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Selling Snow: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Andrew Zwicker
Welcome to Selling Snow, the podcast for ski industry pros, marketers or anyone who wants to learn more about marketing in the ski business. I’m your host, Andrew Zwicker, with 25 years in and around marketing skiing, and this show is all about learning from the best in the business, so you can up your marketing game,or just get a peek behind how ski resort marketing works.Our first episodes include hilarious and candid conversations with Michael J Ballingall of Big White, Lonie Gleiberman of Mount Bohemia, Marin Kejvel of Ski Cape Smokey, Jeff Penseiro of Baldface Lodge and Jason Levinthal of J Skis. Every episode tells the backstory on the guest, their ski area or ski business. Then it does a deep dive into how they market and sell their product from spectacular failures to keen wisdom and insights that you can use tod
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- Yesterday45 min
Ep.26 - Part 2 - James Urquhart of Mt. Hutt
Ok, where we left off in Part 1, James was just giving us the rundown on Mt Hutt and his career leading up to it, and getting into the family ownership and family vibe of the mountain, where most of the staff have been there 3 years or more, if not decades. Now let’s dive right back in for Part two as we get into a chat on marketing, sales, operations and all of the inside skiing candid stories, advice and tips. Here’s Part 2 with James Urquhart of Mt Hutt in New Zealand. Get all 10 Actionable Insights from this episode at www.sellingsnow.com
- Yesterday34 min
Ep.26 - James Urquhart of Mt. Hutt - Part 1
Imagine a ski area built by its community. Picture the locals of the small farming town of Methven, New Zealand, looking up at the mountain above them when one of their mates says, "I've got a bulldozer... let's push a road up into those alpine bowls. That would be an incredible place to ski." Fast forward more than 50 years, and the grandchildren of that original road builder are still maintaining the same 12 kilometre gravel access road that climbs 1,200 vertical metres to the ski area. That's the kind of community spirit and family culture that launched Mt Hutt, a mountain that's still part of a family-owned ski business today. This week, we're heading to New Zealand to chat with James Urquhart, General Manager of Operations at Mt Hutt. With more than three decades on the mountain, James shares the leadership philosophy and operational decisions that have transformed Mt Hutt into one of the Southern Hemisphere's premier ski destinations. In this episode, you'll discover why lowering food prices can actually increase revenue, how investing in infrastructure dramatically reduced weather closures, why beginners and intermediates are the biggest opportunity for sustainable growth, and how a family-first culture has created remarkable staff loyalty and long-term success. So grab a Speight's, and let's chat with James Urquhart of Mt Hutt. Get all 10 Actionable Insights from this episode at www.sellingsnow.com
- 1 weeks ago52 min
Ep.25 - Idar Aaboen and Nina Lensebakken of Stryn Sommerski, Norway - Build it rock by rock.
How a Norweigan Summer Ski Area Survives with Lean Operations, Loyal Guests & Zero Marketing Budget. Skiing in the summer is awesome. There is no doubt about that. But at the same time, the combination of convincing people beyond the diehards to come skiing in the summer and being operationally efficient enough to eek out a profit, isn’t an easy task. This week we’re headed North to the Stryn Summer Ski center in Norway. Open for only a short season starting in late May when their access road gets plowed out and usually running into July, sometimes all summer, but increasingly less in recent years. It's off the grid, powered by generators, battling unpredictable weather, and operating with a tiny team. Yet every summer, skiers and snowboarders travel from around the world to ride there. So what's their secret? It isn't a massive marketing budget. In fact, they don't really have one. It isn't fancy infrastructure or endless staff. Instead, it's all about running lean, building loyal customers, leading from the front, and making smart business decisions one step at a time. In this episode, I sit down with the owner of Strynn Sommerski, Idar Aaboen and his partner in life and business, general manager Nina Lensebakken, to talk about what it really takes to keep a small ski area alive in a non-traditional ski season. Along the way, we dive into authentic marketing, operational efficiency, customer loyalty, leadership, and why sometimes the best growth strategy is simply building your business... rock by rock. Find all 10 Actionable Insights at www.sellingsnow.com
- 2 weeks ago41 min
Ep.24 - Part 2 Lexi Dowdall and Brandon Ott of Alta, Utah. - Stewarding a Skiing Legend
In Part 1 , Brandon Ott and Lexi Dowdall from Alta Ski Area shared how one of the most respected brands in skiing has spent nearly nine decades protecting its culture, its skiing experience, and its identity. Today, we're picking up right where we left off—and now the conversation gets into some of the topics Alta is probably best known for. We're talking about the skiers-only policy, what it's like operating beside Snowbird while offering a completely different experience, how they think about destination visitors and the Ikon Pass, and why sometimes the best way to stand out in a crowded industry isn't by adding more... it's by staying true to who you are. There are some fascinating business lessons in this half of the conversation that go well beyond skiing, so let's jump back into Part Two of my conversation with Brandon Ott and Lexi Dowdall from Alta Ski Area. Get all 10 Actionable Insights from this episode at www.sellingsnow.com
- 2 weeks ago35 min
Ep. 24 - Lexi Dowdall and Brandon Ott of Alta, Utah Part 1 - Don't Mess It Up. Alta's Formula for Protecting an Iconic Ski Experience
