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BROOMFIELD, Colo. (Jan. 17, 2011) – Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN) announced today a new five-year partnership with Helly Hansen, a global leader in technical apparel and footwear.  The partnership makes Helly Hansen the official uniform and apparel provider for the 15,000 mountain professionals working at its six world-class mountain resorts of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Heavenly and Northstar-at-Tahoe. The partnership begins with the 2011-2012 season and continues through 2016.

All ski patrol, mountain operations, ski/snowboard school, ambassadors and customer service staff will be protected from the elements by Helly Hansen’s line of technical apparel, designed specifically for professional use.

“With 100+ days on snow each season, Vail Resorts employees need to feel confident about their gear,” said Heidi Kercher-Pratt, chief marketing officer of Vail Resorts. “World-class quality and style are imperative for our brands. Helly Hansen’s blend of technical performance and Scandinavian style was a key factor in our decision to work together. They clearly demonstrated they have the expertise and commitment to keep our employees comfortable and looking good in all conditions. We’re excited about this partnership and are looking forward to wearing our new gear next season.”

 

Helly Hansen embarked on a dedicated uniform development initiative in 2006 building on a long standing reputation of protecting outdoor professionals in harsh environments.   The program ties together Helly Hansens’s work wear, sportswear and performance apparel collections into an easy-to-manage program that provides a single brand solution for every segment of mountain resort operations, from mechanics to ski patrollers. The Vail Resorts agreement is Helly Hansen’s largest uniform and marketing partnership to date, according to Erik Burbank, Helly Hansen’s global vice president of marketing.

“As one of North America’s leading ski resort operators, Vail Resorts has extremely high brand standards so we’re honored to have been chosen as their uniform partner.” says Burbank.  “The sheer size and scope of the Vail Resorts organization combined with the diverse weather conditions found in Northern California and the Rocky Mountains make this a unique challenge. We look forward to leveraging the experience and insights we’ve gained from our work with other resorts around the world to ensure we meet and exceed the performance, durability and style expectations of Vail Resorts. When they’re wearing a uniform with the HH logo, we view patrollers, instructors and the rest of the resort professionals as ambassadors for our brand. We want to make sure they’re protected, enabled and confident when they get out on the mountain each day.”

 

As part of the agreement, Helly Hansen will receive exclusive marketing and advertising rights as the official uniform partner to Vail Resorts’ six world-class resorts. Helly Hansen will also be a key marketing partner of unique promotions and signature events of Vail Resorts including: Vail Snow Daze, Spring Back to Vail, Carnivail, Breckenridge’s Spring Massive, Keystone Resort’s Kidtopia, Beaver Creek’s Talon’s Challenge,  and The Gunbarrel 25 at Heavenly Mountain Resort.

 

Currently Helly Hansen’s uniform prototypes are being tested at all levels of Vail Resorts’ mountain operations and final production will be delivered beginning in fall 2011.

 

About Vail Resorts
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. The Company's subsidiaries operate the mountain resort properties of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone mountain resorts in Colorado, and the Heavenly Ski Resort and Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada, and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The Company's subsidiary, RockResorts, a luxury resort hotel company, manages casually elegant properties across the United States and in the Caribbean. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning, development and construction subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.

About Helly Hansen
Helly Hansen is the global leader in protecting and enabling professionals whose work and adventures put them into the harshest elements on earth. The Oslo, Norway-based company is known for it’s progressive Scandinavian designs and recognized for manufacturing waterproof fabrics back in 1877, the first Propile™ fleece mid layers in the 1960s, and LIFA®, the first technical base layer in the 1970s. The combined three-layer system of dress has become the reliable standard for staying warm, dry and comfortable in cold, wet conditions. Today, Helly Hansen is the uniform choice  for more than 40  ski resorts and mountain guiding operations around the world. The brand’s outerwear, base layers, sportswear and footwear for winter, outdoor and water sports are sold in more than 42 countries. For more information, please visit www.hellyhansen.com. 

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Media contacts:                  

Ryan Hayter, (360) 313-7070 ,ext. 4, ryan@hayterpr.com

Kate Lessman, (303) 404-1871, klessman@vailresorts.com

 

Online newsroom:              news.vailresorts.com