Could be interesting. TC is by far my favorite lift served in New Zealand. The resort doesn't really make much money. Would love to see some additional investment at that resort. Stratgically, not hugely confident of the fit for Vail though especially as there is no on mountain lodging. Perhaps I underestimate how big of a drawing card NZ would be for North American skiers if it is added to epic pass. And NZ is such a small population not sure it really does a lot for bringing people up to North America. So I am dubious.
Cardy is one of the more popular NZ resorts and would seemingly be the better fit for Vail than TC. But still, just skeptical how important it is too have a NZ ski presence given the small size of the market.
Along with what @dbostedo said, consider the Australian market. If you've been to Whistler in Dec/Jan you may have noticed the huge number of Australians there. Maybe Alterra wants a slice of that pie? Factor in that many Australian skiers make good use of the direct flights from Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane into Queenstown and the motivation for Alterra's actions becomes clearer.
So, strategically, Vail may want to partner with a NZ resort or two to protect its share of the Australian market.
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