We are nothing but empty slopes and buildings without the hard work of nearly 4,000 people who turn them into places to ski, eat, sleep, shop, and explore. We know it’s not always easy work, and we appreciate that you’ve chosen to be here with us. These pages are meant to welcome and celebrate– welcome new hires in managerial roles, celebrate promotions within, and call out the awesomeness of all our employees who go out of their way to make this company a better place. From Aspen One and our three divisions in the Roaring Fork Valley and beyond, we say WELCOME and THANKS!
MEMORABLE MOMENTS: Winter 2023-24
Email your employee experience or gorgeous mountain shots to [email protected].
Adios, Aspen and the 2023-24 Season!
The sun was hot and the crowds packed into the Sun Deck with a raucous, celebratory vibe that closed down Aspen and the winter season with a huge party. Thank you to all employees at Aspen and the other three mountains for your hard work and dedication this season. See you in 2024-25!
So long, Snowmass Employees!!
The refrain heard throughout Saturday’s closing party at Snowmass was “Whoa, we’ve never seen it this big…” The pond skimmers just kept skimming, the crowds kept coming, and the weather was perfect for a huge closing day celebration. Special thanks to our Elk Camp, Events, Mountain & F&B teams for making it a day to remember for all.
So long, Snowmass!
Employees flocked to the Spider Sabich Picnic Palace the day after closing for an employee party filled with fun costumes, excellent food, and axe throwing. Costumes abounded, even as the weather blew in and the snow began to fall. See you next year!
See ya, Highlands!
Aspen Highlands threw a rager of a closing party on Sunday with colorful costumes, Highland Bowl hikes and parties at Merry-Go-Round and the Plaza. Highlands Team, thanks for all your amazing, hard work this season, see you next year!
Thanks to photographers Jake Wheeler and Tyler Wilkinson Ray and Katie Ertl and Geoff Buchheister for the photos.
Bye Bye Buttermilk!
Despite the threat of rain, crowds showed up early for Buttermilk’s last hurrah, Bacon Day! From jalapeno bacon to bacon donuts to bacon bloody marys to scallops with patrol, the bacon was bountiful and so were the smiles. So long, Buttermilk! Thanks for a great season. We’ll see you again in the fall.
Thanks to Katie Ertl, Linda Cooley, Kelsi Ouellette, and Connor Keeffe for photos.
30 Years of Ambassadors!
Ambassadors gathered at Snowmass this past weekend to celebrate thirty years of this volunteer program that serves our guests across all four mountains by welcoming them, giving directions, answering questions, and taking them on mountain tours. Snowmass Mountain Manager Susan Cross and ASC CEO Geoff Buchheister greeted current and past ambassadors from the past three decades and even handed out a 100-day pin to Mone Anathan, who was recently featured in the Aspen Times for surpassing his goal of 85 uphills for his 85th birthday– he hit 100 uphills by this event. Buchheister also posed with retired Aspen Mountain Guest Services Manager Carolyn Barabe and Karinjo Devore, one of our early ambassadors.
Thanks to Geoff Buchheister for the photos.
Lift Op Curling Competition
Aspen took on Buttermilk in a lift-op face-off of ice curling last week at the Aspen Ice Garden! After plenty of sliding and sweeping, Buttermilk’s Team Team took first place and the golden broom. Team members included Max Eichner, Jake Malcolm, Camero Green, Luke Bunnell, Jackson Gola, Jack Joyner, and Emelia Baldino.
Aspen Highlands Inferno
The Inferno roared to life at Aspen Highlands this weekend offering a challenging 850 feet of vertical up the ridge and 2,600 feet down the bowl. Thank you to Ashley Hansen for sending in photos and the time lapse video!
Final Uphill Breakfast at Buttermilk
The Roaring Fork Conservancy’s trout mascot made an appearance at the final uphill breakfast at Buttermilk last week, posing for photos with ASC staff. The Cliffhouse staff were all stars and really made the morning a success (on world water day no less). Thank you to them for a great season of uphilling breakfasts!
