Park City Mountain Resort hosts industry day to introduce teens to ski careers

Photo: SOS Outreach

PARK CITY, Utah — A group of teenagers took a behind-the-scenes look at careers in the ski industry as part of Industry Day, an event hosted by SOS Outreach and Park City Mountain Resort. The initiative, designed for middle and high school students in their fourth year of SOS Outreach’s mentorship program, provided hands-on exposure to different career paths within the ski and snowboard industry.

Industry Day is a key component of SOS Outreach’s multi-year curriculum, which aims to foster a sense of belonging and personal growth in young people. Participants toured key resort departments, including snowmaking, ski patrol, lift operations, and food and beverage, while also engaging with resort leaders who shared insights about their professional journeys.

“Industry Days are a really wonderful way to get our teenage participants to start thinking about careers,” said Palmer Daniels, SOS Outreach Program Manager. “The staff at Park City Mountain do an amazing job sharing insights into their career paths and answering our participants’ questions. This is a great learning experience for our youth to consider how they can connect their passion for skiing and riding to a meaningful career.”

Mike Lewis, Vice President of Mountain Operations at Park City Mountain, highlighted the resort’s commitment to youth mentorship. “Industry Day is a really fun opportunity for our team to showcase the great career options in the ski and snowboard industry. We would love to see any of these students start their careers with us.”

Beyond Industry Day, SOS Outreach also partners with Park City Mountain and Vail Resort’s Epic Promise initiative to offer a Career Development Program for participants ages 16 and older. The program provides job training, mentorship, and entry-level employment opportunities at the resort.

One participant, Emily Arvizo Olivares, joined the Career Development Program as a high school junior. She began working in retail at Park City Mountain Resort and later became a ski instructor in her senior year. “Through this program, I learned valuable job skills, from resume writing to interview techniques. It gave me the confidence to take on new roles in the industry,” she said.

Since its founding in 1993, SOS Outreach has used skiing and snowboarding as a gateway to mentorship, life skills development, and community service for over 3,000 young people across 10 states.

For more information, visit sosoutreach.org.