Windham appoints New General Manager

WINDHAM MOUNTAIN APPOINTS CHIP SEAMANS GENERAL MANAGER
 
WINDHAM, N.Y. (August 4th, 2011) – Windham Mountain today announced the appointment of David “Chip” Seamans to the position of general manager and chief operating officer, effective September 1.
 
Mr. Seamans replaces outgoing president and general manager Tim Woods, who is assuming ownership of Woods Valley, a ski area in central New York that was created by his late father.  Mr. Woods will continue to work with Mr. Seamans and the Windham Mountain management team as president of Windham Mountain and senior advisor to Windham Mountain Partners through April of 2012.
 
Mr. Seamans brings 24 years of ski industry experience to Windham Mountain.  He began his career in the industry as a professional ski patroller at Sunday River in Maine in 1987, becoming ski patrol director in 1990, vice president of mountain operations in 1992 and resort managing director in 1998.
 
In 2003, he joined Willis of New Hampshire as vice president and director of claims and loss control.  Willis is the largest provider of insurance underwriting for ski resorts in the United States.
 
He returned to ski resort operations in 2006 as general manager and chief operating officer of Kirkwood Mountain Resort, south of Lake Tahoe, California.
 
“It’s difficult to replace someone as skilled as Tim,” said Randy MacDonald, who leads the Windham Mountain ownership group.  “Chip’s background makes him an ideal choice.  During the time he led Sunday River, it was one of the three largest ski areas in the Northeast and engaged in innovative operations and marketing programs that continue to touch the industry to this day.  At Kirkwood, he addressed the unique needs of an upscale destination resort and vastly improved economic performance to the company.”
 
“Kirkwood was a phenomenal experience,” said Mr. Seamans. “I wasn’t really looking for a move until I met the team at Windham Mountain and saw what’s going on here.  The staff and ownership group are wonderful people, and the plans for the future are really exciting.  My family and I are also thrilled to be able to return east, where we’ll be closer to extended family and dear friends.”
 
Prior to entering the ski industry, Mr. Seamans worked as a lead instructor and program coordinator in professional development curriculum for the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School in Maine.
 
Mr. Seamans holds a B.A. from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania.  He and his wife Wendy have two teenage children.

I wonder how he'll feel about his decision when a wind swept 50+ deg rain in Jan soaks his ski area..

My first thought was "he wants to move from Kirkwood to the exact same position at Windham?"

Many EC ski-industry people move west early in the careers. After getting that out of their system, I'd guess that more than a few (and their spouses) are interested in moving back east to be close to family.