BOARD OF DIRECTORS
our board is comprised of seven volunteer members who devote over a thousand hours each year to fulfill our mission.
Board meetings that are open to the public are held on the third Wednesday of every other month. The next OIPI board meeting, that is open to the public, will be held on Wednesday, January 17th, 2023 from 5pm to 7pm in downtown Ouray.
For more information and location details, please email us at info@ourayicepark.com.
LORA SLAWITSCHKA
President
Lora moved to Ouray when she was nine months old and her parents purchased the Ouray Chalet Inn on Main Street. She has lived here for most of her life (except for those erroneous years in Florida) and took over the family business when her parents retired in 2001. She loves Ouray with all her heart and could not imagine living and working anywhere else.
BILL LEO
Bill moved to Purgatory Ski Area in 1982 to pursue his love of skiing, climbing and kayaking. His company, Unordinary Adventures, put in one of the early backcountry ski huts in the San Juans. An avid telemark skier, he did several first descents of local plumb lines during those early years of backcountry skiing. He has also been a Class V commercial raft guide doing Upper Animas trips in those early days as well. Bill has lived in Ouray since 1996. He is the owner of Ouray Mountain Sports and is a past president and board member of OIPI who recently rejoined the board. He brings a wealth of knowledge of the history of the Ice Park and a passion for the continuing success of the park as well. In his spare time, Bill gets out on a specialized snowmobile and grooms the Ouray Nordic Council’s system of cross-country ski trails at Ironton Park on Red Mountain Pass.
FRANK ROBERTSON
Frank first came to the San Juans in 1981 on a mountaineering road trip and immediately knew where he and Jeanne would move once the kids were grown. He has been climbing for 40 years, 20 on ice, and first came to the Ice Park in the late ‘90s. Volunteering in the Park and at the Ice Fest, and working on the Ice Park Sustainability Committee, led to his joining the Board in 2018 and currently chairing the Ice Park Advisory Team. After working in the semiconductor industry for 42 years he retired from Intel Corporation in 2015, also joining the Board of the dZi Foundation and volunteering with Paradox Sports but now getting to climb as much as he wants.
JOHN HULBURD
John first discovered the San Juans in 1981 on a backcountry ski trip. He was a climber in Yosemite from 1975-1980, but longed for higher, more elusive mountains. After many years of skiing, sailing and climbing in the Northwest, he made the move to Ridgway in 2014. John is on the Ouray Trails Group Board, and is their Wilderness Trail Crew coordinator. He is also a "Colorado Riverwatcher" who does monthly sampling of water chemistry in the Uncompahgre River. John first volunteered for the Ice Festival in 2016 because of his love of ice climbing, and the pleasure of working with the Ice Farmers and staff.
JACKIE LAUDERDALE
Jackie first came to Colorado in 1990 with her family on a road trip from Texas, heading to the Telluride Jazz Festival. She and Jay rented a jeep to take a ride with the kids, discovered Ouray, and made the move to the mountains soon after. Work eventually took them back to Texas, but their hearts remained in Ouray. In the years since that first jeep ride, Jackie has enjoyed Ouray as a tourist, a seasonal resident, and a local. Every job, activity, and volunteer position has continued to deepen her love of Ouray, the diversity of its residents, and its commitment to maintaining a thriving community.
JENNY HART
Jenny has lived in Ouray since 1995 and taught 4th grade at Ouray Schools for 24 years. Her mother, Linda Wise, grew up in Ouray and was born in the hospital here. Her grandfather, John Wise, was the general manager of the Idarado Mine in the 1950's. Jenny has been coming to Ouray her whole life. She has been a member of Ouray Mountian Rescue since 1998 where she has seen the Ouray Ice Park in action since the very beginning. Jenny also volunteers with Ouray Trail Group and sits on the board of the Ouray County Community Fund and the board of the Ouray County Historical Society.
TRES BARBATELLI
Tres Barbatelli served as an inaugural Ice Ranger (formerly called Ice Ambassador), Ice Farmer and Interim Operations Manager between 2018-2023. Tres has worked on operations teams for various non-profits in the outdoor industry and currently works in the rope access/rope rescue world . Tres’s is a passionate explorer and can be found suffering up an ice climb, chasing good snow on a ski tour or paddling whitewater in his canoe. Tres is proud to return to the Ouray Ice Park as a member of the Board of Directors and supporting the community he loves.
Photo credit: Jacob Raab