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Revenues (Notes)
 12 Months Ended
Jul. 31, 2022
Revenues [Abstract]  
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Text Block]
3.     Revenues
Revenue Recognition
The following provides information about the Company’s composition of revenue recognized from contracts with customers and other revenues, the performance obligations under those contracts, and the significant judgments made in accounting for those contracts:
•Mountain revenue is derived from a wide variety of sources, including, among other things: lift revenue, which includes sales of lift tickets and pass products; ski school revenue, which includes the revenue derived from ski school operations; dining revenue, which includes both casual and fine dining on-mountain operations; retail sales and equipment rentals; and other on-mountain revenue, which includes private ski club revenue (which includes both club dues and amortization of initiation fees), marketing and internet advertising revenue, municipal services and lodging and transportation operations at the Company’s Australian ski areas. The Company also includes other sources of revenue, primarily related to commercial leasing and employee housing leasing arrangements, within other mountain revenue. Revenue is recognized over time as performance obligations are satisfied as control of the good or service (e.g. access to ski areas, provision of ski school services, etc.) is transferred to the customer, except for the Company’s retail sales and dining operations revenues which are recognized at a point in time when performance obligations are satisfied by transferring control of the underlying goods to the customer. The Company records deferred revenue primarily related to the sale of pass products. Deferred revenue is generally recognized throughout the ski season as the Company’s performance obligations are satisfied as control of the service (e.g. access to ski areas throughout the ski season) is transferred to the customer. In accordance with Topic 606, the Company estimates progress towards satisfaction of its performance obligations using an output method that best depicts the transfer of control of the service to its customers.
Historically, the output method utilized by the Company measured progress toward satisfaction of the Company’s performance obligations based on the estimated number of pass product holder visits relative to total expected visits, based on historical data, which the Company believed to provide a faithful depiction of its customers’ pass product usage. When sufficient historical data to determine usage patterns was not available, such as in the case of new product offerings, progress was measured on a straight-line basis throughout the ski season until sufficient historical usage patterns were available. Beginning August 1, 2021, progress towards satisfaction of the Company’s performance obligations for all passes is measured using an output method based on the skiable days of the season, which effectively results in revenue being recorded on a straight-line basis throughout the ski season. Total estimated skiable days is based on actual resort opening and estimated closing dates. The Company believes this method best estimates the value transferred to the customer relative to the remaining services promised under the contract. Due to the strong correlation between historical pass product usage and skiable days, the change in the Company’s method of estimating progress toward satisfaction of the performance obligation alone does not have a material effect on the recognition pattern of pass product revenue.
Epic Coverage is included with the purchase of all pass products for no additional charge, and offers refunds if certain personal or resort closure events occur before or during the ski season. The estimated amount of refunds reduce the amount of pass product revenue recognized by the Company, and is remeasured at each reporting date.
Epic Mountain Rewards provides pass product holders a discount on ancillary purchases at the Company’s North American owned and operated Resorts. Epic Mountain Rewards constitutes an option to purchase additional products and services at a discount, and as a result, the Company allocates a portion of the pass product transaction price to these other lines of business.
•Lodging revenue is derived from a wide variety of sources, including, among other things: revenue from owned hotel rooms and managed hotel rooms; revenue from hotel dining operations; transportation revenue which relates to the Company’s Colorado resort ground transportation operations; and other lodging revenue which includes property management services, managed properties other costs reimbursements, private golf club revenue (which includes both club dues and amortization of initiation fees) and golf course fees. Lodging revenue also includes managed hotel property payroll cost reimbursements related to payroll costs at managed properties where the Company is the employer, which are reimbursed by the owner with no added margin. Therefore, these revenues and corresponding expenses have no net effect on the Company’s operating income or net income. Other than revenue from dining operations, lodging revenue is mostly recognized over time as performance obligations are satisfied as control of the service (e.g. nightly hotel room access) is transferred to the customer.
•Real estate revenue primarily relates to the sale of development land parcels. Real estate revenue is generally recognized at a point in time when performance obligations have been satisfied, which is usually upon closing of the sales transaction and in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the Company expects to be entitled.
For certain contracts that have an original term length of one year or less, the Company uses the practical expedient applicable to such contracts and does not consider the time value of money. For contracts with an expected term in excess of one year, the Company has considered the provisions of Topic 606 in determining whether contracts contain a financing component. The Company presents revenues in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations, net of taxes, when collected from its customers that are remitted or payable to government taxing authorities, except when products are inclusive of taxes where applicable.
