Rusty Summits Alterra
Or … Things to do in Denver when you’re Big Red
Alterra Mountain Company announced the appointment of Rusty Gregory as Chief Executive Officer on Wednesday, February 7. Gregory, the longtime former CEO of Mammoth Resorts, is an investor in the company and has been a member of the Board of Directors since the company’s inception in August 2017.
The newly-formed Alterra Mountain Company consists of 12 resorts (Steamboat and Winter Park Resort in Colorado; Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, Mammoth Mountain, June Mountain and Big Bear Mountain Resort in California; Stratton in Vermont; Snowshoe in West Virginia; Tremblant in Quebec, Blue Mountain in Ontario; Deer Valley in Utah; and CMH Heli-Skiing & Summer Adventures in British Columbia) and has a total of approximately 23,000 employees.
“Since the formation of Alterra Mountain Company, Rusty has served as a Senior Strategic Advisor and has been instrumental in creating its vision and direction. He has played a crucial role in the creation and collaboration of the Ikon Pass,” said Eric Resnick, Chief Executive Officer of KSL Capital Partners. “He is a clear leader in the industry and a natural fit to lead Alterra Mountain Company into the future as well as execute on our promise to innovate while enhancing the unique nature of each of our destinations.”
The Sheet spoke to Gregory on Thursday morning. And couldn’t resist making a comparison of Gregory’s ascension at Alterra to that of Dick Cheney in 2000 (Cheney led the vice-presidential search committee for then-Republican nominee George W. Bush and subsequently became the committee’s choice).
“Well, Dick Cheney’s a little to the right of me politically,” laughed Gregory. “And in Mr. Cheney’s case, he chose himself. My partners chose me.”
Gregory’s experience with meshing four ski areas (Mammoth, June, Big Bear, Snow Summit) under the banner of one company, Mammoth Resorts, would seemingly make him a logical choice to do the same on a larger scale.
“That’s the theory,” he said.
Alterra Mountain Company launched the Ikon Pass, a new product for the 2018-2019 winter season that combines the company’s 12 destinations with 11 partners from six industry leaders—Aspen Skiing Company, Alta Ski Area, Boyne Resorts, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, POWDR, and Snowbird.
“With the Ikon Pass, we have created an unrivaled platform that offers one-of-a-kind mountain experiences under one pass, by combining our portfolio of 12 destinations with 11 iconic mountain destination partners across North America,” said Gregory.
In the coming months, Alterra will unveil pricing details and options regarding the Ikon Pass.
And the unveil, said Gregory, promises to be an un-Vail.
