Combating Climate Change: Vail Resorts Announces $3.6 Million Across 19 Resorts in Largest Single-Year Energy Efficiency Investment

When we announced Commitment to Zero back in 2017, our sustainability goal to reach a zero net operating footprint by 2030, we also pledged $25 millionto achieve 15% energy efficiency savings across our resorts. Each year since then, we've made investments in three key areas-snowmaking, buildings, and lifts-and, now, we're thrilled to announce our biggest single-year energy efficiency investment yet: $3.6 million across 19 of our resortsin 2022.Energy efficiency remains a key strategy in reducing the emissions associated with our operations and, with no time to waste when it comes to combating climate change, we'llcontinue to advance toward our bold goals.

"One of the many benefits of our integrated networkis thatwe're able to consistently collaborate across all our resorts to share progress and learnings," said Kate Wilson, senior director of sustainability at Vail Resorts. "In fact, some of our upcoming investments, like lift heater controls at our Colorado resorts, are thanks to the energy efficiency successes we saw last year at Park City Mountain. With37 owned and operated resorts, we have an incredible opportunity to make a major, measurable impact on climate change through the industry-leading commitments we've made."

The $3.6 million in energy efficiency projects will be implemented in 2022. Highlights include:

Snowmaking:

Replacing high-energy snowmaking guns with modern, low-energy options reduces the overall energy for snowmaking and allows us to make more snow in less time.Thanks to our ongoing investment in energy-efficient snowmaking, Keystone kicked off the season two months ago, in October, and Vail had one of its earliest and largestterrainopenings in decades.

This coming year we're replacing 110 high-energy use snowmaking guns at Breckenridgewith low-energy snowguns, which reduce energybyconsuming significantly less compressed air.With this investment, 100% of the snowgunsat Breckenridge will be low-medium energy. Okemoand Stowewill receive a number of low-energy snowgunsas well, allowing us to open more terrain with far less energy.

Lifts:

Chairlift stations have heaters to keep equipment at a functional temperature, which need to be properly monitored and controlled.In 2020 at Park City Mountain, we installed heater controls on all 36 of our lifts, which saves over 1.6 million kilowatt hours of electricity each year.

Now that we know what a huge success this investment was at Park City, we're installingheater controls at40 lifts acrosstwo of our Colorado resorts-Vail and Beaver Creek-expected to resultin huge energy savings.

Buildings (LED retrofit):

We're replacing older, inefficient interior lighting with new LED high-efficiency lighting across 17 resorts. What are the benefits of LED lighting? It uses significantly less energy and lasts longer. Plus, the guest experience is improved due to increased lighting level.

Resorts receiving this upgraded lighting include Mad River, Paoli Peaks, Boston Mills, Brandywine, Alpine Valley, Snow Creek, Roundtop, Jack Frost, Liberty, Mt. Brighton, Stowe, Crested Butte, Keystone, Breckenridge, Beaver Creek, Stevens Pass, Whistler Blackcomb.

To date, including this year's $3.6 million investment, Vail Resorts has spent $9.6 millionof our $25 million energy efficiency commitment. Read more on Commitment to Zero and the progress we've made toward a zero net operating footprint (we recently reached 85% renewable electricity across our North American resorts!) in the2020/21 EpicPromiseProgress Report.