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Blaise Carrig
Former COO & President, Vail Resort’s Mountain Division

By Kelly Pawlak, NSAA President/CEO

Blaise Carrig, having served Foundation, a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated
at the helm of some of the to perpetuating our American legacy of public lands. Under his
most legendary resorts, is leadership, VR supported the NFF’s Ski Conservation Fund, and
being honored with the NSAA 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award. provided corporate funding of critical forest restoration work bene-
Leadership comes naturally to Carrig, and no task has been too fitting forest health, water quality, wildlife, and recreation resources.
big or small. He relished the smallest service initiative as much as When Patricia Campbell, Carrig’s successor as president of VR’s
the most challenging acquisition. He made time for his team, was Mountain Division, was asked to share her thoughts on his leadership
candid with his feedback, and mentored many, all while having fun. style, she had this to say: “Blaise is a natural leader you can rely on
As with many iconic ski industry leaders, Carrig started his to let you know where you stand. Blaise brings a lightness and sense
career as a ski patroller—in 1976 at Sugarbush Resort in Warren, of humor with his leadership. He has a deep passion for the guest
Vt.—and worked his way up the proverbial ski industry ladder, experience and was the driving force behind the Vail Resorts service
demonstrating leadership shrewdness from the beginning. In 1995 mantra. He focused on safety—both for employees and guests—and
American Skiing Company (ASC) added Sugarbush to its growing was key in creating the Vail Resorts Health & Safety team. Finally, he
portfolio, and Carrig was elevated to the position of Sugarbush was a student of lifts, learning everything he could about lift mainte-
president and managing director. During the ASC years he worked nance to ensure reliable operations across our resorts.”
closely with senior leadership and was a driving force for company- So what is next for this man who showed such agility in his
wide attention to service training. ability to literally move mountains? We’ve heard that Carrig has a
In 1997 he moved into the role of president and managing soft spot for the Back Bowls of Vail and the steeps at Breckenridge,
director for The Canyons in Park City, Utah, where he oversaw that Colo. And we know for sure that he and his wife, Leslie, have a
resort’s transformation from Wolf Mountain to a multi-season desti- strong desire to give back to the industry.
nation resort. Carrig held that role until 2002, when ASC dissolved In the early years of Blaise Carrig’s ski career someone
and he made his important career move to Vail Resorts (VR) as gave him the opportunity to attend an NSAA annual conference.
chief operating officer and executive vice president of Heavenly That opportunity opened the door of possibilities and personal
Mountain Resort, Calif. He became COO & president of VR’s connections that were inspirational to his career and his lead-
Mountain Division in 2008. During his tenure with VR, the company ership journey. It helped him realize he wanted to commit to
grew from five resorts to 11, with expansion in Tahoe, Utah, the a career in the ski industry. In 2018, during an NSAA Board of
Midwest, and Australia. Carrig retired from VR in December 2018 Directors Executive Committee meeting, Blaise shared his desire
as the senior advisor of the company’s Mountain Division. to give back to the industry by providing other “up-and-comers”
“Blaise has been one of the most transformative leaders we the opportunity to education and events to help them grow into
have ever had at Vail Resorts, spearheading our efforts to align our the future leaders of snowsports.
mountain resorts and establish best practices across guest service, That vision became reality this year when NSAA founded the
safety, and operations," said VR Chairman and CEO Rob Katz when Mountain Foundation, a 501c3 dedicated to making industry
Carrig announced his retirement plans. education available to all ski resort staff members. The Carrigs
During his career Carrig has volunteered his time with recently made the inaugural donation to the Mountain Foundation,
numerous associations. He was chair of the NSAA Board (2014–16), and that endowment will allow the Foundation to begin its important
and also served on the NSAA Government Affairs Committee. education objectives.
He served on the board of directors for the Vermont Ski Areas The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes those individuals
Association, Ski Utah, California Ski Industry Association, Nevada who have demonstrated an extraordinary lifetime commitment
Commission on Tourism, Tahoe-Baikal Institute, Lake Tahoe Visitors to NSAA and the ski industry, and whose contribution will benefit
Authority, Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce, Nevada the industry for decades to come. Blaise Carrig is the epitome
Commission on Tourism, and National Forest Foundation. of the award’s intention. His accomplishments, his generous
Carrig greatly valued the ski industry’s partnership with the mentorship, and his love of the sport will resonate with many
US Forest Service, and was a strong advocate of the National Forest future generations.

CONVENTION 2019 | NSAA JOURNAL | C37