From building makeshift metal obstacles in the woods to managing resort communications, Jared Winkler’s career has been shaped by a lifelong connection to the mountains. Long before holding leadership positions at the resort, Winkler was a snowboarder in Big Cottonwood Canyon who spent time building terrain park features alongside his friends. According to a biography on the Ski Utah website, this creative outlet eventually turned into an opportunity when Brighton noticed his energy and innovation, inviting him to help build terrain park features for the resort. This early involvement snowballed into a lifelong career at the resort.
His progression at Brighton involved various responsibilities. In an October 7, 2015, press release, Winkler was identified as Brighton Resort’s PR & Marketing Director. During that time, he explained that the resort would adopt "The BoneZone," a pre-season terrain park, to provide an alternative for athletes who were previously dragging features out and slowing the resort's opening process. Winkler stated that the feature would consist of a range of obstacles created out of logs as well as some traditional steel obstacles.
In the 1990s, Winkler and his friend Steve Duke used their fathers' welding equipment to cobble together metal shapes to serve as challenging obstacles for snowboarding. According to a 2025 article in the Cottonwood Heights Journal, the two would test these inventions on Brighton's ski runs when no one was around and then hide them in the woods. Rather than chasing the duo away, the resort invited them to manufacture these features. Winkler also worked night jobs during this era so they could snowboard every day and play on the rails they had manufactured. He also worked as a hands-on laborer, shoveling snow daily to refine the shapes of the hills.
As the digital landscape evolved, Winkler moved into marketing. A 2025 report from the Cottonwood Heights Journal notes that in the early 2000s, Winkler dabbled with social media to help get Brighton's message out. By the time of a 2026 press kit, Winkler was listed as the VP of Marketing & Public Relations for Brighton Resort.
Beyond his work at the resort, Winkler has been involved in community stewardship. According to a 2025 article in the Cottonwood Heights Journal, Winkler serves as the president of Fish for Garbage. This is a 100% volunteer-run, non-profit community program dedicated to protecting Utah’s waterways through hands-on cleanups, education, and community-driven stewardship. The organization began in 2015 as a small group of anglers picking up trash from streambanks and has since grown into a statewide movement that has removed more than 100,000 pounds of trash from Utah rivers, lakes, and riparian corridors.
What this means for Brighton
For the residents of Brighton, Winkler’s history illustrates how a passion for mountain culture can evolve into professional roles. His transition from a snowboarder building rails to a marketing executive and community leader highlights the diverse career paths available within the local ski industry and the broader Utah mountain community.
