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SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., March 21, 2017—At the end of the day on Friday, March 31, Winter Park Resort president and CEO Gary DeFrange will retire from the post garydefrange esizehe's held since 1997. Intrawest COO Sky Foulkes will succeed DeFrange as president.


“It is bittersweet leaving a place as special as Winter Park, but I'm filled with gratitude for the immense privilege of leading one of the country's greatest resorts for so long,” DeFrange said.

Before running Winter Park, the Colorado native spent 27 years in the banking industry, much of that time as a high-level executive. Later in is banking career, DeFrange became acquainted with Winter Park while volunteering for the National Sports Center for the Disabled based there, serving as a guide for visually impaired skiers and eventually joining the organization's board.

When Winter Park was looking for a new leader, DeFrange was asked to take on the job—and the challenge of resurrecting the financial condition of the Denver-owned ski area, which he did.

With DeFrange at the helm, Winter Park was leased to Intrawest in 2002, and the company has since invested millions in infrastructure, including new chairlifts and a base area village. DeFrange also was integral in the successful revitalization of the Winter Park Express ski train this past winter.

“As president, DeFrange presided over a period of significant growth and improvement, shaping the Winter Park that is so familiar to skiers and riders today,” Intrawest said in a statement. “Under DeFrange, the ski area expanded into the Cirque and Eagle Wind Territories, [and] added the Panoramic Express, Super Gauge Express, Eagle Wind and Eskimo Express lifts, which increased uphill capacity by thousands of riders per hour. He also oversaw the implementation of the summer mountain bike program and facilitated the building of the Winter Park Village, forever transforming Winter Park from a mere ski area to a year-round, world-class resort.”

That's the legacy Foulkes inherits. “Winter Park Resort is a treasured Colorado institution and I'm humbled and thrilled to be a part of such a great team,” he said. “Gary DeFrange is a legend in the ski industry, and while his are massive shoes to fill, I look forward to hopefully building on the prodigious foundation he's established at Winter Park, and the indelible legacy he's left throughout the industry.”

Foulkes, who has been executive VP and COO of Intrawest since 2014, spent the prior 32 years at Stratton, Vt., including seven years as president and COO.