As I travel around skiing at different ski areas,
particularly in the Northeast, I’m always surprised why some areas
appear to be more popular than others.
All areas have the same ingredients, a lodge, lifts
and snow. Still skiers prefer one over the other.
Three of the most popular areas reasonably close
to Saratoga that seem to draw loyal groups of skiers are Gore Mountain
in North Creek, New York; Okemo Mountain, Ludlow Vermont; and Jiminy
Peak, Hancock, Mass. There has to be a reason. There has to be a common
bond that ties them all together.
There are four individuals involved in the three
mountains and I have known them personally for many years. Upon visiting
with them on many occasions it was easy to see what sets them apart
from all the others.
First and foremost, they truly care about the ski
industry, not a purely financial interest, but a personal interest.
All of them have been involved in skiing from a very young age. It is
part of their existence. Brian Fairbanks, owner of Jiminy Peak for example,
knew at the age of 13, that all he wanted to do was to be involved in
the ski industry.
Secondly, all of them have a genuine interest in
people. And, they want to present skiers with the best possible product
in a concerned environment. All of the employees at the three areas
from the top brass, to the cafeteria workers, to the lift operators
are friendly and courteous. They would have it no other way.
I remember Gore prior to General Manager Mike Pratt’s
tenure. It wasn’t much fun. Nobody really cared what went on at
the mountain. Personnel working there reflected the general manager’s
attitude. It was always someone who obtained the position by political
appointment and really wasn’t interested in skiing. I didn’t
go to Gore very much in those days. Today, the mountain bursts with
enthusiasm. The slopes are always well groomed; the workers are helpful
and friendly. It’s fun, once again to ski at Gore.
At Okemo the Mueller’s, Tim and Diane, are
hands on kind of people. He is Mr. Outside, and she, Mrs. Inside. It
is not unusual to find her flipping hamburgers on an over-crowded day.
They are continually aware of the product they are presenting to the
visitors and will accept nothing but perfection. It is no wonder they
are Vermont’s top destination resort.
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All
three areas are not afraid to put profits back into their area. For Gore’s
Pratt, it is a little different situation. His money is allocated by the
State. But in his quick, unassuming manner he has been able to obtain
the necessary funds for capital improvements far exceeding prior general
managers. Gore has become a real force within the ski world. All the credit
must be given to Mike Pratt.
Both at Okemo and Jiminy Peak there is always something new
going on. Each area has long-term plans that extend far into the future
proving to skiers they are in for the long haul. Even when times were
tough they continued to stick with their plans and the areas grew in stature.
They believed in the future.
And they listen. They listen to their employees and
they listen to the requests of skiers that patronize their mountain. If
you’re looking for Mike Pratt in his office, forget it! He is every
place but, he is on the hill, talking to the snowmakers, lift operators
and skiers getting their opinion on how things can be done better.
The same holds true for the Mueller’s and Fairbanks.
They want to know what is going on. Each does it in their own way. They
truly want to know what you think and what you would like to see happen
at their area. You tell them, results will follow.
For example, Brian Fairbanks is a human dynamo. Continually
on the go. He exhibits the same enthusiasm he had back in 1969 when he
first went to work for Jiminy Peak as a young assistant.
Two years ago via e-mail, he sent out 7,000 surveys
with an amazing 2,000 returns that provided to be very enlightening. Snowboarders
complained the terrain park was “lame.”
Snowboarders and skiers alike enjoyed the terrain park,
but wanted more. Teenagers must be served. Two experts were brought in
and a whole new area was designed called Coyote Ridge.
The use of the park increased by 30 percent.
Further evidence of his concern for skier opinion is
the 100 to 200 surveys he takes each week.
The surveys are sent to an expert in Denver, Colo.
for analysis and returned in four days for Fairbanks to react on them.
And he does. Including personal comments like, “The main lodge was
very unkempt the day I was there.” That is no longer true.
But the most glaring evidence of Fairbanks’s
influence is the growth of Jiminy. In the early ‘60s the only place
to ski in the Berkshires was Broody Mountain. Jiminy was the poor cousin
down the street. In 2005 Broody is no longer a ski area and Jiminy Peak
is the largest ski area in southern New England.
There is no doubt in my mind that great ski areas are
the result of great leadership. Skiers often ask me where I like to ski.
I guess this column answers that question. I particularly like any one
of these areas. And when conditions are marginal, they are always a step
above the rest.
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