make the largest resort in North America and make more money. They are building more restaurants to make more money. Eventually they will sell more condos to make more money.

I don’t begrudge them. They are in the business of making money — and they are damn good at it.

Yet, it really isn’t different from Walmart announcing some sort of investment in their Utah stores. Suppose Walmart announced a $50 million upgrade to their stores in our beloved state. It has the same purpose as Vail — making more money.

Something about Vail announcing spending money sounds so much better than if Best Buy did it or Walmart. Yet, it is really the same thing. I wonder why Vail sounds so much better and I let that “feeling” influence how I look at the issue.

It tells me that I’ve really got to grow up.