Doug is a Skier.

At the completion of the ASC B77.1 Committee meeting held in Nashville,TN, Doug Allen, VP of Mountain Operations at Steamboat Resort and LeRoy Shultz, past Chairman of the B77, received the Jan W. Leonard Award. This inaugural award is given annually “for exceptional contribution to the B77 American Standards Committee.”

The first standards were written in the 1960’s to set the bar for maintenance programs, training, and lift operations. “But back then at Copper Mountain,” Doug said, “we had one-to-two lifts being installed per year! Chuck Lewis [the founder of Copper Mountain resort] said to us on the crew with a finger shake, you guys have to learn to operate these lifts safely. I took that challenge to heart – to have our chairlifts operate as a safe level of transportation. In the ski industry, we all live and work in a highly regulated environment. It’s really exciting and important that we participate in that environment. I had found my niche in lift equipment in the 70’s and 80’s. There was a lot going on. It was an exciting time.”

How have the standards changed in your 25+ years?

“It has changed in the way the standards work. It was very reactionary in the beginning. When something went wrong, we wrote new rules so it didn’t happen again. The focus is now a pro-active movement.”

What is the most difficult thing for a lift mechanic to learn or accomplish today?

“To develop a good eye before something goes wrong. Lifts are the cornerstone of the industry. It is said: you’re not buying a ski ticket, you’re buying a lift ticket.

“My affinity for lifts started in 1973. I wanted to move West to the mountains. I was working in a ski shop adjusting bindings and looking out the window saying, what am I doing in here when I can be out there? In 1974, I started in lift operations and worked every position. I was offered an opportunity at Steamboat and my new position allowed me to move the resort from fixed grips to detachables. I have experience with a lot of the early detachables.”

“It was good working with some of the early pioneers of the industry… Jan Leonard (CTEC, Garventa, Skytrac Lifts), Dick Kasel (USFS Engineer, CO Tramway Board), Chuck Lewis (founder Copper Mountain Resort).

“And I served some of our dinner the other evening in my new crystal trophy bowl. Many thanks to the Committee for the honor of receiving this award.”

2016 ANSI B77.1 Committee at work

Doug Allen with Maynard Russell

If the Social Benefits Are Worthy and the Economic Benefits Are Real, You Should Be Doing It.

Mike is a Skier.

Michael Pratt is waiting when I call him Friday morning. Not for me, but for the new cable for Gore’s Northwoods Gondola. While the cable is stuck at the Canadian border, the crane truck waits, the crew waits, and the overweight, over-wide permit expires in two short hours, we talk.

Gore Mountain just won the Golden Eagle Award for overall environmental excellence in the medium–sized resort category at the NSAA national show. We can wonder about the details on a winning project like this.
How much investment in resources does an honor like this take?
Is this kind of stewardship both attainable and duplicable for other resorts with less money and manpower?

Mike: “The press release talked about money, we weren’t even going to mention the money. The real ROI is both social and economic. That is, doing the right thing as long as economics support your decision-making. This is attainable by any resort. What’s required is [the willingness to go through] the process.”

“For our experience, we started looking at a site in cooperation with the local Township. We interviewed commercial solar companies and received proposals to review. Through this process, we learned that there are efficiency incentives for developers to establish green initiatives. We started by investigating concept viability and determining what requirements are involved in getting a completed project. Our solar power source is about 40 miles away. We negotiated the rate for a power purchase agreement with no money down and agreed to purchase all power produced. 90% of this [process] was handled in-house. We had an attorney write the final contract. But the process requires work and work is a four-letter word.”

“We started this process 2-1/2 years ago but got serious 1-1/2 years ago. [At Gore] we all were proactive and aggressive towards our efficiency projects. We are not a large staff here and we all wear many hats.”

So when wondering if environmental projects and upgrades are worthwhile and doable for your resort, Mike: “If you decide the social benefits are worthy and the economics are real, you should be doing it.“

Environmental changes made at Gore were said to “positively affect the guest experience”, so I asked Michael, honestly – is it true that these changes gave your skier’s and rider’s a difference that they could see and feel?

