On June 9, Colorado Ski Industry leaders gathered at the 59th Annual Meeting and Double Diamond Awards to celebrate the outstanding performance of ski area employees. Winter Park Resort ski instructor Tom Hickok was honored as Instructor of the Year.

Awards were presented to on-mountain and guest services professionals for their exemplary commitment to their resorts, their guests, and the ski industry as a whole.

Originally from Kansas, Hickok became hooked on skiing during a college spring break trip to Winter Park. After runs at Mary Jane, he never looked back. Hickok began working at Winter Park Resort shortly after graduation, and is experienced with both Alpine and telemark skiing.

For the past 24 years, Hickok has taught generations of Winter Park guests how to ski. He is consistently raved about by guests and has no shortage of returning students eager to continue to learn how to ski with him. When not teaching students, Hickok supports his fellow instructors as a mentor, leading training clinics both on and off the snow, totaling 158 hours of peer training this past season. Hickok’s commitment to the professional development of himself and his peers is the reason Winter Park’s instructors are more thoroughly certified than ever before.