STRATTON MOUNTAIN, VT – The National Ski Areas Association has recognized Stratton Mountain with the 2025 Award for Best Overall Safety Program, the ninth national safety award for the southern Vermont resort.
The award recognizes “comprehensive programs that demonstrate effective safety education and prevention to establish a culture of safety among employees and guests,” according to NSAA.
Resort President Matt Jones offered some sentiment around winning the award, “I want to express how proud I am of our team, and how strongly they care for each other and all of our guests.”
This year, Stratton focused on four key areas in its application:
- Youth Safety Programs: New, engaging safety coloring books and adventure guides were distributed around the resort and in local schools
- Safety Awareness Month and Guest-Facing Programs: Complimentary safety lessons administered by Ski Patrol, Crazy Helmet Day for Seasonal Programs and a strong safety-forward presence on social media
- Training and Incident Prevention: Hosted OSHA and safety topic training sessions, created an Incident Analysis Forum and embroidered campaign slogans on employee uniforms as reminders
- Mental Health Initiatives: Hosted The Paradise Paradox showings with expert-led discussions, launched a campaign with United Counseling Services focused on mental health risks, developed a Mental Health First Aid course for managers, offered suicide prevention training to all managers, provided complimentary mental health counseling for all employees, partnered with the on-site clinic to expand appointment availability, hosted Stroll for Hope and Shred for Nate events and shared resources during employee meetings to reduce stigma
“Every year we plan activations and work with other departments on our participation in National Safety Month. This year, we took a different approach.”, explained Director of Mountain Operations Jeffrey Cavagnino, “Our annual employee survey made it clear that we needed to think about safety month with a broader view to include our mental health efforts. The multi department team worked hard to cover lift safety, collisions, and helmet use while presenting them to our guests in a fresh and engaging new way.”
This is Stratton’s fourth national award for overall safety, previously winning twice for the best safety week program, twice for terrain park safety and once for the best employee involvement and education.
About Stratton Mountain
Located just four hours from New York City and three from Boston, Stratton is a premier New England mountain destination with 99 trails fanning from the summit of southern Vermont’s highest peak, 95 percent snowmaking coverage, a slope-side Village for shopping and dining plus a range of accommodations. Recognized as the first major resort to welcome snowboarding, Stratton has offered an extraordinary ski experience since 1961, adding year-round activities in 1964 with a Geoffrey Cornish designed golf course that played host to six LPGA tournaments. Today, a range of activities, events, adventure challenges and live music make Stratton a popular year-round destination. For more information, visit www.stratton.com.
About Alterra Mountain Company
Alterra Mountain Company is a family of 17 iconic year-round mountain destinations, the world’s largest heli-skiing operation, and Ikon Pass – the premier ski and snowboard season pass offering access to more than 50 iconic mountain destinations around the world. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado and born out of a shared love of the mountains and adventure, the company has brought together some of the world’s most aspirational brands, including: Steamboat and Winter Park in Colorado; Palisades Tahoe, Mammoth Mountain, June Mountain, Big Bear Mountain Resort and Snow Valley in California; Stratton Mountain and Sugarbush Resort in Vermont; Snowshoe Mountain in West Virginia; Tremblant in Quebec and Blue Mountain in Ontario, Canada; Crystal Mountain in Washington; Schweitzer in Idaho; Deer Valley Resort and Solitude Mountain Resort in Utah; and CMH Heli-Skiing & Summer Adventures in British Columbia. Also included in the portfolio is Alpine Aerotech, a worldwide helicopter support and maintenance service center in British Columbia, Canada, Aspenware, the ski industry leader in technology services and e-commerce, and Ski Butlers, the global leader in ski and snowboard rental delivery. For more information, please visit www.alterramtn.co.
Published on 5/29/2025 by Harley Smith