Photos by Shashi Neerukonda.
Girls on Patrol
Aspen Snowmass hosted 37 girls ages 11-18 in a free program this past weekend to learn more about what it’s like to be on patrol. They rotated through stations like snow safety, medical, toboggans, and uphaul rescue in the morning and then experienced a dog drill and beacon treasure hunt in the afternoon. Thank you to our amazing patrollers who put on this event to inspire a new generation of young women to join us in the field! Photos from Sarah Stratton and Nathan Garfield.
For the Birds
The birds aren’t shy at either Snowmass or Buttermilk. At Snowmass, Matthew Bates observed this dusky grouse running “around near the bottom of Alpine Springs lift. He needs an ambassador jacket and a pay check — he will run up and say hello to anyone who is friendly.” On this occasion, “Fred was under this tree. And I stopped to get a photo, and my guess is he thought I had food cause he trotted over and hung out for a bit.” Matthew reports there’s also a pine marten lurking around the High Alpine restaurant, but it’s much more reserved and shy. And on Buttermilk, Scott Arthur captured this snowy white ptarmigan sunning itself on the slopes.
Ambassador Welcome!
Our ambassadors play a huge role in welcoming guests and answering questions, and we’re very grateful for their enthusiasm and knowledge about our resort. Snowmass Guest Services Supervisor Connor James recently sent in a few photos of his team.
Welcoming our Scouts!
Local troop 225 had a special treat recently when they held a sleepover at Up4Pizza. Scoutmaster Rachel wrote, “As always it is such a treat for our Scouts to benefit from your generosity in letting us ski and stay the night on the mountain. It was an inaugural trip for our girls troop, and I hope we are able to look forward to more with the boys!” Looks like they had a great time! Thanks to Corban Couey and Matthew Hartman for the fun photos!
Massive Mountain Effort to Make World Cup Happen
Aspen, Race, Events, Mountain Crews, Volunteers: You made the magic happen! We wouldn’t have been able to pull off this year’s spectacular AUDI FIS Ski World Cup racing without your weeks and months of planning and your Herculean last-minute 3am work to clear the course and venue during one of the biggest dumps of the season. Aspen One’s Dave Tanner showed up to help shovel off the crowd venue on Sunday morning with other volunteers and ASC’s Geoff Buchheister stayed with crews (including Chief of Course Pat Callahan in one picture) up on the slopes “working his butt off,” as Events Manager Jason Roy put it. Hundreds of volunteers and employees made this event possible, from the race course to Wagner Park. Your professionalism and dedication are unrivaled. Thank you! We also bid farewell to veteran Chief of Race Jim Hancock, who retired with the weekend’s final race after 46 years with Aspen Skiing Company. He first worked on a race crew in 1981. Momentous weekend, all around!
A special note from Chief of Course Pat Callahan: We had a remarkable World Cup on Aspen last week. The two days of Giant Slalom were picture perfect, but the really amazing part was how the community rallied to pull off Sunday’s Slalom. Over 60 people showed up at 3am to shovel snow in a raging blizzard. I’ve been involved in a lot of ski races, but I’ve never seen an effort like that. Who was among the first to start shoveling at 3am? None other than CEO Geoff, of course.
Thanks to Jason Roy, Geoff Buchheister, Katie Ertl, Pat Callahan, Gregory After (top of lift) for photos.
Ski School vs. Patrol: Will Snyder Cup
It was a packed house at the Aspen Ice Garden as Ski School took on Patrol in honor of former S3 Will Snyder who passed away last year. The competition was fierce and included special guest ASC CEO Geoff Buchheister, who played for Patrol. Despite a late comeback by Ski School, Patrol took the night and the trophy, 5-4. Thanks to all who showed up to support this fundraising event!
