February 28, 2006



Note: This statement was released Tuesday by outgoing Vail Resorts chief executive Adam Aron.

On January 30, I announced my intention to resign as Chairman and CEO of Vail Resorts at the end of June on my 10th anniversary. While I have loved every single second at the helm of Vail Resorts, 10 years is a long time, and I am ready to commence the next chapter of my life. Fortunately, Vail Resorts is well positioned for the future, and I did commit myself to facilitating a seamless and orderly transition.

With the appointment announced today of Robert Katz as CEO, Vail Resorts has chosen as my successor someone who is intimately knowledgeable about every aspect of Vail Resorts. He is an experienced and highly able individual, with whom I have worked closely as a board member since 1996. Speaking as a large Vail Resorts shareholder myself, I could not be more pleased with his selection. Rob has been perhaps my closest confidante and adviser over a decade, and I benefited immensely from his keen intellect. I am confident he will be immensely successful leading Vail Resorts.

Similarly, I have worked closely with Joe Micheletto for almost a decade. He is perfectly suited for his new role, and I believe he will be a superb chairman.

Given Joe and Rob’s selection, it is clear that a lengthy transition is unnecessary. As such, I have stepped down from all my positions with Vail Resorts now. Even so, I have pledged to continue to assist in the orderly transfer of my duties in whatever way that I can.

As for my own future, I am very excited by the myriad of opportunities that seem to be available to me.

And I am also now free to be more involved politically, as demonstrated by my having just joined the National Finance Committee of the Washington D.C.- based Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (www.dscc.org). Even though I am not a rabid partisan, I am a proud Democrat, and I am alarmed by recent events on the national and world stage.

To my mind as a centrist, there are elements of the Republican agenda that I admire. However, I strongly believe that one-party control of the White House, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the selection of the national Judiciary, puts far too much power in the hands of a single political party.

In my view, unbridled power by either party without checks and balances is not healthy. As such, through the fall elections, I will be working hard to help raise funds for the DSCC, to do what I can to ensure that both major political parties have a stake and say in political outcomes that will affect us all.

I am also, as stated before, buying a condominium at the foot of Vail Mountain, and am staying on several local not-for-profit boards. I have every expectation that I will retain a close connection to Colorado and the Vail Valley, one that will be important to me for the rest of my life.


Vail, Colorado