Bob’s Bits for September/October

For many of you, the season starts in less than 45 days, and that means you are busy getting ready for the start of ski season. I wish you all good luck in your preseason endeavors.

This newsletter is being published after two Northeast Trade shows, the NE Summit held in Portland, Maine, and the SKINY PA Expo in Lake Placid, NY. I attended both and I’d say there was a high level of optimism but with the hangover of how to get good staff. In many discussions, the answer was “It is what it is, and we’ll have to figure out how to make it work.”

In this newsletter, I am going to address the topic of unions in the ski resort arena, which I’ll say ties into the last sentence of the previous paragraph. I know this might be a touchy subject for all of you depending on your current position at a ski resort, but I feel it needs attention. Read my post to see my thinking.

The balance of this month’s newsletter addresses using technology tools to help you deliver a better on-hill experience to your skiers and riders. Yes, I’m selling, but my first step in doing so is to convince you that utilization of these tools can help you create a better product, drive dollars to the bottom line, and most importantly from my perspective, it will significantly contribute to a healthier work culture for you and your staff. Tough task, I know.