SKI editor to join Intrawest Ed Pitoniak is leaving his position as editor in chief of SKI magazine to join Intrawest as Staff Vice President of Idea and Product Acceleration, a new position in the company’s Resort Operations Group. In his new position Pitoniak will work with Hugh Smythe, President of Resort Operations for Intrawest, and other Resort Operations staff in conceiving innovative new customer services and moving them quickly to market. Pitoniak addressed the Whistler Chamber of Commerce’s Spirit Luncheon last November, his first trip to the resort, and spoke on the need to market Whistler to the young. He is the keynote speaker for a special dinner during Industry Week at next month’s World Ski and Snowboard Festival. His address is titled Generational Change: The Passion Gap. "As editor of SKI Ed has had a unique opportunity to study and articulate what it is that North American skiers and snowboarders want from the resort experience," Smythe said in a release. "This knowledge will be valuable as Ed assists us in further developing the Intrawest brand image, along with dynamic offerings and cutting-edge programs for all segments of our customers. Smythe said Intrawest has always emphasized investing in its operations not only capital but also "personal" capital. "When we speak of investing "personal" capital, we mean our best thinking, our best energies, our passion for the mountain experience. The investment of personal capital has become even more important as we reach the point where we’ve made the essential fiscal capital investments in operating assets at our resort properties across North America. In the years ahead we’ll generate higher returns on our existing assets by developing high-thought/low-cost practices and programs that enable our resort guests to enjoy richer experiences of those assets." Pitoniak will also assist Intrawest’s corporate Executive Vice President and CFO Daniel Jarvis in representing Intrawest to the North American financial community, with special emphasis on communicating to investors Intrawest’s resort operation philosophies and practices. Pitoniak, his wife and two daughters, will be moving to Whistler from their home in Upper Montclair, New Jersey. He assumes his new duties May 1. Pitoniak is a native of Massachusetts and a graduate of Amherst College, where he played varsity hockey. He began his magazine career in 1979 as an editorial assistant at Cosmopolitan magazine. He joined SKI in 1987 as a senior editor and initiated a number of innovative programs. He also served as advertising director of SKI and associate publisher of SKI and Skiing magazines. He became editor in chief of SKI in November, 1993. Intrawest owns and operates ski areas at Blackcomb, Panorama, Mont Tremblant, Stratton and Snowshoe. It also has interests in Mammoth Mountain and Keystone.
