Ski Mom Beth Howard, Chief Operating Officer of Vail Mountain

In this episode Nicole and Sarah host Beth Howard, ski mom, and VP and Chief Operating Officer of Vail Mountain in Vail, Colorado. Beth shares her career journey from the University of Northern Iowa where she studied Food & Nutrition and Business. When a college internship led her to the Vail Valley, she packed her car and headed west.  Beth fell in love with Vail and immediately knew she wanted to figure out how to live there after college.

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Beth grew up skiing in Minnesota at Afton Alps with her brothers, but did not expect her career to lead to the ski industry. The combination of her love of sports and college studies led her to Vail. Beth started in the Food & Beverage area and had a number of roles at different resorts before becoming the COO of Vail Mountain. 

Beth shares a typical day as the COO of Vail Mountain - which starts with a coffee and her “power hour” where she gets up to speed on everything going on at Vail. You may even see Beth out greeting guests, look for a blue jacket and gray pants - and her name tag. 

Vail is 5,300 acres and has all levels of terrain, family and beginner ski areas - there is really something for everyone.  Beth tells us about how the mountain is laid out and about the various villages at Vail, inspired by European ski villages.  The villages have all sorts of fun things for families - ice skating rinks, great shopping, even a candy store which is always a hit. 

The Vail ski school is a fantastic resource for families learning to ski or just looking for a guide to show them the lesser known areas of the vast mountain.  

The Epic Mix app has lots of of great information for guests - from weather alerts to predictive lift lines, terrain openings, trail maps and GPS tracking. 

This year marks the 60th season for Vail and to celebrate they have tons of fun events planned. There are music events, parades

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These  are the gifts we want to give and get for Mother's Day.  Reminder: the big day is Sun, May 12, 2024.  Shop the Gift Guide here.