Thanks to Tom Hazard for a few of these photos!
Homeschool Visit
The Valley Buds Home school group stopped by the Snowmass Cats shop to check out our equipment. The kids ranged in age from 5 to 10 years old. The team talked about the cats and the job and then they took the tikes for a spin around the shop in the Cats. Josh Milam was excellent as a tour guide. He had a good answer for all questions and did great with his synopsis of the machines and their role at Snowmass. The parents had just as much fun as the kids.
Employees in Power of Four!
Our employees took living fully to the extreme recently, participating in the uber-challenging Power of Four, a ski-mountaineering race that takes participants across all four mountains, 24-miles, and over 10,000 feet in elevation gain. Kudos to the following (and if we missed you, please let us know!): Ben Eagleton, Liam Dunn, Blake Robinson, Rich Roedel, Marian Krogh, Jesse Libby, Steve Denny, Kaitlin Piosa, Jessi Hackett, Lucas Rocca, and Joe Demoor, who took 3rd in the men’s race! Congrats!
Employee Celebrations
The mid-season is a time for employee celebrations. Buttermilk employees had the best view around for their cook-out, while Snowmass handed out donuts and employee lunches for the ops team. They later held a raffle as well!
Thanks to Kelsi Ouellette for the photos!
Sunny Ski School Days
Ski School kids have been having a blast! Check out this collection.
Thanks to Conner Grace Keeffee for most of the photos!
X Games Fun
Sure, the X Games brought in the world’s top athletes to town for high-flying feats of athleticism and Alex Ferreira won a gold, but perhaps the biggest celebrity to be spied out there on Saturday was Maxine the Moose, who made an appearance to trot out her skills on the Slopestyle course on Saturday! After shooing Maxine away from the action, Mountain Manager Buck Erickson tried on all the X Games Gear. The weather was perfect! Thank you to all the amazing teams who worked so hard to pull off this huge event with style and grace.
The Dummies of Safety Month!
January was Safety Month and Aspen’s Hank and Snowmass’s Red took to the slopes with safety tips for guests. Red had such a good time that he’s started his own advice column “Ask me anything.” Send in your question to [email protected].
Next Generation Recruiting
On January 6, ASC welcomed Snowboard Outreach Society to Snowmass. Fourteen students from 4th grade and up from Gypsum, Edwards, and Eagle-Vail came for a day of skiing and to learn about careers here at Aspen. Presenters included Dave Gray, Chef Sam Harding & MS&S’s Antonella Bonfiglio-Oliver. Also in attendance were Susan Cross, Mitch O’Hare, Cassidy Bartolo, Wendy Walters, Veronica Mitchell and Mikala Ford.
Photos courtesy of Mikala Ford
Opening Day for Hero’s
On Friday, Dec. 15, Aspen Mountain opened its new Hero’s expansion and 153 acres of lift-served terrain– it was the first change to the ski area since we opened the Silver Queen Gondola and Walsh’s in 1986. Speakers included ASC CEO Geoff Buchheister and Mountain Manager Travis Benson, who spoke at the base of the lift, thanking all the employees, community partners, and advocates who helped bring this new terrain to fruition. Bruce Etkin, Marc Ganzi, David Corbin, and Scott Scharin had the honor of first chair, followed by the USFS. Although not all terrain is open yet, be sure to stop by and check it out!
Photos courtesy of Katie Ertl, Geoff Buchheister, Joel Lee, and Anda Smalls.
Opening Day for Buttermilk & Highlands
Buttermilk and Highlands opened on Dec. 9 to a chilly but fresh powder morning and smiles all around. Welcome to the full power-of-four season! All four mountains are now open.
Get Fired Up Employee Celebration
Over 1,000 employees gathered at Buttermilk to celebrate and get fired up for the start of the season. Click here or the image below to view.
