Selling Snow

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 ...

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 acce...

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&rsq...

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 ...

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 t...

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 ...

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 the...

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 spra...

This episode takes us nearly all the way to the Southern Edge of the world. To a place many are surprised to hear has a commercial ski resort.  Tasmania, Australia. Yes, Tasmania has skiing and a ski area that not long ago was fighting for survival.

When Ben Mock and his partners purchased Ben Lomond Alpine Resort, the mountain had managed just 17 operating days the season before. Fast forward a few years, and they're now push...

What happens when a ski resort can’t be reached by cars at all? Or when it decides not to compete with the biggest players in the industry?

This week on Selling Snow, we're heading to the highest ski resort in Australia

At Charlotte Pass, General Manager Lucy Blyton-Gray is proving that bigger isn't always better.

Accessible only by over-snow transport during winter, Charlotte Pass has turned what many would see as operationa...

Today we're heading north, back to BC, just west of Terrace, to a legendary powder paradise and the only co-op-owned ski area in North America.

A ski resort that had fallen on tough times. And a community—and even the former owners themselves—that rallied together to save it.

Today on Selling Snow, we’re chatting with Shames Mountain General Manager Christian Théberge for one of the most unique ski business storie...

I am so excited about today’s episode. I’ve been hearing about this summer-only ski area near Yellowstone for years and have always been intrigued. Today, we head high above the tree line to one of the most unique ski operations around. The only summer-only ski area in North America, Beartooth Basin.

No hotels. No village. No snowmaking. No high-speed lifts. Just 500 feet of steep summer snow, two diesel-powered platter...

Today, we’re heading down under to the Victorian Alps,  three hours outside of Melbourne, Australia to a fascinating ski resort model built on collaboration.

My guest today is Noel Landry, a Canadian-born ski patroller turned Olympic event operator turned ski resort GM, who now oversees one of Australia’s most collaborative and community-driven mountain operations.

In this episode, we dive into what Noel calls &ldq...

Imagine a ski area that is a 90-minute drive from 20 million people. It sounds like a dream on the business side. But imagine, literally millions of those have never skied before, and there is a massive volume of competing entertainment options.

In this episode of Selling Snow, we’re heading back to the East Coast and the hills of New Jersey. Coming off one of their all-time best snow seasons (Yes, New Jersey beat o...

Imagine building one of the first new ski areas in North America in years, and just four years in, almost having the whole thing collapse, only to re-emerge years later and realize a slightly adjusted version of the original vision?

This week, we’re off to Tamarack Resort in Idaho, a mountain that didn’t just get built from scratch, but had to rebuild itself after hitting some serious turbulence. It's a fascinating deep...

What if the future of skiing isn’t bigger, flashier, or more expensive—but actually simpler, more human, and more affordable?

In this episode of Selling Snow, we sit down with Travis Baptiste and Cindy Dady from Sunlight Mountain Resort, a fiercely independent ski area in Colorado that’s quietly rewriting the playbook. While much of the industry is chasing scale, Sunlight is doubling down on community, experience,...

Jay Peak, in Northern Vermont is known for two things: incredible terrain and an absurd amount of snow.

But behind that reputation is a much more complex story.

After emerging from a high-profile SEC scandal and ownership shakeup, Jay Peak has rebuilt trust and driven record performance—not by chasing premium pricing or polished positioning, but by doubling down on volume, value, and authenticity.

In this episode, we sit down...

What if the most powerful thing you could do as a ski area… is just tell the truth?

This week on Selling Snow, we head to Northern California to a truly magical place in the shadow of a massive volcano, to return to the roots of what makes skiing fun.

In the Northern California region, lovingly referred to as “Almost Oregon,” we connected with 

Brendan Hickey and Grace Hornbea from Mt. Shasta Ski Park—...

Today, we’re heading into the wilds of Western Maine to a true gem of a ski area. It’s always had great skiing. It hasn’t always had operating lifts, but over the last five years, the big mountain Maine skiing local legend is getting noticed.

Saddleback Main is a mountain with one of the more unique stories in the industry. Closed for five years, brought back to life during COVID, and now… somehow, just a f...