Vail Mountain Names New Vice President and COO

Vail Mountain, Colorado, has named Shaydar Edelmann, a snow industry veteran with more than two decades of experience, as its vice president and chief operating officer.

Edelmann comes from another member of the Vail Resorts portfolio—Heavenly Mountain Resort, California—where he was the vice president and general manager.

In that job, he oversaw Heavenly as it expanded year-round childcare for employees and the community, grew summer operations, and drove new opportunities for year-round visitation, Vail Resorts said in a press release. 

“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,” said Jody Churich, senior vice president of Vail Resorts’ Destination Resorts, in the release. “Shaydar will build upon the resort’s incredible legacy to deliver excellence for our guests, employees, and community.”

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Edelmann is from Kaikōura, New Zealand, where, growing up, he was a member of the New Zealand Junior Surf Team.

His career started at Alpine Meadows, California, in the competitions and events department. He went on to help oversee resorts like Boreal Mountain Resort, Soda Springs Mountain Resort, and Woodward Tahoe. Before joining Heavenly, he served as the vice president of mountain operations at Park City Mountain, Utah, working to plan and permit lift and snowmaking upgrades at the resort, the release said.

Edelmann said he was honored to start working at Vail Mountain.

“I’m excited to work alongside this talented team to continue pushing what’s possible,” he said in the release. “I am committed to building on Vail’s legacy while embracing new ideas, innovation, and opportunities that will keep Vail Mountain leading the industry for years to come.”

Currently, Edelmann is on the board of several Tahoe area organizations, like the Tahoe Fund, the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, and the Tahoe Destination Stewardship Council. He’s also part of the executive committee of Ski California. The release said Edelmann will bring this same “community-mindedness” to his role in Vail.

Vail Mountain, like other ski resorts in Colorado, has had a challenging and often snowless season. It closes for the season on Wednesday, April 8.

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