BROOMFIELD, Colo., Dec. 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, as part
of its Epic for Everyone platform, Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:
MTN) announced a significant expansion of its current youth access
efforts, with plans to launch new programs at more than a dozen
resorts that serve major metropolitan areas, including New York City, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, Cleveland and Seattle. The company will provide free lift
tickets, ski school, equipment rentals and other services to local
non-profits, who will combine those services with youth mentorship
for enriching, on-mountain programs across Vail Resorts' growing
portfolio.
Vail Resorts Chief Executive Officer Rob
Katz and his wife, Elana
Amsterdam, will personally donate $10
million, over the next five years, to participating
non-profits to help develop and expand programs, fund
transportation and support other needs necessary to provide
mountain access and engaging experiences. The goal of the new
initiative, which is expected to launch during the 2020-21 winter
season, is to enhance access to winter sports for underserved youth
and inspire the next generation of skiers and riders.
"I am incredibly proud of the work our company has already done
to broaden engagement in the outdoors and am very excited about the
opportunity to dramatically grow our reach with our expanded
footprint of 37 resorts," said Katz. "There is already incredible
enthusiasm for getting kids on the mountain, and Elana and I feel
fortunate to be able to support and accelerate these efforts.
We look forward to working closely with many of our existing
partners, such as SOS Outreach, as well as other organizations
already focused in this area, such as the Share Winter Foundation,
to truly make a difference in the lives of kids and teens, and
within the sport itself."
The Katz Amsterdam Charitable Trust will immediately work to
identify non-profit partners and begin making charitable donations
to allow the new and expanded programs to begin next season. The
Trust will be looking for non-profits who work with underserved
urban youth and are passionate about the benefits of getting kids
outside.
Vail Resorts already has one of the most expansive programs in
the industry in the area of youth access, with in-kind charitable
contributions totaling $5.6 million
per year, supporting nearly 4,500 underserved kids across
Colorado, Utah, Lake
Tahoe, Chicago,
Detroit and Minneapolis-St. Paul. With the new programs in
place, Vail Resorts plans to host more than 10,000 underserved kids
and teens annually by expanding to its resorts that serve the
cities of Akron-Canton, Baltimore, Boston, Cleveland, Columbus,
Kansas City, Louisville,
Milwaukee, New York City, Philadelphia, Seattle, St.
Louis and Washington,
D.C.
The new youth access initiative is part of Epic for
Everyone, Vail Resorts' commitment to broaden engagement in
skiing and riding, and builds upon previous initiatives to improve
accessibility. Others include the new Epic Day Pass, a
highly-discounted pass product for new and occasional skiers and
riders; the Military Epic Pass; and Epic School Kids, which offers
free days of skiing for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade in
certain regions like Colorado,
Utah and the Pacific
Northwest.
About Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN)
Vail Resorts,
Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading global mountain
resort operator. Vail Resorts' subsidiaries operate 37 world-class
mountain resorts and urban ski areas, including Vail, Beaver
Creek, Breckenridge,
Keystone and Crested Butte in Colorado; Park
City in Utah; Heavenly,
Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake
Tahoe area of California
and Nevada; Whistler Blackcomb in
British Columbia, Canada;
Perisher, Falls Creek and Hotham
in Australia; Stowe, Mount
Snow, Okemo in Vermont;
Hunter Mountain in New York; Mount
Sunapee, Attitash, Wildcat and Crotched in New Hampshire; Stevens Pass in Washington; Liberty, Roundtop, Whitetail,
Jack Frost and Big Boulder in
Pennsylvania; Alpine Valley,
Boston Mills, Brandywine and Mad
River in Ohio; Hidden Valley and Snow Creek in Missouri; Wilmot in Wisconsin; Afton Alps in Minnesota; Mt. Brighton in Michigan; and Paoli Peaks in Indiana. Vail Resorts owns and/or manages a
collection of casually elegant hotels under the RockResorts brand,
as well as the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Vail Resorts Development
Company is the real estate planning and development 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.epicpass.com.
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SOURCE Vail Resorts, Inc.