Trust technology and don’t be afraid to splurge, ski-industry expert says
Travel Trailblazers is an occasional feature that profiles the people who have changed the way the USA travels.
Rob Katz is always on the move. When I met him, he seemed to be in perpetual motion. “Hi, nice to meet you — see you later,” he said in a single breath. I hardly had a chance to respond.
That’s what you’d expect from the CEO of Vail Resorts, which operates the iconic Colorado ski resort after which it’s named, as well as Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Heavenly Ski Resort, Park City, Stowe and Whistler-Blackcomb.
What you might not know is that Katz, a former Wall Street fund manager, quietly changed the way people ski and snowboard when he introduced the Epic Pass, a season lift pass that uses RFID readers and smart-chip cards to let you board the resort’s chairlifts and gondolas quickly.
No need to show your pass when you slide up to the lift; the resort can scan your card right through your clothes. Pretty cool.
The Epic Pass turns 10 this month, but Katz has more to share. As a frequent traveler — he clocked nearly
100,000 miles in 2017 — Katz has developed a few strategies for cutting the line.
Katz is a risk-taker, and not just because he’s a skier. When he proposed the idea of Epic Pass, and reducing the price of a season pass from $1,800 to just $600, his board of directors balked.
“That was my biggest obstacle to building Epic,” he admits. “They were concerned about reducing the price of a season pass by 70%. They said, ‘ That’s not what most companies do when they want to drive revenue.’ ”
The risk paid off. Epic sold a record
750,000 passes last year, offering skiers worldwide access to 46 resorts and making it the largest season pass program of its kind.
Travelers who want to get to their destinations faster need to take risks, too, says Katz — whether it’s trying a new company, sharing personal information or thinking differently about their travel plans. And the rewards can also be considerable.
Here are a few of Katz’s favorite Epic Pass lessons:
❚ Try the tech. Epic-like systems are everywhere, from Disney’s Magic-Bands, which help you access your favorite theme park experience, to Global Entry, which gets you through customs faster. “The ability to digitally communicate can allow you to dramatically reduce the lines and the hassle of waiting around,” says Katz.
❚ Plan ahead. “I do everything I possibly can in advance,” he says. “I use OpenTable to book restaurants. Uber to get a ride. My Hertz Gold Club to set my car rental preferences. I pre-register for my hotel so I can go to my room quickly.” That applies to his resorts, too, which emphasize the importance of going online before the vacation to register for ski school, lift tickets and dinner reservations. That saves time, allowing you to enjoy more of your vacation.
❚ Spend a little more, get a lot. Katz says spending just a little more can often offer a valuable shortcut. For example, if you book a room at the Mountain Thunder Lodge or another official property in Breckenridge, Colo., you’ll have access to the mountain’s “first tracks” in the morning, where there are no lift lines and the runs are perfectly groomed.
As travelers brace for another hectic summer travel season, careful planning is more important than ever.