Following on the heels of Patrick O’Donnell, Susan Darch and David Perry, the Aspen Skiing Company has lured another Whistler-Blackcomb employee to Colorado.
Greg Boyd, who has been in charge of terrain parks and halfpipes on Whistler and Blackcomb for the past five years, is moving to Aspen to become the new terrain park manager there. Boyd will be responsible for terrain park design, maintenance, event organization and overall terrain park promotion.
Aspen Ski Co., which only opened Aspen Mountain to snowboarding in the spring of 2001, has in the last 18 months made a concerted effort to rejuvenate its image and become a centre of snowboarding and freeskiing culture. Last year Aspen signed a two year deal with ESPN to host the Winter X-Games. Aspen Ski Co. turned over its entire Buttermilk Mountain operation to ESPN for three months prior to the X-Games.
"As one of Whistler’s ace staff, Boyd’s work helped put Whistler-Blackcomb on the map as one of North America’s top resort destinations for terrain parks," a release from Aspen states.
"We’re psyched to have (Boyd) join our team, and we look forward to further growing our terrain park operations next winter," Mike Kaplan, senior vice president of operations for Aspen/Snowmass, said in the release.
In addition to being in charge of Whistler-Blackcomb’s terrain parks, Boyd, 28, was chief of halfpipe for the World Ski and Snowboard Festival for three years.
The Whistler-to-Aspen migration began eight years ago. O’Donnell was president of Whistler Mountain Ski Corporation from November 1991 to the spring of 1994, when he moved to Aspen to become executive vice president and chief operating officer. In 1996 he was named president and chief operating officer of the Aspen Skiing Company.
Two years ago O’Donnell played a major role in convincing David Perry, then Whistler-Blackcomb’s vice president of sales and marketing, to become president and CEO of Colorado Ski Country USA, a trade association dedicated to promoting Colorado’s ski resorts.
Two months ago Perry announced he was leaving CSCUSA to become a senior vice president of Aspen Ski Co.
Last summer Aspen Ski Co. lured Darch from Whistler-Blackcomb’s PR department to head up its PR department.
