A Conversation with ORDA’s New CEO, Ashley Walden

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SAM Magazine—Lake Placid, N.Y., Oct. 6, 2023—The New York Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) has named Ashley Walden its new CEO. Walden assumed the role in September, and replaced Mike Pratt, who retired after 38 years with the organization.

The first woman to fill the top spot at ORDA, Walden will oversee all entities under the ORDA umbrella including the Belleayre, Gore, and Whiteface ski areas, Olympic ski-jumping complex in Lake Placid, and Mount Van Hoevenberg’s cross-country ski trails, competition luge, and bobsled facilities.

A former Olympic luger who has held various positions at winter sports organizations in the Lake Placid area, a top priority for Walden will be to get to know each ORDA venue and its operations. “I had the experience of working with ORDA for the past 10-12 years externally, so now I’m trying to get a good grasp on all of the different areas of operations,” said Walden.

She begins on the cusp of a $90+ million capital expenditure that’s slated to fund a variety of projects including snowmaking, lift, and infrastructure upgrades at all three alpine resorts.

“I’m working with each to fully understand the projects they have, so that those can stay on track and are completed in the specified time frame,” said Walden. Specifically, Belleayre, which she said has experienced exponential growth in recent years and will receive two new lifts and a 4,000-square-foot addition to its Longhouse Lodge, among other upgrades. “We’ll be taking a good look at the guest experience there to make sure it keeps up with the growth.”

Walden credits Pratt—who drove approval of the upcoming capital expenditure during his six years as CEO—with providing important perspective on ski area operations. “Mike Pratt was very knowledgeable in ski area operations, but I come from more of an event and sport background,” said Walden. “So, I’m trying to figure out how to support ski areas along with the needs of all of the departments, so I can understand operations and best support the teams.”

A Massachusetts native, Walden took up the luge in her early teens, prompted by a US Luge Association recruitment ad that aired during the 1994 Winter Olympics. A member of the National Luge Team for 16 years, she competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, was an alternate for the 2006 Games in Turin, and competed in World Cups and championships until her retirement in 2011.

The exposure she gained from the sport will serve her in her new role, she said. “We work closely with a lot of international sports at ORDA outside of the ski resorts, so for me there’s a lot of connections within those organizations that will really help with some of the programs we run,” said Walden.

Prior to ORDA, as director of the Adirondack Sports Council, Walden led the organizing committee for the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games from 2019 until 2023. The 11-day multi-sport event attracts more than 2,500 student-athletes from more than 50 countries and tens of thousands of spectators. She also spent nearly a decade at the USA Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, advancing from operations director to director of sport. She completed bachelor’s and master’s degrees while travelling as a competitive athlete.

In the midst of its capital growth, climate change will continue to “inform the overall big picture for the organization,” said Walden. “We’re looking at how we can change the way we operate so we can continue to offer winter sports to future generations.”

One way will be through upgrades to snowmaking systems at ORDA’s ski areas. “Obviously every ski area right now is facing challenges with Mother Nature and related to climate change, so a lot of the investments are in snowmaking, to make it earlier and more quickly at all three areas,” said Walden. “We’re looking at the whole system and how we can utilize the resources we have. Mike took a hard look at that over the last few years and we’re continuing those improvements.”