Meet Mike

In September, the National Ski Areas Association named Mike Reitzell as its new president and CEO. Unlike his predecessors, Reitzell doesn’t come to the job with a background in resort operations. Rather, for 14 years, he was an attorney with San Francisco- and Tahoe-based firm Hancock Rothert & Bunshoft, representing ski resorts in California and Nevada in litigation and risk management before a career pivot led him to the California Ski Industry Association (Ski California), where he served as president since 2015. 

During his time at Ski California he oversaw the creation of the Lift Maintenance and Operations Education (LMOE) annual conference, launched the association’s multi-award-winning Mountain Safety Guide, and spearheaded California and Nevada ski areas’ response to the Covid-19 pandemic.