Vail Mountain has appointed Shaydar Edelmann as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, the resort announced. Edelmann brings more than 25 years of snow sports industry experience to the role.
Edelmann most recently served as VP and General Manager of Heavenly Mountain Resort, where he oversaw the resort’s 70th anniversary season, expanded year-round childcare for employees and the surrounding community, and grew summer operations to drive increased year-round visitation.
Prior to Heavenly, Edelmann was VP of Mountain Operations at Park City Mountain, the largest ski resort in the United States. There he helped guide the resort through the COVID-19 pandemic and back-to-back historic snow seasons, contributed to chairlift optimization efforts across the Vail Resorts portfolio, and helped plan and permit major lift and snowmaking upgrades.
His career in the industry started in the Lake Tahoe region, where he worked his way through ski and ride school and skier services leadership at Alpine Meadows. He later served as VP of Operations at Boreal Mountain Resort, Soda Springs, and Woodward Tahoe, helping establish California’s first recycled water snowmaking system and overseeing construction and opening of Woodward Tahoe. He also served as General Manager of Woodward Park City.
“His deep experience, entrepreneurial mindset, and commitment to developing high-performing teams make him the ideal person to continue guiding Vail Mountain into the future.” – Jody Churich, Senior VP of Vail Resorts’ Destination Resorts
Edelmann grew up in Kaikōura, New Zealand and was a member of the New Zealand Junior Surf Team before building his career in the mountains. He currently serves on the boards of the Tahoe Fund, the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, the Tahoe Destination Stewardship Council, and the executive committee of Ski California.
