When Congress passed the Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act in 2011, it opened the door for approval of year-round activities on permitted, already-developed ski terrain. By creating more year round options, the bill offered people more opportunities to explore the forests around them.

As a leader in four-season recreation, Vail Resorts wanted to create a vision for providing additional high-quality outdoor recreation offerings at their resorts. Mountainworks was retained by Vail Resorts to provide a comprehensive summer experience vision plan called Epic Discovery.