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Snow People - September 2018

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Sarah Crockett, Burton

Sarah Crockett has been named Burton’s new chief marketing officer. Previously, Crockett was VP of integrated marketing and community engagement at REI, where she led well-known campaigns such as Force of Nature and #OptOutside. Before her time at REI, she was VP of global consumer marketing at Vans.

At Burton, she will oversee the global marketing department, which includes teams responsible for consumer engagement, marketing creative, public relations, events, athlete management, and marketing partnerships.

Linton Judycki, Red River Ski Area, N.M.

Linton Judycki will take on the role of general manager at Red River Ski Area, N.M. He most recently served as assistant to the general manager of Red River Ski Area, vice president, and is a member of the board of directors. The current general manager, Linton’s uncle, Denny Judycki, has been in the role for the past 10 years.

“Linton has a vision for the future of the ski and summer area and I know he will serve the business and town of Red River well into the future," said Denny, who will continue to serve on the ski area’s board of directors.

"This is an incredible year-round resort with amazing talent and I look forward to continue working with them, the town of Red River, the Forest Service, and industry leaders to deliver the very best skiing and recreation experience to our guests,” said Linton. He will begin in his new role October 1.

Greg Finch, Granby Ranch, Colo.

Greg Finch has been named chief operating officer of Granby Ranch. Previously, Finch was president at Dundee Resort Development, which owns Bear Valley, Calif., and Arapahoe Basin, Colo. He retired from Dundee in 2015, but is coming out of retirement to take on this new role. His responsibilities include operating the ski area, the golf course, restaurants and the club.

"The first thing is just getting to know the property as an insider, getting to know what are the resources I have, what are the resources I don't have," said Finch. "Get to know the people, listen to them, what they think this place needs, what they think the opportunities are, that will be the first month or two months."

Sun Valley Resort, Idaho

Several staff members were recently promoted to new positions at Sun Valley Resort.

Mike Davis is now the ski patrol director, succeeding Mike Lloyd, who retired in the spring after 41 years on Sun Valley’s ski patrol and 17 years as its director. Davis has more than 18 years of industry experience.

Kate Elgee, previously the lead graphic designer for the resort, was promoted to art director. She is overseeing creative design and branding, in addition to managing the graphic design programs.

Devon Wesley, formerly the Sun Valley Lodge food and beverage manager, became the director of restaurants for the Duchin Lounge, Gretchen’s, Poolside Café, The Roundhouse, Seattle Ridge Day Lodge, Lookout Day Lodge, and in-room dining.

Alan Dickerson, formerly the Village Station’s manager, became the director of restaurants for the Sun Valley Club, Elkhorn Clubhouse, Village Station, Chocolate Foundry, Carol’s Dollar Mountain Lodge, Warm Springs Day Lodge, and River Run Day Lodge.

Tim Sullivan assumed the position of manager of the Village Station. Previously, he was the Sun Valley Inn’s beverage manager. He also was instrumental in the bar design at the Village Station.

Mara Smith took over as the manager of the Sun Valley Club after being a member of the wait staff at the Konditorei.

Mayra Gomez became director of housekeeping after Mike Crotty, who was with the company for 25 years, retired in June. Gomez will oversee housekeeping, laundry, valet/uniforms, and public-area cleaning. She has been with the resort since she was 15 years old, serving as housekeeping supervisor, assistant housekeeping manager for 12 years, and most recently, laundry manager the past two years.

Duane Stutzman, Stratton Mountain, Vt.

Duane Stutzman has started his new role as mountain sports school director at Stratton Mountain Resort, Vt. Stutzman joins the Stratton team after having served as director of snowsports school at Sierra-at-Tahoe, Calif., having previously held leadership positions at Crystal Mountain, Wash., and with Vail Resorts’ Breckenridge and Beaver Creek, Colo. “I am excited about the prospect of exploring the mountain and learning the culture of Stratton,” said Stutzman in an email to Mountain Sports School staff.

Snowpeople Washburn

Joyce Washburn, Okemo

Washburn retired at the end of August after 49 seasons working at Okemo in Vermont. She was the resort’s longest-tenured employee. She started as a part-time ticket seller in 1969 and then worked a couple years at the resort’s nursery. Then she got her real estate license and sold Okemo Village condos and mountain chalets. She joined the resort’s new lodging service in 1982 after the Mueller family bought Okemo. And in 1984, she became office manager at the administrative offices. She retired as executive secretary and administrative office manager.

snowpeople marchandowens

Jay Peak, Vt.

Dave Marchand was promoted to the role of ski patrol director. Marchand has been a full-time patroller at Jay since 2003, and also handles risk management for the resort.

Brant Owens is now the assistant ski patrol director. Owens has 24 years of industry experience, much of which came as a patroller and backcountry guide at resorts in Colorado. He started at Jay as a snowcat operator in 2012 before joining ski patrol in 2014.

