Vail Resorts is honored to receive five awards from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), the trade association for ski area owners and operators. It represents over 300 alpine resorts that account for more than 90% of the skier/snowboarder visits nationwide. The awards were announced at the 2024 NSAA National Convention and Tradeshow in Frisco, Texas. Previously, Vail Resorts received the Golden Eagle for Climate Change Impact in 2023, and the Golden Eagle Award for Environmental Excellence in 2019 for its bold environmental sustainability program, Commitment to Zero.
In 2024, Vail Resorts is honored to win:
Mountains are for Everyone Award, the Gondola Gallery by Epic:
The Gondola Gallery by Epic series launched for the 2023/24 season at Park City Mountain, Stowe Mountain Resort, and Whistler Blackcomb. It features one-of-a-kind art installations and a film series celebrating the backgrounds of artists who love the mountains. In line with Vail Resorts’ core value to Be Inclusive, this project is intended to create meaningful conversation around representation, diversity, inclusion and access for all skiers and riders.
Best Social Media Campaign Award, Keystone Resort:
The 2023/24 season was a special one for Keystone. The Resort introduced its brand-new Bergman Express chairlift, adding 500+ acres of lift-served terrain and making Keystone’s high alpine terrain lift-accessible for the first time ever. Heading into the season, Keystone’s social media team saw an opportunity to not only highlight the grandeur of one of the industry’s largest projects, but more importantly, tell the human stories and lesser-known work behind the project. In “Bergman Unlocked,” the Keystone social media team laid out the people and the process behind the Bergman Bowl project.
Golden Eagle Hero of Sustainability Award, Kate Wilson:
Kate Wilson, Vice President of Environmental & Social Responsibility, brings over two decades of sustainability experience to Vail Resorts. Kate leads the newly formed Environmental and Social Responsibility team overseeing sustainability, inclusive access, external DEI work, community support, and our employee foundation. Under her leadership, Vail Resorts achieved 100% renewable electricity for the second consecutive year, reached its 15% energy efficiency savings goal ahead of the company's 2030 target, and achieved the Commitment to Zero subgoal of 50% waste diversion across the enterprise in 2020.
Best Collision Prevention Program Award, Heavenly Ski Resort:
Heavenly Ski Resort won for Best Collision Prevention program in the Safety category for rerouting the Mombo run and reconstructing the Lakeview Terrain Park to redirect skier traffic and reduce collisions. Their work is a great example of how understanding the terrain, the guest experience, and collision data can help teams to come up with real solutions to make the mountains safer for skier and riders of all abilities, without compromising on the fun.
Safety Champion Award, Kolina Coe, Keystone Resort:
Director of Mountain Operations at Keystone Resort, Kolina Coe, brings a career of ski patrolling and various other roles in the Tahoe region to Colorado. Kolina led the Keystone team through the Bergman bowl terrain expansion project – a high alpine lift and terrain expansion that presented many logistical challenges. In part thanks to Kolina’s leadership, the team was able to complete the project with no injuries or safety incidents for employees or contractors, aligned to the Vail Resorts core value to Be Safe. Kolina created a culture of safety for the project and held everyone accountable to upholding safety expectations, requiring all project managers to complete weekly safety audits. The culture she created was infectious, and the entire team was committed to safety day in and day out.
In addition to the winners above, we also recognize and congratulate the hardworking teams across Vail Resorts who were named finalists in the sustainability, safety, and marketing award categories:
Best Employee Safety Program Finalists: Wildcat, Stowe Mountain Resort
Best Use of Video Finalists: Keystone, Stevens Pass
Overall Environmental Excellence Finalist: Vail Resorts