UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No.          )

 

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390 Interlocken Crescent
Broomfield, Colorado 80021

To be held on December 5, 2014

October 23, 2014

To our Stockholders:

        The 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Vail Resorts, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), will be held on Friday, December 5, 2014 at 9:00 a.m., Mountain Standard Time, at Vail Resorts, Inc.'s corporate headquarters, 390 Interlocken Crescent, Broomfield, Colorado, 80021 to:

        These items of business are more fully described in the proxy statement accompanying this notice.

        Only holders of record of shares of our common stock at the close of business on October 14, 2014, which we refer to as the record date, are entitled to receive notice of, and to vote at, the annual meeting or at any postponement or adjournment thereof. A list of stockholders entitled to vote at the annual meeting will be available for examination by any stockholder at the annual meeting and for ten days prior to the annual meeting at our principal executive offices located at 390 Interlocken Crescent, Broomfield, Colorado 80021.

        Pursuant to the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, we have elected to provide access to our proxy materials over the Internet. Accordingly, we will mail, on or about October 23, 2014, a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials to our stockholders of record and beneficial owners as of the close of business on October 14, 2014. On the date of mailing of the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, all stockholders and beneficial owners will have the ability to access all of the proxy materials on a website referred to and at the URL address included in the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials.

        The Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials will also identify the date, the time and location of the annual meeting; the matters to be acted upon at the annual meeting and the Board of Directors' recommendation with regard to each matter; a toll-free telephone number, an e-mail address, and a website where stockholders can request a paper or e-mail copy of the proxy statement, our annual report and a form of proxy relating to the annual meeting; information on how to access and vote the form of proxy; and information on how to attend the annual meeting and vote in person. These proxy materials will be available free of charge.

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        Stockholders are cordially invited to attend the annual meeting. If you wish to vote shares held in your name at the annual meeting, please bring your Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or proxy card (if you previously requested one be mailed to you) and picture identification. If you hold shares through an intermediary, such as a broker, bank or other nominee, you must present proof of ownership to attend the annual meeting. Proof of ownership could include a proxy from your broker, bank or other nominee or a copy of your account statement. Shares held through a broker, bank or other nominee may be voted by you in person at the annual meeting only if you obtain a valid proxy from the broker, bank or other nominee giving you the right to vote the shares and bring such proxy to the annual meeting. Attendance at our annual meeting will be limited to persons presenting a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or proxy card (if you requested one) or voting instruction card, account statement or similar evidence of ownership, and picture identification. Attendance at the annual meeting alone will not automatically revoke your previously submitted proxy.

        Your vote is extremely important. We appreciate your taking the time to vote promptly. After reading the proxy statement, please vote, at your earliest convenience by telephone or Internet, or request a proxy card to complete, sign and return by mail. If you vote at the annual meeting, your previously submitted proxy will be revoked automatically and only your vote at the annual meeting will be counted. Your shares cannot be voted unless you vote by: (i) telephone, (ii) Internet, (iii) requesting a paper proxy card, to complete, sign and return by mail, or (iv) attending the annual meeting and voting in person. Please note that all votes cast via telephone or the Internet must be cast prior to 11:59 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, on Thursday, December 4, 2014.

Broomfield, Colorado
October 23, 2014

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390 Interlocken Crescent
Broomfield, Colorado 80021

        We are providing these proxy materials in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors (the "Board") of Vail Resorts, Inc. (the "Company") to be voted at our annual meeting, which will take place on Friday, December 5, 2014 at 9:00 a.m., Mountain Standard Time, at Vail Resorts, Inc.'s corporate headquarters, 390 Interlocken Crescent, Broomfield, Colorado 80021, and at any adjournment or postponement thereof. As a stockholder, you are invited to attend the annual meeting and are requested to vote on the items of business described in this proxy statement.

        In accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC, instead of mailing a printed copy of our proxy materials to each stockholder of record or beneficial owner, we are furnishing proxy materials, which include our proxy statement and annual report, to our stockholders over the Internet. Because you received a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials by mail, you will not receive a printed copy of the proxy materials, unless you have previously made a permanent election to receive these materials in hard copy or unless you request a printed copy as described below. Instead, the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials will instruct you as to how you may access and review all of the important information contained in the proxy materials. The Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials also instructs you as to how you may submit your proxy. If you received a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials by mail and would like to receive a printed copy of our proxy materials you should follow the instructions for requesting such materials included in the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials.

        It is anticipated that the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials will be mailed, and this proxy statement will be made available, to stockholders on or about October 23, 2014.

        At the annual meeting, eight directors will be nominated for election to the Board to serve for the next year and until their respective successors are elected and qualified. The nominees are Messrs. Hernandez, Katz, Kincaid, Redmond, Sewell, Sorte and Vaughn and Ms. Schneider. Each of the nominees is currently a director of the Company and all nominees were previously elected by the stockholders.

        The persons named as proxies in the accompanying proxy, who have been designated by the Board, intend to vote, unless otherwise instructed in such proxy, "FOR" the election of Messrs. Hernandez, Katz, Kincaid, Redmond, Sewell, Sorte and Vaughn and Ms. Schneider as directors. If any nominee becomes unavailable for election as a result of an unexpected occurrence, your shares will be voted for the election of a substitute nominee, if any, proposed by the Board. Each person nominated for election has agreed to

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serve if elected. Our Board has no reason to believe that any nominee will be unable to serve. The proxies solicited by this proxy statement may not be voted for more than eight nominees.

INFORMATION WITH RESPECT TO NOMINEES

        The Nominating & Governance Committee monitors the mix of skills, knowledge, perspective, leadership, age, experience and diversity among directors in order to assure that the Board has the ability to perform its oversight function effectively. The Nominating & Governance Committee has determined that the Board will be comprised of individuals who meet the highest possible personal and professional standards. Our director nominees should have broad experience in management, policymaking and/or finance, relevant industry knowledge, business creativity and vision. They should also be committed to enhancing stockholder value and should be able to dedicate sufficient time to effectively carry out their duties.

        The Nominating & Governance Committee considers many factors when determining the eligibility of candidates for nomination as director. The Nominating & Governance Committee does not have a formal diversity policy; however, in connection with the annual nomination process, the Nominating & Governance Committee considers the diversity of candidates to ensure that the Board is comprised of individuals with a broad range of experiences and backgrounds who can contribute to the Board's overall effectiveness in carrying out its responsibilities. The Nominating & Governance Committee assesses the effectiveness of its efforts at achieving a diverse Board when it annually evaluates the Board's composition.

        The Nominating & Governance Committee considers the following specific characteristics in making its nominations for our Board: independence, wisdom, integrity, understanding and general acceptance of the Company's corporate philosophy, business or professional knowledge and experience that can bear on the Company's and the Board's challenges and deliberations, proven record of accomplishment with excellent organizations, inquiring mind, willingness to speak one's mind, ability to challenge and stimulate management, future orientation, willingness to commit time and energy, diversity, and international/global experience.

        The following sets forth the name and age of each nominee, identifies whether the nominee is currently a member of the Board, lists all other positions and offices, if any, now held by him or her with the Company, and specifies his or her principal occupation during at least the last five years.

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THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE "FOR" THE ELECTION OF EACH OF THE
NOMINEES NAMED ABOVE.

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        The Company's executive officers, as well as additional information with respect to such persons, are set forth in the table below:

        For biographical information about Mr. Katz, see "Director Nominees" above.

        Blaise T. Carrig has served as President–Mountain Division since June 2012. Mr. Carrig previously served as Co-President of the Company from June 2011 to June 2012, as Co-President—Mountain Division from April 2010 to June 2011, as Executive Vice President–Mountain Division and Chief Operating Officer of Heavenly Mountain Resort from January 2008 to April 2010 and as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Heavenly Mountain Resort from September 2002 to January 2008. From 1997 to 2002, Mr. Carrig was the President and Managing Director for The Canyons in Park City, Utah. Prior to 1997, he served as the Managing Director of Sugarbush Resort in Warren, Vermont, where he had been since 1976 in a variety of positions from Ski Patrol to President. Mr. Carrig has been active in the ski industry, having served on the board of directors of the Vermont Ski Area Association, Ski Utah and the California Ski Industry Association. He currently serves on the Executive Board of the National Ski Areas Association, as well as the board of directors of the National Forest Foundation.

