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

TOM DAY, GUNSTOCK, NH

Gunstock general manager Tom Day will retire following the 2023-24 winter season, and will stay on until a successor is hired. Day has led Gunstock since January 2020 and guided the resort through a variety of turbulent events, as well as major successes, during his four years at the county-owned resort. He began his ski industry career in 1978 as a lift attendant at Waterville Valley Resort, N.H., where he eventually became the resort's vice president and general manager from 1997-2010. He then worked for a few years in executive roles outside the ski industry before returning to the mountains for his current position at Gunstock in 2020. The Gunstock Area Commission immediately began the search for his replacement.

Deirdre Morris (left) and her sister (right)DEIRDRE MORRIS, KILLINGTON RESORT, VT

Deirdre Morris has retired after 36 years at Killington Resort. While at Killington, Morris held a variety of positions including F&B controller, lodge manager, commissary manager, and most recently, hospitality controller.

NICK COMO, SUNDANCE MOUNTAIN RESORT, UT

Nick Como has joined Sundance Mountain Resort as its new vice president of marketing. Como has more than 15 years of experience in marketing and has held positions at several top advertising agencies including Downtown Alliance, Number Six, and Struck.

SCOTT CHERRY, SOLITUDE MOUNTAIN RESORT, UTAH

Scott Cherry has joined Solitude Mountain Resort as the VP of mountain operations. Cherry’s most recent role was director of slope maintenance at Mammoth Mountain, Calif. In addition to his extensive mountain operations experience, he has been directly involved with terrain park projects such as the U.S. Grand Prix slopestyle courses that served as Olympic qualifiers for the 2014, 2018, and 2022 Winter Olympic Games, and the SNOWBOARDER Magazine Superpark at Mt. Bachelor and Mt. Hood Meadows, Ore., and Mammoth Mountain.

CHRISTY GERMSCHEID, SKI NEW MEXICO

Christy Germscheid has been appointed as the new executive director of Ski New Mexico. Germscheid spent close to 20 years at Angel Fire Resort, N.M., in various roles including ski school, marketing/PR, lobbying initiatives, human resources, and eventually vice president. 

BRIAN VANDENBROEK, ALTERRA MOUNTAIN COMPANY

Brian VandenBroek has joined Alterra Mountain Company as vice president of corporate development-integrations. VandenBroek brings more than 15 years of ski industry experience to the role. He has previously served as VP of finance and business development at Winter Park Resort, Colo., VP of financial planning at Alterra, and most recently VP of finance and ticket operations at Deer Valley Resort, Utah.

NICK DANA, PARK CITY MOUNTAIN, UTAH

Vail Resorts has hired Nick Dana as director of mountain operations for Park City Mountain. Dana has been in the ski industry for more than 15 years, working as lift maintenance supervisor at Park City Mountain, lift manager at Windham Mountain, N.Y., and most recently lift maintenance manager back at Park City Mountain. 

LAUREN STEPHENSON, SNOWBIRD, UTAH

Lauren Stephenson is now the product marketing specialist at Snowbird. Stephenson has spent more than four years at Snowbird as administrative assistant and, most recently, marketing coordinator. 

DONALD KOCH, HIDDEN VALLEY SKI RESORT, MO

Longtime operations leader Donald (DJ) Koch was promoted to general manager of Vail Resorts-owned Hidden Valley Ski Resort. Koch became involved with Hidden Valley as a volunteer patroller in 2007. In 2013, he was hired as the ski patrol manager for the paid patrol at the resort. In subsequent years, he held various resort leadership roles, including sales and marketing manager, events coordinator, and group sales manager. Read the full report on SAM’s Headline News.

TONY SANTORA, JACK FROST BIG BOULDER, PA

Vail Resorts appointed Tony Santora as the new general manager of Jack Frost Big Boulder. Santora previously served as GM of VR-owned Hidden Valley Ski Resort in Missouri. Read the full report on SAM’s Headline News.

Rob Perlman (left) and Ron Cohen (right)ROB PERLMAN and RON COHEN, ALTERRA MOUNTAIN COMPANY

Alterra Mountain Company has appointed Ron Cohen, president and COO of Mammoth Mountain, Calif., and Rob Perlman, president and COO of Steamboat, Colo., to the newly created roles of executive vice president, regional operations. In that capacity, both will serve on Alterra’s executive leadership team and start to transition out of their current positions. Read the full report on SAM’s Headline News.

RICKY NEWBERRY, KIRKWOOD MOUNTAIN RESORT, CA

Ricky Newberry has been named as VP and GM of Kirkwood Mountain Resort. Newberry comes from Heavenly, where he’s served as VP of mountain operations since 2021. However, he started his 23-year ski industry career at Kirkwood in 1999, straight out of college, on the ski patrol. Read the full report on SAM’s Headline News.

