Terrain Park Lead

Position Summary

Supervises the Terrain Park Department across Snowbowl's full terrain park system, including Hart Prairie Start Park, Round Up Rail Garden, Bear Alley Park, Red Tail Terrain Park, and Sunset Terrain Park, and provides input to management on the design, layout, construction, and maintenance of freestyle terrain. This role runs park operations consistent with NSAA Freestyle Terrain Resource Guide practices, in support of Snowbowl's goal of offering the best terrain parks in the Southwest, and is directly accountable for park performance results and for building a Terrain Park team that takes ownership of daily standards. Success in this role shows up as terrain parks that open on schedule to a consistent safety standard, a team that owns its standards without prompting, and measurable improvement in park performance over the season.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:

Park Design, Construction & Operations

• Perform all duties of Terrain Park Attendant I, II, and Lead.
• Supervise daily operations across Snowbowl's full terrain park system, ensuring each park's feature mix and difficulty (XS/S/M/L) match its designated ability level so riders can progress safely from park to park.
• Lead park layout and terrain feature design, and supervise construction, applying NSAA Freestyle Terrain Resource Guide design and margin-for-error principles.

Inspections & Maintenance

• Own daily terrain park opening procedures, including visual inspection and, for new, reworked, or post-incident features, physical testing; document results on daily logs consistent with NSAA recordkeeping guidance.
• Perform and direct daily maintenance of rails, jibs, boxes, jumps, and halfpipe/terrain features, and maintain feature placement logs and maps for each park.
• Move and maintain steel rail/jib features and manage the park feature inventory, including build, repair, and retirement.
• Complete daily logs and department-specific reports and forms.

Safety, Risk & Compliance

• Execute feature and park closure procedures per NSAA guidance and coordinate closures and reopenings with Ski Patrol, Lift Operations, and Grooming.
• Engage in risk management and assessment as it relates to freestyle terrain, including snowmobile designated-route, PPE, and flagging protocols for on-hill equipment use.
• Conduct incident investigations in conjunction with Ski Patrol and management, including post-incident feature inspection and testing before a closed feature is reopened to the public.

Signage & Guest/Staff Education

• Install, inspect, and maintain Freestyle Terrain wayfinding and safety signage at every park and feature entrance, keeping messaging current on-mountain, on trail maps, and on the website.
• Develop, facilitate, and deliver staff and guest freestyle terrain education using PARK SMART, Your Responsibility Code, and the ATML model, and support on-hill ambassador presence and rider clinics with Ski & Snowboard School.

Events & Cross-Departmental Coordination

• Help plan and execute terrain park events and competitions at Sunset Terrain Park, including course construction, staffing, waivers, closures, and marketing coordination.
• Coordinate closely with Grooming, Snowmaking, Lift Operations, Ski Patrol, Marketing, and Ski & Snowboard School on snow allocation, build-season timing, event support, and guest-facing promotion of the parks.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Directly supervises employees in the Terrain Park Department, carrying out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with company policy and applicable law.
• Interviews, hires, and terminates staff as needed.
• Trains, mentors, and cross-trains employees to build bench strength and support their growth toward Crew Leader and Attendant Lead roles.
• Determines adequate, trained staffing levels for the scope and conditions of each park, and qualifies and evaluates staff for feature-testing duties by feature size.
• Plans, assigns, and directs work, including scheduling adequate park coverage for peak weekend, holiday, and event days.
• Holds staff accountable to documented inspection, maintenance, and safety standards, and appraises performance against measurable park goals.
• Rewards and disciplines employees, and addresses complaints and resolves problems.

Job Qualifications:

Required:

• Must be at least 18 years of age.
• High school education, or equivalent combination of education and experience, plus at least one year of related experience or training.
• Ability to read, comprehend, and write complex instructions and correspondence, and to present information effectively in one-on-one and small group settings.
• Advanced skier/snowboarder skills.
• Completion of, or willingness to complete within the first season: resort snowmobile operator training, resort-approved Freestyle Terrain tester qualification, and PARK SMART / ATML guest-education training.
• Understanding of risk management and working knowledge of NSAA Freestyle Terrain Resource Guide feature-design principles.
• Strong knowledge of the resort's layout and trail systems.
• Rail setting and rake techniques.
• Ability to safely maneuver and work around snowcats.
• Mechanical aptitude with hand and power tools.
• Experience maintaining park records and delivering guest/staff education.
• Experience supporting or running park-based events and competitions, and proven success leading a team.

Preferred:

• Basic metalworking/fabrication techniques.
• Basic rigging techniques.

Core Competencies:

• Design & Technical Mastery: Translates concepts into buildable terrain features, applies feature-design principles, and uses feedback to refine layouts with strong attention to detail.
• Problem Solving & Judgment: Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner, gathering and weighing information and using sound judgment even under pressure or in emotional situations.
• Accountability: Takes ownership of park safety, quality, and performance outcomes, holds self and team to documented standards without prompting, and surfaces shortfalls early to drive corrective action.
• Team Building & Coaching: Builds bench strength through mentoring, cross-training, and delegation, and delivers clear, level-appropriate rider and staff education using frameworks such as PARK SMART and ATML.
• Safety Leadership: Observes safety and security procedures, determines appropriate action beyond written guidelines, and reports or addresses unsafe conditions promptly.
• Cross-Departmental Collaboration & Adaptability: Coordinates closely with Grooming, Snowmaking, Lift Operations, Ski Patrol, Marketing, and Ski & Snowboard School, and adapts smoothly to changes in weather, staffing, and guest volume.

Work Environment:

• Frequently required to ski or snowboard, walk and/or climb, use hands to finger, handle, or feel, reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, and talk or hear.
• Occasionally required to rake, shovel, or engage in other heavy labor, stand and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• Must occasionally lift and/or move up to 75 pounds, and must have distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Constantly exposed to outside weather conditions; occasionally exposed to cold, wet, and/or humid conditions, moving mechanical parts, high precarious places, and vibration. Noise level is usually moderate.
• This is a Winter Resort Area role. Work venues are varied and in many cases include steep stairways, multi-level buildings, and outdoor work areas subject to very cold, sometimes wet, or very sunny conditions. Some facilities are semi-remote and reachable only by chairlift, skis, or snowboard. Walking surfaces are frequently frozen, sloped, and slippery; proper footwear is required indoors and out.
• Work days and hours, and the number of hours required, will vary, with an emphasis on weekends and holidays.