Richard Thorpe Recognized as Ski Instructor of the Year

Telluride, CO - Ski Instructor extraordinaire Richard Thorpe was awarded Ski/Snowboard Instructor of the year by Colorado Ski Country USA at the 47th CSCUSA Annual Meeting on June 10, 2010. The Double Diamonds Awards Dinner was held at the Denver Center for Performing Arts Complex in downtown Denver, and Thorpe was presented the award by Olympic medalist Gretchen Bleiler.

“I am truly honored to receive this award from Colorado Ski Country,” said Thorpe. “It is so nice to be recognized amongst my peers and the industry as ‘Instructor of the Year’”.

Originally from California, Thorpe began his teaching career at Snoqualmie Summit, Washington, just outside of Seattle. He then spent 11 years teaching at Taos before moving to Telluride in 2000. Richard is a Level 3 Alpine instructor, is accredited as both a basic freestyle and children’s instructor, and is a Telluride ski school staff trainer.

“We have one of the leading ski and snowboard schools in the country, and we are thrilled Richard is a part of our staff,” said CEO Dave Riley. “We are proud of Richard’s achievements.”

A-Basin lead Groomer Wins Slope Groomer of the Year Award

Arapahoe Basin, CO - Colorado Ski Country announced on April 7, 2010 at the Colorado Ski Country USA Snow Conference that Dick Dreyer of Arapahoe Basin won Slope Groomer of the Year. There were seven finalists in his category. The CSCUSA industry awards have been presented to the best of the best in the categories of slope groomer, terrain master, and snowmaker for over 20 years. Each CSCUSA resort nominates one employee in each category every year. The winners are chosen based on professionalism, dedication, contribution, leadership, and attitude.

Dreyer has been with Arapahoe Basin operations for over thirty years. Prior to working for A-Basin, he worked one year as a groomer for Keystone Ski Resort. He has seen Arapahoe Basin through a breadth of changes, such as the addition of snowmaking, terrain parks, and the expansion into Montezuma Bowl. He was very influential in the implementation of many of these projects and continues to be a mentor to all of A-Basin’s cat drivers.

Dick’s supervisor, Mark LaFlamme spoke about Dick’s role in the Montezuma Bowl expansion project. “He played a huge role in our expansion into Montezuma Bowl, not only in creating the grooming plan but also with the construction. A large part of the project was completed over snow, which created many obstacles. Dick’s creativity and hard work made the project possible. His knowledge, skill and positive attitude make him a huge asset that we are very thankful to have at Arapahoe Basin.”
When asked about his passion for snow grooming, Dick said, “I still take enormous pleasure in firing up a cat and heading out into the night, always anxious to see what Mother Nature holds in store for us.” The Arapahoe Basin team is proud of Dick’s achievements and abilities and look forward to the next thirty years with him at the helm.