Brady Johnson, a former member of the U.S. Ski Team, now balances time between C Lazy U Ranch, Destination Colorado, his family and the ski slopes.
While most people retire just once in their lifetime, C Lazy U Ranch’s Brady Johnson wants to retire three or four times.
“I think that’s the fun part about life. Find something new, chase a goal and accomplish it, and then find something even more fun and exciting that aligns with what you’re doing with your life at the time,” says Johnson.
And Johnson is already one-third of the way there. After a successful career in competitive freestyle skiing, including winning the North American Tour, Skiing World Cup for four years and forerunning in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, Johnson retired from the sport at age 26 after coming back from a knee injury.
Shortly after, Johnson secured an interview for an unpaid summer internship with the owner of C Lazy U Ranch, thanks to a connection in skiing. Thirteen years later, he’s director of sales and marketing for the property located northwest of Winter Park in Granby.
Although Johnson is a busy man, he finds marketing not only the property, but also Colorado as a whole, is easy because he loves it. So naturally, he joined Destination Colorado 10 years ago to get more involved in Colorado’s tourism industry and now serves as president.
“If we’re promoting on a state level and getting business that would otherwise go to California or Montana or Wyoming and it comes to our state, everybody’s going to win in the end,” he emphasizes.
Eventually, he’ll retire from Destination Colorado and C Lazy U Ranch, but in the meantime, Johnson enjoys being based in Denver, saying that there aren’t many days he doesn’t have the chance to ski, bike or hike.
“At the end of the day, we sell a lifestyle, and it’s the lifestyle we live. And if we’re not able to go out and enjoy a mountain bike ride after work or something like that, what are you really working for?
