Lead: Ski and Ride School Support Staff

Vail Resorts; California (MO); On-site; USD 32,000 - 73,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free ski passes

Employee discounts

401(k) retirement plan

Wellness benefits

Training & development

Job summary

Vail Resorts is hiring for winter 2026/27 for roles in Ski School, rental, and operations across the mountain. The Ski & Ride School Lead provides hands-on leadership to ensure safe, organized, and welcoming support for children and families throughout the program.

The position emphasizes coordinating facilities, teaching spaces, and frontline staff while maintaining high service standards and safety in a high alpine environment. Competitive wages and benefits are highlighted.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• At least one year of experience in child/guest services, outdoor programs, rentals, hospitality, or similar service operation.
• Fluent in English with strong guest-service skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily operations for teaching assistants, rental staff, and setup crew.
• Conduct morning meetings and communicate priorities to staff.
• Provide timely feedback to employees and supervise safety measures.
• Oversee children’s programs, check-ins, lunch, indoor activities, and parent pickup.
• Ensure facilities and teaching spaces are clean, stocked, and ready for daily operations.
• Coordinate rental shop functions with qualified technicians.
• Lead setup, maintenance, and breakdown of signs, fencing, and teaching aids.
• Monitor areas and address issues or escalate as needed.
• Promote safety, conduct safety meetings, and report incidents.

Skills

Strong communication

Organization

Problem-solving

Guest-service

Basic IT skills

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

Email

Spreadsheets

Scheduling tools

Handheld radios

Job description

Now hiring for winter 2026/27 - Cooks, Drivers, Instructors & more.

Come work and play in the mountains! Whether it’s your first-time seeing snow or you were born on the slopes, joining our team means discovering (or re-discovering!) a passion for the outdoors while building lifelong connections with teammates and guests from around the world.

With 40+ resorts across 3 continents, you can join our team for a season or stay to build a career. From day one, you'll receive some of the highest compensation rates in the industry, free pass(es) along with free ski and snowboard lessons, 40% retail discounts, the chance to grow through Epic Service - our leading training and development experience, and wellness benefits to fuel your success.

Hiring for our seasonal positions occurs on a rolling basis. Applications will be accepted until December 15th or until the positions are filled (whichever is first).

Employee Benefits

• Ski/Mountain Perks! Free passes for employees, employee discounted lift tickets for friends and family AND free ski lessons
• MORE employee discounts on lodging, food, gear, and mountain shuttles
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Employee Assistance Program
• Excellent training and professional development
• Referral Program

The Ski School Support Staff Lead oversees the daily operations of the teaching assistant team, rental team, and setup crew. This position provides hands‑on leadership to ensure children and families receive safe, organized, efficient, and welcoming support throughout their Ski & Ride School experience.

The Lead coordinates operational readiness across children’s facilities, rental areas, lesson meeting locations, and teaching terrain while serving as a key connection between frontline employees and Ski & Ride School leadership.

Job Specifications:

• Starting Wage:$23.00/hr - $53.50/hr
• Employment Type:Winter Seasonal 2026/2027
• Shift Type:Full Time hours available
• Minimum Age:At least 18 years of age
• Housing Availability:No

Job Responsibilities:

• Lead daily operations for Teaching Assistants, rental support employees, and setup crew members.
• Conduct morning meetings, communicate operating priorities, assign tasks to staff.
• Provide timely feedback to employees,
• Oversee children’s program support, including check-in, lunch, indoor activities, and parent pickup.
• Ensure children’s facilities, rental areas, meeting locations, and teaching spaces are clean, organized, appropriately stocked, and ready for daily operations.
• Coordinate rental shop functions with qualified rental technicians.
• Lead the setup, inspection, maintenance, and breakdown of signs, fencing, teaching aids, meeting areas, and other program equipment.
• Monitor teaching-area and guest-traffic conditions, correcting concerns within the role’s authorization or escalating them to the appropriate department.
• Promote workplace safety, conduct required safety meetings, and report employee injuries, guest incidents, hazards, and near misses.
• Communicate professionally with fellow employees and guests, resolve routine concerns, and coordinate guest recovery when service does not meet expectations.
• Perform additional duties and support special events as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• At least one year of experience working with children, guests, outdoor recreation programs, rentals, hospitality, or a comparable service operation.
• Strong communication, organization, problem-solving, and guest-service skills.
• Basic proficiency with email, spreadsheets, web-based applications, scheduling tools, and handheld radios.
• Basic understanding of skiing and snowboarding terminology.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and lead teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to communicate fluently and professionally in spoken and written English.
• Availability to work weekends and all holiday peak days.
• Ability to work outdoors in winter weather and a high-alpine environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Previous Ski & Ride School, children’s program, rental, or mountain-operations experience.
• Two or more years of experience working with children.
• Experience supervising multiple operational teams.
• Knowledge of workplace safety, health, and sanitation practices.
• PSIA-AASI certification or children’s specialist training.
• Conversational proficiency in Spanish or another language commonly used by resort guests.

Physical and Work Requirements

This position requires extended periods of standing and walking, frequent bending, reaching, kneeling, and handling equipment or supplies. Employees must be able to lift and carry up to 50 pounds, safely navigate snow-covered or uneven surfaces, and work in changing temperatures, snow, wind, noise, and high-altitude conditions.

The expected pay range is$23.00/hr - $53.50/hr. This is the pay range we reasonably expect to pay for this position. Individual compensation decisions are based on a variety of factors.

In completing this application, and when submitting related documentation, applicants may redact information that identifies their age, date of birth, and/or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.

We follow all federal, state, and local laws including restrictions on child/minor labor. Minors hired into this position will not be asked or permitted to engage in any activities restricted to adult workers.

Vail Resorts is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other status protected by applicable law.

Nearest Major Market: Sacramento
Nearest Secondary Market: Elk Grove