Vail Resorts Announces $20 Per Hour Minimum Wage for Employees and $21 Per Hour for Ski Patrollers

Today, Vail Resorts’ new CEO, Kirsten Lynch, announced a $20 per hour minimum wage for all 37 of its North American resorts, effective for the 2022-23 ski and ride season. Entry-level ski patrollers and maintenance team members will start at $21 per hour. To ensure career and leadership wage differentials, Vail Resorts is also increasing wages for non-entry level hourly team members.

Wages are just one part of a larger employee-focused initiative shared today, an incremental $175M annual investment in our employees, which includes increased HR support, a commitment to accelerate progress on affordable housing, updated perks and benefits, and an expanded focus on career development.

• Related: Vail Resorts Offers $13.1-Million Settlement in Labor Law Violations Lawsuit

In addition to the historic investment into employees, Vail Resorts also has an unprecedented investment into the guest experience planned for next season – 21 new lifts across 14 resorts coast to coast.

“Our employees’ passion is what makes our resorts so special and our guests’ experience memorable. In my first 100 days as CEO, I have had the opportunity to reflect on what is important, and what our company must focus on as we move forward. Our top priority must be to support and invest in our employees – their wages, benefits, HR support, housing, and career development. This incremental $175 million annual investment in the employee experience marks a new direction for our company. Combined with an over $300 million investment in 21 new lifts for next season, we will work to ensure our resorts deliver an Experience of a Lifetime for both our employees and our guests.”

– Kirsten Lynch, chief executive officer of Vail Resorts

Some additional details on today’s employee investment announcement:  

• Wages: The new $20 per hour minimum wage across all 37 of Vail Resorts North American properties, plus raises for hourly employees to address compression, represents an incremental annual investment of $175M million into our team members next year. The average wage increases across our hourly employees in North America will be 30%. Worth noting our entry-level patrollers will start at $21 per hour.
• Perks and benefits: Our company is built on a passion for the outdoors. Team members appreciate access to equipment and gear that’ll take them there. Beginning 2022/23 winter season, employees will receive an enhanced discount of 40% at all Vail Resorts Retail locations. This new perk is in addition to a free season pass for employees and dependents, F&B and lodging discounts, free mental health resources, and more.
• HR improvement: Effective immediately, the company is investing $4 million to significantly improve HR operations, including adding 66 more team members to our HR Services team, an almost 50% increase of the size of that team. We are committed to providing our employees with the support they need directly and efficiently, especially with hiring, onboarding, payroll, and case management.
• Career development: Next season, we are expanding our Leadership Development program to our seasonal frontline team members. Anyone that comes for a season will have the chance to build a career with Vail Resorts or move across resorts. We are focused on supporting our employees’ ability to build long-lasting careers in the snow sports industry.
• Location flexibility for corporate employees: Vail Resorts corporate office is moving to flexible remote work, which means team members can spend their days working from a location that works best for them in any of the states where we operate—including in the mountains we all love.