Like most mountain folks, Mark Mueller fell in love with snow culture at a young age. But after a few years of working as a cook and in the rental/ repair shops, he recognized he needed knowledge and skills to grow his passion for powder into a rewarding career.

It was in the early 1970’s when Mark learned about Colorado Mountain College’s Ski Area Technology program (now Ski Area Operations), and he knew education was the missing link.

“I loved the atmosphere, like-minded friends, and culture around the ski area,” says Mark, who is originally from San Carlos, CA. “I knew I wanted to do something ski area related. I read about Colorado Mountain College in Ski magazine and it sounded cool!”

Mark attended Colorado Mountain College Leadville from 1974 – 1976 and immersed himself in all things ski industry. His instructors, CK Lukow and Ken Host, taught him about lift maintenance, equipment operations, welding, and avalanche safety.

After Mark graduated from Colorado Mountain College he spent 15 winters at California’s Squaw Valley, including 12 years as Ski Patrol Director from 1980-1992. Then in 1992, he made the familiar migration back to the Colorado Rockies to pursue a career with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC).

Mark spent his first winter back in Colorado patrolling for Wolf Creek Ski Area, and started with CAIC in the fall of 1993 working on a new highway avalanche forecasting program with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). In 2015, he was promoted to Lead Avalanche Forecaster at the Pagosa Springs Office.

“I love my job! Each winter is unique and the learning never ends,” says Mark, who has been with the CAIC for 24 years. “I work with great people at CAIC and in CDOT and I get to spend a lot of time on skis out in the snow.”

Although professional upward mobility in the ski industry can be challenging terrain to navigate, it is possible to achieve your dreams. With the help of Colorado Mountain College’s Ski Area Operations program, Mark turned his passion for powder chasing from a part-time job to fulfilling career.

“My advice to students or anyone who wants to work in the ski industry,” says Mark, “Is to dream your life and live your dream. Make it happen."

South Korea is over 6,000 miles away from Colorado, but when it comes to the ski industry, it’s surprisingly close.

Nobody knows that better than Allison Kohn Marriner and her husband, Geoff “Salty” Marriner, both alumni of Colorado Mountain College Leadville’s ski area operations program.

The couple was hired to join an international team of seasoned professionals producing the XXIII Winter Olympics and the XII Paralympic Winter Games at Jeongseon Alpine Centre in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Geoff, who’s the mountain operations manager at Jeongseon, has been in South Korea full time since 2015, and Allison has shuttled back and forth between Korea and their Colorado home.

And even though the Olympics are a year away, the experience of landing in a foreign country and working towards one of the world’s biggest international sports events has been invaluable in their career and personal development.

“I’ve definitely been taken completely out of my comfort zone in all aspects of life, home and work,” Geoff wrote from Jeongseon. “So just for that this has already been a worthwhile experience.”

Since studying ski area operations at Colorado Mountain College, the Marriners have made steady progress toward their current responsibilities in South Korea. While working at Vail Resorts they gained experience with on-mountain operations and World Cup ski racing production that helped them to learn the ropes within the international ski racing community.

Both have developed solid reputations in the ski business: Allison as a Beaver Creek snowcat operator and lift maintenance assistant, and Geoff as a Vail equipment operator, as well as a Beaver Creek grooming manager and supervisor.

While Geoff works full time at the Jeongseon Alpine Centre, Allison travels back and forth between Colorado and South Korea. She works part time as a snowcat operator in South Korea, and returns to operate cats at Beaver Creek and do lift maintenance during the summers.

Although Allison said she is widely accepted in the U.S. as a female snowcat operator, in South Korea, the reactions can be different.

“One day while grooming through the finish area, there was a group of Korean women,” she said. “Every time I came by I got a thumbs-up and smiles and cheers.”