Imagine waking up in Queenstown, looking out at the Mountains, knowing you’ve got three ski areas to run, a massive expansion project in the works, Australians pouring across the Tasman, and climate change quietly asking you to rethink what the next 20 years of skiing is going to look like. Oh, and you just came into the ski industry from finance. Today’s guest is Paul Anderson, CEO of NZSki which owns Mt. Hutt, The Remarkables and Coronet Peak in New Zealand In this episode, we talk about how NZSki manages three very different mountain personalities under one company, and why sometimes the smartest marketing move is to let the individual mountain brands do the talking. We also dig into the massive expansion planned for The Remarkables, the importance of getting people hooked on skiing when they’re young, how they’re using everything from CRM to reality TV to reach different audiences, and why climate adaptation is becoming part of the long-term business plan whether we like it or not. So grab a flat white, chuck on your jandals, and let’s head over to Queenstown for a chat with Paul Anderson, CEO of NZSki. We pulled 10 Actionable Insights from this episode. You can find Here
It’s perhaps not well known, and potentially contentious, but just outside of Selwyn Australia is home to the first ski club, potentially on earth. The Kiandra Pioneer Ski Club was formed in 1861. By 1957, they had the first t-bar, and in the 60s and 70s, they moved up the road to the current site at Selwyn Snow Resort. 50 years later, it burned to the ground, and they got a unique opportunity to start fresh General Manager Lachlan Blyton-Gray shares how they rebuilt a better guest experience, own their niche that the bigger destination resorts simply can't compete in, and turned one of the darkest moments in the resort's history into a long-term competitive advantage. So grab a meat pie and a hot choccy while we head to Selwyn for a chat with General Manager, Lachlan Blyton-Gray.
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 Part 2 with James Urquhart of Mt Hutt in New Zealand. Get all 10 Actionable Insights from this episode at www.sellingsnow.com
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 access road that climbs 1,200 vertical metres to the ski area. That's the kind of community spirit and family culture that launched Mt Hutt, a mountain that's still part of a family-owned ski business today. This week, we're heading to New Zealand to chat with James Urquhart, General Manager of Operations at Mt Hutt. With more than three decades on the mountain, James shares the leadership philosophy and operational decisions that have transformed Mt Hutt into one of the Southern Hemisphere's premier ski destinations. In this episode, you'll discover why lowering food prices can actually increase revenue, how investing in infrastructure dramatically reduced weather closures, why beginners and intermediates are the biggest opportunity for sustainable growth, and how a family-first culture has created remarkable staff loyalty and long-term success. So grab a Speight's, and let's chat with James Urquhart of Mt Hutt. Get all 10 Actionable Insights from this episode at www.sellingsnow.com
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’re headed North to the Stryn Summer Ski center in Norway. Open for only a short season starting in late May when their access road gets plowed out and usually running into July, sometimes all summer, but increasingly less in recent years. It's off the grid, powered by generators, battling unpredictable weather, and operating with a tiny team. Yet every summer, skiers and snowboarders travel from around the world to ride there. So what's their secret? It isn't a massive marketing budget. In fact, they don't really have one. It isn't fancy infrastructure or endless staff. Instead, it's all about running lean, building loyal customers, leading from the front, and making smart business decisions one step at a time. In this episode, I sit down with the owner of Strynn Sommerski, Idar Aaboen and his partner in life and business, general manager Nina Lensebakken, to talk about what it really takes to keep a small ski area alive in a non-traditional ski season. Along the way, we dive into authentic marketing, operational efficiency, customer loyalty, leadership, and why sometimes the best growth strategy is simply building your business... rock by rock. Find all 10 Actionable Insights at www.sellingsnow.com