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Aspen Ski CEO to retire

O'Donnell known for environmentalism, promoting ski areas

Joanne Kelley, Rocky Mountain News

Published September 15, 2006 at midnight

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Aspen Ski Co. CEO Pat O'Donnell, known for striking a balance between promoting his ski areas while trying to limit their environmental impact, said he will retire after the 2006-2007 ski season.

"I can't see going further than this coming season," O'Donnell, 67, told The Aspen Times in Thursday's editions. "Obviously, it's with mixed emotions. I'll always have a love of the business."

No retirement date has been set, an Aspen Skiing spokesman said.

During O'Donnell's 12-year tenure, the company has developed a reputation as a leader on environmental issues. At the same time, it has expanded its ski terrain and the villages at the base of its ski areas.

"Pat's committed to both the industry and the environment, and I don't think the two are mutually exclusive," said National Ski Areas Association President Michael Berry. "Pat's been able to portray that very, very well."

O'Donnell joined the company in 1994 after serving as CEO of Patagonia and the Yosemite Institute, two other organizations with an environmental bent. He had also worked at several ski areas including Colorado's Keystone, Canada's Whistler Blackcomb and Kirkwood Ski Resort in California.

After joining Aspen Ski, he set up an environmental office to push for policies aimed at reducing the threat of climate change, a trend that could jeopardize the future of the ski industry.

Aspen ranks among the largest North American resort operators as measured by skier visits.

Its four ski areas are based in the Aspen area - Aspen Mountain, Snowmass, Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk.

In 2001, the company became the last ski area in the state to lift a ban on snowboarding.