Aspen Skiing Company’s next CEO will be Geoff Buchheister, an external hire with nearly 25 years of ski industry experience who is currently the chief operating officer at Whistler Blackcomb. The ski area based in British Columbia, Canada, is owned by Vail Resorts.
Buchheister will begin onboarding March 1 and will spend the next two months transitioning into the role now held by current SkiCo president and CEO Mike Kaplan, according to a press release distributed Tuesday afternoon. Kaplan officially retires on April 30 after three decades working for SkiCo.
Kaplan announced his departure last spring and said he would remain in the role through the end of this ski season. With the announcement last year, he also said he would still work in an advisory capacity for the Crown family, which owns SkiCo and is a part-owner in Alterra Mountain Co.
Kaplan, who served on the search committee for his successor, said in a phone call Tuesday evening that he felt a “close bond or sort of connection” with Buchheister when they first spoke.
“Geoff struck me as somebody who really grew up in the business and grew up in the mountains, and all those sort of jumping off points in his life — high school, college, career, different career decisions, he was consistent,” Kaplan said. “He wanted to be in the mountains, live in the mountains, work in the mountains, and be in the ski business.”
In the release, SkiCo managing partner Jim Crown said the process of finding a new SkiCo CEO took longer than expected, but he believes it was “worth the wait.”
“In the end, we found the ideal candidate to lead our ski and summer-time mountain operations into the future,” Crown said. “Geoff has a long history in the industry, a true passion for the sport and understands the importance of long-term planning, community relations, and the role employees play in delivering guests a world-class experience.”
Buchheister spent 16 years in leadership roles at Park City Mountain Resort, which was acquired by Vail Resorts in 2014.
After the acquisition, Buchheister was appointed to lead Vail’s urban ski areas: Afton Alps in Minnesota, Mt. Brighton in Michigan and Wilmot in Wisconsin.
He was named the general manager of Keystone Ski Resort in Colorado in 2017 and became COO of Whistler Blackcomb, the largest resort in North America, in 2019. Both properties are owned by Vail Resorts.
In a statement provided to Aspen Public Radio, Vail Resorts’ Western Region Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President Doug Pierini said Buchheister “has been an influential leader and we have no doubt he will continue to be successful in this new chapter.”
“Vail Resorts and the Whistler Blackcomb team are incredibly grateful to Geoff and everything he’s contributed over the last eight years,” Pierini said. “We are proud to build great leaders, and remain committed to doing so as a core value and driving principle of our business – and we celebrate our leaders throughout their journeys, both as part of Vail Resorts and beyond as part of the broader industry.”
Kaplan observed that Buchheister had a “unique” perspective working in different communities under different ownership groups.
Buchheister grew up in Winter Park. His father was a ski resort executive there for 44 years and served as the first CEO for the National Sports Center for the Disabled. Buchheister and his wife and two children also have a lengthy history of ski racing in their family.
“I’m incredibly excited to be returning to Colorado and joining the Aspen Skiing Company,” Buchheister said in the release. “I feel a strong connection to the values that the Crown family brings to this organization, and I look forward to being part of this team. Aspen has such deep history, built by a community that loves and celebrates its unique mountain culture. I’m humbled to have the opportunity to listen and learn as I integrate into the company and the community.”
Kaplan didn’t have a precise number of candidates interviewed for the position but estimated it was “probably in the 20s.” He said SkiCo “cast a wide net” in the hiring process.
“We … really tried to take an objective perspective [on] who's the right person to lead this company for the next 20 years and just wanted to pick the absolute best person, and Jeff really rose to the top as that person,” Kaplan said.
Kaplan said the transition for Buchhesiter will be like “drinking from a firehose” as he meets the community and learns both the “basics” and long-term goals of the role.
As for Kaplan’s own plans? He said he still has “a lot to do” — including some farewells.
“This time of year, the end of the season is such a great time to connect with people … and really just make sure I say good, meaningful, heartfelt goodbyes and reminiscing,” Kaplan said. “We're going to stay in the community, but I’m going to step down from this role. I want to spend a lot of time really savoring the great moments I've had with the people that I've gotten to work with over the last 30 years.”
This story has been updated to include quotes from Mike Kaplan and a statement from Doug Pierini.
