Three Aspen One employees with nearly a century of combined experience at the company will be retiring in the next fiscal year, according to the company that owns and manages the four world-famous Colorado ski areas of Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Snowmass and Buttermilk.Chief Human Resources Officer Jim Laing, Senior Vice President of Mountain Operations Katie Ertl and Vice President of Communications Jeff Hanle will all be moving on at different times.“We are a growing and evolving organization and with that comes natural change and transition,” an Aspen One spokesperson wrote in an email statement. “The recent internal transition announcement of three valued teammates has been planned for years and are part of that natural change cycle.“We are deeply grateful for their many years of dedication and service. While they will be missed, these changes provide an opportunity for Aspen One to build upon their legacy, continue to evolve, and continue to raise the bar in serving our guests, employees, and communities.”Laing will become a senior advisor to the company beginning Oct. 1 for an eventual retirement on June 1, 2025. He in his 30th year with this company and is the longest tenured executive officer in the company’s history. Lisa Flynn will then take over the Aspen One HR organization.   Ertl, a native of Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley, started her tenure at Aspen Skiing Company as an 18-year-old ski pro (instructor) while attending the University of Colorado and worked her way up to senior vice president of mountain operations in 2017. She has been with the company 37 years — 25 years in management and leadership roles.   “Katie will continue in her current role through Dec. 1 of this year and will then transition to become a senior adviser to Aspen Skiing Company CEO Geoff Buchheister for the remainder of the upcoming winter season,” according to an internal communication. “Katie’s direct reports will report into Geoff while the team works on their longer-term evolution.”   Ertl did not return a phone call requesting comment. Aspen One Vice President of Communications Hanle has been with the company for more than 26 years after coming over from the radio industry. He’ll stay on through March 31, 2025, and the company is posting a job listing to find his replacement soon.  Hanle declined to comment on his pending retirement. Off-the-record sources emphasized that these moves were all anticipated and not part of a broader restructuring of executive leadership ahead of any major new changes.  Rumors of a potential full acquisition of Aspen One by Alterra Mountain Company, which is partly owned by Henry Crown and Company — or some other entity — have swirled in recent months, especially since the untimely death of Jim Crown in 2023. But industry observers find that scenario unlikely.   “First, I’d be absolutely shocked if the Crowns sold Aspen,” former Aspen Skiing Company Chief Operating Officer and now-retired member of the Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame John Norton said in a phone interview last spring. “There’s a reason Aspen’s not already part of Alterra, and that’s the Crown family. I just don’t think it’s in the cards,” Norton added. “They’ve been great owners for Aspen, and sure, Jim was the managing partner, but he’s got six or seven brothers and sisters and cousins. I think the Crowns love Aspen.”   The four Aspen mountains can be accessed for up to seven days each on Alterra’s multi-resort Ikon Pass. The Ikon Pass offers unlimited access to Solitude Mountain, and up to seven days each at Snowbasin, Alta, Deer Valley, Snowbird and Brighton, as well as a slew of other ski areas around the world. It’s the chief competitor with Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass.  The post Aspen announces leadership changes amid sale rumors appeared first on Park Record.