Ep.15 - Evan Kovach of Mountain Creek Resort, New Jersey on Pre-Sell, Pricing Smart, and Winning the Never-Evers

Ep.19 - Lucy Blyton-Gray of Charlotte's Pass Snow Resort on Turning Isolation Into Its Greatest Advantage

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 operational challenges into some of its greatest competitive advantages. Charlotte Pass has built its brand around something increasingly rare in modern skiing: no cars, no queues, and no crowds. In this episode, Lucy shares how Charlotte Pass leverages nearly a century of history, transforms first-time visitors into lifelong guests, uses storytelling to bring its unique experience to life, and stays fiercely loyal to the families who have been returning generation after generation. If you've ever wondered how a smaller ski area can stand out in the shadow of much larger competitors, this episode is packed with lessons you can apply at your own mountain. Now let’s get on the over-snow transport and head up to Charlotte Pass for a chat with Lucy Blyton-Gray. Get all 12 Actionable Insights from this episode at www.sellingsnow.com [https://www.sellingsnow.com/post/ep-19-lucy-blyton-gray-of-charlotte-pass-nsw-australia]

Ep.18 - Christian Théberge of Shames Mountain on How The Community Saved The Ski Hill

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 stories in the industry. We’ll hear how a small remote ski area transformed into one of the world’s most fascinating community ownership stories, why building community trust may be more important than building new lifts, and what ski operators can learn about sponsorship, leadership, transparency, and surviving tough seasons. We’ll also hear how bake sales, pet rocks, and a community refusing to let their mountain disappear helped save a ski hill. So let’s put on our gore tex powder bibs, and head up to Shames for a conversation with Christian Theberge. We pulled 12 Actionable Insights from this episode. Get them all at www.sellingsnow.com [http://www.sellingsnow.com]

Ep.17 - Justin Modroo of Beartooth Basin on How To Nourish The Soul Of Skiing

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 lifts, and a community of skiers who are absolutely obsessed with the place. Our guest today is Justin Modroo, the General Manager of Beartooth Basin, a ski area that operates for only a few weeks each year, but has become one of the most legendary hidden gems in skiing. In this conversation, Justin shares how Beartooth survives with a short summer season, why they intentionally cap skier numbers, how they built a cult-like following without traditional marketing, and why authenticity and community might matter more than luxury amenities in the future of skiing. This episode is a reminder that sometimes the most important thing a ski area can sell isn’t convenience, size or amenities, it’s soul. Plain and simple fun. So let’s head up the Beartooth pass, get our costumes on, hit the mandatory drop in and ski every day like it’s closing day in our conversation with Justin Modroo from Beartooth Basin. Get all 12 Actionable Insights from this episode at www.sellingsnow.com [https://www.sellingsnow.com/post/ep-17-justin-modroo-of-beartooth-basin-wyoming]

Ep.16 - Noel Landry of Mt. Buller, Australia on Running A Ski Area Like One Long Event

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 “running winter like a 121-day event,” and unpack how Mt Buller operates within a complex mix of private ownership, government-managed infrastructure, community stakeholders, and independent businesses, all while a ski area with some of the best advanced terrain in Australia. We talk about: * Why Australian skiing is completely different from North America, * How Mt Buller markets the entire resort community together, * The challenge of converting snow players into lifelong skiers, * Lessons from the events world that apply directly to ski operations, * and why collaboration might actually be the greatest competitive advantage a resort can have. There’s a ton of operational and marketing insight packed into this one. So let’s head up to the village in the clouds, and in some creamy down under snow under the gum trees with Noel Landry of Mt. Buller. We pulled 12 Actionable Insights from this episode that you can use to up your own game. Find all 12 at www.sellingsnow.com

Ep.15 - Evan Kovach of Mountain Creek Resort, New Jersey on Pre-Sell, Pricing Smart, and Winning the Never-Evers

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 out many iconic western ski areas for snow this year), we sit down with Evan Kovach, General Manager of Mountain Creek Resort, one of the highest-volume ski areas in North America, sitting just outside New York City and serving millions of potential guests. And what’s fascinating about their model… is that it’s not built on powder days or destination travel. It’s built on the science of selling, introducing new skiers to the sport, having an epic terrain park scene, and being the alpine backyard for the New York metro area. We get into how they: * Pre-sell 60–70% of their business before the season even starts * Use pricing and inventory to actively shape demand * Turn night skiing into a massive growth engine * And most importantly… how they attract and serve the never-ever skier—the people who are choosing between skiing, the movies, or staying home Because if you want to grow your ski area in today’s market, you don’t just need more skiers… You need a better system for creating them. Now let’s head through the Lincoln tunnel and down I -80 for a chat with Evan Kovach at Mountain Creek Resort, New Jersey. We pulled 12 Actionable Insights from this episode. You can find all of them at www.sellingsnow.com [https://www.sellingsnow.com/post/ep-15-evan-kovach-of-mountain-creek-resort-new-jersey]