Colin McBeath will take over as the general manager of Purgatory Resort this month, the company announced Thursday.

McBeath was most recently the general manager at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel and Spa in Alaska.

He turned down job opportunities in the lower 48 and in Asia but was drawn to Purgatory because of the vision that the owner, James Coleman, has for the resort, he said.

“He just wants to make sure it’s the No. 1 destination in Colorado to come and have a ski vacation or just a day of skiing in general,” McBeath said.

McBeath assumes his new role on Tuesday, Jan. 10, and he will oversee the resort. He will work with the newly hired Ed Youmans, who oversees mountain operations.

He is not planning on making any immediate changes. But he expects to stay at Purgatory for the long term, and he will be moving to the area with his wife and two children.

“We are going to take root, and we are going to do everything we can to ensure we are there for a long, long time,” he said.

McBeath has 20 years of international and national experience as a general manager and hotel manager for groups such as the Sheraton, Kimpton Hotels and Fairmont and Ritz, according to a new release.

McBeath also has a degree in hospitality and hotel management from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.

He grew up skiing at Whistler in British Columbia and started his career as a valet at Lake Louis Ski Resort in Alberta. He loves the outdoors.

McBeath will replace former CEO Gary Derck, who left to start his own resort planning and real estate development consulting firm in fall 2016.

mshinn@durangoherald.com