        Michael Z. Barkin has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since April 2013. Mr. Barkin previously served as Vice President of Strategy and Development since July 2012. Prior to joining the Company, he was a principal at KRG Capital Partners, a private equity investment firm, where he was a member of the investment team since 2006. At KRG, Mr. Barkin was responsible for managing new acquisitions and had portfolio company oversight across multiple sectors. Prior to KRG, he worked at Bain Capital Partners and Bain & Company, a private equity investment firm. Mr. Barkin serves on the Board of Trustees of STRIVE Preparatory Charter School.

        Kirsten A. Lynch has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer since July 2011. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Lynch was with PepsiCo, Inc., where she was Chief Marketing Officer of the Quaker Foods and Snacks Division from 2009 to 2011, leading the brand marketing, consumer insights and shopper marketing organization. From 2007 to 2009, she was Vice President of Marketing for Kraft Foods Group, Inc.'s Cheese and Dairy Business Unit. Ms. Lynch had worked for Kraft Foods since 1996, holding various marketing positions for the company's product divisions, including Senior Marketing Director of Kraft Mac & Cheese and Family Dinners, and Senior Brand Manager and Brand Manager for product lines such as salad dressings, barbecue, DiGiorno Pasta & Sauce and Miracle Whip. Ms. Lynch started her career with Ford Motor Company in marketing and sales.

        Randall E. Mehrberg has served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel since December 2013. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Mehrberg was with Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG) where he was the Executive Vice President of Strategy and Development and President of PSEG Energy Holdings, which developed renewable energy solutions. Mr. Mehrberg joined PSEG in 2008. Prior to PSEG, he served from 2000 to 2008 in various capacities at Exelon Corporation, including General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer and Chief Administrative Officer. Prior to joining Exelon, he was a Partner at Jenner & Block LLP, where he practiced from 1980 to 1993 and again from 1997 to 2000. From 1993 to 1997, Mr. Mehrberg served as Lakefront Director and General Counsel for the City of Chicago's Park District. He currently serves on the board of directors of several non-profit organizations including the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, the University of Michigan Law School, Millennium Park and the Lincoln Park Zoo.

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        Set forth in the following table is the beneficial ownership of common stock at the close of business on September 30, 2014 for all directors, nominees, the named executive officers listed in the Summary Compensation Table, and, as a group, such persons and all other executive officers as of such date.

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        Set forth below is certain information with respect to the only persons known to the Company to be the beneficial owners of more than five percent of the Company's voting securities at the close of business on September 30, 2014.

        

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE GUIDELINES

        The Company's Board acts as the ultimate decision-making body of the Company, except for those matters reserved to or shared with the Company's stockholders. The Board selects, advises and oversees our management, who are responsible for the day-to-day operations and administration of the Company. The Board has adopted Corporate Governance Guidelines which, along with the charters of each of the committees of the Board and the Company's Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, which we refer to as the Code of Ethics, provide the framework for the governance of the Company. A complete copy of the Company's Corporate Governance Guidelines, the charters of the Board committees and the Code of Ethics for directors, officers and employees may be found in the "Investor Relations" section of the Company's website under "Corporate Governance" at www.vailresorts.com. Copies of these materials are

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also available in print, without charge upon written request to: Secretary, Vail Resorts, Inc., 390 Interlocken Crescent, Broomfield, Colorado 80021.

BOARD LEADERSHIP AND LEAD INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR

        Currently, the positions of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Company are held by the same person, Mr. Katz. When the Chairman of the Board is a non-independent director, the independent directors elect an independent director to serve in a lead capacity. Mr. Katz serves as Chairman of the Board and Mr. Hernandez serves as our Lead Independent Director, or Lead Director. The Board has adopted a Charter of the Lead Independent Director, which is attached as Appendix A to the Corporate Governance Guidelines, which are available in the "Investor Relations" section of the Company's website under "Corporate Governance" at www.vailresorts.com. The Lead Director coordinates the activities of the other non-management directors and performs such other duties and responsibilities as the Board may determine. The specific duties of the Lead Director include:

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presiding over meetings of the Board at which the Chairman is not present, including executive sessions of independent directors;



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having the authority to call meetings of the independent directors;



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serving as the presiding director for purposes of all rights and duties assigned to the presiding director under the Company's Bylaws, including the right to call special meetings of the Board;



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serving as principal liaison on Board-wide issues between the independent directors and the Chairman;



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reviewing information sent to the Board and communicating with management if there needs to be additional materials or analyses provided to directors;



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approving meeting agendas and meeting schedules for the Board, to assure that there is sufficient time for discussion of all agenda items;



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serving as the point of contact for communications from stockholders or other interested parties directed to the Lead Director or the non-management directors or Board as a group;



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ensuring that he is available for consultation and direct communication, if requested by major stockholders; and



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serving on the Executive Committee of the Board.

        The Board believes that a single leader serving as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, together with an experienced and engaged Lead Director, is the most appropriate leadership structure for the Board at this time. The Board believes that this approach is best because the Chief Executive Officer is the individual with primary responsibility for implementing the Company's strategy as approved by the Board and directing the work of other executive officers. This structure results in a single leader being directly accountable to the Board and, through the Board, to stockholders, and enables the Chief Executive Officer to act as the key link between the Board and other members of management.

MEETINGS OF THE BOARD

        The Board held a total of four meetings during fiscal 2014. Each director attended at least 75% of the aggregate of all meetings of the Board and the standing committees of the Board on which he or she served. In accordance with our Corporate Governance Guidelines, directors are invited and encouraged to attend our annual meeting of stockholders. All of our then serving directors attended our 2013 annual meeting of stockholders.

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EXECUTIVE SESSIONS

        The non-management directors' practice is to meet in executive session following the conclusion of each regularly scheduled quarterly Board meeting to discuss such matters as they deem appropriate and, at least once a year, to review the Compensation Committee's annual review of the Chief Executive Officer. These executive sessions are chaired by the Lead Director. Interested parties, including our stockholders, may communicate with the Lead Director and the non-management directors by following the procedures under the heading "Communications with the Board" below.

DIRECTOR NOMINATIONS

        The Nominating & Governance Committee considers and recommends candidates for election to the Board. The Nominating & Governance Committee also considers candidates for election to the Board, if any, that are submitted by stockholders. Each member of the Nominating & Governance Committee participates in the review and discussion of director candidates. In addition, members of the Board who are not on the Nominating & Governance Committee may meet with and evaluate the suitability of candidates. In making its selections of candidates to recommend for election, the Nominating & Governance Committee seeks persons who have achieved prominence in their field and who possess significant experience in areas of importance to the Company. The minimum qualifications that the Nominating & Governance Committee believes must be met for a candidate to be nominated include independence, wisdom, integrity, understanding and general acceptance of the Company's corporate philosophy, business or professional knowledge and experience that can bear on the Company's and the Board's challenges and deliberations, proven record of accomplishment with excellent organizations, inquiring mind, willingness to speak one's mind, ability to challenge and stimulate management, future orientation, willingness to commit time and energy, diversity, and international/global experience.

        Stockholders who wish to submit candidates for consideration by the Nominating & Governance Committee for election at an annual or special meeting of stockholders should follow the procedure described in our Bylaws. The Nominating & Governance Committee applies the same standards in considering candidates submitted by stockholders as it does in evaluating candidates submitted by members of the Board. The Nominating & Governance Committee recommended the nominees for election at this year's annual meeting, all of whom are currently serving as directors.

DETERMINATIONS REGARDING INDEPENDENCE

        Under the Company's Corporate Governance Guidelines, a majority of the Board must be comprised of directors who are independent, as determined based on the independence standards of the NYSE's Listed Company Manual. In accordance with our Corporate Governance Guidelines and the NYSE's listing standards, the Board has adopted categorical standards of director independence to assist it in making determinations of independence of Board members. These categorical standards of director independence are available in the "Investor Relations" section of the Company's website under "Corporate Governance" at www.vailresorts.com. The Board has affirmatively determined that each of the nominees, other than Mr. Katz, is "independent" under the NYSE's listing standards and the categorical standards of director independence adopted by the Board.

COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE BOARD

        The Company's Board has adopted a formal process by which interested parties, including our stockholders, may communicate with the Board or the non-management directors. This information is available in the "Investor Relations" section of the Company's website under "Corporate Governance" at www.vailresorts.com.

