Ski Resort Rumors: Will Vail Buy Whistler?

With the Winter Olympics set to begin soon, there isn't a whole lot of focus on the fact that Whistler ski resort owner Intrawest Holdings is set for auction. However, the company is ready for the block, and there are rumors that Vail Resorts might try an buy the company.

Vail Daily reports on the rumors surrounding the possible interest Vail Resorts has in Whistler:

Scott Bunce, chief executive officer of Epicenterspark Hospitality, a hotel and condo management company, pays attention to the lodging side of things within the ski industry. He suspects Vail Resorts' interest in Whistler Blackcomb is there — it would be a good investment, he said.

“It's all based on the price Vail Resorts can get it for,” Bunce said.

Whistler is Vail's largest competitor, he said. If Vail Resorts controlled both resorts, it could manage the marketing messages of the two and use one to promote the other, Bunce said.

Of course, Vail Resorts is refusing to comment on the matter. So far, rumors remain just that -- rumors. But Vail must be considering the option, and wondering if the cash is there to make the deal, especially since Intrawest also operates Winter Park,  and owns Steamboat and other ski resorts in the U.S. and Canada.