Antelope Butte announces new board members

Hoping to build on the momentum of last season, the Antelope Butte Foundation has announced the commitment of four new board members, all of them with strong ties to the region and to Antelope Butte along with backgrounds that will strengthen the team.

Jon Scott, Pete Kilbride, Tom Bercher and Travis Fack were tapped to join existing board members Erik Mogensen and Andy Shepard.

Scott’s family has a long, proud connection to civic leadership in the greater Sheridan region. In a news release, the ABF said, “The leadership he will provide as a successful businessman, and with his passionate connection to skiing, will be instrumental in building a sustainable model for the mountain.”

Kilbride served as the school counselor at Tongue River High School and the Sheridan County School District #1 superintendent until his retirement in 2023. He currently serves as a loan officer for Cowboy State Bank in Ranchester. His boys learned to ski and snowboard at ski areas in Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota, and the family have been regulars at Antelope Butte since it re-opened.

Bercher served for 23 years in the US Army and Army Reserve and moved permanently to Wyoming in 2013. He is a volunteer for Saddles in Service, a Shell-based non-profit that uses horses to help veterans, active-duty military, and first responders cope with trauma and prevent suicide. Tom has been a season pass holder at Antelope Butte since the mountain reopened, and his love for snowboarding makes him a regular at the mountain. 

Fack was born and raised in Sheridan and grew up exploring the Big Horn Mountains and skiing Antelope Butte at an early age. He’s now raising his family in Sheridan and introducing his daughters to Antelope Butte. “I’m blessed to help continue the legacy of providing affordable skiing to the families within our region, and I’m excited to share this mountain and the on-hill winter experience with existing and future generations,” said Fack.

The new members join existing board members Erik Mogensen, founder of Entabeni Systems and managing director of Indy Pass, and Andy Shepard, a turnaround specialist for ski areas who has focused on independent ski areas at risk for the last 25 years. 

Last season, Antelope Butte Mountain Recreation Area, owned by the Antelope Butte Foundation, introduced a program unique in its industry, offering free skiing and riding to all kids 17 and under. This initiative aimed to promote a healthy, active, outdoor lifestyle for the region’s youth and was highly successful. The mountain saw a significant increase in youth skiers, and the equally impressive increase in adult skiers has given the mountain reason to celebrate as well.

“We’re absolutely thrilled with how the 2024-25 winter season went,” said John DeVivo, general manager at Antelope Butte. “The success of the Free Season Passes for Kids program allowed us to expand our reach well beyond the typical 90- to 120-minute driving radius. Affordable access to skiing and snowboarding is central to our mission and this program brought a much wider range of kids and families to our mountain.”

In April, the full board membership voted to continue with the free season pass program for kids under the age of 18 during the 2025-26 winter season.”