On Sunday, January 15, 2012, long-time Whitetail Ski Resort mountain host Buddy Hauk passed away. Buddy was 63.

Buddy Hauk helps guests at Whitetail in this December, 2008 photo. Photo provided by Charles Sneiderman.

Many visitors to Whitetail Resort have fond memories of the cheerful employee in the black cowboy hat, greeting guests as they walked up the steps towards the lodge. As a mountain host, Buddy was responsible for helping guests on and off the slopes. He approached his job with tremendous enthusiasm and a love for snowsports.

In addition to working at Whitetail, Buddy was a full-time minister.

In honor of Buddy, Whitetail Resort has declared the January 21-22, 2012 weekend as “Buddy Hauk Weekend.” Employees and guests are being encouraged to wear a black cowboy hat to the mountain in tribute to Buddy. (Please do not trade your ski helmet for a cowboy hat; wear the cowboy hat while off the slopes.)

Whitetail Resort posted the following information about Buddy on Facebook:

“It is with deep sorrow that our Whitetail family says goodbye to a very dear friend and co-worker. Mountain Hosts Supervisor Buddy Hauk passed away on Sunday. Many of you may recall the friendly man in the black cowboy hat waiting to greet you at the top of the plaza stairs with his infectious smile and his very helpful demeanor. Whitetail’s guests were so very important to Buddy and the mountain was his second home.

Cowboy Buddy started in 1996 in the complimentary ski and board check. In 2001, he became a snow-sports instructor and was a Level 1 in both skiing and snowboarding. He worked with Ski School for several years in addition to helping out with ski & board check. When we needed someone to head up the newly formed Mountain Host Program in 2002, Buddy was the obvious choice to develop this program. Under Buddy’s supervision, the Whitetail Mountain Host Program won the NSAA Best Overall Guest Service Program in 2007. The host motto “Every Guest-Every Day” was something Buddy believed in whether it was just one guest or 1000 guests. Buddy was also responsible for creating the “Fun Book” which has been handed out to hundreds of young Whitetail guests. He set the standards high for his Host Team and loved every minute of his job (except for meetings).

He was also one of the voices behind the Whitetail snow-phone, and helped do everything from hanging pictures to painting, to building the lockers for the host room; just to name a few things. But most of all, Buddy was a good friend to many of us. He loved our guests, his co-workers, and being a part of the Whitetail Resort family. We shall miss him dearly, but his spirit will always be with us. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Buddy’s family!”