Sweeping corporate policies, insufficient resources and widespread hypocrisy - Ski Instructor Vail Resorts Employee Review

2.0
Mar 3, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- ski pass for the season - employee discounts - benefits program for eligible full time employees

Cons

- minimal wage increases -removal of individual resorts autonomy - toxic culture of overworking - stress on importance of mental health, but when the need for taking a mental health day or concerns about mental health at work are raised these are largely waved off - refusal to adjust the number of lesson products sold even though the resort is understaffed and current instructors are working long stretches without days off - uniforms are not waterproof and are old and tatty - HR removed from all resorts on an individual level and moved to a central location in Colorado. No one I have encountered is aware of or concerned that practices are different in Canada to America and getting through to someone is a long, arduous process. - centralised scheduling means being assigned to lessons that you are not trained or prepared for (e.g. getting instructors over the age of 60 to work with toddler children - not always and issue, but largely is a concern for the safety of all) - management who are just mouth pieces for vail policies - unhealthy and overpriced food - lack of staff accommodation to provide affordable housing

Explore other reviews about Vail Resorts

5.0
Jun 30, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Amazing company to work for! Appreciate the environment, the benefits.

Cons

Seasonal position which can make benefits a challenge.

2.0
May 14, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Most people are smart, passionate, and enjoyable to work with and be around. - Fairly frequent opportunities for development and advancement through the internal job board. - Nice perks if you're into skiing or riding.

Cons

- There's an unspoken expectation to regularly work significantly more hours because the majority of employees are very passionate about the ski and ride industry, which isn't great for work life balance. There's not much down time either; you're either hustling in season or hustling to prepare for the next season. - Climate change poses a significant threat to the future of the company. The season pass model mitigates some of the impacts, but not as much as senior leadership asserts. And, since bonuses are tied to company results, you can end up working super hard all year and still end up getting half of your bonus target due to uncontrollable weather conditions. - The culture has taken a serious hit since enterprise transformation work began. Lots of people are constantly stressed out and the atmosphere in the office is depressing. - Most of the time, it feels like senior leadership makes decisions in a vacuum without consulting any of the people that would be responsible for the downstream work associated with the decision. For example, I've seen senior leaders decide on a savings target multiple times without consulting the experts, who then have to scramble to figure out how to make it work. It creates chaos and negatively impacts morale. - This organization has a wordsmithing problem. I've never worked at a company that spends such an inordinate amount of time on the framing of a message compared to the actual substance of the message.

5
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All