All Images: Gabe Rovick
On May 27, 2025, Vail Resorts announced that Chief Executive Officer Kirsten Lynch will be leaving the company, having spent three and a half years as the CEO and 14 years in total with the company. Replacing her is a familiar face: Rob Katz. Lynch will remain with Vail as a Strategic Advisor over the next few months. Katz, in addition to his new role, will continue to serve as Chairperson of the Board.
Lynch handled tough circumstances in her three and a half years as CEO, implementing key internal and external changes. She raised pay for employees by 9% – 18%, navigated work strikes, and increased revenue from recent 25/26 Epic Pass sales by 4% despite a 2% dip in sale numbers.”
Katz previously served as CEO of Vail Resorts from 2006-2021, and has been involved with the company for three decades. He’s no stranger to the inner workings of this industry giant, and the hope is that his experience, combined with a fresh perspective, will help Vail thrive in an increasingly turbulent market.
“It is an incredible honor and quite humbling to step back into this role,” Katz noted in a public letter. After thanking Lynch for her 14 years of service with Vail and expressing his desire to explore new growth, both financial and otherwise, Katz addressed the obvious question: What will he do differently this time?
The theme of growth continued as he tackled the question. “For me personally, I have changed quite a bit,” Katz continued. “My own life experiences, both personal and professional, give me a different perspective and insight than I had three and a half years ago… I am cognizant that there is a lot I don’t know. The opportunities and challenges our company faces today are different, and my goal is to be a CEO who is constantly learning.”
Learning and adapting will be key for Katz and his team as Vail aims to deal with unprecedented competition and market volatility. But drawing from Katz’s experience could prove to be beneficial. After all, he directed the company through the early years of the Epic Pass, when the product was completely groundbreaking and many doubted its viability.
That same type of ingenuity is exactly what most skiers are hungry for. With this being a recent development, there have been no announcements as to any direct plans Katz will look to implement. But with ski season approaching in the Southern Hemisphere and winter 2025/26 inching closer in the Northern Hemisphere, we’ll be sure to update with any major plans Vail brings to the table.