What do you think of when you hear the word Alta? Big mountains, deep snow, laid-back chill vibe. Whatever it is, you definitely have an image. Whether you’ve been there or just dreamt about it, Alta has built a mythical legend, and for many is a powder mecca on their bucket list. Today we're heading to one of the most iconic mountains in North America: Alta Ski Area in Utah. A place famous for legendary powder, deep skiing traditions, and a business philosophy that basically says, "Just because everyone else is doing it doesn't mean we should." In this episode, I'm joined by Marketing Director Brandon Ott and PR & Communications Manager Lexi Dowdall as we dig into how Alta has protected its brand for nearly 90 years, why they deliberately don't chase growth at all costs, how they use storytelling instead of constant marketing, and why sometimes saying "no" is the smartest business decision you can make. Whether you manage a destination resort, a community ski hill, or you're just passionate about the business of skiing, there are a ton of ideas in this conversation that you can take back to your own mountain. Let's head to Utah and find out why sometimes the best strategy... is simply not messing it up. Get all 10 Actionable Insights from this episode at www.sellingsnow.com
- Jun 30, 202625 min
Ep.23 - Practical Lessons in Marketing Skiing - Best of the First 20
Ok we had a great response last week to our compilation episode pulling together the best thoughts on building the ski area/community relationship as one of the most important pieces in running a successful ski area. This week, we’re looking at marketing and some of the more practical things ski areas have done to grow their business. It’s not just about bigger ad budgets. Its not about chasing viral videos. It’s not even really about social media. Instead, It’s all about following the same progression. First, build a product that people genuinely want to talk about. Then understand exactly who you're building it for. Create experiences those people can't help but share. Remove friction from the buying process. And only then start thinking about campaigns and promotions. So in this special episode, we've pulled together some of the very best marketing lessons from our first twenty episodes—practical, sometimes simple ideas you can apply at any ski area, whether you're a small local hill or a destination resort. There are so many, but to keep the episode manageable, we pulled out a few of our favourites.
- Jun 23, 202630 min
Ep.22 - Community - The most important piece of any ski area.
Community. A community is defined as a social group of people who share common characteristics, interests, identities, or geographic locations. Common Characteristics like a garage full of gear for every mountain-related sport, interests like a love for sliding fast down mountains together, identities like the casual nod when goggle tan game recognizes goggle tan game late into the Summer, and geographic locations like anywhere there is slope, snow and people wanting to slide down it. Skiing at its very core is about community. It was started by communities and welcomes people from all over to come join their community for vacation. The ski experiences we all love were, at one time, created by and for a passionate group of people with shared interests, and the ski resorts over time that have flourished and been the most successful have been those that lean into supporting, promoting, encouraging, embracing and growing alongside that community. I did a quick search, and the word community came up 168 times in the first 20 episodes of this series. After twenty episodes, we’ve talked about snowmaking, marking, pricing, infrastructure and more, But when you really start digging into why some ski areas thrive for decades while others struggle, those things aren't usually the differentiators. The differentiator is community. Not the word community that gets tossed into every strategic plan and mission statement. Actual community. The relationship between a ski area and the people who live around it. The people who work there. Raise their kids there. Volunteer there. Argue about the lift line there. And eventually defend that ski area when somebody threatens what makes it special. Today, we're exploring that relationship through the eyes of operators from some of the most successful, unique, and community-minded ski areas we've featured on Selling Snow. We'll hear perspectives ranging from destination resorts to community-owned ski hills, from nonprofit operations to independent family businesses. But together they paint a pretty compelling picture of what community means in the ski industry. Let's go ski an off the trail map run, as we talk community with some of the best in the business.
- Jun 15, 202654 min
Ep.21 - Kurt Carter of Craigieburn Valley Ski Area on How the Club-Field Model optimizes for great skiing not profit.
Have you ever experienced a nut-cracker lift? If you have you definitely have stories to tell about it. Today we’re heading into the heart of New Zealand’s Southern Alps to visit a super unique ski area that like most Club Fieldsin New Zealand is power by the nut cracker. Think big alpine terrain, very few people, minimal infrastructure and affordable big mountain skiing. Forget high-speed lifts, luxury condos, and sprawling base villages. At Craigieburn Valey Ski Area, skiers ride steep rope tows using Nutcracker, stay in a communal lodge where guests help cook and clean, and spend their days exploring some of the most challenging terrain in New Zealand. Joining us today is Kurt Carter, General Manager of Craigieburn Valley. Kurt shares the fascinating history of New Zealand's club field model, explains why Craigieburn proudly operates as a not-for-profit ski club, gives us an inside look at a ski area where community often matters just as much as skiing, and poses the question, " Could this model ever work in North America?" So let’s head out to the access tows for a conversation with Craigieburn General Manager Kurt Carter. We pulled 12 Actionable Insights from this episode to help you up your own game. Find them all at www.sellingsnow.com
About Selling Snow
Welcome to Selling Snow, the podcast for ski industry pros, marketers or anyone who wants to learn more about marketing in the ski business. I’m your host, Andrew Zwicker, with 25 years in and around marketing skiing, and this show is all about learning from the best in the business, so you can up your marketing game,or just get a peek behind how ski resort marketing works.Our first episodes include hilarious and candid conversations with Michael J Ballingall of Big White, Lonie Gleiberman of Mount Bohemia, Marin Kejvel of Ski Cape Smokey, Jeff Penseiro of Baldface Lodge and Jason Levinthal of J Skis. Every episode tells the backstory on the guest, their ski area or ski business. Then it does a deep dive into how they market and sell their product from spectacular failures to keen wisdom and insights that you can use tod
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