Be The Beast: Lift Ops Team Leader Hannah Mercer

Editor's note (July 2026): Since this Insider Blog was first published, Hannah has moved into Killington/Pico's Business Solutions department as a Business Solutions Analyst.

Lift Operations Team Leader Hannah Mercer didn’t intend to make the ski industry a career. Her first role, working at a tubing park at Boyne Resort in Michigan way back in 2016, was just supposed to be a winter job.

“The goal was to make a little bit of money and then go to college in the fall. I fell in love with that resort and area, and I was like, ‘I don't actually know what I wanna study for school so I'm I guess I'm just gonna hang out.’ Very quickly the resort life and the ski industry quickly just kind of encapsulated me.”

She said Boyne Resorts was a great place to work and did a lot to support her career goals, as she moved around to different positions within the company.

“I became a zip line supervisor, became a manager of the Adventure Center, then shifted over and started running the customer service department, and then moved more into marketing. I helped a lot with our transition from Inntopia to Aspenware and built out the entire store. I supported all of the other properties with that. Things took a little bit of a turn and got really hectic. I left Boyne for a little while and I was like, maybe I'll find a passion somewhere else. I moved into the event and wedding industry for couple months and I was like, ‘nope, not for me.’ I came back and I was like, well, I guess if I'm coming back I wanna move more into operations. I went into snowmaking, which I've done during the off-season and previous years, and then in the fall went into lifts I was like, ‘I kind of enjoy this, let's stick with it and see where it goes.’”

Shortly after getting involved in the lift world, she made the transition to Killington.

“I was looking to make a change, and I had always heard great things about Killington and figured I'd give it a shot. I packed up everything my life in Michigan and moved out to Vermont and started working here in 2024 and I've loved it ever since.”

At The Beast, Hannah spends her days on the lower mountain, overseeing lift operations at Snowshed, Ramshead and all of the magic carpets.

“That's been really fun. I love seeing the beginner skiers working on going up a carpet for the first time and then a few hours later going up Snowshed chair. It's great seeing that joy. I love watching people get into it and become passionate about something that I've become so passionate about. It's really cool to see that progression.”

Her role involves making sure the resort’s lift operators are where they need to be, have what they need for success, and oh yeah, a lot of shoveling.

“It snowed so much this year and it's been wonderful. I never thought that I would get sick of snow, but it's been a lot of shoveling. I like trying to find a way to make that fun for my operators.”

Aside from moving snow, Hannah makes sure to keep the vibes good.

“I spend the day going around and just checking in with all my operators, helping them solve any issues and making sure they get to go take some fun runs. I love feedback from people, so I’m always connecting with then and seeing if there is anything we can be doing to support them. And then just kind of floating around and making sure everybody's in good spirits.”

Hannah says she’s seen a lot of people come out of their shells in the lift ops world and that’s another thing she loves about her job.

“All in all, it's a great crew. There's a lot of really good leaders within this department and from Kayla [Saranjian] on down, the of group does it all together. We're like, let's see what we can do to build people up in places where they are thriving, and a lot of individuals have come a long way. It’s really cool to see and be able to find places for everyone.”

Hannah is also proud to be one of the many women who work in Killington’s lift operations department.

“I was honestly remarkably shocked and impressed with how many women there are within Killington's operations department in comparison to other operations departments. I'm not entirely sure how it breaks out, but it seems like probably about 40 percent is women, which is really cool to see and really cool that Killington supports that. Shoveling and being outdoors is not necessarily something that people consider something women wanna get into, but all the women I work with are phenomenal and it's great to see.”

For someone considering getting into lifts, Hannah offers these words of wisdom.

“My biggest thing is it's not for everyone. I think that's something that is sometimes overlooked. There's a lot of responsibility behind being a lift operator. You're running some pretty heavy machinery and the goal is make sure that people are being safe and having fun. That's a lot when you're standing out in the cold. But there's been a lot of people that I've seen come out of their shells just by having a good attitude and being willing to try something new. If you’re open minded and a good attitude, that'll get you pretty far in lifts. Also, just making sure you're always able to dress for the weather. That's very important."