Alison Rigsby
Reservation Manager, Taos, N.M.
Age: 28
Hometown: Ruidoso, N.M.
Six-Word Bio: Life is better with green chili.
Fun Fact: Camped for six weeks one summer outside of Crested Butte, Colo.

Alison Rigsby grew up in southern New Mexico on the slopes Ski Apache and the Sierra Blanca. She went to Texas Tech to study marketing, but knew she’d get back to the mountains eventually. She did, and recently made the move from Crested Butte to Taos, where she was hired to start the new reservations department for The Blake, the area’s first resort-owned hotel, which opened in February.

How did you end up at Taos?
I had an opportunity to open a brand new hotel and start its reservations department from scratch. It was a great opportunity, and closer to home. Now we’re transitioning into taking over third-party reservations for the entire valley. Taos only owns one lodge, but there’s an opportunity to sell quite a few properties in Taos Ski Valley and the town.

Your small staff will grow next winter. What do you think makes a good leader?
Working as hard or harder than my team and leading by example. Also, having a positive attitude.

Proudest moment?
Helping open the hotel and then get my department running from the ground up. This is Taos’ first in-house reservations department. It was a big undertaking, and I’m proud of how the winter went. It exceeded estimated profit, which was a big deal.

Why the ski industry?
I fell into it, and fell in love with it. Working with like-minded people makes work more fun. That’s what drew me in and has kept me in the industry. I tried my hand at city life (a year in Dallas), but wouldn’t do it again.

In 10 years?
Taos is undergoing a lot revamping, and there will be a lot of opportunity here over the next five years. I see myself in a similar position as my old boss Jill (Higgins; Crested Butte), reservations and central reservations manager. I like dealing with people, so I see myself becoming a director somewhere.