Management shift shakes up ski area leadership

Stone out, Ethan in

Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) announced a major personnel change on Monday, July 25. Chief Operating officer Ken Stone is stepping down from his position effective Friday, July 29. Ethan Mueller has been named vice president and general manager of CBMR.

“Ken has made a significant contribution to improvements across the resort and with his guidance we’ve completed a successful resort re-branding and repositioning, creating a more consistent, cohesive marketing message,” said Tim Mueller in a press release. “We appreciate Ken’s dedication, work ethic and leadership.”
“Tim and I have been discussing for some time the best course of action to move forward with the resort,” said Stone. “I am proud of the positive impact we’ve made on the guest service experience and the many notable improvements at the resort over the past four years.”
“This is something that has been discussed pretty much out of the gate,” said Ethan Mueller on Tuesday. “Ken would come in for a three-year period and we would evaluate where we were. The plan has never been necessarily that I would step into this role—quite honestly I was headed in a different direction. But as a family we decided with current realities and discussions with Ken, this was the right time to change the path.”
But a new path, Ethan said, won’t necessarily mean profound changes right out of the gate. Stone will stay on at the resort as a consultant, and Ethan anticipates a smooth transition.
“It’s going to be busy, that’s for sure. But I’m excited to continue the things we have been doing well here and, like anybody, improve on things that need to be improved,” Ethan said.
In the short term, he said, that means improving facilities like Paradise Warming House and taking on the operation of the coffee shop at Painter Boy; Camp4 has opted not to renew that contract. It also means continuing the summer momentum generated with the Adventure Park and the new zip line.
“The ski industry as a whole is very capital-intensive, but with the economy we have to be smart about what we take on when we can, like lifts, lodges, services,” Ethan said.
“Particularly with the momentum in summer, are there new services or activities that can continue that? We’ve seen a lot of positive reaction to the zip line—it’s off to a great start.”
But that doesn’t mean, Ethan says, that summer will overshadow continued growth of the winter season and the 6 percent increase in skier days the resort saw last ski season.
“One thing I’m excited to watch is the zip line. It came out as a summer product but it is a winter product as well. To date a lot of customers who hear it’s open in winter are like, ‘Oh my God, we gotta come back and try this when the snow is on the ground,” Ethan continued. “[Winter visits] are something every resort in the state, let alone the country, looks to grow. Here in Crested Butte, we’ve been playing off the momentum of the snow we had, the guest experience we’ve been providing the last few years and feedback we’ve been continuing to get. We’ve had a lot of people over the last few years, and the general consensus is that it’s their first time coming here, it was an amazing experience, and they’ll be back soon.”
With Ethan’s appointment to vice president and general manager, and Tim and Diane Mueller planning to take a greater role in the resort’s operation, the Muellers are bringing the family business back to the family.
“I’ve been working with the family since I was 14, so although I’m 34 now and it’s funny to say that I have 20 years of experience, I have a lot of downloaded knowledge over the years and at the dinner table,” Ethan said. “As anyone [who] knows us on the East Coast, we’ve had a lot of success there and I’m excited to continue that in a more personal way here by [the family] being more active as the leadership here in Crested Butte.”