2025 Safety Award Winners

Congratulations to the 2025 Safety Award winners and finalists. Winners are highlighted in bold.

Best Overall Safety Program (Over 500K Visits)

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, WY

Jackson Hole’s safety team set out to reduce reckless skiing through education, operations, and accountability. They used Snow Angel Foundation’s Triangle of Safety and placed messaging prominently, earning 600,000 homepage impressions, 700,000 in-app views, and 72,000 pre-arrival emails with a 70% open rate. Notably, they removed vertical feet from the app leaderboard to discourage fast skiing. In-person messaging included wall wraps, lap maps, and napkins. Operational efforts featured tram announcements, specialized zone signage, a 50% increase in speed control hours, and an 83% rise in documented staff-guest interactions about reckless skiing. For their comprehensive approach, NSAA awarded Jackson Hole Mountain Resort the Best Overall Safety Program.

Copper Mountain Resort, CO

Copper Mountain’s Champion the Slopes promoted kindness, respect, and responsibility through seven safety messages aligned with different phases of the season. Monthly focus areas included lift and park safety, staying in control, traction, and variable conditions. Safety reminders were shared through on-mountain swag giveaways, weekly staff emails, and January’s SafetyFest, which engaged 1,500 guests with safety booths, patrol dog drills, a Flight for Life demo, and Snow Angel Foundation education. Judges praised Copper’s strong digital presence and season-long commitment, as well as departmental engagement—like the transportation team’s “Don’t Turn and Hope” spin on “Don’t Huck and Hope.” For promoting shared responsibility in a fun, branded way, NSAA named Copper Mountain a finalist for Best Overall Safety Program.

Mammoth Mountain, CA

Mammoth Mountain impressed judges with efforts to improve guest safety and employee well-being. The guest safety campaign aimed to boost “Sense of Safety on the Slopes” NPS, landing just shy of its 8.5 goal and ranking #4 among Alterra ski areas. Creative messaging featured engaging takes on Your Responsibility Code and fun activations like a hot cocoa station promoting safe stopping. For this, NSAA named Mammoth a finalist for Best Overall Safety Program.

Mammoth’s employee-focused Safety and Well-Being program also stood out, achieving a 45% reduction in injuries and workers comp claims needing medical care. The resort supports staff through equipment checks, Substance Free Stoke events, fitness incentives, and mental health resources. For its holistic approach to team well-being, NSAA named Mammoth Mountain a finalist for Best Employee Safety Program.

Best Overall Safety Program (Under 500K Visits)

Stratton, VT

Stratton supported guest and staff safety through its Play Safe, Play Smart, Enjoy the Mountain and Work Safe, Work Smart, Enjoy the Mountain campaigns. The resort partnered with United Counseling Services to offer mental health first aid, suicide prevention training for managers, triage, and free counseling through its on-site clinic. For promoting safety, wellness, and mental health, NSAA awarded Stratton the Best Overall Safety Program.

Judges also praised Stratton’s Mountain Safety Coloring Book and Kid’s Adventure Guide, created by cross-resort teams to teach kids Your Responsibility Code. Distributed on-mountain and in schools, 10,000 coloring books and 20,000 guides engaged young skiers and riders in safety education. For this creative effort, NSAA named Stratton a finalist for Best Your Responsibility Code Program.

Hyland Hills Ski Area, MN

Hyland Hills emphasized safety this season with a strong understanding of its guest demographics—largely beginners due to its proximity to Minneapolis-Saint Paul and the Three Rivers ski school program. Safety messaging reached skiers and riders before and during visits through the Park District’s website, mesh fencing in high-traffic areas, lift signage, pop-up merch engagements, and a safety slideshow inside the Chalet. Judges were especially impressed by a terrain park feature that required guests to travel over Your Responsibility Code. For its creative and comprehensive safety efforts, NSAA named Hyland Hills a finalist for Best Overall Safety Program.

Purgatory Mountain Resort, CO

Purgatory brought innovation to risk management with its Integrated Safety Response System. The resort combined tech from multiple providers into a custom platform to enhance ski patrol efficiency. Tools included Motorola’s TRBOnet GPS radio tracking, AirFlare’s location tech, and zPatrol’s digital incident management. Results included up to a 50% decrease in response times and improved search and rescue efficiency. Digital tracking also replaced paper logs, boosting documentation speed and accuracy. For this scalable, tech-driven approach to safety and emergency response, NSAA named Purgatory a Best Overall Safety Program finalist.