Disaggregation of Revenues
The following table presents net revenues disaggregated by segment and major revenue type for the years ended July 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020 (in thousands):
Year ended July 31,
 2022
2021 (1)
2020 (1)
Mountain net revenue:
Lift$1,310,213 $1,076,578 $913,091 
Ski School223,645 144,227 189,131 
Dining163,705 92,186 167,551 
Retail/Rental311,768 227,993 270,299 
Other203,783 161,814 186,548 
Total Mountain net revenue$2,213,114 $1,702,798 $1,726,620 
Lodging net revenue:
Owned hotel rooms$80,579 $47,509 $44,992 
Managed condominium rooms97,704 72,217 76,480 
Dining 48,569 17,211 31,464 
Transportation16,021 9,271 15,796 
Golf10,975 9,373 8,023 
Other46,500 43,008 44,933 
300,348 198,589 221,688 
Payroll cost reimbursements11,742 6,553 10,549 
Total Lodging net revenue $312,090 $205,142 $232,237 
Total Resort net revenue$2,525,204 $1,907,940 $1,958,857 
Total Real Estate net revenue708 1,770 4,847 
Total net revenue$2,525,912 $1,909,710 $1,963,704 
(1) Segment results for the years ended July 31, 2021 and 2020 have been retrospectively adjusted to reflect current period presentation. See Note 12, Segment and Geographic Area Information, for additional information.
Arrangements with Multiple Performance Obligations
Several of the Company’s contracts with customers include multiple performance obligations, primarily related to bundled services such as ski school packages, lodging packages and events (e.g. weddings and conferences). For such contracts, revenue is allocated to each distinct and separate performance obligation based on its relative standalone selling price. The standalone selling prices are generally based on observable prices charged to customers or estimated based on historical experience and information.
Contract Balances
Contract liabilities are recorded primarily as deferred revenues when payments are received or due in advance of the Company’s performance, including amounts which may be refundable. The deferred revenue balance is primarily related to accounts receivable or cash payments recorded in advance of satisfying the Company’s performance obligations related to sales of pass products prior to the start of the ski season, private club initiation fees and other related advance purchase products, including advance purchase lift tickets, multiple-day lift tickets, ski school lessons, equipment rentals and lodging advance deposits. Due to the seasonality of the Company’s operations, its largest deferred revenue balances occur during the North American pass product selling window, which generally begins in the third quarter of its fiscal year. Deferred revenue balances of a short-term nature were $511.3 million and $456.5 million as of July 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and the increase was primarily due to an increase in pass product sales for the 2022/2023 North American ski season as compared to the prior year from the beginning of the selling season through each respective fiscal year-end. Deferred revenue balances of a long-term nature, comprised primarily of long-term private club initiation fee revenue, were $117.2 million and $121.0 million as of July 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. For the year ended July 31, 2022, the Company recognized approximately $429.0 million of net revenue that was included in the deferred revenue balance as of July 31, 2021. As of July 31, 2022, the weighted average remaining period over which revenue for unsatisfied performance obligations on long-term private club contracts will be recognized was approximately 15 years.
Contract assets are recorded as trade receivables when the right to consideration is unconditional. Trade receivable balances were $383.4 million and $345.4 million as of July 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Payments from customers are based on
billing terms established in the contracts with customers, which vary by the type of customer, the location and the products or services offered. The term between invoicing and when payment is due is not significant. For certain products or services and customer types, contracts require payment before the products are delivered or services are provided to the customer. Impairment losses related to contract assets are recognized through the Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts analysis. Contract asset write-offs are evaluated on an individual basis.
Costs to Obtain Contracts with Customers
The Company expects that credit card fees and sales commissions paid in order to obtain season ski pass products contracts are recoverable. Accordingly, the Company records these amounts as assets when they are paid prior to the start of the ski season.
As of July 31, 2022, $3.8 million of costs to obtain contracts with customers were recorded within other current assets on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet. Deferred credit card fees and sales commissions are amortized commensurate with the recognition of ski pass product revenue. The Company recorded amortization of $22.1 million, $17.8 million and $11.0 million for these costs during the years ended July 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively, which were recorded within Mountain and Lodging operating expenses on the Consolidated Statement of Operations.
Utilizing the practical expedient provided for under Topic 606, the Company has elected to expense credit card fees and sales commissions related to non-season ski pass products and services as incurred, as the amortization period is generally one year or less for the time between customer purchase and utilization. These fees are recorded within Mountain and Lodging operating expenses on the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations.