NSAA Winter Conferences Draw Crowds

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SAM Magazine—Snowbird, Utah, and Killington, Vt., Feb. 13, 2019—Snow in many regions of the country has ski areas off to a successful start to the season, and the large attendance at both the Eastern and Western National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) Winter Conferences reflected that. NSAAHN

Snow was both a blessing and a curse for the 700-plus attendees during the Western Winter Conference and Tradeshow, Jan. 22-24, at Snowbird in Utah. The several feet of snow that fell made travel to the resort difficult, but once there, attendees found the conditions were so good it made focusing on the tasks at hand challenging, too. Despite these “difficulties,” it was an overall successful event.

The snow closed Little Cottonwood Canyon due to avalanche danger Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning, so many attendees who arrived Monday spent the night in Salt Lake City. As a result, some arrival day programs, as well as trade show set up, were delayed, but everything came together.

Two weeks later, nearly 700 attendees made their way to the Eastern Winter Conference and Tradeshow at Killington Resort, Vt., Feb. 5-6. A strong early season was cited for the higher turn out over last year, and attendees were blessed with sunny days and first-day spring-like conditions on the slopes.

The educational sessions at both events included several fresh topics and speakers, with many addressing large audiences. Sessions about HR-related topics and attracting different generations of guests were prevalent throughout. Growth remains the biggest concern for many; The importance of addressing the casual recreational skier and rider, who has been largely overlooked, was a recurring theme. A session on e-bikes showed most resorts in attendance planned to add them to their summer operations.

There were also sessions that provided the latest on NSAA programs and initiatives, including the Conversion Cookbook, the Lift Maintenance Resource Guide, Sustainable Slopes, and the Freestyle Terrain Resource Guide.

Much of the buzz among ski area personnel at both events was about the challenges most have to fill their staffing needs. Between low unemployment, scarce workforce housing, and cheap season passes reducing the incentive to take a ski area job, the odds are stacked against resorts that rely on hundreds of seasonal workers to operate.

Despite this universal challenge, most in attendance at the shows said they were getting through it, with many reporting steady business so far this winter thanks to early snow and robust season pass sales.

The trade shows were abuzz at both events. The SAM team took to the show floor with mic and recorder in hand to collect #MyFirstMountain stories for a forthcoming PodSAM podcast episode, and “Hello, #MyFirstMountain was…” stickers sparked conversation among attendees. Share your #MyFirstMountain story on saminfo.com and stay tuned for the PodSAM episode from the shows.

NSAA Western Conference Photos

NSAA Eastern Conference Photos

Some photos provided by Propeller. Thanks Dave Gibson!