2,000 Ski Instructors Are Suing Vail Resorts

As of Friday, April 10, 2026, almost 2,000 former and current ski and snowboard instructors for Vail Resorts have taken collective action in a lawsuit against the resort company.

Consent forms were filed in federal court by instructors, alleging that the company had violated the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Quint et al v. Vail Resorts, Inc. alleges that ski and snowboard instructors at Vail Resorts were not properly compensated for required job duties. Specifically, the lawsuit claims that employees were not paid regular hourly wages or overtime for "off-the-clock" work, including travel time between job sites, putting on and taking off uniforms, and attending training sessions.

The lawsuit also alleges that employees were not reimbursed for necessary job expenses such as ski equipment and work-related cell phone use. The lawsuit seeks to recover these expenses from the company on behalf of the employees.

Instructors who worked at Vail Resorts between December 2, 2017, and the 2025/26 season are eligible to join the lawsuit and receive a share of the potential judgment.

Magistrate Judge N. Reid Neureiter ordered both parties to participate in a discovery hearing on Wednesday, April 15, which could extend the deadline for consent forms.

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The website, vailresortsindstructorwagelitigation.com, claims that Vail Resorts has denied any wrongdoing and that the company has paid, and continues to pay, snow sports instructors in compliance with FLSA laws.

According to the Vail Daily, roughly 24,000 potential employees were notified of the case via mail and email. Plaintiffs were reportedly concerned that not everyone who was eligible received the notice, as only 2,000 chose to opt in.

The case does not specify the involvement of any specific resort owned by Vail Resorts. The job-finding site Indeed.com reports an average hourly wage of $20.77 for Vail Resorts snow sports instructors.

POWDER has reached out to Vail Resorts for comment. This article will be updated with their response.