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March 2013

When It's Time to Change, You've Got to Rearrange

Year-round operations pose opportunities and challenges for employers and employees.

Written by Tom Patton, Snowbird Tram and Lifts Operations Manager and Summer Activities Manager | 0 comment

It used to be that many mountain resorts, especially the ones with long winter seasons, would essentially lock the gates at season’s end, with lift maintenance and perhaps some trail clearing the only activities occurring during the rest of the year. To be sure, there was hiking to be had, and some resorts would open base-area restaurants to host the occasional wedding.

Aside from Alta and a few other resorts, that is now the exception. Many areas are either getting into the business of summer activities, or building upon whatever activities they already offer.

The factors pushing operators to increase recreational activities either in the summer, or in some cases year-round, are fairly powerful.

To begin with—regardless of the causes behind the change—anyone who offers outdoor weather-dependent activities knows that the climate and weather patterns are changing, mainly getting warmer. With the very real scenario of winters getting shorter and summers getting longer, it only makes sense to feature activities that either can run when the snow and winter weather are gone, or that can operate no matter the weather. Changing climate will be less of an issue for those who have greater flexibility with their customer attractions.

The other main motivator behind the increase in year-round activities is just simple economics. In today’s economic climate, operators had best be doing all they can to generate business. Ironically, this is a situation where, frequently, the major players with their big winters can learn from smaller areas. That’s because many smaller areas have, for a variety of business reasons, been featuring activities that give them operating flexibility and a bit of weather independence.

Many went down this path long before the recession or talk of global warming. A ski hill that typically averages a three- or four-month winter and 50,000 visits could already have activities in place for summer. In some cases, these resorts’ summer guest numbers outpace their winter visits, and reach a number that very well could be a target for resorts with five- or six-month winter seasons and 500,000 visits.


Two Key Transitions
The bottom line is there are now two types of transitions going on for those ramping up these activities. One is the transition into summer activities themselves, with the questions of what to offer, what works, and how to do it. SAM has spent a lot of time addressing these activities (for the latest example, see “Women Going Downhill,” page 40), so we won’t address that further here.

The other transition is the seasonal process of switching from one set of activities to another.

A key factor in this transition is staffing. One of the most beneficial changes that have come about with the increase in summer activities is growth of year-round employment possibilities for your winter staff. It used to be that we had more good people looking for summer work than we had spots for. As a result, they would move on to other jobs, many to never return. Now, with the prospect of winter staff covering summer openings (and vice versa), there are opportunities to use this situation as an incentive or motivator.

For one thing, managers can put forth the incentive that, if an employee finishes the winter in good standing, he’ll have a position held for him in summer operations. Another way to finesse that scenario is with a seasonal bonus process. Say you put forth that anyone scoring a certain percentage—perhaps 80 percent or better of their bonus target—can automatically go into the pool for summer employment consideration.

It’s also quite possible that having more or better employment possibilities for a seasonal work force will help alleviate the end of season “slump” or dropoff in your staffs’ enthusiasm for their jobs (for more on mid-season burnout among employees, check out page 18 in this issue). Year-round employment eliminates the discouragement that accompanies the uncertainty around the end of the season and the ending of their employment.


Seasonal Issues
How do you decide which employees are best suited for this year-round employment? When entering the process of building the summer work force, a manager should conduct a sit-down meeting with each prospective employee, especially those from departments outside of their winter realm. Many summer activities are very different from winter, the clientele can be quite different, and these and other factors combine to make a different working environment. Some employees can make the adjustment more easily than others; all will require some training.

For example, a ski lift in the winter can generate a certain buzz or “stoke factor,” depending on the terrain it serves, that in and of itself represents all sorts of possibilities for the passengers. Your winter staff absorbs and joins in on this factor. It can be a very cool place to work.

It’s just not the same in the summer. There’s usually less traffic, and excitement, than in winter. It isn’t likely that your staff will partake in the summer activities on their days off, unless you have, say, a killer bike park. All potential staff should be advised of this change in atmosphere.

On the other hand, many summer rides and attractions involve much more “hands on” processes. Climbing walls, ropes courses, bungee tramps, and other activities involve assisting guests of all sizes, ages, and of both sexes with putting on harnesses. Consider carefully who is suited to these types of close encounters.

Keep in mind, too, that many summer activities are more centered on smaller children. A guy who worked an upper-mountain lift with extreme terrain and the resultant high-energy buzz may not do so well attending bounce houses. However, should you have a ticket scanner whose sunny manner never ends, she might do fine there. Or, look to your ski and snowboard school for potential guides for ziplines and ropes courses. In short, a savvy manager will place staff in positions that best suit each employee’s capabilities and personality.

And summer operations do require a range of abilities and personalities. It’s likely you will have lifts to run, and there can be some fairly exciting rides such as ziplines and coasters to staff.

You may even pick up some summer employees who can transition to winter operations. Just as great performance in the winter can assure folks of ongoing employment beyond, the same incentive can work going the other way from summer to winter. If necessary, management can also warn that poor performance may jeopardize further employment, even if the person in question goes back to a different department the following season.

A final challenge comes into play when the business goes into the shoulder season, and mud season in the spring. It is quite likely that going through one transition or another, area operators will face scenarios where there’s either too much or too little snow, or there are access problems due to muddy terrain and snow runoff. During these times there just simply might not be work for most employees.

Again, good practice counsels to hold the conversation about this scenario well in advance. Many people can handle the break, and some will even appreciate it. But the key management step is advance notice of the possibility.

There can also be times when the opposite is true, and you need more hands on deck. For example, when your target opening date is approaching and conditions threaten to prohibit hitting that target, and excess manpower will be needed for a concentrated push to get things up and running. To help cover such a possibility, prior planning with an on-call base of employees is a good option.

What we are really talking about is the need to become more flexible with our staffing and better able to adjust to what are variable conditions at best, and to a growing range of personnel needs. Having a motivated, well informed, cross-trained employee base is truly a critical component for mountain resort planning. Year-round operations gives us both the opportunity to meet the challenge, and the responsibility to adapt our organizations so that they respond smoothly.