Teton Village, Wyo. – MAY 14, 2025 – Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) is pleased to announce that it has won the Best Overall Safety Program for resorts with more than 500,000 annual visitors, a prestigious honor given by the National Ski Areas Association and the culmination of JHMR’s commitment to safety on and off the slopes of Rendezvous Mountain.
Prior to the 2024-25 winter season JHMR unveiled a new vision to create a culture of safety and shared responsibility to deliver a safe, fun skiing and riding experience for everyone at the Resort. JHMR focused specifically on reducing reckless skiing and riding through education, operations, and accountability, and the JHMR safety team developed and implemented a multi-faceted campaign to reduce reckless skiing and riding that targeted guests, employees, and the broader community.
The campaign included a substantial increase in signage across the Resort focused on the Triangle of Safety, which served as the foundation of JHMR’s educational campaign and focused on three principles: managing your speed, your space, and yourself. The Triangle of Safety was also highlighted on the JH Insider app, jacksonhole.com, and in all Resort pre-arrival emails, resulting in more than 2 million combined digital and in-person impressions during the season.
JHMR also added a new safety announcement delivered by the Tram operator as the Aerial Tram reaches the summit of Rendezvous Mountain, and JHMR aired a video from Teton Gravity Research freeskiing hero Kai Jones throughout the Resort reminding skiers and riders to respect slow zones.
Prior to the 2024/25 winter season JHMR unveiled a new vision to create a culture of safety and shared responsibility to deliver a safe, fun skiing and riding experience for everyone at the Resort. As a result, the National Ski Areas Association honored JMHR with the award for the Best Overall Safety Campaign for resorts with more than 500,000 annual visitors. Photo by Amy Jimmerson.
In addition, JHMR established Family Zones in beginner terrain and congested areas with mixed ability levels and age groups. Marked with clear signage and speed-control fencing, Family Zones reminded skiers and riders about entering areas where children and beginners ski at slower speeds, and encouraged a more cautious approach. JHMR also introduced designated rest areas on the mountain where guests could stop in safe, visible areas.
JHMR also increased enforcement and accountability for reckless skiing and riding, and the Resort increased its staffing of Speed Wranglers by 50 percent in designated areas. JHMR employees all participated in increased training and education focused on safety, including special training sessions for all managers and supervisors.
JHMR also removed the vertical foot leaderboard feature available in its JH Insider app to avoid potentially promoting fast skiing as users tracked the amount of vertical feet they skied in a day, week, month, and season at JHMR.
JHMR employees also spent a day with Chauncey and Kelly Johnson from the Snow Angel Foundation, which was formed in 2023 in order to increase safety education and awareness while promoting the benefits of skiing and snowboarding. All JHMR employees were given Snow Angel Foundation pins to use as conversation starters with guests to discuss the personal impacts of reckless behavior on the slopes and the importance of safety on the mountain.
As a result of all these efforts, the Resort reported an 83 percent increase in documented interactions between JHMR employees and guests regarding reckless skiing or riding, and a 34 percent increase in lift access revocation for reckless skiing/riding compared to the 2023-2024 season.
“Safety on and off the slopes is our top priority at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. As a result, we knew it was essential to educate our guests and staff about reckless behavior on the slopes, and increase our efforts to crack down on people who potentially endanger others,” said Mary Kate Buckley, CEO of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. “We are thrilled to be honored by the National Ski Areas Association for our efforts, we will continue to foster this culture of safety and community at the Resort in the years to come, and we are committed to raising awareness about this issue across the entire industry.”
