In SAM’s Snow People, we highlight recent personnel moves that have been made in the mountain resort industry. From resort hires, promotions, and retirements to supplier news, awards and obits. We celebrate the people that make this industry thrive.

PEOPLE

STEVE DUKE, CRESTED BUTTE, CO

Steve Duke was named director of mountain operations at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Colo. Duke has more than 20 years of experience in the industry and recently was the senior manager of mountain operations. His new role will be providing leadership, management, and direction for summer and winter operations.

MEL TWEEDIE, NZSKI

NZSki has appointed Mel Tweedie as general manager of sales and marketing. Tweedie has been employed at the company since 2015 as the marketing communications manager. She has a broad background with major brands across the world including AMI, FMG, Amcal, New World, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, and CIBO Espresso.   

RYAN GOSSELIN, KILLINGTON/PICO SKI RESORT, VT

Ryan Gosselin has been promoted to parking and grounds manager for Vermont’s Killington/Pico. Gosselin has worked at Killington for more than four years in a variety of departments including lift operations, terrain parks and most recently, parking and grounds. He will oversee the parking and guest transportation departments during the winter and grounds department over the summer.

ANDREW GAST, MT. ASHLAND, OR

Andrew Gast will join Mt. Ashland, Ore., as the nonprofit ski area’s general manager. Gast is a graduate of the Ski Area Management program at Colorado State University and has an MBA in tourism and an undergraduate degree in outdoor recreation. His nearly 20 years of outdoor industry experience includes leading another nonprofit ski area, Antelope Butte, Wyo., as its executive director from 2015 to 2017.

TREVOR MARING, AFTON ALPS, MN

Afton Alps, Minn., has appointed Trevor Maring as general manager. He graduated from the University of Minnesota before moving west to Breckenridge, where he held a variety of roles in parking, shipping and receiving, and fleet maintenance. He became director of operations at Breck in January 2020.

GARRETT SWYGMAN, ALYESKA RESORT, ALASKA

Garrett Swygman was promoted to mountain operations manager at Alaska’s Alyeska, where he’s worked for 17 years. Swygman has spent more than 20 years in the industry in various roles at areas including Bridger Bowl, Mont., and Crested Butte. He joined Alyeska in 2005 as a lift mechanic and was promoted to lift maintenance manager in 2010. 

KENNY THOMPSON, JR., VAIL RESORTS

Vail Resorts has hired Kenny Thompson, Jr. to serve as the company’s chief public affairs officer. Thompson brings two decades of public affairs experience, including four years with the Obama White House, and nine years in external affairs for PepsiCo. In 2022, he was awarded the Washington Business Journal's Diversity in Business award. In the newly created role, Thompson will oversee government relations, community relations, communications, sustainability, and the company’s social responsibility platform, EpicPromise.

STEVE NEWICK, GUNSTOCK MOUNTAIN, NH

Gunstock Mountain, N.H., has hired Steve Newick as marketing director. Newick brings more than 17 years of hospitality experience, most recently serving as CEO of Newick’s Hospitality Group, where he provided executive leadership and management to a large restaurant chain. 

KEVIN MITCHELL, POWDER MOUNTAIN, UT

Powder Mountain, Utah, has appointed Kevin Mitchell as its new general manager. Mitchell brings more than three decades of experience to the job. He started in the ski industry in 1989 as an instructor at Tahoe's Boreal and Northstar, and went on to lead Northstar’s ski and snowboard schools for five years before moving on to similar leadership positions at Sierra-at-Tahoe, Alpine Meadows, and Homewood.

LANCE THOMPSON and COURTNEY DIFIORE, VAIL RESORTS

Lance Thompson has been promoted to chief operating officer–hospitality, for Vail Resorts. Thompson brings more than 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry and recently was the vice president of hospitality for Vail Resorts. Previous work includes serving as managing director of hospitality operations at Timber Resorts and vice president of operations at The PlumpJack Group.   

Courtney DiFiore has recently joined Vail Resorts as communications manager VT/NY. DiFiore has more than 10 years of experience in the ski industry, with roles at Vermont’s Stratton and Killington, among others. 

CHRIS INGHAM, KEYSTONE RESORT, CO

Keystone Resort, Colo., has hired Chris Ingham as senior director of mountain operations. Ingham has spent the last 16 years with Vail Resorts in various roles including operations specialist, terrain park manager, and director of mountain operations. 

KARYN THOR, CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN, MI

Crystal Mountain, Mich., promoted Karyn Thorr to the role of chief operating officer. As COO, Thorr will oversee on-mountain operations including lifts, grooming, maintenance, safety, and snowsports. She will also continue to serve as the principal broker for Crystal Mountain Realty, a position she has held since 2014. During her 29 years with Crystal, Thorr has led several departments including marketing, conference services, and skier services. In 2005, she moved to Crystal Mountain Realty, where she played a critical role in the successful development of the $12 million Inn Phase II project, completed in 2017.

HIRAM TOWLE, BRIDGER BOWL, MT

Hiram Towle has been appointed as general manager at Bridger Bowl Ski Area, Mont. A 20-year industry veteran, Towle most recently served as GM of another non-profit area, Mt. Ashland, Ore., for eight years. Prior to Mt. Ashland, Towle served in a variety of roles at Maine’s Sunday River for 12 years there. That body of work helped Towle earn a SAMMY Leadership Award in 2015.

