Welcome Shanta Hoff, Mt. Abram’s new Director of Mountain Operations!
Mt. Abram is excited to introduce Shanta Hoff as the newest addition to the team. With extensive experience in the ski and bike industry, Shanta will bring valuable insights to the mountain. She is a familiar face to many in the Bethel area, having lived here on and off over the years while raising her daughters. We are delighted to welcome her aboard and encourage everyone to say hello next time you see her around the mountain!
We sat down with Shanta to learn more about her background and experience. You can read our interview below.
Can you tell us a bit about your background and what drew you to Mt. Abram Ski Area and Bike Park?
I got my start in the ski industry at Sunday River in the early ’90s and quickly recognized that Mountain Operations was where I enjoyed working most. After working at the Sunday River bike park, making snow, and being on the Jordan Bowl expansion crew, I joined Doppelmayr’s installation crew. For several years, I traveled the country in the summer installing lifts and spent winters exploring ski areas – from Park City, Snowbasin, and Powder Mountain to Whistler. I got my start in lift maintenance at Big Sky in Montana, but eventually, the lure of Bethel called me back to Sunday River, where I worked in lift maintenance for 15 years. Most recently, I was the mountain operations director at Berkshire East/Thunder Mountain Bike Park, before again returning to Bethel to join the team at Mt. Abram.
I’ve always enjoyed the culture and community at Mt. Abram – from watching my daughters’ ski races, pizza nights, and mountain biking. My daughter was both a ski coach and a bike coach at Mt. Abram, and watching the support and growth she was offered made a move to Mt. Abram an easy choice.
What are your top priorities in your new role as Director of Mountain Operations?
My top priority is working as a liaison between the different mountain ops departments and coordinating their needs with the needs of the mountain. We are looking at all projects holistically – how they affect the mountain for ski and bike season, and how to use one season’s needs to enhance the other. Creating training opportunities for our staff, including Prinoth school, Lift Maintenance Seminar, Adaptive evac training, chainsaw safety, and high-angle rescue training. I am also implementing an aggressive preventative maintenance program for our lift infrastructure to prevent mid-season downtime.
How do you plan to enhance the overall guest experience at Mt. Abram?
By focusing on preventative maintenance and project planning, we are looking to reduce lift downtimes and on-hill issues, improve the snowmaking and snow surface systems, and support both the summer and winter trail crews in creating a product they are excited to ski and ride.
Can you share any upcoming projects or improvements that you are particularly excited about?
I am working on procuring some demo fan guns for both lower Boris and Westside this winter. The goal is to make snow as efficiently as possible in our high-use areas, even in marginal temperatures, and also allow us to focus on other areas of the mountain more quickly once our base areas are ready.
What activities or hobbies do you enjoy when you’re not working?
I love to snowboard in the winter, and in the summer, I run, mountain bike, and paddleboard. I enjoy being outdoors, which is why I love the Western Maine area – there’s always another activity to try or area to explore.
What is one thing about you that people might be surprised to learn?
I was born in Tampa, Florida, have Canadian citizenship, and lived in Monterrey, Mexico for a year when I was 4 years old.
Cool.