Ex-CEO of Vail Resort Receives $2.2m Payout
3rd June 2025
Last modified on August 26th, 2025
Kirsten Lynch recently stepped down as Chief Executive Officer of Vail Resorts. She is replaced by the former CEO Rob Katz.
Company filings reveal that she will receive a lump sum payment of $2,249,108 – equivalent to two years of her annual base salary.
That is £1.67m.
In addition to the cash payment, all of Lynch’s unvested stock holdings in Vail Resorts will be vested at the time of her termination.
Her official leaving date is September 26th 2025 and she will continue in a ‘strategic advisor’ role to Katz until then and she will receive her current salary during this period.
The company has stated that Lynch’s departure will be treated as a “termination without cause.”
We reported the news of her departure and Rob Katz’s return last month on PlanetSKI:
Vail Resorts runs the lifts in two resorts in Switzerland, Crans-Montana and Andermatt, and is actively looking at further expansion in the Alps.
Last month it announced that six resorts in Austria would be joining its Epic Pass as Vail Resorts expands its presence in Europe.
The Epic Pass offers skiing at 37 North American mountain resorts including Whistler Blackcomb, Vail Mountain, Breckenridge, Park City Mountain, Stowe and many more.
It also has several ski areas on the pass in Europe including Verbier in Switzerland, Les3Vallees in France, the Arlberg in Austria and Dolomiti Superski in Italy.
Lynch’s time at the helm of Vail Resorts saw significant challenges:
- Navigating the post-pandemic landscape,
- Declining stock prices
- Public scrutiny over operational issues
- Labour disputes
There was also shareholder dissatisfaction some investors publicly calling for a leadership change.
In a statement, Lynch described her 14 years with the Vail Resorts executive team, including her time as CEO, as “an experience of a lifetime” and expressed gratitude to the team.
The board, in turn, acknowledged her contributions, including the growth of the Epic Pass and navigating the company through unprecedented challenges.
PlanetSKI: Number 1 for digital ski news
Your digital platform for ski news, resort information, travel, equipment rental, sport, money saving deals and everything connected with snowsports – web site, social media & more.
