Boyne Resorts Announces Partnership with Snow Angel Foundation
Boyne Resorts announced that it has partnered with the Snow Angel Foundation for the '25/26 season, becoming the first ski resort operator to form a company-wide partnership with the foundation.
In 2010, a Christmas Eve ski collision claimed the life of 5-year-old Elise Johnson and left her mother Kelli with life-altering injuries. Today, that tragedy has sparked the most comprehensive company-wide safety partnership in the industry. As the largest family-owned, independent mountain resort company in North America, Boyne Resorts is an ideal partner for the non-profit. Collision safety training sessions facilitated by the Snow Angel Foundation will be hosted at each of the company's ten resorts this winter, with opportunities to include the local community, schools, ski and race teams. Snow Angel signage will also be on display across all resorts as a part of a comprehensive mountain safety messaging initiative.
“Having worked individually with the foundation for years, resorts are already familiar with the Snow Angel message, this just formalizes it” said Mike Unruh, Senior VP of Mountain Operations for Boyne. Regarding the roll-out of Snow Angel initiatives, he continues: “we are very resort-centric and knowledge driven, and recognize the differences in guest expectations at each location.” From urban-adjacent resorts like Brighton, UT and Cypress Mountain, BC to more wild and remote locations like Big Sky, MT and Sugarloaf, ME, this partnership ensures that the message gets to as many people as possible, without restricting the whole point of being in the mountains in the first place.
As far as the guest experience goes, skiers and riders will not see a lot of physical changes other than signage. From the operations standpoint, it’s not about having someone standing by a ‘SLOW’ sign yelling at people. It’s about setting the example that skiers and riders are looking up to. At this stage, the operators are examining training schedules and staffing plans to coordinate with Snow Angel to reach as much of the staff as possible. The importance of starting with the staff is that every guest interaction they have is a chance to change behavior. As Chauncy Johnson, founder and executive director of the Snow Angel Foundation said: “It's about having a productive conversation that lands with the person you're speaking to."
"The Snow Angel Foundation's message extends far beyond the slopes," said Jason Perl, general manager of Boyne Mountain and Snow Angel Foundation board member. "Their philosophy about safety awareness – whether skiing, driving, biking, or simply existing alongside others in our daily lives – aligns perfectly with how we approach operations. Supporting the Snow Angel Foundation allows them to continue sharing this important safety philosophy across all of our mountain communities."
"Our mission is to prevent ski and snowboard collisions through education and awareness so that everyone can Ride Another Day," said Johnson. "Safer slopes protect lives, and partnerships like this with Boyne Resorts help us reach more people with this critical safety message." Learn more about the Johnsons’ story and the foundation at snowangelfoundation.org