Speaking of Fire and Ice…
Hero’s is getting close! Photographer Jeremy Swanson captured the aerial view, while Mak Keeling and Madison Kuhn also shared photos. Madison, a QA Analyst with the company, volunteered recently with the fire burning crews up there and had this to say: “I wanted to share the photos to highlight the work that was being done, and showcase the amount of time and effort these individuals gave to the project. From the beginning of the day, everyone was so welcoming and ready to put in work. The day was well organized, everyone involved had positive attitudes, and each person was willing to help out where needed. People shared their lunch snacks and much of the day was filled with jokes and laughter. Overall, it was such a pleasant experience, and the people involved made all of the difference. So much went into this entire project that I’m not even aware of, but I’m grateful I got to get a peek into a small part of it.” Working with Madison that day were Renee DaBrule, Jonny Bolos, Nate Vis, Nik Anagnou, Brandon King, Noah Huber, Alvin Costa, Brain Enriquez, Fathom Provencal, Luke Kenzakoski and ski patrol.
Opening Day for Aspen & Snowmass
It was a great opening day for Aspen and Snowmass last Thursday. Check out these employee photos of our hardworking teams. And we look forward to welcoming Highlands and Buttermilk online on Dec. 9!
COASTERS & CARPETS & SNOWMAKING!
Our Snowmass teams hit the slopes recently to build the new Sunkid Carpet on Fanny Hill and dust the snow off the Coaster for our guests. Thanks for your efforts! (And thanks to Snowmass Lift Maintenance Director Greg Hoffman and Guest Services Supervisor Brianna Enos for the photos). Joe Pelletier also shared this chilly evening photos of our heroic Snowmaking teams!
Wardrobe is ready!
Aspen Skiing Company CEO Geoff Buchheister stopped by the Wardrobe department to pick up his uniform last week and check out the easy new docusign system. Appointments start after Nov. 23, and don’t forget they’re closed on Thanksgiving. Thanks to this hardworking team who wrangle upwards of 30,000 pieces!
F&B is getting ready!
our F&B Leadership team met last week at Buttermilk to prepare for the season. Thank you to Wendy Walters and Presley Ransom for the photos.
Ski Patrol is getting ready!
The Bootpacking has started in our higher terrain on Snowmass and Highlands, and Snowmass ski patrol recently held a lift-evac training on Snowmass. Thanks to Nathan Garfield for the photos.
Hero’s is Getting Ready!
We’re burning the last of cleared trees on top of Aspen Mountain to prepare for the opening of Hero’s. Stay tuned for information on its opening date! You can also learn more about Hero’s here and in this Ski magazine article. Thanks to Alex Thomas for these photos.
The Snowmakers are here!
The snowmakers are in the house, including this awesome group of new employees who showed up for Snowmaking Orientation on Thursday. Andrew Joy went over how not to die snowmaking, ASC CEO Geoff Buchheister stopped by to say hello, and Susan Harig led a new hire orientation that included zombies and bank robberies! Now that the snowmakers are here, we can get down to business on the slopes, so THINK SNOW!
The 2023-24 Winter Job Fair
The Winter Job Fair at Buttermilk in October netted several dozen interested potential employees. Thanks to all our departments who showed up!
Bye Bye Buttermilk!
Aspen One and our senior leaders hosted all employees at four weekly employee dinners at Buttermilk Mountain Lodge. Thanks to our leaders for their serving, bussing and greeting, and thanks to the amazing Buttermilk team, including:
Kitchen: Chef – Alex Bell, Sous Chef – Joel Monod, Cooks: Audreyann, Max, Rene, Dishwasher: David
Front of House: Manager – Gabby Patnode, Assistant Manager – Jennica Pearson & McCarra Baker, Bussers: Juan, Romina, Valentina, Carla.
MEMORABLE MOMENTS: Summer 2023
Hero’s Photos
We kept close tabs on the Hero’s expansion on Aspen Mountain all summer long. Below are a few photos and more can be found here.
