Classic Vermont Ski Resort Names New General Manager
Brandon Swartz, an experienced ski industry leader, has been tapped to help lead Smugglers’ Notch, Vermont, as the resort’s new general manager.
Most recently, Swartz served as general manager of Attitash Mountain and Wildcat Ski Area in New Hampshire. While there, according to a release shared by Smuggs, “he earned a reputation as a hands-on leader focused on culture, operational excellence, and community engagement.”
At Smuggs, Swartz will be responsible for all aspects of resort operations and work alongside employees, homeowners, local businesses, and community partners, the release added.
View this post on Instagram
The announcement follows the news last February that Bear Den Partners had acquired an ownership stake in Smuggs. Alongside Smuggs, the independent group oversees Burke Mountain in Vermont, and Berkshire East and Catamount Resorts in Massachusetts.
Jon Schaefer, CEO of Bear Den Partners, said in the release that ahead of hiring Swartz, “We conducted a national search with several rounds of interviews for this position.”
“During that process, Brandon and I spent a lot of time together. I grew to appreciate him as a person, his background in the sport, and his dedication to his family,” Schaefer continued. “I feel confident that he is the right person with the right ethics to lead Smugglers’ Notch into the future.”
Swartz’s connection to the Vermont ski scene goes back to his childhood. At three, he was learning to ski at Mount Snow. Later, he became an instructor at the resort, before going on to graduate with a Recreation Resource and Ski Resort Management degree from Vermont State University Lyndon.
Photo: Dennis Curran, Smuggs Media Gallery
“Coming back to Vermont is incredibly meaningful to me,” said Swartz in the release. “This is where I learned the ski business and where I developed a deep appreciation for the role resorts play in their communities. My wife Nicole and I are excited for the move and to raise our sons on the mountain.”
Swartz noted that with the support of Bear Den Partners, his goal is to honor the Smuggs legacy and “help ensure that the resort continues to thrive for years to come.”
The 2026 POWDER Photo Annual is here! Look for a print copy on a newsstand near you, or click here to have a copy shipped directly to your front door.
Related: New Electric Skis Make Carving In the Summer a Reality
PakarPBN
A Private Blog Network (PBN) is a collection of websites that are controlled by a single individual or organization and used primarily to build backlinks to a “money site” in order to influence its ranking in search engines such as Google. The core idea behind a PBN is based on the importance of backlinks in Google’s ranking algorithm. Since Google views backlinks as signals of authority and trust, some website owners attempt to artificially create these signals through a controlled network of sites.
In a typical PBN setup, the owner acquires expired or aged domains that already have existing authority, backlinks, and history. These domains are rebuilt with new content and hosted separately, often using different IP addresses, hosting providers, themes, and ownership details to make them appear unrelated. Within the content published on these sites, links are strategically placed that point to the main website the owner wants to rank higher. By doing this, the owner attempts to pass link equity (also known as “link juice”) from the PBN sites to the target website.
The purpose of a PBN is to give the impression that the target website is naturally earning links from multiple independent sources. If done effectively, this can temporarily improve keyword rankings, increase organic visibility, and drive more traffic from search results.