Best Guest Safety Program

BigRock Mountain, ME

BigRock Mountain had a good problem: visitation for its Ski4Life program was up almost 40%, but beginners were out-terrained. The ski area’s snow school, lift operations and management teams established the Button Program. New Ski4Life students receive a green pin for carpet lift access, graduating to chairlifts via blue and black pins after skills assessments. Pins provide a visual skill indicator and keepsake. Since implementation, no Ski4Life participants have loaded lifts before they were ready. Digital tracking of names and pin status lets students resume progression next season. Judges loved this creative idea and commended its clear goals and tactics. For an engaging learning system that celebrates progression while keeping safety at its core, NSAA awarded BigRock Mountain the win for Best Guest Safety Program.

Boreal Mountain Resort, CA

Boreal’s Project Play Safe event, hosted in conjunction with California Ski Safety Day, involved mountain-wide helmet safety trivia with a poker game where guests collected chips to trade for cards. Winning hands scored prizes, including Burton snowboards, helmet/goggle combos, and Woodward Tahoe three-packs. Drawing about 100 players into the Poker Run, Boreal impressed judges with its effective integration of education into entertainment, such that some guests didn’t even realize they were taking part in a safety program. The ski area managed to reinforce key safety messages, increasing awareness for helmet safety and proper use, and engaging their resort teams, community, and sponsor partners around ski and snowboard safety and personal responsibility. For its Project Play Safe memorable learning experience and commitment to a safer mountain environment, NSAA recognized Boreal Mountain Resort as a finalist for Best Guest Safety Program.

Shawnee Mountain, PA

The Beginner’s Guide to Shawnee Mountain represents a marketing campaign’s level of effort put into safety education. The ski area created an evergreen video series introducing concepts like loading and unloading lifts, Your Responsibility Code, understanding signage, and taking a lesson. These videos were distributed through social media and digital channels to reach guests before their visit, increasing confidence, improving decision-making, and reducing beginner mistakes. Shawnee’s approach ensured guests didn’t have to process safety messaging in real time or learn through dangerous trial and error. The guide garnered an 800% increase in engagement over previous safety content, far exceeding its 25% goal, with more than 100 hours of watch time. Anecdotally, the team noted improved beginner preparedness, reducing the need for on-the-spot explanations. For its video-first approach to providing first-time skiers and snowboarders with sharable safety education, NSAA named Shawnee Mountain a finalist for Best Guest Safety Program.

Best Employee Safety Program

Heavenly Mountain Resort, CA

Now in its third year, Heavenly’s partnership between leadership and health and safety teams has improved safety performance and created a system that makes qualitative data quantifiable. The program led to Safety Assurance Checks—behavior-based safety observations, training audits, and inspections. Teams committed to at least one check per week (“15 minutes out of your 2,400-minute work week”), supported by recognition and near miss/good catch reporting. Results include a 35% reduction in medical injuries, a 35% year-over-year drop in workers’ compensation totals, and a 73% reduction in total lost time days. A Pearson Correlation Analysis confirmed that as Safety Assurance Checks increase, injuries decrease. “Lead drives lag with data validation, this is next level!” commented one judge. For its strategic, data-driven approach that improves staff safety and delivers measurable results, NSAA honored Heavenly Mountain with the award for Best Employee Safety Program.

Vail Mountain, CO

To proactively address the risk of skiing and riding-related injuries, a leading cause of workers’ compensation claims, Vail Mountain developed the 5 Truths campaign. This effort provided clear, actionable safety guidelines like lift safety and defensive skiing. At its core is the Ready to Ride Program, which ensures all team members required to ski or ride for work meet a baseline standard before receiving on-snow assignments. Preparedness includes equipment inspection, safety training, on-snow assessment, and physical and mental readiness, denoted by a sticker on their gear. The model was so successful it was adopted enterprise wide, turning skiing and riding for work from a passive expectation to a measurable competency with structured training, accountability, and leadership support. For its initiative that set a duplicatable precedent for employee safety, NSAA named Vail Mountain a Best Employee Safety Program finalist.