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CODE OF ETHICS AND BUSINESS CONDUCT

        The Company has adopted a Code of Ethics that applies to all directors, officers and employees, including its principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer and controller, or persons performing similar functions. See the section entitled "Transactions with Related Persons—Related Party Transactions Policy and Procedures" below for additional information about the Code of Ethics. The Code of Ethics is available in the "Investor Relations" section of the Company's website under "Corporate Governance" at www.vailresorts.com, or in print, without charge, to any stockholder who sends a request to: Secretary, Vail Resorts, Inc., 390 Interlocken Crescent, Broomfield, Colorado 80021. The Company will also post on its website any amendment to the Code of Ethics and any waiver granted to any of its directors or executive officers.

RISK MANAGEMENT

        The Company's Board believes that oversight of the Company's overall risk management program is the responsibility of the entire Board. We view risk management as an important part of the Company's overall strategic planning process. The Board has delegated the regular oversight of the elements of the risk management program to the Audit Committee and the Board receives updates on individual areas of risk from the Audit Committee. The Board schedules a risk management review agenda item for regular Board meetings on a periodic basis and additionally as needed, during which the Audit Committee reports to and informs the Board of its risk management oversight activities. Senior management reports directly to the Audit Committee at each scheduled Audit Committee meeting and additionally as needed on the status of the Company's day-to-day risk management program. The Audit Committee has established an internal audit function to provide management and the Board with ongoing assessments of the Company's risk management processes and systems of internal control. In addition, as part of its responsibilities, the Audit Committee inquires of management and our independent auditors about the Company's processes for identifying and assessing such risks and exposures and the steps management has taken to minimize such risks and exposures to the Company. The Audit Committee also reviews the Company's guidelines and policies that govern the processes for identifying and assessing significant risks or exposures and for formulating and implementing steps to minimize such risks and exposures to the Company.

COMPENSATION RISK ASSESSMENT

        The Compensation Committee, with the assistance of our independent compensation consultant, reviewed the material compensation policies and practices for all employees, including executive officers. The Compensation Committee considered whether the compensation program encouraged excessive risk taking by employees at the expense of long-term Company value. Based upon its assessment, the Compensation Committee believes that the Company's compensation program, which includes a mix of annual and long-term incentives, cash and equity awards and retention incentives, does not present risks that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company.

COMMITTEES OF THE BOARD

        The Board has a standing Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, Executive Committee and Nominating & Governance Committee. The charters for each of these committees, which have been approved by the Board, are available in the "Investor Relations" section of the Company's website under "Corporate Governance" at www.vailresorts.com, or in print, without charge, to any stockholder who sends a request to: Secretary, Vail Resorts, Inc., 390 Interlocken Crescent, Broomfield, Colorado 80021. Below is a description of each committee of the Board. Each of the committees has authority to engage legal counsel or other experts or consultants, as it deems appropriate to carry out its responsibilities.

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The Audit Committee

        The Audit Committee is primarily concerned with the effectiveness of the Company's independent registered public accounting firm, accounting policies and practices, financial reporting and internal controls. The Audit Committee acts pursuant to its charter, and is authorized and directed, among other things, to: (1) appoint, retain, compensate, evaluate and terminate, as appropriate, the Company's independent registered public accounting firm; (2) approve all audit engagement fees and terms, as well as all permissible non-audit service engagements with the independent registered public accounting firm; (3) discuss with management and the independent registered public accounting firm and meet to review the Company's annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements, including reviewing the Company's disclosures under "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in the Company's annual and quarterly reports filed with the SEC; (4) review reports by the independent registered public accounting firm describing its internal quality control procedures and all relationships between the Company, or individuals in financial reporting oversight roles at the Company, and the independent registered public accounting firm; (5) establish procedures, as required under applicable law, for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by the Company regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters and the confidential and anonymous submission by employees of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters; (6) monitor the rotation of partners of the independent auditors on the Company's audit engagement team as required by law; (7) review and approve or reject transactions between the Company and any related persons in accordance with the Company's Related Party Transactions Policy; (8) confer with management and the independent auditors regarding the effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting; (9) oversee management's efforts to monitor compliance with the Company's programs and policies designed to ensure adherence to applicable laws and regulations and the Company's Code of Ethics; (10) annually prepare a report as required by the SEC to be included in the Company's annual proxy statement; and (11) discuss policies with respect to risk assessment and risk management.

        The members of the Audit Committee are Mr. Sewell, Chairman, and Messrs. Hernandez, Redmond and Sorte. Mr. Sorte served as Chairman of the Audit Committee from November 29, 2012 to October 1, 2013, when he was succeeded by Mr. Sewell. The Board has determined that Messrs. Hernandez and Redmond are each an "audit committee financial expert" as defined in the SEC's rules and regulations adopted pursuant to the Exchange Act and that all of the members of the Audit Committee are "independent" as defined by the NYSE's listing standards and the rules of the SEC applicable to audit committee members. The Audit Committee held six meetings during fiscal 2014.

AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

        Management is responsible for the Company's accounting practices, internal control over financial reporting, the financial reporting process and preparation of the consolidated financial statements. The Company's independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for performing an independent audit of the Company's consolidated financial statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or the PCAOB. The Audit Committee's responsibility is to monitor and oversee these processes.

        In this context, the Audit Committee has met and held discussions with management and the Company's independent registered public accounting firm. Management represented to the Audit Committee that the Company's consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2014 were prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. The Audit Committee reviewed and discussed the consolidated financial statements with management and the Company's independent registered public accounting firm, including a discussion of the quality of the accounting principles, the reasonableness of significant judgments, the clarity of disclosures in the financial statements and management's assessment of the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. The Audit Committee further discussed with the Company's independent registered public

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accounting firm the matters required to be discussed under the rules adopted by the PCAOB, as well as the Company's independent registered public accounting firm's opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting.

        The Company's independent registered public accounting firm also provided to the Audit Committee the written disclosures and letter required by applicable requirements of the PCAOB regarding the independent accountants' communications with the audit committee concerning independence, and the Audit Committee discussed with the Company's independent registered public accounting firm, and were satisfied with, that firm's independence from the Company and its management. The Audit Committee has also considered whether the Company's independent registered public accounting firm's provision of non-audit services to the Company is compatible with the auditors' independence.

        The Audit Committee discussed with the Company's internal auditor and independent registered public accounting firm the overall scope and plans for their respective audits. The Audit Committee meets with the Company's independent registered public accounting firm, with and without management present, to discuss the results of their examination, their evaluation of the Company's internal control over financial reporting and the overall quality of the Company's financial reporting. In addition, the Audit Committee meets with the internal auditor, with and without management present, to discuss the results of their examination and evaluation of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. The Audit Committee has also reviewed and discussed Company policies with respect to risk assessment and risk management.

        Based upon the Audit Committee's discussion with management and the Company's independent registered public accounting firm referred to above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board that the Company's audited financial statements as of and for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2014 be included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended July 31, 2014 for filing with the SEC.

The Compensation Committee

        The Compensation Committee acts pursuant to its charter and is authorized and directed, among other things, to: (1) review and approve corporate goals and objectives relevant to the Chief Executive Officer's compensation, evaluate the Chief Executive Officer's performance in light of those goals and objectives (including the Chief Executive Officer's performance in fostering a culture of ethics and integrity), and, either as a committee or together with the other independent directors (as directed by the Board), determine and approve the Chief Executive Officer's compensation level based on this evaluation; (2) review the performance of and the individual elements of total compensation for the executive officers of the Company, including any amendments to such executive's employment agreement, any proposed severance arrangements or change in control and similar agreements/provisions, and any amendments, supplements or waivers to the foregoing agreements; (3) oversee the Company's overall compensation structure, policies and programs for executive officers and employees, including assessing the incentives and risks arising from or related to the Company's compensation programs and plans, and assessing whether the incentives and risks are appropriate; (4) review and approve the Company's incentive compensation and equity-based plans and approve changes to such plans, in each case subject, where appropriate, to stockholder or Board approval, and review and approve issuances of equity securities to employees of the Company; (5) review and recommend to the Board annual retainer and meeting fees for non-employee members of the Board and committees of the Board, fix the terms and awards of stock compensation for such members of the Board and determine the terms, if any, upon which such fees may

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be deferred; (6) produce a compensation committee report on executive officer compensation as required by the SEC, after the committee reviews and discusses with management the Company's Compensation Discussion and Analysis, or CD&A, and consider whether to recommend that it be included in the Company's proxy statement or Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC; and (7) consider and recommend to the Board the frequency of the Company's advisory vote on executive compensation.

