OnTheSnow to Acquire Skiinfo, Europe's Most Visited Ski and Snowboard Website, to Create the Largest Global Media Snow Sports Platform

Published on Monday, 16 January 2012 13:12 Written by TradersHuddle Staff

BROOMFIELD, Colo., Jan. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Mountain News Corporation, publisher of OnTheSnow, the world's most visited snow sports online and mobile platform, is expanding its reach with the acquisition of Skiinfo, Europe's most visited snow sports website. This acquisition will increase Mountain News Corporation's reach in key European ski markets and creates a total audience of more than 23 million unique visitors per year. The combined companies will operate in 14 languages and 20 countries.

Established in 1996 in Oslo, Norway as a snow reporting website, Skiinfo.com expanded over the years adding offices in Germany, France, Italy and Slovakia, and has become the top ranked source for snow reports and snow sports information in Europe with an audience of 11 million unique users in 2011.

"This acquisition allows us to combine the dominant snow sports leader in North America with the leader in Europe to create the first ever, truly global snow sports media platform," said Chad Dyer, global managing director of Mountain News Corporation. "With a combined 23 million unique visits per year, we will be able to offer advertisers access to skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts around the world -- one of the most coveted demographics in media. The combined companies also will be able to offer skiers and riders the most comprehensive global snow sports content and most robust worldwide snow reports."

According to Dyer, with the combination of OnTheSnow and Skiinfo's snow reports, the new company will provide snow reports to more than 1,500 worldwide websites and international media companies, and will provide advertisers with an expanded reach and capabilities to reach skiers on a global scale.

The acquisition remains subject to certain conditions and is expected to close on February 1st, 2012.

About Mountain News Corporation

Mountain News Corporation (MNC), a subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN), is the publisher of OnTheSnow & the Ski Report mobile applications. MNC, is also a top provider of snow reports to more than 1,500 web sites throughout the world, including approximately 400 news media websites. In addition to its snow reports and website, OnTheSnow.com publishes and delivers a weekly e-mail newsletter to its database of more than 300,000 subscribers worldwide. MNC also operates MountainGetaway.com, the year-round headquarters for information regarding popular mountain resort communities and regions in the summer months.

About Vail Resorts

Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. The Company's subsidiaries operate the mountain resorts of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado, and Heavenly and Northstar in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada, and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The Company's subsidiary, RockResorts, a luxury resort hotel company, manages casually elegant properties. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning, development and construction subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com

SOURCE Vail Resorts, Inc.