Last week, it was announced that Charles Skinner, who owns Granite Peak and Lutsen Mountain, had bought Big Snow Resort in Michigan. The two separate peaks, known as Blackjack Mountain and Indianhead Mountain, are being renamed. Big Snow Resort is being renamed SnowRiver Mountain Resort to avoid confusion with the Big SNOW American Dream indoor ski area in New Jersey. Blackjack Mountain is becoming Black River Basin, and Indianhead will now be known as Jackson Creek Summit. These changes were done to be more respectful towards the Native American community.
Since then, they’ve joined the Indy Pass, and have now named a new General Manager and Assistant General Manager. Benjamin Bartz, who was the Mountain Manager of Giants Ridge, will become the General Manager of Snowriver in October. Timothy Moon is moving from the General Manager role at Big Snow to the Assistant General Manager role. The official statement from Snowriver Mountain Resort is below:
BENJAMIN BARTZ NAMED GENERAL MANAGER & TIM MOON ASSISTANT GM AT SNOWRIVER MOUNTAIN RESORT
WAKEFIELD, MI (September 6, 2022)— Snowriver Mountain Resort (previously known as Big Snow Resort) has hired Benjamin Bartz as General Manager. Bartz will transition from Giants Ridge, where he currently retains the title of Mountain Manager, to Snowriver over the next month. Bartz will start working at the property the first week of October.
A member of the National Ski Patrol, Bartz attended Gogebic Community College and Northern Michigan University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Ski Area Business Management following an internship at Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado in 2017. For the past five years, he has held the position of Mountain Operations Manager at Giants Ridge, Minnesota. In 2019, Ski Area Management Magazine named him to their “Top 10 Under 30.” A list highlighting a diverse group of 10 ski industry professionals making positive differences while working towards bigger roles in the future.
“I’m thrilled to be named General Manager at Snowriver Mountain Resort,” stated Bartz. “The Skinner family has shown a dedication to reinvestment and excellence in their operations at Granite Peak and Lutsen Mountains. I believe the future is bright at Snowriver, and I can’t wait to get started.”
Bartz grew up in Tomahawk, Wisconsin, where his family still resides, and grew up skiing the resorts in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, having held season passes to the resorts Charles Skinner Jr. purchased last week.
“Ben impressed us in his interview, and we felt he was a natural fit for the job with his strong ties to the area and his knowledge of ski resort operations,” stated Skinner, the CEO & President of Midwest Family Ski Resorts. This company owns Snowriver and Granite Peak, WI & Lutsen Mountains, MN.
Joining Bartz at the top of the Snowriver Mountain organizational chart will be Timothy Moon, who was named Assistant General Manager. Tim’s primary responsibilities will focus on the inside operations of the ski area, such as lodging, administrative operations, and events, and assist Bartz in transitioning to General Manager.
“Tim’s knowledge of the operations of these ski areas is incredibly vast,” stated Skinner. “He was an obvious choice to help lead these ski areas. We are excited to see what these two young men can do together as we transform into the new Snowriver Mountain Resort.”
Moon has worked in various roles at the ski areas known as Indianhead and Blackjack and has lived in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for the last 12 years.
Image Credits: Snowriver Mountain Resort
