Transcript
Today we’re actually diving into the launch of a brand new podcast. It’s called The Local Lift. And our mission here really is just to give you a sneak peek, uh, a sense of what the show’s all about and maybe why it’s, you know, more fascinating than you might first think.
Okay, but before we jump in, just a quick heads up for you. Please be aware that the overview we’re about to discuss, uh, covering the local lift and the small ski the area landscape. It uses an AI generated summary, specifically one from Google’s deep research feature. Now, AI is well, it’s a powerful tool for gathering info, but it’s not perfect. So, it might occasionally generate stuff that has, you know, factual inaccuracies or maybe misleading information, right?
We’ll explore the themes it brings up, but the real deep dive, the real substance, that’s going to come when you actually listen to the local lift itself.
Precisely. Think of this as just setting the stage. And honestly, even if you’re not directly involved, D in the ski industry. Understanding the dynamics these smaller operators face, it’s actually uh a pretty compelling look at the kind of ingenuity and resilience it takes to thrive, especially in, you know, such a a challenging environment. They’re dealing with big economic shifts and well, very real impacts of climate change.
Okay, so let’s unpack this. The local lift, what’s the core idea? It’s a podcast focusing on what they’re calling the heart and soul of the ski industry. We’re talking about the small independent ski area operators.
Yeah. The local hills often the first place people learn to ski, right? And they’re just so vital for their local communities.
And what’s interesting is while the ski industry does have resources.
Sure. Like Sam Magazine.
Exactly. Sam covers the broader industry and you’ve got online forums like uh skilliffs.org where people connect, but the local lift seems to be carving out a very specific niche just for these smaller players,
like a dedicated audio resource.
Yeah. Tailored supposedly to their unique needs.
And those needs sound pretty significant. Again, I mean, running a small ski area today, that sounds tough.
Oh, definitely. Unpredictable weather for one. That can hit their, you know, often tighter revenues really hard,
right? Limited budgets, too, I imagine.
Absolutely. Constantly trying to find and keep good staff. And then there’s the competition from the, you know, the big guys, the destination resorts. Yeah.
It’s a landscape where those smaller places often kind of absorb cost increases just to keep that local appeal,
which uh naturally leads to slimmer margin. compared to the bigger resorts who can maybe pass costs on more easily.
So, the local lift wants to be a space for practical strategies and community building.
That seems to be the idea, a place to find support and share ideas.
Okay. So, who’s the target audience here? Who should be, you know, hitting subscribe on this?
Well, they mentioned the general manager who’s probably juggling a million things,
right? The person wearing all the hats.
Yeah. And the marketing manager who has to be super resourceful with like no budget and the mountain ops lead, you know, the one constantly dealing with changing snow conditions. These are people with really full plates.
Gotcha. Busy people
and it’s often in these smaller operations where you see that real personal connection, that tie to the community.
That’s a good point. A different feel than the big corporate resorts.
Definitely a unique strength.
Mhm.
And the local seems to want to help them leverage that community spirit, not just survive.
But that spirit, it faces some serious headwinds, doesn’t it? You read industry reports. These smaller areas often and struggle to keep pace. Revenue, visitation growth.
Yeah,
it lags behind the bigger resort.
Yeah, that’s a consistent theme.
And then you throw in the mega passes, Epic Icon. How do those shake things up for the little independent hills?
Well, I mean, those passes give skiers access to a huge network for one price. Great value if you travel, right?
But it can make it harder for a smaller, maybe geographically isolated resort to attract those same skiers. It potentially hits their ticket sales, their overall visitation,
right? It just changes the whole competitive dynamic. And it’s not just about getting skiers through the gate.
Costs are rising everywhere, aren’t they? Insurance, energy,
all those operational expenses. And that hits a smaller bottom line, much harder.
Plus, we can’t ignore climate change. That must be a huge factor.
Huge. Shorter seasons, less reliable natural snow,
sometimes rain instead of snow,
which just introduces this significant level of financial uncertainty. You know, smaller places often rely heavily on that shorter intense peak season for most of their money.
Right.
So any disruption there has a much bigger impact than it might on a larger maybe more diversified operation.
And the staffing thing
Yeah.
We keep hearing about that everywhere. Finding and keeping people.
Yeah. It’s tough all over, but especially acute in mountain towns. The cost of living
housing.
Housing is just astronomical in many of these places now.
So how do you even find people?
Yeah.
Or keep them.
Exactly. It’s a fundamental question about the workforce. sustainability. Without affordable housing, finding and keeping staff becomes this critical threat. It impacts everything. Lifttops, guest services, you name it.