BEN SUURALLIK, SUNSHINE VILLAGE RESORT, CANADA

Canada’s Sunshine Village Resort has promoted Ben Suurallik to terrain park grooming supervisor. Suurallik has been employed at Sunshine for more than 10 years as the terrain park supervisor and snowcat operator. 

CHRIS BLACKWELL, LIBERTY MOUNTAIN RESORT, PA

Chris Blackwell was appointed as the general manager of Liberty Mountain Resort, Pa. Prior to joining Liberty, Blackwell served for three years as general manager of Vail Resorts-owned Afton Alps in Minnesota. Before taking the helm there, he was director of base area operations at Breckenridge for seven years.

MOUNT HOOD MEADOWS, OR

Lisa Cordie has been promoted to director of guest services at Mt. Hood Meadows, Ore. In this new role, Cordie will provide leadership to guest services, retail, rental, and daycare. Cordie has spent 23 seasons at Meadows contributing to daycare, the learning center, and guest services. She is the only two-time winner of the President's Award in the resort’s history.  

Tyler Barnes has been promoted to director of Meadows’ learning center. Barnes has spent several decades in the ski industry at various resorts including Deer Valley, Utah, Oregon’s Timberline and Mt. Hood Summer Ski Camps, and as a contractor for PSIA-Northwest.

 Geoff Marriner has been promoted to director of mountain operations. Geoff has spent several decades in the ski industry. Prior to joining the team at Meadows, he was mountain operations manager at Jeongseon Alpine Centre, South Korea, including during the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

SUPPLIER NEWS

INNTOPIA

Sarah Bertoline, Drew Jackson, and Burleigh Sunflower are now the strategic account managers for the Marketing Cloud team at Inntopia. Sarah Bertoline brings in marketing experience from ski resorts including Vail and Keystone, Colo. Recently she worked in digital production for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and as a consultant for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Drew Jackson has worked many years in marketing, CRM and analytics for various ski resorts including Camelback, Pa., Mt. Bachelor, Ore., and Sugar Bowl, Calif. Burleigh Sunflower brings in snowsport and marketing experience at various Northeast ski resorts including Bromley and Okemo in Vermont and as part of the Vail Resorts east coast marketing group. 

Mandy Ameli joins Inntopia as the commerce strategic account manager. Ameli brings 30 years’ experience in the ski industry. She spent the past 15 years with Stowe Mountain Resort, Vt., in various roles, most recently the product service and sales manager. 

ERIKA KAZI, FLAIK

Erika Kazi has been promoted to VP of social impact and sustainability at flaik, which offers management solutions for ski schools. Kazi has worked with flaik since March 2022 and is the owner of Kazi Sustainability Consulting.

AWARDS

BOB ROBERTS AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

John Rice was awarded the Bob Roberts Award of Excellence at Ski California's annual meeting in November. Michael Reitzell, president of Ski California said, “When we created this award in 2016, one of the first thoughts that entered my mind was ‘I can’t wait to give this award to John Rice.’” Former Ski California president Bob Roberts was also on hand to personally present John with “The Boot.”

ANNUAL WOMEN IN SNOWSPORTS INDUSTRY AWARD

Maria Bogner is this year’s recipient of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame Women in Snowsports Industry Award. Bogner created fashionable and functional stretch ski wear that elevated sportswear to fashion. She has a U.S.-based factory and offices in Vermont; her designs and fabrications set the standard for the sportswear, sports fashion, and skiwear designers.

SNOW PLATINUM PARTNER 2022

SNOW Operating recognizes the best resorts in their partner network with a Platinum Partner distinction. Platinum Partners reflect the resort’s overall culture, buy-in to SNOW Operating’s philosophies, physical execution of the program elements, and overall guest experience. This year's winners are Arizona Snowbowl, Ariz., Cranmore Mountain Resort, N.H., and Les Sommets, Canada.

MAINE SKI & SNOWBOARD HALL OF FAME

Jim Quimby was inducted into the Maine Ski and Snowboard Museum Ski Hall of Fame, which recognizes individuals who bring dedication and distinction to the state’s skiing and snowboarding industry. Quimby has worked at Saddleback for more than 20 years in various roles, primarily focused on mountain operations. In 2020, he was promoted to senior vice president of mountain operations, and was a vital part of Saddleback’s revitalization. He was promoted to GM in June 2022.

AUSTRALIA’S BEST SKI RESORT, BEST AUSTRALIAN RESORT, and AUSTRALIA’S BEST FAMILY SKI RESORT

Australia’s Thredbo Ski Resort has won three 2022 “best of” ski industry awards. For the sixth consecutive year, Thredbo was named “Australia’s Best Ski Resort” at the 2022 World Ski Awards. The resort was also named “Best Australian Resort” at the Snowsports Industries of Australia Awards and “Australia’s Best Family Ski Resort” by the Out & About with Kids Readers’ Choice Awards. 

CANADIAN SKI HALL OF FAME

Paul Mathews has been inducted into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame. Mathews is one of the world’s most respected and accomplished ski resort designers in the world, leaving his mark on designs from Canada’s Whistler and Sun Peaks to far-flung places including Bulgaria, Russia, and China.