        The members of the Compensation Committee are Mr. Sorte, Chairman, Messrs. Kincaid and Vaughn and Ms. Schneider. The Board has determined that all members of the Compensation Committee are "independent" as defined by the NYSE's listing standards. In addition, the Compensation Committee consists of "non-employee directors," within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act and "outside directors," within the meaning of regulations promulgated under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Internal Revenue Code. The Compensation Committee held three meetings during fiscal 2014.

Compensation Committee Processes and Procedures

        The Compensation Committee meets as often as necessary to carry out its responsibilities. The agenda for each meeting is usually developed by the Chairman of the Compensation Committee, in consultation with the Chief Executive Officer. The Chief Executive Officer does not participate in and is not present during any deliberations or determinations of the Compensation Committee regarding his compensation or individual performance objectives. The charter of the Compensation Committee grants the Compensation Committee sole authority, at the expense of the Company, to retain or to obtain advice from a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser to assist in the execution of the Compensation Committee's responsibilities. The Compensation Committee is directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any consultant or adviser retained and has authority to approve the fees and other retention terms. The Compensation Committee expects that it will seek advice from independent compensation consultants as it deems necessary on a periodic basis, but not necessarily annually, in order to determine that the Company's compensation programs remain appropriate and consistent with industry practices. Prior to the retention of any compensation consultant, legal counsel or any other external adviser, the Compensation Committee will assess the independence of such adviser from management, taking into consideration all factors relevant to such adviser's independence, including factors specified in the NYSE listing standards.

        During fiscal 2014, the Compensation Committee engaged Hewitt Associates LLC, which we refer to as Hewitt, an AON Hewitt company, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AON plc, as its independent compensation consultant for certain executive compensation matters. Hewitt was retained by the Compensation Committee to review the Company's executive compensation programs, including an analysis of both the competitive market and the design of the programs. As part of its reports to the Compensation Committee, Hewitt evaluated our selected peer companies, and provided competitive compensation data and analysis relating to the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer and our other executives and senior officers. Hewitt also assisted the Compensation Committee with the risk assessment of our compensation programs.

        In fiscal 2014, Hewitt was paid $138,129 for these executive compensation consulting services provided to the Compensation Committee. As noted above, Hewitt is an AON Hewitt company, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AON plc. AON plc is a multinational, multi-services insurance and consulting firm. During fiscal 2014, AON Hewitt and its affiliates provided general health and benefits consulting, actuarial consulting services and other human resource related services to the Company. The decision to engage AON Hewitt and its affiliates for these additional services was made by management as part of the Company's existing relationship with AON Hewitt concerning these services, and was not approved, or required to be approved, by the Compensation Committee. Fees for the foregoing additional services in fiscal 2014 were $560,778. The individuals at Hewitt that advise the Compensation Committee on executive compensation matters have no involvement in the other services provided to the Company by AON Hewitt

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and its affiliates, and the individuals at Hewitt advising the Compensation Committee report directly to, and are overseen by, the Compensation Committee. These individuals have no other relationship with the Company or management. The Compensation Committee has evaluated the independence of Hewitt and concluded that the work of AON Hewitt and its affiliates presents no conflict of interest.

        Under its charter, the Compensation Committee may form, and delegate authority to, subcommittees, as appropriate, and the Chief Executive Officer has been granted authority to grant certain equity based awards for hiring incentive grants, correction grants or to promoted non-executive employees. The purpose of this delegation of authority is to enhance the flexibility of equity administration within the Company and to facilitate the timely grant of equity awards to new or recently promoted non-executive employees within specified limits approved by the Compensation Committee. The Chief Executive Officer's authority to make new hire incentive grants is limited by the restrictions established by the Compensation Committee.

        Historically, the Compensation Committee has made adjustments to annual compensation, determined annual cash and equity awards, and established new performance objectives at one or more meetings held during the first quarter of the fiscal year. However, the Compensation Committee also considers matters related to individual compensation, such as compensation for new executive hires, at various times as needed throughout the year. Generally, the Compensation Committee's process comprises two related elements: the determination of compensation levels and the establishment of performance objectives for the fiscal year. For executives other than the Chief Executive Officer, the Compensation Committee solicits and considers evaluations and recommendations submitted to the committee by the Chief Executive Officer. The Compensation Committee makes all final determinations regarding these awards, and none of our executive officers, including the Chief Executive Officer, are involved in the determination of their own compensation. In the case of the Chief Executive Officer, the evaluation of his performance is conducted by the Compensation Committee, which determines any adjustments to his compensation as well as awards to be granted. The non-management directors' practice is to meet in executive session following the Board meeting in September of each year to review and ratify the Compensation Committee's annual review of the Chief Executive Officer. For all executives and directors, as part of its deliberations, the Compensation Committee may review and consider, as appropriate, materials such as financial reports and projections, operational data, tax and accounting information, tally sheets that set forth the total compensation that may become payable to executives in various hypothetical scenarios, executive and director stock ownership information, company stock performance data, analyses of historical executive compensation levels and current Company-wide compensation levels, and recommendations of the Compensation Committee's compensation consultant, including analyses of executive and director compensation paid at other companies identified by the consultant.

        The specific determinations of the Compensation Committee with respect to executive compensation for fiscal 2014 are described in greater detail in the CD&A section of this proxy statement, as well as the narrative disclosure that accompanies the Summary Compensation Table and related tables in the Executive Compensation section of this proxy statement.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

        During fiscal 2014, no Compensation Committee interlocks existed between the Company and any other entity, meaning none of our executive officers currently serves, or has served during the last completed fiscal year, on the compensation committee or board of directors of any other entity that has one or more executive officers serving as a member of our Board or Compensation Committee. No member of our Compensation Committee has ever been an executive officer or employee of the Company.

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COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT

        The Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed with management the Compensation Discussion and Analysis contained in this proxy statement. Based upon this review and discussion, the Compensation Committee has recommended to the Board that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this proxy statement and incorporated into our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2014.

The Executive Committee

        The Executive Committee has all powers and rights necessary to exercise the full authority of the Board during the intervals between meetings of the Board in the management of the business and affairs of the Company, subject to certain limitations set forth in the charter of the Executive Committee. The members of the Executive Committee are Messrs. Katz, Hernandez and Sorte. The Executive Committee held numerous discussions and one meeting during fiscal 2014.

The Nominating & Governance Committee

        The Nominating & Governance Committee acts pursuant to its charter and is authorized and directed to: (1) review the overall composition of the Board; (2) actively seek individuals qualified to become Board members for recommendation to the Board; (3) identify and recommend to the Board director nominees for the next annual meeting of stockholders and members of the Board to serve on the various committees of the Board; (4) oversee the evaluation of the performance of the Board and oversee the annual self-evaluation process of the Board and each committee; (5) review and reassess the adequacy of the Corporate Governance Guidelines of the Company and recommend any proposed changes to the Board for approval; (6) review and present to the Board individual director candidates recommended for the committee's consideration by stockholders and stockholder nominations for director that are made in writing to the Secretary of the Company in compliance with the Company's Bylaws; and (7) review and present to the Board stockholder proposals. The Nominating & Governance Committee also has the authority to retain and terminate any search firm to be used to identify candidates and to approve the search firm's fees and other retention terms.

        The members of the Nominating & Governance Committee are Mr. Hernandez, Chairman, and Messrs. Kincaid and Sorte. The Board has determined that all members of the Nominating & Governance Committee are "independent" as defined by the NYSE's listing standards. The Nominating & Governance Committee held one meeting during fiscal 2014.

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DIRECTOR COMPENSATION FOR FISCAL 2014

        The following table provides information concerning the compensation of our non-employee directors in fiscal 2014:

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DIRECTOR CASH COMPENSATION

        All of our non-employee directors receive annual cash fees, payable in quarterly installments. For fiscal 2013 through September 30, 2013, the annual cash retainer for each Board member was $35,000 and meeting fees were $5,000 for each Board meeting attended in person and $1,000 for meetings attended telephonically. In addition, the Lead Director of the Board and the Chairman of the Audit Committee received an additional $25,000 per year, each other Audit Committee member received an additional $15,000 per year, the Chairman of the Compensation Committee received an additional $15,000 per year, the Chairman of the Nominating & Governance Committee received an additional $10,000 per year, and each other Compensation Committee member and Nominating & Governance Committee member received an additional $5,000 each per year. A non-executive Chairman of the Board would have received an additional annual retainer of $50,000, but our Chief Executive Officer was our Chairman of the Board during this period and he is not entitled to this retainer. Members of the Audit Committee received $2,000 per committee meeting attended, members of the Compensation Committee and Nominating & Governance Committee received $1,500 per committee meeting attended, and members of the Executive Committee received $1,000 per committee meeting attended.

