Long before Shannon Buhler became the new vice president and general manager at Keystone Resort, she was a kid growing up in Summit County.

Buhler spent much of her adolescence exploring the resorts that are sprinkled throughout the county and competing for sports teams like Team Summit, but it was in California when she was just over a year old that she was introduced to the world of winter sports.

“My story started when I was really young,” Buhler said. “When I lived in California, I first got on skis when I was 14 months old. We lived in Wrightwood, California, next to a ski resort named Mountain High where my dad worked. I was always pretty tied into the ski industry.”

Beyond Buhlers’ father, John, working at a major ski resort, her grandfather was a volunteer ski patroller for many years. With several family members involved in the ski industry in some shape or form, Buhler recognized at an early age that being on the mountain was a way of life for her family.

At the age of 7, the Buhler family moved to Breckenridge and quickly fell in love with Summit County.

“Myself, my twin sister and my parents moved here,” Buhler said. “My dad had taken a job at Breckenridge, so I got to grow up in this amazing county.”

It was in Summit County that Buhler truly began to appreciate the ski industry and all that it has to offer. After Buhler graduated from Summit High School in 2005, she attended Mesa State University in Grand Junction — now known as Colorado Mesa University — and studied athletic training/sports medicine.

Although Buhler was pretty set on becoming an athletic trainer, she gravitated back toward the ski industry upon graduating from college.

“I thought I was going to be an athletic trainer forever and maybe be a high school coach in basketball or something,” Buhler said. “I ended up moving back to Summit County and took a different path. I decided I had so much passion for skiing and riding and really what this community brings — which is a love for the outdoors. It was definitely a calling.”

Shortly after deciding to pursue a career in the ski industry like her father, Buhler got a job in product sales and services at Breckenridge. In her first major role, Buhler worked in the ski and ride school private lesson sales office and call center. In that position, she worked to book lessons and talked to guests.

Buhler then attained her first management role at a ski resort after she was promoted as the manager of product sales and services at Breckenridge. Her first job at the management level set Buhler up for further advancement within Vail Resorts’ network of resorts.

In the summer of 2020, Buhler was appointed as the general manager at Snow Creek Ski Area in Missouri. Buhler then took the director of mountain operations job at Northstar in North Lake Tahoe and most recently served as the vice president and general manager of Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont.

It was at Stowe that Buhler feels like she gained valuable experience in leading a ski resort.

“That was a role where I was overseeing all parts of the operation,” Buhler said. “From first and foremost the safety of our team and of our guests to overseeing all lines of business, food and beverage, ski and ride school, lifts, snowmaking, grooming.”

Another big thing Buhler feels like she gained from her time at Stowe was a blueprint of how to build relationships and partnerships with community members around the resort.

“Working with the state, working with the town of Stowe to make sure we have close relationships,” Buhler said. “It is incredibly important for our success and every town and community’s success. Those partnerships and relationships with the community were really important for my growth as a leader.”

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<figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Shannon Buhler, right, and her wife, pose for a photo with their two kids. Buhler was appointed vice president and general manager of Keystone Resort in August. </figcaption><figcaption>Keystone Resort/Courtesy photo</figcaption>

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In August, Buhler was appointed as the vice president and general manager of Keystone Resort, becoming the third female to hold those positions in the history of the resort. The new position was special to Buhler and her family for many reasons.

Not only did it allow Buhler and her wife to return to Colorado, but she is now running a resort her father once also led.

“This really is coming home for me,” Buhler said. “I grew up here, I graduated from Summit High School, had the chance to play a ton of sports and ski these resorts. My dad was the (general manager) and (chief operating officer) of Keystone for five years and then was obviously the (chief operating officer) of Breckenridge. To get to run a resort that my dad ran is truly an honor, and I feel very honored to have the opportunity to do that.”

Buhler, her wife and their two kids will now be back around family members after spending the last few years outside of Colorado.

“We are back where our family is,” Buhler said. “My kids’ grandparents live here in Summit County, my wife’s family is all in Denver and my sister and her husband and their two kids live in Summit County as well. It is pretty amazing and special to be in a place that we love and have those family ties and connections.”

While at the helm of Keystone, Buhler plans to continue to make the resort  feel as welcoming and inclusive as possible.

“First of all, how can we be as welcoming to people as possible?,” Buhler said. “How can we make this an inclusive resort that supports and welcomes anyone from any diversity background? Make sure people feel like they belong. I think that is first and foremost.”

Additionally, Buhler says Keystone will continue to lean into the resort being a family-friendly ski destination that offers options for the entire family. 

After officially beginning her first winter season at Keystone on Saturday, Nov. 2, Buhler is looking forward to learning more about the resort and her team.

“I am still learning a lot,” Buhler said. “I did work two years here at Keystone from 2018-2020, but things have changed. COVID happened in that time, so right now it is a lot of learning for me. Connecting with the team, learning how we operate. I am widely impressed by the professionalism of the team and how great they are. I am excited to lean into that more.”