“It is true,” Mike said. “For our Golden Eagle application, we referenced 12 action items in the past 12 months. For example, it was a lousy winter [for snow] but we had already built our boardercross out of earth and capped it with snow, so the boardercross existed to use this season. We had purchased high-efficiency snow guns. We replaced old drives with new drives on the pumps so we were working on making snow instead of working on getting the guns to operate properly. We also hosted nine regional nordic events. High school coaches had reported increasing the numbers of students participating and this was during a poor winter. Participation historically decreases during a bad winter but the excitement and synergy of having dependable man-made snow along with a lodge with food facilities had the students and coaches so enthusiastic that their numbers grew. We’re experiencing more requests to host events for the nordic community.

Mike shared a story with me back at the Eastern show at Killington that sums up his values of leadership without exception. He borrows it from a book that tells of how we all have five balls of life to juggle. Four balls are made of glass to portray our own health, family, friends, and integrity, defining what we cannot risk. The last is a rubber ball that represents our careers, interpreting what remains flexible and resilient when all five are thoroughly valued. “Gore is a place, a resort, and what we do here is great but it is the people that make it special.”

And the last comment Mike says to me,
“I have to add, my cable still has not arrived.”

The cable did arrive. I received a text with the photos below. The permit still allowed for 1 hour and 49 minutes.

Everyone waiting…

1 hour, 49 minutes of permit time to get the job done.

Lift Maintenance Manager, Snowmass, New Chairman ANSI B77 Committee.

Mark Thorpe is a Skier.

Two days before the NSAA Keynote speaker addressed the issue of aging resort leadership, the ANSI B77 committee announced Mark Thorpe as the Committee’s new Chairman. “Getting qualified younger people involved is crucial,” expressed Maynard Russell, who is stepping aside to vice–chair. “Mark’s leadership abilities also lends to recognize other member’s who are needed for other roles, like negotiate, or run an ad hoc committee.”

When asked about goals as the new Chair, Mark responded that his personal goals were recruitment and increased participation within the committee. And participation, he says, is an incredible opportunity to develop professionally. “I have 33 years in this industry and I joined the B77 to give back. This industry has given me a career and do something I’m passionate about. We have to find fresh blood to replace [tenured] lift professionals, some of these guys more than 30 years experience. [Finding these candidates] is like herding cats. They don’t like it but it can be done. I also left the Board at RMLA when taking on the B77 Committee. I had to make choices. I couldn’t do my day job, plus B77, plus RMLA.”

When asked about his 33 years in the industry, Mark says that it all really started by growing up in Aspen Valley. Yep – you read correctly. Born and bred and the FOURTH generation to grow up there. His house was three blocks from Aspen Mountain and he was always late to dinner because he was messing around on the hill and always outside. “It was a fantastic place to grow up when I was a kid. Aspen was a sleepy town with dirt roads. Hollywood and the jet set has changed it. Mom and Pop stores are now shops selling Louis Vuitton. Everything changes. Change is good. I also have a 15-year-old son who is a successful ski racer and is the third generation of racers including me and his grandfather.”

At 18 years of age, Mark started in the rental shop, attended the U. of Colorado for Business, and came back to work rentals for every vacation and break. After Mark graduated he was hired into the Aspen marketing department. He enjoyed marketing and felt he was good at it. “But then a new CEO came in and fired everybody because he wanted a different tone. I decided that was the end of the white collar world for me. Around 1988, I worked summer lift maintenance, enjoyed being outside. I transferred to Aspen Highlands in 1995 and then in 2000 went over to Snowmass and became lift maintenance manager. We have two of the original Poma detaches and this summer we are replacing 30-year haul ropes. There’re guys that will be working on those that are younger than the lifts.”

Maynard Russell, Mark Thorpe, Carl Skylling