Longtime Aspen Skiing Co. employees stepping up in spate of promotions
Buttermilk's Travis Benson becomes mountain manager at Aspen Mountain
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
Several longtime Aspen Skiing Co. employees will be stepping up and into new roles in a spate of staff promotions, according to a news release issued Wednesday.
Travis Benson is the new mountain manager of Aspen Mountain, filling the position previously held by JT Welden.
Benson was previously the mountain manager of Buttermilk Ski Area and has worked for Skico since 2005. Benson “is already off and running” with the team at Aspen Mountain, according to the release; crews there have begun work on the terrain expansion into the Pandora’s area and on preparations for World Cup racing, which will return to Ajax in March 2023.
Buck Erickson will step into the role of Buttermilk manager; he previously worked as the managing director of events and has worked with Skico since 2003. Erickson “has a long history of overseeing the X Games relationship, our terrain parks teams, and our successful partnership programs,” the release states.
Jonathan Ballou, previously the managing director of the ski school, has been promoted to vice president of mountain sales and schools. In the newly created position, Ballou “will oversee both ski school and product sales and service,” the release states.
Ballou “has been a pivotal part of the ski school since 1999″ in roles that include instructor, training manager, training director and director of operations, according to the release.
Off the mountain, Peter Santini has been promoted to vice president of strategic planning, where he will organize activities related to “corporate strategy and ensuring divisional development,” the release states. He was previously the managing director of the same department and has worked for Skico since 2009 in positions that include financial analyst, financial manager and director of business development.
Jess Jacobi has been promoted to the vice president of Aspen-Snowmass marketing, where she will “lead the ski marketing team’s efforts to acquire, retain, and engage guests,” the release states. She has worked with Skico for 10 years, first as customer relationship management and marketing manager, then stepping up to director and most recently managing director of marketing.
In hospitality, Henning Rahm will become the general manager of The Little Nell Hotel, moving to the property from his previous role as regional general manager of the Aspen and Snowmass Limelight hotels.
Rahm “has played a critical role at Limelight Aspen since 2011 and has been instrumental in making that property the community’s living room, driving guest loyalty, employee engagement and strong financial performance,” the release states.