CHRISTINE SCHULTHEIS, KIMBERLEY ALPINE RESORT, AB

Kimberley Alpine Resort named Christine Schultheis as its new general manager. Schultheis, a chartered professional in human resources with a degree in economics, joined parent company Resorts of the Canadian Rockies in 2010, serving administrative roles in human resources, and most recently as director of people, culture, and occupational health and safety. Read the full report on SAM’s Headline News.

GARETH SLATTERY, BLACK MOUNTAIN, NH

Gareth Slattery has been hired as the new general manager of Black Mountain. Slattery worked for 17 years at Cannon Mountain, N.H., where he held positions including patrol director and risk manager. He most recently worked for four years in the patrol department at Montana’s Yellowstone Club. Read the full report on SAM’s Headline News.

TOM THIEL, DETROIT MOUNTAIN, MN
Detroit Mountain has named Tom Thiel as its new general manager. Thiel, a former beverage sales manager and self-described outdoor enthusiast, is responsible for running the day-to-day operations of the city-owned facility that offers downhill and cross-country mountain biking in summer and 45 skiable acres with 210 feet of vertical decent served by two chairlifts and four surface lifts in winter. Read the full report on SAM’s Headline News.

KAYLA POTTER, BOYNE MOUNTAIN, MI

After starting her career as a ski instructor at Boyne Mountain in 2005, Kayla Potter is now the resort’s director of snowsports. In 2011, Potter became director of Boyne Flyers, Boyne Mountain’s season-long ski program for kids. Since 2015, she has served at The Highlands, Mich., as a key trainer, mentor, and leader. Potter also runs a successful property and lifestyle management firm serving Boyne Mountain’s surrounding communities.

SUPPLIERS

BILL SMAINE, LUMIPLAN

Bill Smaine joins Lumiplan as director of sales. Smaine has more than 30 years of sales and marketing experience at various companies including Sierra-at-Tahoe, Heavenly, and Homewood in California, Sitour USA, and Outside TV.

LESFORD DUNCAN, OUTDOOR FOUNDATION

The Outdoor Industry Association hired Lesford Duncan as the new executive director of its philanthropic arm, the Outdoor Foundation. Lesford joins the Foundation with more than a decade of experience in public management in the government and nonprofit sectors. His previous roles include senior director of programs and associate executive director at Outdoor Outreach, and most recently the chief executive officer of the Greening Youth Foundation, the international nonprofit working to cultivate the next generation of diverse environmental leaders. 

NEVA MODRIC and DEB HOEFER, LEITNER POMA OF AMERICA 

Leitner Poma of America (LPOA) has hired Neva Modric as its sustainability coordinator. Prior to joining LPOA, Modric worked for a number of Fortune 500 companies to set sustainability goals, report on environmental topics and communicate the initiatives to the public. In her new position, she will be responsible for developing and implementing sustainability strategies that reduce LPOA’s environmental impact. 

Deb Hoefer has joined LPOA as a software specialist. Hoefer brings many years of experience in implementing and leveraging software during her time working at companies such as TouchNet and NuVision Networks, and she was the director of the University Center at Colorado Mesa University. In her new role, she will be responsible for leading the installation of the Skadii platform with existing LPOA customers.

SMI SNOW MAKERS, MOUNT SNOW, VT

Veteran snowmaker Jeremy Tedeschi of Mount Snow won the SMI Snow Makers 2023-24 photo contest. Tedeschi’s photo of an SMI fan gun operating below fireworks in the sky garnered more than 1,500 likes on Facebook.

AWARDS

SKI CALIFORNIA

Ski California recognized longtime China Peak owner and current general manager Tim Cohee with the Bob Roberts Award of Excellence.

NEW MEXICO SKI HALL OF FAME

In September, Brandon Peterson, George Medina, and Michael Johnstone were the first snowboarders to be inducted into the New Mexico Ski Hall of Fame. Medina and Johnstone were inducted posthumously. Among other things, the trio were the creators of the Free Taos campaign, a movement that ultimately contributed to Taos Ski Valley allowing snowboarders beginning in March 2008.

OBITUARIES

GWEN ALLARD

Adaptive Sports Foundation (ASF) founder and 2022 U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame inductee Gwen Allard died Nov. 28. She was 86. Allard first founded the Gore Mountain (N.Y.) Adaptive Program in the 1970s before becoming the executive director of the PSIA-Eastern Education Foundation and founding the adaptive program at Ski Windham, N.Y. (now Windham Mountain Club), which eventually became the ASF. She was recognized with several awards during her career, including the Disabled Sports USA Jim Winthers Award and the PSIA-AASI Educational Excellence Award, and was inducted into the Adaptive Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. Windham Mountain Club is home to the Gwen Allard Adaptive Sports Center, named in her honor when it opened in 2005.