Shaun White inks deal to represent Vail Resorts, build new halfpipe at home mountain of Northstar

Two-time Olympic snowboarding gold medalist Shaun White today announced a deal to represent all six Vail Resorts ski areas (four in Colorado, two in California) and to make Northstar at Lake Tahoe his base mountain of operations.

The multiple Winter X Games gold medalist in snowboarding and Summer X Games gold medal winner in skateboarding will design a signature 22-foot halfpipe at Northstar, where he will do most of his training.

“This feels like a homecoming because I have spent so much time riding at most of Vail Resorts' mountains,” White said in a release from the company that owns Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado. “With Northstar as my home mountain, I now have the ideal place to train and continue to grow as an athlete and I am looking forward to all the possibilities this partnership brings.”

Vail Resorts acquired Northstar last season, adding it to the company's other major California holding, Heavenly. The Broomfield, Colo.-based company also owns lodging and real estate interests across North America through its RockResorts brand.

“Shaun White is the ultimate personification of the new energy and vibrancy we see across the mountain resort industry,” Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz said. “Shaun's creativity and innovation has led the way for the self-expression we see in the halfpipes and terrain parks at all six of our resorts.”

As part of a promotional launch of the partnership, Vail Resorts is donating $5 for each Epic Season Pass sold to White's charity of choice, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

White joins alpine ski-racing superstar Lindsey Vonn, a downhill gold medalist and the most successful American ski racer all-time, as a Vail Resorts ambassador. Vonn, who lived and trained in Vail in her formative years, inked a deal with the ski company after her success at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. White also won gold there.

Here's the entire Vail Resorts press release:

Vail Resorts Announces Partnership With Two-Time Olympic Gold Medalist, Snowboarding and Skateboarding Phenom Shaun White

- Northstar-at-Tahoe to become Shaun White's home mountain and primary training resort

- Launch of new promotion by Vail Resorts which will donate $5 for every Epic Season Pass sold to Shaun's chosen charity, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital®

BROOMFIELD, Colo., Aug. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN) today announced a worldwide multi-year partnership agreement with two-time Olympic gold medalist, professional snowboarder and skateboarder Shaun White. White will represent all six of Vail Resorts' world-class mountain resorts (Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado and Heavenly and Northstar in California/Nevada), and Northstar at Lake Tahoe will become his home mountain and primary training resort, where he will also design his own 22-foot halfpipe for aspiring snowboarders to enjoy. As part of the launch of the new relationship, Vail Resorts will donate $5 for each Epic Season Pass sold to White's chosen charity, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. In addition, White will be designing a limited edition Epic Season Pass, which will be available to Epic Season Pass holders this fall through a Facebook promotion.

"Shaun White is the ultimate personification of the new energy and vibrancy we see across the mountain resort industry. Shaun's creativity and innovation has led the way for the self-expression we see in the halfpipes and terrain parks at all six of our resorts. Shaun embodies the same leadership we aspire to at Vail Resorts, as we constantly look for ways to improve and re-invent the guest experience," said Rob Katz, chairman and chief executive officer of Vail Resorts. "We are excited to partner with Shaun and are thrilled to start our collaboration with a promotion that allows us to celebrate his creativity and commitment to give back to those in need."

"This feels like a homecoming because I have spent so much time riding at most of Vail Resorts' mountains," said White. "With Northstar as my home mountain, I now have the ideal place to train and continue to grow as an athlete and I am looking forward to all the possibilities this partnership brings."

White has dominated the sport of snowboarding for the past decade. He won his first Olympic gold medal in the Halfpipe event at the 2006 Winter Games in Torino, Italy, with a record 46.8 points and then went on to win it again in the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, improving his own record with 48.4 points in his final run. White is the first and only snowboarder to win four consecutive gold medals in the Winter X Games Halfpipe competition. Combining his success in skateboarding, White is the first athlete to compete and medal in two different sports in both the Summer and Winter X Games in 2003 and again in 2011. He also is the first and only athlete to win gold medals in both the Summer (2006 and 2008) and Winter Dew Cup events (2009). White was recently honored with the 2011 ESPY for "Male Action Sports Athlete" for the fourth consecutive year.

For more information, visit www.northstarattahoe.com/shaunwhite.

	24hr snow	mid dpth	snow cond.
A-Basin	n/a	n/a
Aspen	n/a	n/a	closed
BC	n/a	n/a	closed
Breckenridge	n/a	n/a	closed
Buttermilk	n/a	n/a	closed
Copper	n/a	n/a	closed
Crest. Butte	n/a	n/a	closed
Eldora	n/a	n/a	closed
Heavenly	n/a	n/a	closed
Highlands	n/a	n/a
Howelsen	n/a	n/a	closed
Keystone	n/a	n/a	closed
Kirkwood	n/a	n/a	closed
Loveland	n/a	n/a
Monarch	n/a	n/a	closed
Northstar	n/a	n/a	closed
Powderhorn	n/a	n/a	closed
Purgatory	n/a	n/a	closed
Silverton	n/a	n/a	closed
Ski Cooper	n/a	n/a	closed
Ski Granby	n/a	n/a	closed
Snowmass	n/a	n/a	closed
Steamboat	n/a	n/a	closed
Sunlight	n/a	n/a	closed
Telluride	n/a	n/a	closed
Vail	n/a	n/a	closed
WinterPark	n/a	n/a	closed
Wolf Creek	n/a	n/a	closed
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