        Effective October 1, 2013, the annual cash retainer for each Board member was $35,000 and meeting fees were $5,000 for each Board meeting attended in person and $1,000 for meetings attended telephonically. In addition, the Lead Director of the Board received an additional $40,000 per year and the Chairman of the Audit Committee received an additional $25,000 per year. Each other Audit Committee member received an additional $15,000 per year, the Chairman of the Compensation Committee received an additional $20,000 per year, the Chairman of the Nominating & Governance Committee received an additional $15,000 per year, and each other Compensation Committee member and Nominating & Governance Committee member received an additional $7,500 each per year. Members of the Executive Committee received an additional $10,000 per year. A non-executive Chairman of the Board would have received an additional annual retainer of $50,000, but our Chief Executive Officer is currently our Chairman of the Board and he is not entitled to this retainer. Members of the Audit Committee received $2,000 per committee meeting attended and members of the Compensation Committee and Nominating & Governance Committee received $1,500 per committee meeting attended.

        All directors received reimbursement of their reasonable travel expenses in connection with their service.

DIRECTOR EQUITY COMPENSATION

        The Company provides its non-employee directors with equity compensation as determined each year by the Compensation Committee, which for fiscal 2014, was approximately $175,000, which consisted of 2,569 RSUs granted on September 26, 2013 that cliff vest one year from the date of grant. The aggregate grant date fair value of these RSUs is set forth under the "Stock Awards" column of the Director Compensation Table and described in footnote 3 above. On October 14, 2013, the Compensation Committee granted pro rata equity awards to Messrs. Sewell and Vaughn based upon their respective appointment dates to the Board for service as directors during fiscal 2013. Messrs. Sewell and Vaughn were granted 1,338 RSUs and 669 RSUs, respectively, which vested on September 26, 2014.

LIMITED DIRECTOR PERQUISITES AND PERSONAL BENEFITS

        Non-employee directors receive benefits consisting of lodging, ski school privileges and discretionary spending on services or goods at our resorts for personal use in accordance with the terms of the Company's Perquisite Fund Program. Each director is entitled to an annual $40,000 allowance to be used at the Company's resorts in accordance with such program, under which directors may draw against the account to pay for services or goods at the market rate. Unused funds in each director's account at the end of each fiscal year are forfeited. In accordance with SEC rules, the value of these benefits is measured on

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the basis of the estimated aggregate incremental cost to the Company for providing these benefits, and perquisites and personal benefits are not reported in the Director Compensation Table for any director for whom such amounts were less than $10,000 in the aggregate for the fiscal year. For this purpose, perquisites do not include benefits generally available on a non-discriminatory basis to all of our employees, such as skiing privileges.

        In addition, each year we allow each director to designate one charity as the recipient of a vacation package with a retail value of no more than $4,000 and to include only the same array of services that are eligible under the Perquisite Fund Program. We also require that the package be given as part of a public event, dinner or auction and that the Company receive appropriate credit and marketing presence.

STOCK OWNERSHIP GUIDELINES FOR NON-EMPLOYEE DIRECTORS

        Each non-employee director must own the greater of five times his or her annual cash retainer for Board service or $250,000 in value within five years of the date such director is elected or appointed to the Board. Directors are not permitted to sell any shares of common stock until such time as the ownership guidelines have been satisfied and then only to the extent that such sales do not reduce such director's ownership below the threshold requirement. Shares of common stock, stock owned in a directed retirement plan or IRA and the intrinsic value of vested equity grants count as stock ownership for purposes of these guidelines.

        Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, requires our directors and executive officers, and persons who beneficially own more than 10% of our common stock, to file reports of beneficial ownership and changes in beneficial ownership with the SEC. Our directors, executive officers and greater-than-10% stockholders are required by SEC rules to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) reports that they file. We file Section 16(a) reports on behalf of our directors and executive officers to report their initial and subsequent changes in beneficial ownership of our common stock. To our knowledge, based solely on a review of the reports we filed on behalf of our directors and executive officers, written representations from these persons that no other reports were required and all Section 16(a) reports provided to us, we believe that during fiscal 2014 our directors, executive officers and holders of more than 10% of our common stock filed the required reports on a timely basis under Section 16(a).

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS POLICY AND PROCEDURES

        We have adopted a written Related Party Transactions Policy that sets forth the Company's policies and procedures regarding the identification, review, consideration and approval or ratification of "related party transactions." For purposes of our policy only, a "related party transaction" is a transaction, contract, agreement, understanding, loan, advance or guarantee (or any series of similar transactions or arrangements) in which the Company and any "related person" are participants involving an amount that exceeds $120,000. Transactions involving compensation for services provided to the Company solely in their capacity as an officer or director by a related person are not covered by this policy. A related person is any executive officer, director, or more than 5% stockholder of the Company, or any immediate family

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member of an executive officer or director, including any entity in which such persons are an officer or 10% or greater equity holder.

        Under the policy, where a transaction has been identified as a related party transaction, management must present information regarding the proposed related party transaction to the Chairman of the Audit Committee, the full Audit Committee or the Board for consideration and approval or ratification, depending upon the size of the transaction involved. In considering related party transactions, the Audit Committee takes into account the fairness of the proposed transaction to the Company and whether the terms of such transaction are at least as favorable to the Company as it would receive or be likely to receive from an unrelated third party in a comparable or substantially comparable transaction.

        As discussed above, we have adopted a Code of Ethics that applies to all directors, officers and employees. We make the Code of Ethics available to all directors, officers and employees and convey our expectation that every director, officer and employee read and understand the Code of Ethics and its application to the performance of each such person's business responsibilities. To assist in identifying such proposed transactions as they may arise, our Code of Ethics uses a principles-based guideline to alert directors, officers and employees to potential conflicts of interest. Under the Code of Ethics, a conflict of interest occurs when an individual's personal, social, financial or political interests conflict with his or her loyalty to the Company. Our policy under the Code of Ethics provides that even the appearance of a conflict of interest where none actually exists can be damaging and should be avoided. If any person believes a conflict of interest is present in a personal activity, financial transaction or business dealing involving the Company, then that person is instructed under the Code of Ethics to report such belief to an appropriate individual or department as identified in the Code of Ethics.

        To ensure that our existing procedures are successful in identifying related party transactions, the Company distributed questionnaires to its directors and executive officers shortly following the end of the fiscal year which included, among other things, inquiries about any transactions they have entered into with us.

CERTAIN RELATED-PERSON TRANSACTIONS

        During fiscal 2014 and through the date of this proxy statement, there were no related party transactions under the relevant standards described above.

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COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

        This CD&A describes our executive compensation program, the various components of our program and the compensation-related decisions made for fiscal 2014 with respect to our named executive officers ("NEOs"). For purposes of this CD&A and the compensation tables and narratives that follow, the NEOs for fiscal 2014 were:

•

Robert A. Katz, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer



•

Michael Z. Barkin, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer



•

Blaise T. Carrig, President—Mountain Division



•

Kirsten A. Lynch, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer



•

Randall E. Mehrberg, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

Executive Summary

        Our executive compensation program, which is grounded in the principle of pay-for-performance, is intended to reward our executive officers and senior management for sustained, high-level performance over the short- and long-term as demonstrated by measurable, company-wide performance metrics and individual contributions that are consistent with our overall growth strategy and achievement of goals. We compensate our executive officers and senior management with a combination of cash compensation (in the form of base salary and cash incentive compensation) and equity awards. Our compensation program has been structured to enhance our ability to achieve our short-term and long-term strategic goals and to retain and motivate our executive officers and senior management to achieve such goals.

Our Executive Compensation Program Emphasizes Pay-for-Performance

        The primary objective of our executive compensation program is to emphasize pay-for-performance by incentivizing our executive officers and senior management to drive superior results and generate stockholder value. We accomplish this objective in the following ways:

•

Annual Incentive Awards.    Our Management Incentive Plan ("MIP"), which applies to the award of annual cash incentive compensation, referred to in this CD&A as a "MIP award," is intended to focus our executive officers on the key corporate financial metrics that we believe drive our best results. As explained in more detail below, because Resort EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, as reported for our Mountain and Lodging segments) is the primary performance metric associated with the MIP for our NEOs, their annual cash incentive fluctuates with our performance and the achievement of our annual goals as established by the Compensation Committee each fiscal year.



