We had the good fortune of connecting with Toad and Donna Pittz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Toad and Donna, what is the most important factor behind your success?
We are in the kid business in the forms of skiing/bike programs and passing on the skills involved in those sports. Good skiers and bike riders are the measurable outcomes, but the success of the programs comes from instilling a measure of appreciation for the opportunities (How Lucky are We to be in the mountains on a Saturday!) and no small dose of what we call Alpine Values: Respect the power of the Mountains, but Appreciate the Fragility of the alpine environment. This includes insites like the names of mountain ranges, the continental divide and what it does, how the Rockies were formed, animals in the forest, types of wildflowers, etc, etc.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I don’t think it’s an original story to be 60 years old and surprised where life took you. Looking back it all fits together how one opportunity led to the next..but it didn’t swwm that way at the time! I believe a noticable difference from most is that I never viewed myself as having “a career.” Self-definition included husband, father, son, skier. Skills that came in handy to this point were, of course, learned on the job;
Sales: failure, rejection, and a lesson in what I didn’t want to do;
Contracting: project/time/budget/people management as well as learning trades in my twenties I never imagined knowing; Ski/Bike Coaching & Program Management: Learning what to do (and what not to do) from previous bosses, how to treat people to form a team, how Industry Knowledge is a golden currency.
Woody Allen said 80% of success is showing up. I think he undervalues it!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
A friend not from the area would be taken immediately up the I70 corridor to the Leadville exit for a tour of snowcapped 14000 foot peaks. Then down toward Salida and over to Crested Butte for the bike trails and wildflowers. Then south through Ouray and Durango (more mountains and the Narrow Gage). Finally, into Utah and north to the desert. Three National Parks-spectacular! Then back through Colo Nat’l Monument…we might need more than a week…

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The leadership at Winter Park Resort hires good people then lets them do their jobs. I’m a mid-level manager but feel like an entrepeneur running my own company: I hire, budget, and schedule, as well as influence the Mission and program values. I’m encouraged to take risks, and the vision is looked at as decades rather than years. Also, the strength of the partnership that Donna and I have cannot be underestimated. It’s the foundation for everything.

Website: khumbuconnection.org; https://www.winterparkresort.com/things-to-do/competition-center/summer-programs/all-mountain-bike-program

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.