Afton Alps’ new general manager has long history with Vail Resorts

Mary Divine, Pioneer Press
·2 min read

It will be a homecoming of sorts for Trevor Maring when Afton Alps opens for the season Friday, Nov. 18. Maring, who grew up skiing and snowboarding at Afton, was named general manager of the ski resort in mid-October.

Maring, 33, comes to Afton from Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado, where, over the course of 10 years, he worked his way up from parking-lot attendant to director of operations. Both resorts are owned by Vail Resorts.

“We are really, truly beyond excited for this upcoming season,” Maring said. “We have a new reinvestment and a new direction, which has set us up for success this winter. We’re ready to come out of the gates strong and bring the fun back to Afton Alps.”

Key to Afton Alps’ success, he said, is a hike in the employees’ base pay to $20 an hour.

Staffing shortages last year led company officials to shorten Afton Alps’ operating hours. This year, the hours will be back to pre-pandemic levels, including a return to a 10 a.m. midweek opening time. Last season, the resort opened at 1 p.m.

Officials also will limit daily lift-ticket sales on peak days this season. The move is designed to make sure that visitors to the ski area, especially the resort’s Epic Pass holders, “have the best possible experience … on those busy days,” Maring said.

Maring started working for Vail Resorts in 2012. Prior to being named director of operations in 2020, he served as manager of resort operations and senior manager of fleet maintenance.

While at Breckenridge, Maring also served as president of the Alpine & Breckenridge Mountain Metropolitan Districts and was on the boards of the Breckenridge Mountain Masters Association and the I-70 Coalition.

Maring graduated from Kenyon-Wanamingo High School in 2007 and from the University of Minnesota with a degree in kinesiology and exercise science in 2011.

He and his wife, Katy, have a 3 1/2-month-old son named Benjamin. The couple has bought a house in St. Paul’s Highland Park neighborhood.

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