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Snowmass terrain workers earn top awards

Staff report
Tyler Reynolds

Snowmass ski area employees swept the terrain category of Colorado Ski Country USA’s annual industry awards.

Chris Branstetter won the Terrain Master of the Year (night crew) award, and Tyler Reynolds took home the same award for the day crew category.

Branstetter started his snow operations career when he joined the Buttermilk terrain-park crew in 2008, according to a statement from Colorado Ski Country. He first worked on the day crew for five years and has five X-Games events under his belt in addition to work on rail fabrication and repair in the fall. He then transferred to the Snowmass terrain park, where he has groomed on the night crew for the past two years.



“Chris will work day and night,” said Yannick Rioux, terrain park manager at Snowmass. “After seven years in the Terrain Park Department, Chris is a very good asset for me because his skills are well-rounded. Whether it’s grooming, welding, rail setting, events, and everything else our terrain park staff does, Chris operates at a very high standard.”

Reynolds joined the Snowmass team this season and began moving rails with a snowcat after four years at Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort, where he held the position of lift operations foreman and lift mechanic/maintenance worker during the summer.




“Tyler was nominated not just by myself but also by the day crew and the terrain groomers at Snowmass,” Rioux said. “Tyler never complains, always offers help and lessons. He wants to move up in the Terrain Park Department and shows initiative. His hard work should be recognized.”

Other winners were Patrick Torsell of Ski Cooper, who was named Groomer of the Year and Emily Barker of Vail Mountain, who was awarded Snow Maker of the Year.

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