Best Collision Prevention Program

Killington/Pico, VT

Under John Duke’s direction, Killington/Pico’s collision prevention program continues to evolve and earn accolades, now with its fourth Collision Prevention win. With consistent messaging, creative guest engagement, and high visibility through signage, events, and giveaways, safety remains front of mind all season. The Ride Another Day campaign has been central since 2019, providing tools to influence guest decision-making. Its Snow Angel imagery promotes awareness and encourages better decisions through Nudge Theory and choice architecture, without relying on enforcement. This approach has shifted behavior and helped establish a culture of accountability. Judges noted the campaign’s growing industry impact, as many resorts referenced it across other award categories. Killington/Pico shows what’s possible when safety is a long-term commitment, not just a campaign. For leading in one of the most important areas of on-mountain safety, NSAA awarded Killington/Pico the Best Collision Prevention Award.

Best Your Responsibility Code Program

Loon Mountain, NH

Loon’s More Than A Month safety initiative made Your Responsibility Code hard to ignore, reaching guests across many touchpoints. This season-long effort was woven into events, web content, email, signage, app pushes, and social media to cultivate a more informed mountain community. Judges praised the “immersive journey,” which included a redesigned safety site with strong imagery, weekend activations, quizzes with nearly 1,000 participants, digital displays, and integration into the Mountain Report page. Extending beyond National Safety Month, the initiative fueled a 32% increase in safety website visits and 31,334 safety story views on social media. For its multi-channel strategy that amplified The Code all season long, NSAA named Loon Mountain the winner for Best Your Responsibility Code Program.

Arizona Snowbowl, AZ

To enhance its safety messaging, Arizona SnowBowl launched a Weekly Safety Saturday video series. These five short videos each highlighted two points of Your Responsibility Code, providing engaging content via social media and targeted emails. The ski area also boosted on-site YRC visibility with weekend tabling sessions in December and January, where risk and safety team members engaged guests with activities, posters, stickers, and pocket cards. Judges appreciated the strong collateral and were impressed with the results: over 135,000 video views and more than 4,235 in-person guest interactions. For its commitment to communicating The Code across the customer journey, NSAA named Arizona SnowBowl a finalist for Best Your Responsibility Code Program.

Safety Champion

Kari Brandt | Diamond Peak, NV

Kari Brandt is a dedicated industry leader who champions safety for both staff and guests. As Diamond Peak’s patrol director and safety coordinator, she fosters an environment where reporting incidents and near misses is encouraged. She’s empowered managers to provide weekly safety trainings, revamped the uphill access program, and given patrollers more authority to enforce Your Responsibility Code. Brandt also promotes collaboration across the region by running meetings for Ski California resorts. She founded and leads two nonprofit organizations: Women of Patrol, supporting inclusiveness and development of female patrollers, and Sierra Nevada Resiliency Team (SNRT), which focuses on psychological safety and resilience at Sierra Nevada resorts. For being a safety leader and changemaker who supports programs across the region and industry, NSAA named Kari Brandt Safety Champion.

Dina Castor | Steamboat Ski Resort, CO

Steamboat’s Dina Castor cultivates safety with passion, consistency, and a human approach. As ski and ride school administration manager, she communicates with over 475 snowsports staff, embedding safety messaging into daily schedules. She leads Ride Another Day video sessions to promote discussion around avoiding collisions, reaching nearly the entire staff. Castor’s impact extends to three safety committees, advocating for wellness, supporting workers’ comp incident investigations, joining weekly root cause analysis meetings, and influencing signage and infrastructure for beginner areas at multiple resorts. Her efforts contributed to a 14% year-over-year reduction in OSHA recordables. For her holistic approach and embodiment of “Empower, Educate, Elevate: Supporting Safety at Every Turn,” NSAA named Dina Castor a Safety Champion finalist.

Jenny Weaver | Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, CA

Jennifer Weaver, Mammoth’s health and safety manager, has transformed how the resort views safety. Known for her passion and care for employees and guests, Weaver’s accomplishments include Mammoth’s finalist-earning employee safety program. She hired a full-time athletic trainer, yoga instructors, and a physical therapist to teach strength and mobility classes, and strengthened the resort’s relationship with the hospital to improve access to care. After the avalanche involving two patrollers — one of whom passed away — Weaver stood by Claire Murphy in her final moments, supporting her and her family. “Amazing efforts by Jenny; I feel like she is driving the bus at Mammoth,” noted one judge. For modeling how to show up for your people and lead on safety, NSAA named Jenny Weaver a Safety Champion finalist.

Past Safety Award Winners