Bob’s Bits for February 2024

Well, I missed doing a December and January Steep Newsletter, and no one complained. Not sure how to take that.

The 2023-2024 season ski season started well in some areas and some areas not so well, and December was a bust across the US and Canada. January proved to be decent in Northern New England and the parts of the Rockies but again not so good for other areas. What amazed me, given the poor conditions, was that a remarkable number of skiers and riders still headed to the mountains, albeit not the number all wanted but there certainly is a passion and a commitment to the sport. A good thing. January here in central Vermont was favorable for snowfall, the only downside is that it also rained, providing icy conditions under the snow. But that’s Eastern skiing.

I was able to attend the NSAA Conference and Trade Shows at Keystone and Mount Snow.  Kudos to NSAA for putting together these shows, both venues worked out well, albeit each had their unique idiosyncrasies. Keystone had road issues so getting a bit was challenging, and Mount Snow had a midnight fire alarm to gather us in our night clothes.  For STEEP the shows proved worthwhile, and it was great to talk to many new faces as well as those I have known for years.

This newsletter I have chosen to post about leadership as I did in November when I reposted an article by Matt Mosteller. This month my motivation to discuss leadership was created by the recent issue of the Harvard Business Review.  I know many of you are not regular readers, but this issue has several worthy articles. Granted they are not ski area specific such as you might find in SAM but the messages conveyed are appropriate for ski area executives and managers. I hope many of you read and try to utilize the information shared.

Let’s all hope the second half of the ski season is better than the first.