Official Operator Spotlight: Aaron Zaverl
Known as a "Swiss army knife" of slope maintenance, you'll find Aaron doing everything from winching to building racecourses to constructing the tubing lanes.
Tell us about your career and what helped you get to this point.
My first winter in a snowcat was the 2013/2014 season at Seven Springs, my home mountain in Pennsylvania. After about 5 or 6 seasons, I realized that I wanted more than what PA had to offer. The 2019/2020 Season is made the trek to Utah after getting offered a position as a terrain park operator at Park City. COVID eventually shut down the ski industry, and without job security, I was forced to move back to Pennsylvania. The following season, I was offered a "lead" position. During my time as the lead, my manager at the time, Gary Wiltrout, recognized my love for snowcats and started prepping me to take over his spot one day. I took over grooming operations the very next season. Getting the opportunity for a management role was probably the main turning point of my career so far.
If you had to pick just one thing, what would you say has been the highlight of your career so far?
Being selected to the Pistenbully Operator Team, amongst some of the industry's best!
What feature or capability of PistenBully machines/products do you find most critical for your work?
The park pro implements, in my opinion, the most critical machine capability. Compared to older machines, having the extra lift on the blade makes life much easier.
What is your best advice for mentoring/training?
Be a sponge and never stop learning.
What do you hope to see PistenBully offer in the future?
I hope to see continued community outreach and demo/training days to ensure the industry continues into future generations.
What's something you want others -- especially those who are not familiar with your line of work -- to know about snow grooming?
It takes a lot of love and passion to make snow grooming a career. Not everyone is cut out for the long nights, battling the elements.
What do you do in the summer?
I'm a total heavy equipment nerd. I try to get as much stick time in whatever machine I stumble upon.