•

Long-Term Equity Awards.    A significant portion of our NEOs' total annual compensation opportunity is in the form of long-term equity incentive compensation, including share appreciation rights ("SARs") and restricted share units ("RSUs"), each of which generally vest over three years.



•

High Percentage of Compensation is Variable or "At-Risk."    A significant percentage of our NEOs' compensation is tied to incentives or appreciation in our stock price, making the majority of pay for these individuals variable or at-risk. As executive officers attain greater levels of responsibility, the percentage of their total target compensation that is variable or "at-risk" increases and the percentage that is fixed decreases. As such, the NEO whose compensation is most heavily comprised of at-risk elements is our Chief Executive Officer ("CEO"). Our commitment to emphasizing performance-based compensation is illustrated by

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the following charts, which show the mix of our program's three primary direct compensation components (fixed compensation, consisting of base salary; variable or at-risk compensation, consisting of target annual incentive compensation; and actual long-term equity incentive awards granted in the fiscal year) for our CEO and, on average, for our other NEOs for fiscal 2014:



•

Performance-Based Stock Awards for CEO.    In furtherance of our pay-for-performance philosophy and to further align the interests of our CEO with the interests of our stockholders, the Compensation Committee has determined that at least 50% of the shares subject to long-term equity incentive awards granted to our CEO each fiscal year (not including RSUs granted in payment of his annual MIP award which are already tied to the performance metrics set forth under the MIP) will be "performance-based" stock awards. These performance-based stock awards may include (i) awards that do not vest or become exercisable unless specific business performance goals established by the Compensation Committee at the time of grant of the award are satisfied, and/or (ii) SARs subject to time-based vesting criteria, but with an exercise price at least 25% greater than the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant ("Premium SARs"). For fiscal 2014, the Compensation Committee determined that the performance-based stock awards would consist of Premium SARs and therefore awarded Mr. Katz long-term equity incentive awards consisting 50% of Premium SARs and 50% of SARs with an exercise price equal to the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant ("Market SARs").

Our Executive Compensation Program is Supported by Our Stockholders

        At our annual meeting of stockholders on December 6, 2013, approximately 99.7% of the votes cast on the proposal were voted in support of the advisory resolution to approve the compensation of our named executive officers. After considering the results of this vote, the Compensation Committee concluded that there is strong stockholder support of our executive compensation program and its emphasis on pay-for-performance. As a result, the Compensation Committee determined to maintain the current executive compensation program. At our 2011 annual meeting, our stockholders expressed a preference that advisory votes on executive compensation occur every year, as recommended by our Board of Directors. Consistent with this preference, our Board of Directors has determined to implement an advisory vote on executive compensation every year until the next advisory vote on the frequency of stockholder votes on executive compensation, which will occur no later than the Company's annual meeting of stockholders in 2017.

Fiscal 2015 Committee Actions

        For fiscal 2015, as part of its annual assessment of our compensation approach, including how we balance our pay-for-performance philosophy with the risk profile of our compensation mix, the Compensation Committee determined a new allocation of equity awards would strike a more appropriate

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balance of performance, risk and retention incentives regarding the long-term equity incentive awards granted to our CEO. As a result, for fiscal 2015, the Compensation Committee concluded that instead of providing the long-term equity incentive awards as 50% Premium SARs and 50% Market SARs (as was done for fiscal 2014), the Compensation Committee awarded Mr. Katz his long-term equity incentive awards as approximately 50% of the number of shares in Premium SARs and approximately 50% of the number of shares in a combination of Market SARs and RSUs.

        In addition, for fiscal 2015, the Compensation Committee engaged Hewitt to conduct a competitive market study of the Company's executive compensation program and to advise on fiscal 2015 compensation decisions. The study analyzed our executive compensation relative to Hewitt's proprietary survey data as well as to publicly-traded peer group companies recommended by Hewitt and our Compensation Committee confirmed a peer group based upon this data. The peer group used by the Compensation Committee for fiscal 2015 compensation decisions consists of the following companies:

Effective Corporate Governance Reinforces Our Executive Compensation Program

        The following features of our executive compensation program are evidence of our commitment to good corporate governance practices generally:

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Key Objectives of Our Executive Compensation Program

        Our executive compensation program focuses on the following three key objectives:

•

Emphasizing Pay-for-Performance.    Emphasize pay-for-performance by tying annual and long-term compensation incentives to achievement of specified performance objectives or overall stock performance.



•

Attracting, Retaining and Motivating.    Attract, retain and motivate talented executives who will determine our long-term success. We have structured our executive compensation program to be competitive with compensation paid by companies in the same market for executive talent.



•

Rewarding Contributions and Creating Long-Term Value.    We have structured our compensation program to recognize and reward contributions of all employees, including executive officers, in achieving strategic goals and business objectives, while aligning the program with stockholder interests.


Compensation-Setting Process


Participants in Setting Executive Compensation

        The Compensation Committee is responsible for determining the compensation of our executive officers, including our NEOs. In appropriate circumstances, such as when new market data supports a market adjustment, the Compensation Committee, in its discretion, considers the recommendations of our CEO in setting executive compensation, including the compensation of the other NEOs. The Compensation Committee, however, makes all final determinations regarding these awards and no executive officer is involved in the deliberations or the determination with respect to his or her own compensation. The non-management directors' practice is to meet in executive session following the Board meeting in September of each year to review and ratify the Compensation Committee's annual review of the CEO.

Comparative Framework

        To achieve our executive compensation objectives, the Compensation Committee periodically analyzes market data and evaluates individual executive performance with a goal of setting compensation at levels the Compensation Committee believes, based on their general business and industry knowledge and experience, are comparable with executives in other companies operating in the leisure, travel, gaming and hospitality industries, which we refer to as our "peer group." We face a somewhat unique challenge in establishing a peer group because few publicly-traded companies participate in more than one of our operating segments. Thus, when evaluating executive compensation, the Compensation Committee includes in our peer group a variety of leisure, travel, gaming and hospitality companies with whom we may compete for executive talent and the discretionary travel dollars of our guests.

        When performing its annual executive compensation review, the Compensation Committee has sole authority to engage an independent compensation consultant to assist in obtaining market data and analyzing the competitive nature of our compensation programs. The Compensation Committee engaged Hewitt to conduct a competitive market study of the Company's executive compensation program and to advise on fiscal 2014 compensation decisions. The study analyzed our executive compensation relative to Hewitt's proprietary survey data as well as to publicly-traded peer group companies recommended by Hewitt and our Compensation Committee then confirmed a peer group based upon this data. The peer

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group used by the Compensation Committee for fiscal 2014 compensation decisions consisted of the following companies:

        The Compensation Committee uses survey and peer group information generally for competitive and retention purposes. Generally, we seek to align target pay levels for our NEOs between the 50^th and 75^th percentile of compensation as compared with companies in our peer group. However, as compared with companies in our peer group, we generally make at-risk compensation a more significant component of our NEOs' compensation in order to emphasize pay-for-performance. We believe that compensating our NEOs with a larger proportion of at-risk compensation elements (such as MIP award, SARs and RSUs) in relation to more static compensation elements (such as base salary) and a larger proportion of long-term equity incentives (such as SARs and RSUs) in relation to short-term compensation elements (such as base salary and MIP award) compared with the peer group more closely aligns the interests of our NEOs with those of our stockholders. The Hewitt study further validates that our executive compensation program continues to be aligned with our stated philosophy.

        The Compensation Committee will continue to seek advice from independent compensation consultants as it deems necessary on a periodic basis to help ensure that the Company's compensation programs remain appropriate and consistent with industry practices. Although the Compensation Committee believes that it is important to periodically review the compensation policies of its peer group and the survey data, the Compensation Committee also believes that our executive compensation program must further our business objectives and be consistent with our culture. Therefore, while the Compensation Committee reviews the peer group and survey data, including the total and type of compensation paid to executive officers at peer group companies to further validate that the compensation paid to the executive officers remains competitive, the Compensation Committee does not necessarily make any particular adjustments to the compensation paid to the executive officers based on the peer group or survey data.

Company-Specific Factors

        In addition to considering market data with respect to executive compensation practices of companies within our peer group, the Compensation Committee takes into account individual performance, our retention needs, our relative performance and our own strategic goals. Also, we conduct an annual review of the aggregate level of our executive compensation program as part of our annual budget review and annual performance review processes, which include determining the operating metrics and non-financial elements used to measure our performance and to compensate our executive officers. For example, in fiscal 2010, as part of a Company-wide wage reduction plan to control expenses, our executive officers were subject to a 10% salary reduction and our CEO received no salary for a twelve-month period.

