Meet the 2023-24 Summit Series mentee class hailing from resorts across the United States, large, mid-size, and small, independent, and corporate, and represent departments ranging from mountain ops to marketing. Thank you to everyone who applied to be a part of our fourth mentee class. 

Paul Barger, Marketing Manager, Lee Canyon, Nev.

Paul Barger resides in the vibrant city of Las Vegas and currently serves as the marketing manager at Lee Canyon. After spending 12 years managing bands and promoting concerts in the Pacific Northwest, Paul's journey took an unpredictable turn when he relocated to Las Vegas in 2020. He began looking for new opportunities to use his passion for marketing in ways that tapped into his love of the outdoors. Diving into the snowsports industry at a resort nestled in the desert might have seemed like a gamble with long odds, but as luck would have it, Paul feels like he's hit the jackpot. When he's not carving down the slopes, you'll find him exploring hiking trails or tending to something delicious on his smoker.

Kyle Brasch, Technology Liaison and Digital Marketing Specialist, Midwest Family Ski Resorts 

Kyle Brasch is a dedicated ski enthusiast who is passionate about photography and technology. His work background includes insurance, multiple years as a drone pilot collecting LIDAR and photogrammetry data, and eight years of military service. Currently, he's the technology liaison and digital marketing specialist at Midwest Family Ski Resorts. Beyond his work, Kyle strives to spend his time outside, camping, biking, and boating back home in Wisconsin. Through his career, he wishes to inspire, educate, and make a lasting impact on the people around him, always keeping in mind that life is better outside.

Jake Ingle, Senior Slope Maintenance Manager, Steamboat Ski Resort, Colo.

Jake Ingle is a 25-year industry veteran literally shaping the industry through creative, innovative, and inspiring terrain design. Early in his career, he spent winters grooming and snowmaking at Copper Mountain and summers building lifts for POMA. He then transitioned into an independent contractor building freestyle venues around the world. During this 20-year period, Jake was responsible for building superpipes and boardercross ventures for the US Ski & Snowboard Team. He’s been involved with more than 50 World Cup venues and has built internationally in Japan, Austria, and New Zealand. Career highlights include building the Superpipe for the 2018 PyeongChang South Korea Olympics and the Big Air event in Fenway Park in 2016. Jake joined the Steamboat Ski Resort team in 2020 and has played a vital role in overseeing developments of the resort’s Full Steam Ahead capital improvement project while also helping to expand its event offerings with the Visa Big Air in 2022. He shares his love of the mountains with his wife, 4-year-old son, and 1.5-year-old twins.

Brian Schmidt, General Manager, Teton Village Sports at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyo.

Brian spent the first eleven years of his life in Maine and learned to ski at Shawnee Peak and Sugarloaf. During his early teen years his family relocated to Boise, Idaho, and he quickly realized skiing the soft snow of the Intermountain West was a key to his happiness. After graduating from the University of Montana, Brian had stints in many different industries but his passion for skiing and the outdoors always called to him. Brian landed at Jackson Hole in 2009 and started his career in the ski industry. He’s had a unique career path at the resort, through lift operations, RFID ticketing services, and now as the general manager of Wyoming’s oldest ski shop, Teton Village Sports. When not at TVS or out skiing, Brian can be found with fly rod in hand chasing finned species.

Ashley Seier, Director of Marketing, Blue Mountain Resort, Penn.

Ashley started in the ski industry in high school, when she worked seasonally at Blue Mountain in the lodge cafeteria. From there, she joined the resort’s brand ambassador team, which helped her discover her passion for marketing and the ski industry as a whole. Ashley obtained a degree in marketing and worked up the ranks at Blue Mountain from marketing intern to sales to marketing specialist to manager, and, now, director of marketing. Her favorite part of the job is being able to tell the story of outdoor adventure and share what she loves with guests–especially never-ever skiers and snowboarders who may be experiencing the mountains for the first time.

Katie Senger, Director of Guest Services and Ticketing, Pleasant Mountain, Maine

Katie Senger was born in Connecticut, learned to ski at Ski Sundown, and was raised on Maine summers. She relocated to Maine permanently after graduating from Syracuse with a Bachelor of Science in wildlife biology. Katie found her passion for the ski industry in 2007, when she was hired part time as ski school administrator at Shawnee Peak (now Pleasant Mountain). An ambitious employee, she earned her current position as director of guest services and ticketing by moving through various roles at the resort—ski school, guest services, and events coordinator—and by working closely with the marketing team. Prior to accepting the position, Katie was the rental and adventure center manager at the Omni Mountain Washington, Bretton Woods. When not at the mountain, you can find her on the lake with her border collie, Rye.

Rosie Waller, Lift Operations Manager, Dodge Ridge Mountain Resort, Calif.

Rosie did not grow up learning to ski like many in the industry. However, she was raised with an appreciation for nature. When she first applied to lift operations, her brother told her “all you do is push buttons all day.” Boy, was he wrong. At Dodge Ridge, Rosie became enthralled with the mountain and the people. Seven seasons as a lift operator has helped her in her new role as lift operations manager, and she has been able to apply her knowledge to change some things for the better. With a focus on customers and employees, being a leader to Rosie means being relatable and doing everything she can to empower those around her.

Rachel Wessel, Employee Services Manager, Brundage Mountain Resort, Idaho

Growing up in a non-skiing family in northern Idaho, Rachel was introduced to snowboarding through the state’s fifth grade ski-free program and never looked back. Her first job was a junior instructor for Lookout Pass Ski Area, and snowboarding throughout the Pacific Northwest has long been a highlight of her winters. After moving to McCall in 2017, Rachel found an opportunity to combine her human resources degree with her love for the outdoors at Brundage. Joining as the first full-time HR professional, she is now part of the resort’s senior leadership team and manages the employee services department. In addition to learning to ski at Brundage, Rachel has learned to love the close-knit community of passionate outdoor enthusiasts that live and work in the mountains.

Boo Morris Wells, Owner, Dry Hill Ski Area, N.Y.

Boo grew up in Connecticut and spent her summers sailing on Long Island Sound and skiing throughout the Northeast. In college, she taught skiing at Pats Peak and Bolton Valley, coached with the Pat’s Peak Ski Team, and worked at a local ski shop. Upon graduating from the University of Vermont she moved to Summit County, Colo., where she married and started a family. Fifteen years later, Boo moved back East, to Watertown, N.Y., where she started and ran a large catering company. In the winters she taught at Dry Hill Ski Area and earned her PSIA Alpine Level 1 certificate. She is a NYS licensed EMT and is currently working on her National Ski Patrol OEC. In 2022, Boo and her husband purchased Dry Hill, which has a seasonal staff of 90, a restaurant and bar, snowsports school, and shop. She manages the business with the help of her husband and eldest son, who oversees on-hill operations.

Sara Zappone, Manager of Outdoor Adventure, Winter Park Resort, Colo.

Sara entered the snowsports industry as an 8-year-old kid, on borrowed gear from an after-school ski club in her home state of Michigan. She decided to move west after graduating college with a degree in art education, planning for “one season” as a lift operator before starting her career. Nine years later, she still happily lives and works in the mountains as the manager of outdoor adventure at Winter Park Resort. Sara is currently focused on developing guided mountain experiences and the evolution and expansion of summer programming. She recently completed her master’s in instructional design, which has rekindled a desire to educate, encourage growth, and organize change. She is motivated to build supportive team cultures through collaboration, creativity, and a commitment to being a better leader. Out of work, she enjoys biking and exploring with her husband and two goofy dogs.

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