Okay, this makes the format interesting. An audio podcast, right? Because these operators are busy. They’re out on the mountain working long hours. So, the ability to listen while they’re, I don’t know, on a snowmaking run, inspecting a lift, even just commuting, that could actually be really valuable, couldn’t it?
Yeah. It fits into their workflow, right? Easily accessible info when they actually have a moment to take it in. Makes sense. Okay. So, what kinds of topics are they planning for future deep dives? I mean, future episodes of the local lift. What can listeners expect?
They laid out some really crucial areas. First up is operational excellence.
Okay. The nuts and bolts
pretty much.
Oh,
efficient snow making, grooming, super vital with weird weather, lift maintenance, safety. They even mention skills.org as maybe something they’d discuss, which shows they’re looking at, you know, relevant existing resources
plus risk management, finding affordable tech that can boost efficiency for smaller ops,
right? Because optimizing that stuff, especially with limited resources, that can make a huge difference. Bottom line, guest experience.
Yeah.
Everything.
Exactly. Finding cost effective tech especially can kind of level the playing field a bit.
Okay. What else?
Then there’s financial resilience. Obviously critical
for sure.
So looking at creative budgeting, which I bet a lot of small operators are already masters of.
Oh, probably. exploring ways to access capital, innovative pricing models.
Yeah,
they actually mentioned Ski Cuper’s uh $45 midweek ticket as an example.
Oh, interesting. Thinking outside the box.
Yeah. And maximizing revenue beyond just lift tickets, food and bev, retail, ski school, all that.
Diversifying. Smart.
Okay. Next.
Next up, marketing and community building. How do you get the word out? Build loyalty without a giant budget.
Good question.
So, exploring cost-effective tactics, really focusing local hyper local marketing, being authentic on social media, building a unique brand around those community roots and turning loyal locals into, you know, ambassadors. That grassroots approach makes sense. That community connection is their advantage, right?
Absolutely. It’s often a huge differencemaker compared to the big corporate places.
Okay. What else is on the list?
Then they’ll dig into staffing and housing solutions. We touched on it, but they plan to really explore it.
Good. Because it sounds critical.
Yeah. Innovative recruitment, retention strategies, focusing on culture and perks, not just pay.
A ski area is only as good as its staff.
Totally.
Yeah.
Finding sustainable solutions there is fundamental to their long-term health.
All right. Keep them coming.
Okay. Also, climate adaptation and sustainability.
Yeah.
Another big one.
Huge for the ski industry.
So, strategies for managing shorter, warmer seasons, water conservation and snow making increasingly critical. Energy saving developing summer operations for year round revenue and just long-term climate planning.
So, Mitigation and adaptation basically.
Exactly. Summer ops for instance can be a vital revenue diversifier.
Makes sense. And finally,
finally leadership and strategy.
Okay.
This means learning from their experiences. Discussions on navigating industry consolidation, how to stay independent, and frameworks for making smart strategic decisions. Case studies breaking down successful projects.
Yeah. Highlighting how it impacts everything. Terrain openings, service levels.
And when you dig into it. Like you said, so much links back to that fundamental lack of affordable housing in resort towns. Dedicate significant attention in future episodes, exploring recruitment ideas, showcasing housing initiatives, fostering discussions on like collaborative strategies
because it’s not something one resort can fix alone, right?
Often not. It usually needs broader community efforts, partnerships.
And that really gets to the heart of what the Local Lift wants to be, doesn’t it? More than just a podcast.
Yeah. Not just a one-way street. It’s about building a real conversation, a community for these operators.
They genuinely want operators to chime in.
That was the message. What are your biggest headaches? What clever solutions have you found? What do you want us to talk about?
That active participation piece is key.
Yeah, it makes it a platform for shared learning solving problems together.
So, if you are listening to this and you happen to be one of those small ski area operators, they have a direct message. Subscribe to the local lift wherever you get your podcasts. And they’re really Share your stories, your questions, your insights. The goal is collective learning, collective growth, helping these independent places flourish, not just survive.
It’s about building that supportive network, learning from each other’s wins and uh challenges.
They definitely sounded really enthusiastic about launching this. You could tell they think it could be a truly valuable resource.
And based on everything we’ve just talked about, it really seems like there’s a need for this kind of focused platform, doesn’t it?
Yeah, it certainly does. Well, uh, That brings us pretty much to the end of this deep dive into the upcoming podcast, The Local Lift. Thanks for joining us.
Yeah, it’s been an interesting glimpse into uh the unique world and well, the significant challenges these small operators are facing.
Absolutely. And maybe it leaves you with a thought, you know, in a world that often focuses on the biggest, the flashiest, it’s worth recognizing the vital role these smaller independent businesses play and the resilience they show and the unique character, that connection they bring to their local community. That personal touch, it’s really valuable, isn’t it?