TAHOE/TRUCKEE, Calif. — Representatives from 11 of North Lake Tahoe’s environmental foundations and nonprofit community organizations gathered at Northstar Thursday, Jan. 16 to participate in the inaugural Northstar Ski Challenge.

Teams competed for a prize purse totaling more than $23,000 in contribution funds and in-kind donations.

“The inaugural year for the Northstar Ski Challenge was a huge success!” said Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Bill Rock. “It was a great day on the mountain and I want to thank all of the foundations that participated. We are so thrilled to be able to work with such incredible organizations, and share in their commitments to our community and environment.”

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Each organization’s team received a Northstar Ski Challenge passport at the start of the one-day event. Then, skiers and riders toured the mountain to visit five location stops to learn about the mountain’s Habitat Management Plan (HMP), with a spirited race competition afterward.

Participating organizations included High Fives Non-Profit Foundation, Tahoe Rim Trail Association, Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe, Truckee River Watershed Council, Sugar Pine Foundation, Truckee Trails Foundation, Tahoe Institute of Natural Science, Tahoe Fund, Excellence in Education, Humane Society of Truckee Tahoe, and Truckee Donner Land Trust.

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Northstar opted to expand the event’s contributions beyond its initial prize purse of $15,000. In addition to first, second, and third-place awards of $10,000, $3,000, and $2,000, expanded awards established, and winners included:

First place: Tahoe Fund, $10,000

Second place: Truckee Donner Land Trust, $3,000

Third place: High Fives Foundation, $2,000

Best Epic Photo No. 1: Humane Society of Truckee Tahoe, $1,000

Best Epic Photo No. 2: Excellence in Education, $1,000

Fastest Northstar Ambassador Epic Race Time: Excellence in Education, $500

$1,000 of In-Kind Contribution Winners: Tahoe Rim Trail Association, Tahoe Institute of Natural Science, Truckee Trails Foundation, Truckee River Watershed Council, Sugar Pine Foundation and Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe.

ABOUT NORTHSTAR SKI CHALLENGE

The Northstar Ski Challenge is part of the Vail Resorts Echo program. Vail Resort Echo is the company’s sustainability program encompassing environmental initiatives, charitable contributions and community engagement. The program is committed to helping build vibrant communities and protecting the iconic landscapes surrounding Vail resorts. In the last year, Vail Resorts has given more than $6 million in grants and product support and donated more than 15,000 hours of volunteer time. With a focus on local youth and environmental programs that protect the Lake Tahoe, and work to preserve local forests, Northstar Resort partners with 28 local organizations in North Lake Tahoe.

ABOUT NORTHSTAR CALIFORNIA RESORT

Northstar California is home to a base area village featuring an array of shops and restaurants, conference centers, a 9,000-square-foot outdoor skating rink, movie theaters, on-site lodging, special events and more. Northstar offers 97 ski trails across 3,170 acres, terrain parks and snow sports, including alpine and Telemark skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and tubing. Summer activities include mountain biking, golfing, scenic lift rides for sightseeing and hiking, fly-fishing and more.

Northstar is located on Highway 267, six miles north of Lake Tahoe and six miles south of downtown Truckee. For more information, call 1-800-GO-NORTH (1-800-466-6784) or visit http://www.NorthstarCalifornia.com.

ABOUT VAIL RESORTS

Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. The company’s subsidiaries operate Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan; and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. The company’s subsidiary, RockResorts, a luxury resort hotel company, manages casually elegant properties. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning, development and construction subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is http://www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is http://www.snow.com.