Vail Resorts Ski Instructor Lawsuit: What Nearly 2,000 Instructors Allege

A separate wage-and-hour case involving Vail Resorts ski and snowboard instructors has drawn significant attention in 2026. The case is different from the Epic Pass pricing lawsuits and focuses on whether instructors were properly paid for all work time and reimbursed for certain work expenses.

What the instructors allege

The plaintiffs in Quint et al. v. Vail Resorts allege that snow-sports instructors were not paid for certain off-the-clock activities, including travel between employee parking, locker rooms and work areas, putting on and taking off required gear, and some training time. They also allege that instructors were not reimbursed for some equipment and work-related phone costs.

Vail Resorts strongly denies wrongdoing and says it has paid instructors in compliance with the law. The court has not ruled that Vail violated wage laws in this case.

Nearly 2,000 instructors joined by April 2026

The Colorado Sun reported in April 2026 that more than 1,900 current and former instructors had joined the collective action. The case website says the potential group covers instructors who worked for Vail Resorts after December 2, 2017.

Why this case is separate from the pricing lawsuits

This lawsuit is about employee pay practices under federal labor law, not Epic Pass pricing or alleged antitrust conduct. That distinction matters because several different Vail-related cases are active at the same time and they should not be treated as one dispute.

A related legal fight was dismissed in March

In a different case, Bisaillon v. Vail Resorts, a federal judge in Colorado dismissed class claims in March 2026 and dismissed the plaintiff's individual claims without prejudice for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction. That ruling does not resolve the Quint instructor wage case.

Sources: official Vail Resorts Instructor Wage Litigation notice site; The Colorado Sun; Reuters; U.S. District Court records. Allegations are presented as allegations, and Vail's denial is included.