#1 Pour Me Another
Darryl Cutter, mountain manager at Berkshire East, Mass., developed a new process to speed up the installation of the area’s 15 new tower snow guns. “It saves us a great deal of time by pouring the concrete at the base of the mountain rather than up on the hill. Instead of having concrete trucks maneuver on the steeps of the slopes, they now have easy access and can pour multiple bases at a time, making it a much faster and safer process,” he says. After the concrete has set, the maintenance crew then transports the tower bases to on-hill locations where they complete the installation. “Now, we no longer have to escort the trucks to multiple pour sites or pull them out when they get stuck,” Cutter says. With the new guns in place, Berkshire East has greatly expanded its snowmaking capacity this season.
#2 BIG IDEAS
Mt. Rose, Nev., challenged its departments to come up with ideas to improve customer service. So, Jake Brown, the lift department manager, came up with the list at left and management loved it. It is now posted all over the lift department to remind these very important front-line employees of the BIG responsibility they have in delivering great customer service.
#3 2012 idea file winner
As always, mountain resorts are full of great ideas, and it’s difficult to choose one, but this year we selected this gem from Mt. Rose, Nev. The barn door sliders that cover the ticket windows to protect the glass over the summer and during storms are something all ski areas can use—in every region. (Hey, East, think hurricanes!) Our congratulations and thanks to Mt. Rose for sharing this great solution, and continuing to share them as with the idea above.
Now it’s your turn. Send us your creative ideas, both big and small, and share them with your peers. Send ideas and photos to jenn@saminfo.com and samgeise@ptd.net.
