Is it possible for teaching professionals, ski schools and the manufacturers of the equipment they rely upon to work together to solve commonly shared problems?
What problems?
For all three, in a nutshell, it boils down to declining revenue (for a multitude of reasons) and rising costs. It is not simply a reflection solely of our troubled economic times; that is far too easy an excuse to fall back on.
For a teaching professional, each new season on snow requires a fair bit of equipment, from skis & bindings through boots, goggles, gloves, hats or helmets, sun glasses, etc… A teaching professional is expected to look a certain way and set a certain example, from the manner in which they engage their clients down to the last piece of equipment they wear.
What does this cost? Granted, teaching professionals do not pay full retail cost for their required equipment, yet is can easily cost a ski pro in excess of $1,000.00 each season for their “necessaries.”
Similarly, today’s manufacturers also face a decline in sales, a rise in production costs, increased development costs, material costs and so on. It’s not a pleasant picture by anyone’s estimation.
At the same time, resorts are facing declining skier visits, declining room occupancy rates, drops in the purchases of ancillary items by guests during ski trips.
Everyone is in the same boat.
How do we start climbing back up the hill known as “profitability?”
We work together.
Manufacturers need to start recognizing the value of the teaching professional as the front line representative of the products they use by returning to the days when they valued having such professionals on their equipment, rather than simply as the current source of potential sales they now view them as. Those who make what we use need to return to the days when a “Pro Form” actually meant a price for the equipment that did not make the ski pro consider forsaking his next few meals.
These professionals are the number one source of equipment purchasing advice for the guests of any resort; why would a manufacturer not want to make sure as many as possible are on their equipment?
And what of the resorts? How can they help and in the process, help themselves?
Partnerships. What? You heard me, partnerships.
Let resorts start making deals with equipment suppliers for exclusivity…of any sort…and watch the economics of the ski world change. Encourage brands to work with your resort and create leverage to benefit your professional staff through affordable equipment pricing, access to more equipment. Build relationships this way and work towards long term sales goals, rather than continue down the current knee jerk reaction road to every single economic hurdle that comes along.
The resort is thus able to not only build relationships, but to also provide employee benefits which provide the additional motivation to staff to perform and to recommend your partner brands to their clients and to play an active role in economic development you all need.
Think about the numbers. Vail/Beaver Creek has at least 1,500 full and part time ski pros. Okemo in the East probably has 350 or more. Now, add Stowe, Killington, Aspen, Snowmass, Deer Valley and Mammoth.
The choice is inexorably clear: work together and find those necessary ways and means of creating answers.
Continuing to splinter and forcing each to fend for themselves has proven to be a losing philosophy. It’s time for a change.