        The Compensation Committee, in conjunction with any data and recommendations provided by our independent compensation consultant in any given year, also annually analyzes tally sheets prepared for each NEO. These tally sheets present the dollar amount of each component of the NEO's compensation, including current cash compensation (base salary and MIP award), perquisites and the value of equity awards previously granted to the NEO, as well as the amounts that would have been payable to the NEO if employment had been terminated under a variety of scenarios as of the end of the most recently completed fiscal year. The Compensation Committee uses these tally sheets, which provide substantially the same information as is provided in the tables included in this proxy statement, together with peer group data,

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primarily for purposes of analyzing our NEOs' total compensation and determining whether it is appropriate to adjust the compensation mix for our NEOs on a going forward basis. In its most recent review of tally sheets, the Compensation Committee determined that total compensation amounts for our NEOs remained consistent with our executive compensation philosophy and objectives.

Elements of Compensation


Overview

        Our executive compensation program consists of the following elements:

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2014 Compensation Decisions


Base Salary

        The Compensation Committee generally reviews and adjusts base salaries annually at its September committee meeting, with new salaries effective in mid-October. The following table sets forth the annual base salaries approved by the Compensation Committee for fiscal 2014 compared to fiscal 2013 and shows the percentage change from the prior year. Fiscal 2014 base salary increases were approved for all NEOs in recognition of achieving their individual performance goals in fiscal 2013 and, except as otherwise set forth below, consistent with 3.0% merit increases for employees generally who achieved their individual performance goals in the prior fiscal year.

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Annual MIP Awards

        Following the completion of fiscal 2014, all of our NEOs were eligible to receive an annual cash MIP award based on our performance and each NEO's individual performance during fiscal 2014. Pursuant to his employment agreement, Mr. Katz's MIP award is paid 50% in cash and 50% in RSUs that vest annually over a three-year period.

        Annual Funding of the MIP.    Annual funding of the MIP is based upon our achievement of performance measures selected by the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee has established (1) Resort EBITDA, and (2) performance goals for Vail Resorts Development Company ("VRDC Performance Goals"), as the performance measures to determine funding of the MIP for our NEOs. The Compensation Committee believes these are the appropriate performance measures because Resort EBITDA is the primary performance metric used by the Company to measure its performance and VRDC Performance Goals promote a long-term focus on performance because the real estate and development portion of our business tends to use different measures of success, including net cash flow generated from sales and other operational targets related to construction and development of new projects that are most often multi-year endeavors, with revenue and expenditure happening across long periods of time. For purposes of setting annual funding targets under the MIP, the Compensation Committee bases the Resort EBITDA target on the target set by our Board of Directors annually when approving the Company's budget and bases VRDC Performance Goals on Board of Directors approved targets for Real Estate EBITDA and net cash proceeds from real estate sales. In setting the performance measures for any given fiscal year, the Compensation Committee considers our past performance, broader economic trends that may impact us in the upcoming year, and our historical performance in relation to the MIP award targets set in the respective prior periods.

        Please see pages 38 and 53 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal 2014 filed with the SEC on September 24, 2014 for information regarding our use of the non-GAAP financial measures discussed in this CD&A and a reconciliation of the differences between the non-GAAP financial measures and their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures.

        Resort EBITDA Target.    For fiscal 2014, the Resort EBITDA target was set at $286.9 million. Both the Resort EBITDA and Real Estate EBITDA targets (which comprised a portion of the VRDC Performance Goals for the fiscal year as described below) were based on our approved budget for fiscal 2014. The Compensation Committee established the performance measures at the beginning of the fiscal year with the expectation that the target level of performance of these goals would require significant effort and substantial progress toward our strategic plan goals in light of the business environment at that time. As a result, our attainment of these targets in fiscal 2014 was considered moderately likely.

        VRDC Performance Goals Target.    For fiscal 2014, the VRDC Performance Goals included, among other things, attaining a Real Estate EBITDA target of $(11.4) million and achieving net cash proceeds from real estate sales of $40.4 million, in each case with respect to our real estate segment. For the VRDC Performance Goals, the Compensation Committee sets out several specific goals, each of which has a separate weighting within that portion of the funding calculation for corporate performance. Among these specific goals, we expect that some should be achievable, some will be challenging to achieve and others will be difficult to achieve. Over the past three fiscal years, VRDC completed the number of goals resulting in between approximately 111.0% and 150.0% funding of the VRDC Performance Goals portion of corporate performance, with an average funding over this time of 136.0%.

        How the MIP Is Funded.    For fiscal 2014, for each NEO, 85% of the funding of the MIP was based upon the achievement of Resort EBITDA and 15% was based upon achievement of the VRDC Performance Goals, including Real Estate EBITDA. Under the MIP, if we achieve 100% of the Resort EBITDA target, the MIP is funded at 100% of the target funding level for that component, as is more fully detailed in the table below. If our performance exceeds 100% of the Resort EBITDA target, the MIP is

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funded above the target funding level for that component up to a maximum of 200% of the target funding level. If our performance falls below 100% of the annual Resort EBITDA target, the MIP is funded below the target funding level for that component. If our performance falls below 80% of the annual Resort Reported target, the MIP is not funded for that component.

MIP Funding for Resort EBITDA Component

        The other component of the MIP funding calculation for NEOs is the attainment of the VRDC Performance Goals. If the minimum percentage of the Resort EBITDA target is not reached and no VRDC Performance Goals are met, then the MIP is not funded for the NEOs and no MIP awards are paid to them. In the event our Resort EBITDA for any fiscal year meets the specific threshold or target level, and/or we achieve any of the VRDC Performance Goals, then the MIP is funded at the appropriate level and each NEO is eligible to receive a MIP award. In addition, once the MIP is funded based upon each NEO's target MIP award percentage, the total pool for NEOs is increased by 5%, with such excess being paid out, if any, at the discretion of the Compensation Committee based upon individual performance.

        Target Annual MIP Awards.    For fiscal 2014, each NEO was eligible for an annual MIP award based on a percentage of annual base salary as follows:

        The differences between the NEOs' target MIP awards as a percentage of their base salaries was determined based upon the perceived ability each executive position has to influence our performance. The positions deemed to have the most potential impact upon our performance have the greatest potential for annual MIP award potential, putting a greater proportion of such NEO's total pay at-risk relative to performance, in accordance with our executive compensation philosophy. Threshold, target and maximum awards payable under the MIP for fiscal 2014 are reported in the Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table.

        Individual MIP Award Determination.    Once funding is established, the actual MIP award paid to each NEO is determined by individual performance objectives (other than for Mr. Katz, whose award is based solely on the funded amount of target MIP determined by Company performance because, unlike other NEOs, he is responsible for all aspects of Company performance). This structure reflects our objective to put more emphasis on individual performance oriented compensation, while at the same time

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requiring that overall Company performance standards are met before MIP funding can occur. Achievement of individual performance objectives can result in the NEO receiving a MIP award equal to 0%, 70%, 100%, 115% or 130% of the funded amount (subject to availability of funds under the MIP) and subject to further adjustments (including the 5% adjustment described above) at the discretion of the Compensation Committee. Individual performance objectives vary depending upon our strategic plan and each NEO's individual responsibilities and are established at the beginning of each fiscal year, with the expectation in fiscal 2014 that the target level of performance of these objectives would require significant effort and substantial progress toward the goals of our strategic plan in light of the current business environment. As a result, each NEO's attainment of his or her performance objectives in fiscal 2014 was moderately likely.

        Example.    An executive whose MIP award funding is 85% based on Resort EBITDA and 15% based upon achievement of VRDC Performance Goals, earning $300,000 annually with a target MIP award of 50% of base salary, would have an available MIP award funding of $127,500 for 100% achievement of Resort EBITDA (100% times 50% salary target times 85% funding), plus $22,500 for 100% achievement of VRDC Performance Goals (100% times 50% salary target times 15% funding), for a total of $150,000, or 100%, of target funding. However, because 100% of an executive's total MIP award is determined by the achievement of individual performance objectives, an executive's ultimate total MIP award can be paid out in an amount equal to 0%, 70%, 100%, 115% or 130% of the target amount based on individual performance (subject to availability of funds under the MIP).

