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

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 — including Winter Park — have responded is by managing cars.

• "When you think about pinch points at a resort — 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.

📱 Device of choice: iPhone … "two of them actually."

👇 First tap of the day: Instagram "to see who's yelling at me — and it's always somebody."

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

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

📺 Streaming: "I just got YouTube TV."

⛷ 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."

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

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