Feb 24, 2022 - Business

Alterra Mountain CEO talks the ski season and "pinch points"

Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photo: Courtesy of Alterra Mountain.

The ski season is going "shockingly" well for Denver-based Alterra Mountain Company, CEO Rusty Gregory says, especially considering the mounting challenges from the pandemic.

Yes, but: So far this year has been defined by long lines at resorts across America. One of the ways Alterra's resorts β€” including Winter Park β€” have responded is by managing cars.

  • "When you think about pinch points at a resort β€” that's where the problem is going to show up," Gregory told John in an interview.
  • Then there's Interstate 70. "There's not a lot that anybody individually can do about it,'' he said. "It's great to dream about a train or a double-decker road, but none of those seem terribly realistic."

What's more: While we had Gregory on the phone, we asked about what makes him tick.

πŸ“± Device of choice: iPhone … "two of them actually."

πŸ‘‡ First tap of the day: Instagram "to see who's yelling at me β€” and it's always somebody."

🎧 Podcast: Fareed Zikari's "GPS," and Stuart Winchester's, "The Storm."

πŸ“• Reading list: "A Gentleman in Moscow," and for the second time, "Measure What Matters" by John Doerr

πŸ“Ί Streaming: "I just got YouTube TV."

β›· Favorite ski run: Climax at Mammoth Mountain

🎿 Favorite piece of ski gear: As an ex-lift mechanic, he loves his "old pair of ski pants with lift grease that are baby-s**t brown."

πŸ” Favorite mountain: His 40 years at Mammoth make him biased, but he also likes Aspen.

This story first appeared in the Axios Denver newsletter, designed to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news unfolding in their own backyard. Subscribe here.

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