        Fiscal 2014 Results.    In fiscal 2014, the Compensation Committee adjusted the Resort EBITDA actual results to reflect the unbudgeted and unanticipated changes in the legal expenses associated with the recent litigation surrounding the Canyons and Park City lease, which the Compensation Committee did not consider to be relevant to the performance of the Company's Mountain and Lodging divisions, which comprise Resort EBITDA. As a result, in fiscal 2014, we met 94.7% of the Resort EBITDA target, which resulted in a funding level at 48.7% of the target funding level for that component of the funding calculation. In fiscal 2014, VRDC achieved VRDC Performance Goals resulting in a funding level of 150.0% for the VRDC Performance Goals component of the funding calculation. Combined with the Resort EBITDA funding, this resulted in an overall funding level of 63.90% of the target funding level for each NEO. Based upon these results and individual performance, the Compensation Committee determined the final MIP award amounts as follows:

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Long-Term Equity Incentives

        Our long-term equity incentive award program is designed to promote long-term Company performance and align each executive's risk with stockholder interest, to reward the achievement of long-term goals, and to promote stability and corporate loyalty among our executives. The Compensation Committee bases awards of long-term equity compensation on a number of different factors, including competitive market practices as determined by our peer group analysis, the information provided by our independent compensation consultant, the amount of cash compensation that is currently paid to each NEO, each NEO's level of responsibility, our retention objectives and our pay-for-performance philosophy. In general, the Compensation Committee makes long- term equity award determinations for executive officers in September of each year and typically consults with our CEO in determining the size of grants to each NEO, other than himself, although the Compensation Committee makes all final determinations. The non-management directors' practice is to meet in executive session following the Board meeting in September of each year to review and ratify the Compensation Committee's annual review of the CEO. In fiscal 2014, the Compensation Committee granted long-term equity incentive awards under the 2002 Plan. For fiscal 2014, the Compensation Committee did not make any changes to the long-term incentive program.

        As noted above, the long-term equity values awarded to our NEOs are based on a number of different factors considered by the Compensation Committee. For fiscal 2014, the Compensation Committee generally awarded each NEO equity values consistent with previous year levels, increased by 3.5% from the prior fiscal year, with certain additional adjustments as determined appropriate based upon an executive's individual performance and changes in scope of responsibility. As described elsewhere in this CD&A, 50% of the long-term equity incentive awards awarded to Mr. Katz are performance-based SARs with an exercise price equal to 125% of the closing price on the date of grant. In addition, Mr. Carrig was awarded $500,000 in RSUs that cliff vest three years after the date of grant for retention purposes. Similarly, Mr. Mehrberg was awarded $700,000 in RSUs that cliff vest three years after the date of grant for retention purposes and in connection with his appointment as Executive Vice President and General Counsel in December 2013.

        As in previous years, the long-term equity incentive awards granted to our NEOs in fiscal 2014 consisted of RSUs and SARs. In determining the mix of RSUs and SARs granted to each of our NEOs in fiscal 2014, the Compensation Committee considered that, of the two forms of equity awards, RSUs have a relatively greater retentive effect, and SARs have a relatively greater performance incentive impact. For fiscal 2014, and excluding Messrs. Carrig and Mehrberg's awards noted above, approximately 22.7% of the long-term equity incentive award value is attributed to RSUs and approximately 77.3% of the award value is attributed to SARs for our NEOs other than the CEO. For our CEO, approximately 6.7% of the long-term equity incentive award value is attributed to RSUs (consisting solely of RSUs in partial payment of his MIP award) and approximately 93.3% of the award value is attributed to SARs. To further promote retention, the RSUs and SARs granted in fiscal 2014, other than Messrs. Carrig and Mehrberg's awards noted above, vest in equal annual installments over a three year period commencing on the first anniversary date of the grant. As the awards are inherently tied to the performance of our common stock, we consider a vesting schedule based on continued service appropriate to meet the desire for both retention and performance incentive.

        The value of the equity awards granted to our NEOs in fiscal 2014 are reported in the Summary Compensation Table and are further described in the Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table.

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Other Executive Compensation Policies and Practices


Clawback Policy

        In line with corporate governance best practices, in October 2010 the Compensation Committee adopted a clawback policy that allows the Company to seek repayment of incentive compensation that was erroneously paid. The policy provides that if the Board of Directors determines that there has been a material restatement of publicly issued financial results from those previously issued to the public, our Board of Directors will review all MIP awards made to executive officers during the three-year period prior to the restatement on the basis of having met or exceeded specific performance targets. If such payments would have been lower had they been calculated based on such restated results, our Board of Directors will (to the extent permitted by governing law) seek to recoup the payments in excess of the amount that would have been paid based on the restated results.

Equity Grant Practices

        We generally seek to make equity compensation grants in the first quarter following the completion of a given fiscal year. SARs are granted with an exercise price equal to or higher than the market price of our common stock on the date of grant, which is the date the Compensation Committee approves the award. We do not have any specific program, plan or practice related to timing equity compensation awards to executives; however, the Compensation Committee generally grants annual awards on the date of the regularly scheduled first quarter Board of Directors meeting in September. Other than grants made in connection with hiring, promotions or to replace certain new hire grants once they vest and/or are exercised, equity awards are granted to NEOs at the same time that equity awards are granted to all other employees who are eligible for such awards.

Stock Ownership Guidelines for Executives

        Consistent with our objective of encouraging executive stock ownership to create long-term stockholder value by aligning the interests of our executives with our stockholders, the Company has adopted executive stock ownership guidelines. Under the guidelines, our executive officers are expected to hold shares of our common stock equal to multiples of their base salaries as follows: Chief Executive Officer—6x; Chief Financial Officer—3x; Presidents—3x; and Executive Vice Presidents—2x. Until an executive achieves the required level of ownership, he or she is required to retain at least 75% of the net shares received as a result of the vesting of RSUs or restricted stock or the exercise of SARs or stock options. Net shares are those that remain after shares are netted to pay any applicable exercise price or statutory tax withholdings. Shares of common stock, stock owned in a directed retirement plan or IRA and the intrinsic value of vested equity grants count as stock ownership for purposes of these guidelines.

Policy Prohibiting Hedging Transactions

        Our Insider Trading Compliance Program prohibits our executives from engaging in hedging transactions designed to offset decreases in the market value of the Company's securities, including engaging in short sales or investing in other derivatives of the Company's securities, including put and call options and collar transactions.

Post-Termination Compensation

        Pursuant to their respective employment agreements, each of Messrs. Katz and Carrig are entitled to receive severance payments and continuation of certain benefits upon certain terminations of employment, including certain resignations for "good reason" (as defined in their respective agreements). Pursuant to the Company's executive severance policy, Messrs. Barkin and Mehrberg and Ms. Lynch are also entitled to receive severance payments upon certain terminations of employment. In addition, each NEO is entitled

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to receive payments upon a termination occurring within a limited period of time following a change in control. We believe the change in control arrangements provide continuity of management in the event of an actual or threatened change in control. We also believe that our termination and severance provisions reflect both market practices and competitive factors. Our Board believed that these severance payments and benefit arrangements were necessary to attract and retain our executives when these agreements were entered into.

Executive Tax Deductibility of Executive Compensation

        Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code (the "Code") generally provides that no federal income tax business expense deduction is allowed for annual compensation in excess of $1 million paid by a publicly traded corporation to its chief executive officer and its three other most highly compensated executive officers (other than the chief financial officer). Under the Code, however, compensation that is considered "performance-based compensation" (within the meaning of the Code) does not count towards the $1 million limit. While the Compensation Committee considers the impact of the tax treatment, the primary factor influencing program design is the support of business objectives. The Compensation Committee reserves the right to design programs that recognize a full range of performance criteria important to our success, even where the compensation paid under such programs may not be deductible. Accordingly, the Compensation Committee retains flexibility to structure our compensation programs in a manner that is not tax-deductible in order to achieve a strategic result that the Compensation Committee determines to be more appropriate. We have typically intended to structure certain quantitative portions of our cash-based incentive compensation and our equity awards to our covered executive officers under the 2002 Plan and MIP as qualifying performance-based compensation for Section 162(m) purposes. However, because of ambiguities and uncertainties as to the application and interpretation of Section 162(m) and the regulations issued thereunder, no assurance can be given, notwithstanding our efforts, that compensation intended by us to satisfy the requirements for deductibility under Section 162(m) does in fact do so.

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SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE FOR FISCAL 2014

        The following table summarizes the total compensation paid or earned by the named executive officers for each of the last three fiscal years during which the officer was a named executive officer:

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GRANTS OF PLAN-BASED AWARDS IN FISCAL 2014

        The following table shows certain information regarding grants of plan-based awards to the named executive officers during fiscal 2014:

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