Adam White, Ski Vermont

HN AdamWhite

Adam White is Ski Vermont’s new director of communications. White spent the previous 12 years covering skiing and snowboarding in Vermont for local and national publications. “Skiing in Vermont transcends sport; it is an integral part of the state’s culture, history and identity,” said White. “It is truly a dream come true for me to help represent and promote this sport and industry in the state my family and I call home.” White succeeds Sarah Wojcik, who departed to take the position of Associate Editor and New Business Director at SAM.

Jim Bartlett, Michigan Ski Hall of Fame

snowpeople bartlett

Jim Bartlett was inducted into the Michigan Ski Hall of Fame in August. Bartlett started as a professional ski patroller, first at Boyne Highlands and then at Big Sky, Mont. Coming back to Michigan in 1977 he took the area manager position at Nub’s Nob in Harbor Springs, where he helped develop and patent the Nub’s Nob fan gun, which has led to faster and more efficient snowmaking.

Ten years later, Bartlett took over as GM of Nub’s Nob, a position he held for 30 years. He was a founding member and first chairman of the Michigan Snowsports Industries Association (MSIA). He is also chairman of the Michigan Ski Area Safety Board, where he works with the state government, industry professionals and other interested parties to make recommendations for common-sense laws and best practices at ski areas.

The Vermont Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame Class of 2018

snowpeople chandler

As an avid promoter of the values inherent in alpine skiing, Foster Chandler was an integral figure in bringing the sport of skiing to the public at large. From 1964 to 1996 he was vice president and director of marketing of Killington, where he helped grow the resort into one of the largest ski areas in the country. He spearheaded the mass marketing of the Graduated Length Method that revolutionized the way people learned to ski, resulting in the major growth of the sport in the ’70s and ’80s. Chandler was founder and president of Ski New England, director of New England Ski Areas Council for 46 years, chairman of the Vermont Travel Council for eight years, and member of the Vermont and National Ski Area Associations’ marketing committees. Foster has skied 196 ski areas.

snowpeople Donahue

Biathlete Olympian Dennis Donahue grew up in Essex Junction, went to Middlebury College, and currently resides in Thetford. He raced internationally from 1968 to 1976, representing the Putney Ski Club. He competed in the 1972 and 1976 Olympics and participated in five World Biathlon Championships. After seven years teaching and coaching at the Holderness School, he spent more than 30 years dedicated to the development of competitive junior skiing in New England at the Ford Sayre program at both national and regional levels, and was actively involved with Junior Olympics.

snowpeople Kearney

Freestyle mogul skier, Olympic and World Championship medals winner, Hannah Kearney grew up in Norwich, attended Hanover High, and graduated from Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah. With 117 World Cup starts, she was on the podium 71 times, winning 46 events. During the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons, she won a record-setting sixteen World Cups in a row. Over her career, Hannah competed in three Olympic Games (2006, 2010, 2014), winning a gold medal in Vancouver and a bronze in Sochi. She also won eight World Championship medals, including three gold, and 10 F.I.S. World Cup crystal globes.

snowpeople johnston

Industry pioneer Paul Johnston accumulated many "firsts" in his 30 years of ski resort management, most notably as vice president of Stratton Mountain where he opened the slopes to snowboarders and staged the U.S. Open of Snowboarding at Stratton starting in 1985. Keeping in step with the growth of snowboarding, he brought in specialized Bombardier grooming equipment, including a pipe grinder, which allowed Stratton to be able to introduce halfpipe events at the 1998 U.S. Open. As the number of riders at areas quickly increased, Johnston was instrumental in helping other resorts guide processes for snowboard instructors, equipment, and liability. He also worked at Bromley Mountain, installing snowmaking and the first alpine slide in the 1970s.

snowpeople meads

Pico Peak founders Janet and Brad Mead opened their ski area in Rutland on Thanksgiving Day 1937 with a rope tow on Little Pico. In 1938, Sunset Schuss opened on a hike-up basis, and Karl Acker came from Switzerland as the ski school director. The Meads installed the first T-bar in the U.S. in 1940. Janet ran the ski area until 1954 after Brad's tragic death in 1942, focusing on youth programs as their daughter Andrea Mead Lawrence succeeded internationally in ski racing, winning two Olympic gold medals in 1952.

snowpeople oliver

Waitsfield's Peter Oliver will receive the Paul Robbins Journalism Award in recognition of his contributions to ski writing. He is the author of seven books, including Stowe: Classic New England (Winner of the 2005 Ullr Award from the International Ski History Association) and The Insider's Guide to the Best Skiing in New England. He has also authored more than 150 feature articles for Skiing, SKI, Outside, Ski Vermont, Powder, Ski Area Management (SAM), The Boston Globe, The New York Times, USA Today, and many other publications.

snowpeople davisson

Kelly Brush Davisson will receive the First Tracks Award, which honors exceptional and ongoing contributions made to skiing or snowboarding in Vermont by someone under age 35. This award is given in memory of Ian Graddock, a Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum board member and lifelong skier who passed away in 2016 at the age of 35. After Kelly suffered a spinal cord injury in 2006 in a ski race, Kelly and her family founded the Kelly Brush Foundation, which started as a commitment to ski racing safety and has expanded to support people with spinal cord injuries to lead an active lifestyle.